DANIELLE HARTFORD
Beverly
Field hockey
If Danielle Hartford was nervous taking over a varsity program for the first time this fall, she didn’t show it. Her players certainly bought into her coaching philosophy and wound up having one of the best seasons in the illustrious history of Beverly High field hockey.
The Panthers claimed a share of the Northeastern Conference title this fall, losing just once in league play. They finished the season with a 17-3 overall record, winning a playoff game over Arlington in double overtime, and saw five of their players finish with 15 or more points (most on the North Shore) while surrendering just 10 goals against the entire season.
“My favorite thing about this year’s team is that everyone wanted to be there, wanted to improve, and wanted to play for themselves, the team, and for me,” Hartford, a former Salem State player, said. “They didn’t just want to play field hockey; they wanted to be field hockey players.”
A science teacher at Beverly High, the 27-year-old Hartford was familiar with her players and vice versa before she took the job, having served as Beverly’s junior varsity coach last season and coaching for two years before that at the middle school. The best word to describe her Panthers, she said, was “bonded. They all love and trust each other on and off the field, and that’s what led this team to work so well together and succeed.”
Hartford praised long-time varsity assistant coach Shannon Silvestri and Courtney McKallagat for supporting and believing in her while being “my rocks throughout the season.” She also thanked Madeline Reynolds for jumping into a sport she had never seen or played and taking on the role of team manager, keeping stats, and helping to bridge connections between the players and coaching staff. Lastly, she thanked her own high school field hockey coach, Katie Balboni, for inspiring her to become a teacher/coach and showing her how field hockey can mean the world to someone.
CRAIG WILEY
Beverly
Golf
Craig Wiley knew his Panther golfers were talented heading into the 2024 campaign. What he didn’t know — but was pleasantly surprised to watch play out — was how focused and determined they were to be at their best every time they hit the links.
The Orange-and-Black went 15-1 on the season and captured the Northeastern Conference title. That improved Wiley’s career record in his seven years at the helm to a 104-31 overall mark. He likes to think of each year he coaches as “a chapter in my golf book of memories”, and this team certainly did that, playing well while having fun doing so.
“We grew as a team throughout the season,” said Wiley, who has two daughters, Harper (8) and Scarlett (3) with his wife, Rachel. “Learning about our games and how we work together towards a common goal. I’m so proud of the players; they’re the reason this award is given. Our captains led by positive example from practices to matches, and that spread throughout the team and the program.”
The 44-year-old physical education teacher at Cove Elementary School in the Garden City, Wiley drove that point home by recalling his team’s only setback of the season, coming against a talented Marblehead squad on the road at Tedesco Country Club. “We as a group came to an understanding of what it takes to win as a team,” he said. “Not only did we up our goals individually but we did it as a team.”
He thanked his wife for holding down the fort at home and freeing him up to coach the sport he loves. Additionally, he gave thanks to his golfers, the seniors, the parents, boosters, the BHS athletic department, and Beverly Golf & Tennis Club.
DAVE CROWELL
St. John’s Prep
Boys soccer
In terms of injuries, illness and shuffling new and untested varsity players in and out of the lineup, it was one of the oddest seasons in Dave Crowell’s 24-year coaching tenure with the Eagles. In the end, it was also one of his most rewarding.
The 65-year-old and his team overcame all obstacles placed for them, found a penchant for winning close games late, and wound up reaching the Division 1 state semifinals while finishing with a 16-2-4 mark. During his time at St. John’s Prep, his teams are a combined 325-75-70. He’s scheduled to coach his 500th game at the school in the fall of 2026.
“This was a young, talented squad that I feel overachieved,” said Crowell, who has coached soccer for the last 40 years. “Their tenacity and belief in one another led to a highly successful season.”
“I loved this team’s tenacity and ability to overcome adversity,” added Crowell, who lives in Beverly with his wife, Michelle (the couple have two daughters, Tuesday and Kayleigh). “We suffered multiple injuries to major players and had a serious illness that ran through the team, but they never made excuses. They took “the next man up” mentality to heart and won the Catholic Conference championship and earned an appearance in the state semifinal.”
An English teacher at St. John’s Prep, Crowell gave thanks to his assistant coach, Marty Bulhoes, for his tireless commitment and friendship, saying this season wouldn’t have been possible without him. He also thanked “every member of the team for their daily commitment, which led to our success.”
BRIAN HEENAN
Marblehead
Boys Cross Country
In a 24-year career coaching the Magicians’ boys cross country runners, one that has seen them win 173 of the 195 dual meets they’ve run for a stunning .887 winning percentage, Brian Heenan said that some of the very best highlights he’s experienced with the program happened this fall.
“Watching Nate Assa, Henrik Adams and Will Cerrutti be the first team from Marblehead to win the Clipper Relays was one of the best moments of the season,” said Heenan. “And watching Will, Nate and Jacob Szalewicz lead the team to the Division 2A Championship with a 1-2-3 finish was also one of the highlights of my coaching career.”
A biology teacher at Marblehead High, Heenan led his squad to a perfect 7-0 record at the Northeastern Conference crown. Not content with that achievement, the Magicians went on to win the Division 2A title and placed second at the Division 2 state championship … all while dealing with injuries, sickness, and a teacher’s strike in town that caused them to miss 11 days of school.
“I Don’t know if I have ever been so proud of a team,” said Heenan. “The cross country season is already a war of attrition … I was so proud of the way they handled the stress and anxiety the final weeks of the season. I was so impressed by the fact that they were able to win the Division 2A title the day after the strike was announced, then follow that up with a second place finish at the Division Championship when they did not know if they would even be able to compete until two days before.”
A 46-year-old father of Sean (17), Sarah (14) and Peter (8) with his wife, Allison, Heenan thanked not only his runners for buying into the philosophy that you get into the sport what you put out of it, but also his family for their constant love and support. That includes his mother-in-law, who has taken care of the kids after school for the last 17 years while allowing him the time needed to coach. He’s also grateful to work with MHS girls cross country coach, Will Herlihy, and their assistant, Tim West.
JIM RUDLOFF
Marblehead
Football
Since taking over as the Magicians’ head football coaching in 2009, Jim Rudloff has had a knack for getting his players to reach their full potential, believe they can win any game, and overcome virtually any challenge placed in front of them.
All three of those factors came into play this fall, and it resulted in Marblehead’s 12th Northeastern Conference title in Rudloff’s 16 years steering the ship. Coming off of a very un-MHS-like 5-5 campaign last year and then dropping its first two games of 2024, they turned it around by winning seven straight, reaching the Division 4 state quarterfinals, and toppling arch rival Swampscott, 42-6, the night before Thanksgiving at Fenway Park.
“Gritty,” said the 59-year-old Rudloff, who asked to pick one word to describe his ballclub. “The players were a tight group led by a great bunch of seniors, all of whom were willing to put in the work.
His favorite part of the season was being part of both the athletic and individual growth of the seniors. “This is the ‘Covid’ class where most of them didn’t get the chance to play seventh or eighth grade football. Most of this class had gaps in things related to school, sports and learning,” he said. “So the fact that they were a very coachable and fun group of kids was terrific.”
Rudloff — now with a lifetime 136-38 record — and his wife, Debbie, have three sons: Christian (26), Noel (25) and Declan (22). The MHS Special Education teacher said he’s not only been blessed to have the assistant coaches he does, but also stated he owes a big thank you to the team’s parents and players. “In what was a very unusual and difficult year, (they) rose up and refused to let anyone take anything from the team. I will always be grateful for the support our program gets from the parents.”
STEVE SAWYER
Hamilton-Wenham
Girls cross country
The Hamilton-Wenham cross country program put up another state championship banner this fall — and with two sophomores and two eighth graders in the team’s top five, it could be the start of another dynasty for the Generals.
Under the tutelage of 45-year head coach Steve Sawyer, the young Generals made the most of their talent and ran with exuberance all season long. Hamilton-Wenham won the Cape Ann League title for the 19th time in the last 20 years, took the CAL Open, then won both the Division 3B state championship as well as the Division 3 All-State title.
It was the sixth All-State of Sawyer’s remarkable coaching career at Hamilton-Wenham.
A Boxford resident and graduate of Gordon College, the 81-year-old Sawyer is a member of the Mass. State Track Coaches Hall of Fame. One of the most accomplished track coaches in North Shore history, he has been named Salem News cross country Coach of the Year on 10 occasions (boys and girls) plus three other times in indoor and outdoor track. His is assisted by his brother, Dave, and Ryan Lawlor.
“I’ve been blessed with exceptional athletes year after year,” said Sawyer, “and this season was no exception. Can’t succeed, really succeed in competition year after year, without the athletes, no matter how well you train them and help them grow and improve.”
ALISON LECESSE
Masconomet
Girls soccer
Alison Lecesse is the kind of coach that will do anything for her team … including wading into the thorny woods at Boxford Common to retrieve a game ball.
That particular act of kindness drew rave reviews from the State Officials’ Association, but it was Lecesse’s Chieftains that drew rave reviews from everyone else this fall. The undisputed No. 1 team in Massachusetts, Masconomet finished a dream season 22-0-1 while earning the No. 2 ranked in New England and No. 12 nationally from the United Soccer Coaches Association.
Also voted Division 2 Coach of the Year by the Eastern Mass. Girls Soccer Coaches Association for a second straight season, Lecesse guided her Chieftains as they outscored the opposition by a combined 101-6 — one of the largest goal differentials in North Shore history in girls soccer.
Along with assistant coach Dan Bisceglia and sub-varsity coaches Scott and Krista Marcoulier, Lecesse has built a culture of inclusiveness and accountability in the Tri-Town. Masconomet also received a United Soccer Coaches Team Pinnacle Award for academic excellence for the 2023-24 school year.
With an incredible career coaching record of 125-13-13, Lecesse’s teams have completed three consecutive unbeaten regular seasons. She is a social studies teacher at the Masconomet Middle School.
ALEXIS BEDARD
Bishop Fenwick
Volleyball
A year after the entire school wasn’t allowed to compete in the state playoffs, the Bishop Fenwick volleyball team was hungry come tournament time. The Crusaders made their chance count, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time under the statewide format and scoring the region’s biggest upset by taking down No. 6 Nipmuc in the Division 3 second round.
Second-year head coach Alexis Bedard guided the Crusaders to a 16-7 record against a rigorous Catholic Central League slate, which paid off in a big way come tournament time. Getting a first round win over league rival Arlington Catholic was a nice feather in their cap after losing just a week prior.
“Just from the first set I could see in all their eyes how much they truly wanted that win, not only for themselves, but for their teammates. I remember actually starting to cry on the sidelines at one point before even winning the game just because I was so proud of how they were playing together,” Bedard noted. “Playing aggressive of course, but also making sure they hyped up all their teammates. They motivated each other on another level that day, and I could not be more grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to coach such a talented group of girls.”
This season, Fenwick served at a 90.2 percent clip (the national average is around 80 percent) while seeing both their setters surpass 200 assists. They also had players reach 200 kills and 300 digs. A five-set victory over crosstown rival Peabody was another season highlight.
Bedard is very grateful to her team’s booster mom’s, the squad’s captains and athletic director Scott Connolly. Now living in Salem, the 27-year-old is also thankful to her parents, Andy and Josie, who took on a lot of babysitting shifts for 5-year-old son Castiel to help out during the volleyball season.