It has been quite a year for the sports scene in North Andover. From the high school ranks right up to the local college, North Andover athletes have been in the spotlight. Here is a look at the top five sports stories of 2011:
1. North Andover High School Wrestling
In February, one of the nation's top wrestling coaches, David Castricone, was .
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who has served as a coach for nearly 40 years and a coach for North Andover for 25 years, is currently the second winningest high school wrestling coach in the nation.
Under assistent coach, later to be named head coach, Carl Cincotta, the Knights ended up, a brilliant reward after a tumultuous season.
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2. Merrimack Hockey Warriors
The 2010-11 saw the Warriors have their best season in school history. The Warriors made it all the way to game back in March.
The Warriors lost that game, but they grew hungrier over the offseason. Since the 2011-12 campaign began back in October, . Since then, Merrimack has fallen back into the top 10, but it was the first time the Warriors had ever seen the nation's top ranking.
3. North Andover High School Baseball
Under the leadership and fiery fastballs of and , the Knights had a remarkable spring on the diamond.
North Andover won the by beating Lynn English at the historic Fraser Field in Lynn. The Knights got a great pitching performance from Walsh along with some timely hitting.
The Knights would end upto perennial powerhouse Plymouth North, but that did not put a damper on the hardware that the Knights brought home in the springtime.
4. North Andover High School Football
Senior quarterback Brandon Walsh led the Knights in his final season to a strong season, but it ended on a sour note.
The Knights were looking to improve on a season in which they made the playoffs for the first time in five years, but not even the mighty arm of Walsh could save the Knights in 2011.
The season came to a dramatic end when North Andover blew a 12-0 lead andby a final score of 13-12.
5. Goodbye Cape Ann League, Hello MVC
For over three decades, the North Andover High School Athletics program has competed in the Cape Ann League.
In June, superintendent Christopher Hottel announcedwhich is regarded as one of the top conferences in the state.
The change will take effect in September, 2012. It will mean more battles with Andover and new rivals such as Central Catholic and Notre Dame.
The MVC currently features Andover, Billerica, Central Catholic, Chelmsford, Dracut, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Methuen, Notre Dame and Tewksbury.
