Four coaches, 11 athletes, and eight teams are set to be inducted into the Punchard-Andover High School Athletic Hall of Fame at a March 29 ceremony.
The induction banquet will be held on March 29, at Salvatore’s in Lawrence. Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased via Venmo: @GoldenWarriors1. For more information or to purchase tickets by check contact [email protected].
The Punchard-Andover High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee will also be honoring the late David Nichols with a Special Recognition Award. Nichols retired in 2008 after being the co-athletic director for the five years before his retirement. During those five years, Andover High School reached unprecedented success in multiple sports highlighted by being named the winner of the prestigious Dalton Award by the Boston Globe as the top large school for overall winning percentage for all varsity sports in eastern Massachusetts. Andover received this in back-to-back school years, 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.
Nichols was also the program director for health education for ten years and before that an award-winning adapted physical education teacher in Andover for over 20 years. The committee also voted to rename this award the David B. Nichols Special Recognition Award for Meritorious Service.
The teams being inducted this year are:
- 1970 Boys’ Outdoor Track and Field Team – Undefeated New England Champions
- 2005 Girls’ Outdoor Track and Field All-State Champions
- 2008 Girls’ Indoor Track and Field All-State Champions
- 2009 Boys’ Indoor Track and Field All-State Champions
- 2009 Boys’ Outdoor Track and Field All-State Champions
- 2010 Boys’ Outdoor Track and Field All-State Champions
- 2015 Boys’ Indoor Track and Field Indoor All-State Champions
- 2015 Boys’ Outdoor Track and Field All-State Champions
The hall provided the following biographies of the individual inductees:
The class of 2025 inductees includes current Warrior indoor and outdoor track and field coach Peter Comeau. Peter graduated in 1984 and was inducted as a student-athlete. He was later inducted as a member of the 1984 boys’ outdoor track and field team that were undefeated New England champions. This year Peter will be inducted as a coach, recognizing his 33 years of coaching and more than a dozen state championship teams. Seven of these teams went on to be crowned all-state champions and these teams will also be inducted into the hall of fame this year. Peter will be the first person to be inducted as both a student-athlete and a coach.
Current girls’ varsity soccer coach Meghan Lynch Matson, class of 1996, will be inducted simultaneously as a student-athlete and a coach. Meghan, who teaches physical education at South Elementary School, was an All-Scholastic goalie on the soccer team and also lettered in basketball and softball. Following graduation, she continued her career as a scholarship soccer player at Boston University. She has been recognized several times for her coaching including being selected as the Eagle Tribune Coach of the Year and named the 2006 Eastern Massachusetts Girls Soccer Association Coach of the Year.
David (Faz) Fazio is Andover’s boys’ basketball and golf coach. He has really left his mark as the basketball coach, having been named varsity head coach in 1989, His teams have won over 550 games and have qualified for the state tournament every year. They have won 15 MVC championships and played for the state championship two years ago. Faz was selected as the MIAA Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year in 2019 and was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2022. He retired as an Andover High School physical education teacher in 2022 and is well known as the owner and director of Hooptown Basketball camp where many local youth have learned and honed their skills.
Mike Wartman is being inducted following a highly successful career as Andover’s boys’ tennis coach. Mike coached for 36 years before his retirement in 2022. During those years Mike’s teams won over 86% of their matches, going 614-99. They won the MVC championship 34 times, qualified for the state tournament every year, and played in the state championship finals twice. Mike is just as proud of the fact that his teams were recognized by the MIAA with the state team sportsmanship award twice. Mike coached soccer at AHS for over 20 years, the last six as varsity head coach. Mike is also a retired AHS guidance counsellor.
Former student-athletes who will be inducted are:
Paul Bellacqua, class of 2000. One of the best male soccer players in AHS history. A three-year letterwinner, two year captain, he was named to the All-New England team, a three time Eastern Massachusetts All-Star, Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic, scoring 58 goals in his high school career. He was a three time MVC All-Conference selection and led his team to the MVC championship his senior season. Paul was also an All-Conference basketball player as a senior as well as a two time honorable mention Eagle Tribune All-Star. He was a scholarship soccer player at Elon University where he was a two time team captain, all conference player, and is still in the top 10 all time in scoring.
James B. Bennett III, class of 1958. Four sport letterwinner in football, basketball, baseball and track and field. All-Scholastic in football and basketball and set the school record in the high jump. Jim was a member of the state champion 4×100 relay team and also set a single game scoring record in basketball. He was team MVP in football his senior year and accepted a football scholarship to Syracuse University where he was a member of Syracuse’s national championship football team in 1959. While at Syracuse he also played basketball for three years and was named the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce Outstanding student-athlete for academics and citizenship.
Van Debose, class of 1970. Outstanding football player and track and field athlete, he also lettered in cross country. He was the New England champion in the 120-yard-high hurdles and also set a Boston Athletic Association record in the event. He was the leading scorer on the boys outdoor track and field team that went undefeated, winning the state Division 2 Coaches Relay championship, Class B State Meet, the All-State Meet and the 1970 New England championship. Van’s times, even adjusted from yards to meters, are still among Andover’s all-time best. Van attended Andover High School through the ABC program and after graduation had a very successful career competing in track and field at Tufts University.
Caitlin (Doherty) O’Connor, class of 2006. Four year letter winner and team captain she was a thirteen time state champion swimmer. Caitlin was named the Massachusetts Speedo Swimmer of the Year in 2004. She was a 4-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic and 2 time Globe Swimmer of the Year. In addition to the Globe, she was a 4 time Boston Herald All-Scholastic, 4 time Eagle Tribune All-Scholastic and 3 time Eagle Tribune Swimmer of the Year. Caitlin was a high school All-American in the 100 butterfly and the 200 individual medley. After graduating from Andover High. School she. continued her career swimming on scholarship at Boston College.
Erik Greenstein, class of 1992. Erik was a four year letter winner for the football team. He was First Team All-MVC as a lineman as a junior and senior and second team All-MVC as a sophomore. Erik was a Boston Globe All-Scholastic on the offensive line and a Boston Herald All-Scholastic on the defensive line. He was selected for the B’nai Brith MVP award as the best Jewish student athlete in Massachusetts his senior year. Erik accepted a full scholarship to the University of Maryland where he was a starting offensive lineman for three and half years, and was named an All-Atlantic Coast Conference lineman as a junior and senior.
Katie (Kramer) Allen, class of 2002. Katie was an outstanding soccer and basketball player for Andover High School. As a soccer player she was a three time letterwinner, captain her senior year, two-time All-New England, First Team All-State, two time Eastern Massachusetts All Star, two time Boston Herald All-Scholastic, and MVC Player of the Year as a senior after being named to the all-conference team her junior year. She set a school record for points with 168. In basketball Katie was a four-year letterwinner, two time captain, and three time MVC all-star. Katie accepted a soccer scholarship to the University of Michigan where she had a successful career including tying for the team lead in goals and second in game winning goals and points in her sophomore year.
E.J. Perry IV, class of 2017. One of the best three sport student-athletes ever at Andover High School he was a four year starting quarterback on the football team setting school and area passing records, throwing for over 8,700 yards and 114 touchdowns. He was a four-year starter on the basketball team and scored over 1300 points. He was the starting catcher on the baseball team since his freshman year with a batting average of over .400. E.J. was selected to multiple MVC all-conference teams and was the Boston Globe Football Division 1 Player of the Year as a senior, after throwing for 3,398 yards and accounting for 47 touchdowns. He also rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored 13 rushing touchdowns. He received 15 full scholarship offers in football and 2 full scholarship offers in baseball, He accepted a football scholarship to Boston College eventually completing his career at Brown University where he was Ivy League Player of the Year as a senior after being the runner up as a junior. He also received the Lowe Award, presented by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston, as the best collegiate offensive player in New England. He was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award and was chosen the offensive MVP of the East-West Shrine Bowl in 2022. After college E.J. signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL. He was also the starting quarterback of the Michigan Panthers of the USFL where he broke the playoff single game yardage mark, throwing for 372 yards. Last season he was the starting quarterback for Michigan in the UFL.
Jackie Powers, class of 2005. Jackie was an outstanding two sport student-athlete, competing in soccer and basketball. She is the all-time leading goal scorer for Andover High School, boys and girls, having amassed 75 career goals. As a senior she was the recipient of the Eagle Tribune Golden Boot award as the leading scorer in the area. Jackie was selected as the Merrimack Valley Conference Player of the Year as a senior and was a two-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic. As a basketball player she was the Merrimack Valley Conference Player of the Year as a senior and was named to the Eagle Tribune Super Team and the Boston Herald Super Team. Jackie played a key role, as “6th player” on the girls’ basketball team that won the MIAA division 1 state championship in 2003, her sophomore season. Jackie was the female recipient of the Eugene V. Lovely Award as the top athlete in her graduating class. Jackie went on to excel on the basketball court for Bates College where she was the MVP of the Hall of Fame Classic and also led Bates to the NESCAC championship.
Matthew Rayner, class of 2008. Matt was an outstanding three sport student-athlete, competing in football, ice hockey and lacrosse. Matt moved to Andover from Texas during his sophomore season and made an immediate impact on the Golden Warriors athletic program. A two year letter winner in football, he was an MVC All-Conference player and an Eagle Tribune All-Star at wide receiver as a junior and senior and was selected as a National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete following his senior season. A three-year letterwinner in lacrosse, captain his senior year, he was an MVC All-Conference selection as a junior and senior after being selected as an MVC all-star as a sophomore. Matt was the MVC Defensive Player of the Year in his senior season. He was a two time Eagle Tribune All-Star and Boston Herald All-Scholastic. He capped off his high school lacrosse career by being named a US Lacrosse High School Academic All-American. Matt was also a letterwinner in ice hockey and key contributor to the team. Matt was voted as the Eugene V. Lovely Award recipient as the top male athlete in his graduating class. He was also selected as the recipient of the Charles A. Gregory Award for leadership, school citizenship and athletics for his graduating class. He continued his playing career at Middlebury College where he captained the football and lacrosse teams, being named an All-NESCAC wide receiver in football and an All-American, All-New England and All- NESCAC defenseman in lacrosse. Matt is currently serving in the United States Navy.
Sean Ryan, class of 1992. Sean is considered one of the best basketball players to wear the blue and gold for Andover High School. A four-year starter he was captain his senior year and scored 980 points for his career. Sean was named to multiple MVC All-Conference teams and was the MVC Player of the Year as a senior. He was the Boston Globe Division 1 Player of the Year as a senior in addition to being a Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Eagle Tribune Player of the Year and the Eagle Tribune Winter Season Athlete of the Year. He was the recipient of the IAABO (basketball officials) Edward Middleton Award, was selected to play in the Hoffman Game and the Boston Shoot-Out. Sean accepted a scholarship to play at Monmouth University where he was a two year starter before transferring to St. Anselm’s where he scored over 1000 points and was named to the All New England Team. Sean is now a highly successful high school basketball coach, having led his team to the 2020 Boston city championship and was named the MIAA Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year in 2020. He is now the head coach at Austin Prep.
Steve Shepard, class of 1993. Steve was an outstanding football player and track and field student-athlete. Captain of the football team his senior year he was 2nd all-time in rushing and 4th all-time in scoring when he graduated. As a senior he set the school record, rushing for 9.6 yards per carry. Steve also captained the indoor and outdoor track and field teams as a senior. He is the Andover High School record holder in the decathlon and is currently 3rd all-time in the triple jump and 4th all-time in the long jump. He was the 300-meter intermediate hurdles record holder for twelve years until it was broken in 2015 and is currently second all time. His time in the 110-meter dash is still among the best in the Merrimack Valley. Following graduation Steve accepted a scholarship to continue his athletic career at Villanova University.
To be eligible for induction a student-athlete must have graduated from Punchard or Andover High School for at least five years. They must have demonstrated outstanding ability in their sport(s) and have also demonstrated strong sportsmanship in making significant contributions to their teams. Coaches are eligible based on their performance in the development of individual, team and school success and a significant contribution toward promoting sound educational values. Administrators are eligible based on their contributions to and their support of the athletic department. Team eligibility is based on outstanding accomplishments, success and championships at the conference, state, New England and national level. The Hall of Fame committee may also elect to recognize an individual for extraordinary contributions to the athletic department with a special recognition award.
The hall of fame currently has 141 former student-athletes, dating back to the graduating class of 1911, fifteen former coaches and administrators and thirty-three championship teams. The hall will now welcome fifteen individuals and eight teams when the induction banquet is held on March 29, 2025. One special recognition award will also be presented at the induction banquet