Where to Watch the Pats Today?

Watch the NFL Playoffs at a sports bar in North Andover!

Brady, Belichick and the rest of our boys from Foxboro are at it again. Playoff time is back in New England and the kickoff is today at 4:30. The Patriots earned a week off and spent last weekend watching the Wildcard round of the playoffs. The Houston Texans will try to spoil the party down in Foxboro. Led by offensive stars Andre Johnson and Adrian Foster, Houston has enough firepower to upset New England. Most fans, however, are expecting the machine-like Patriots to advance into the AFC Championship game. Vegas has the Pats favored by nine and a half points. Last week we suggested some places to watch the Wildcard round. Here are just a sampling of places you can watch today’s games. The Atlanta Falcons host the Seattle Seahawks at 1pm…

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Meet Your Neighbor: Michael Laorenza

Michael is an insurance agent and a baseball coach.

Meet Your Neighbor is a series that introdues you to North Andover community members.  Today's featured community members is Michael Laorenza.     Patch: What's your occupation? Michael: I am an insurance agent for MTM Insurance Associates. I am also on the Board of Directors for the North Andover Merchants Association. Patch: How long have you lived in North Andover? Michael: I have lived in North Andover all of my life with the exception of one year after getting married. Patch: What is your favorite part about living in North Andover? Michael: My favorite part of living and working in North Andover is clearly the people of our town. It is a town filled with good people. Growing up here I developed great and lifelong friendships. And I …

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Knights Heartbroken by Wakefield

Top seeded North Andover fell to Wakefield in the MIAA Division 2 North Semifinals.

North Andover's dream season came to a crashing halt last night at Woburn High School. The Knights were the top seed in the MIAA Division 2 North tournament and last night they fell to 5th seed Wakefield 47-45. In crunch time, North Andover got a huge defensive stop giving them one last chance to tie or win with 7.6 seconds left on the clock. North Andover's play was foiled and just like that, a state championship contender was sent home. "Unless you win the state tournament, it's a sudden and abrupt ending," said Knights head coach Mike McVeigh. North Andover will be graduating five seniors including its two captains. Colby Smith, Zach Karalis, Jimmy Warden, John Miller, and Mike Moroney will all be moving on. "The seniors through fifth …

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Athlete of the Week: Isaiah Nelsen

Nelsen led all scorers in North Andover's upset win over East Boston.

Junior Isaiah Nelsen is this week’s Athlete of the Week. He led all scorers with 16 points on Wednesday in North Andover’s biggest win of the season. The Knights topped East Boston 52-43 on Wednesday night. ESPNBoston.com ranks East Boston at #17 in the state; the Knights are ranked 19th. Nelsen was North Andover’s most consistent scorer on Wednesday. The 6-foot, 5-inch starter drained his only three-pointer of the game with about three minutes remaining in the game that gave North Andover a six point lead. Nelsen is also coming off a football season in which he was a tight end for the Knights’ offense which was heralded as one of the best in the Merrimack Valley. The basketball team is 7-1, and they will take the court again tonight …

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The O-Zone

Knights Tie Andover in Hockey Showdown

Andover and North Andover skated to a 4-4 tie yesterday in a holiday weekend matinee.

In a holiday weekend matinee game, the Andover High School Warriors and Scarlet Knights of North Andover played an dramatic game at Merrimack College that went down to the wire.  The North Andover High hockey team started off the season 6-0-1 but after a 4-4 tie against Andover yesterday, they haven’t found the win column in their last three games. The Knights and Warriors tied 4-4 in a game full of momentum and emotional swings. North Andover was up 2-1 at the end of the first 20 minutes of play before Andover tied things up in the second. Tied at two going into the third, each team potted a pair in a thrilling third that saw the teams knotted at four by period’s end. For the Knights, Nick Pino, Tristan Stewart, Dan Rivet, and Cody Aponas…

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Athlete of the Week: Ryan Sweeney

The junior forward has 10 points this season for the 6-1-1 North Andover hockey team.

North Andover High’s junior forward Ryan Sweeney scored the Knights’ only goal in their most recent game against Lynnfield. On Wednesday, Sweeney scored his third goal of the season in a 1-1 tie. The Knights’ record is 6-1-1 this season under second year head coach Peter Marfione. Sweeney has seven assists this season for a total of 10 points. His best games of the season include a two goal effort in a season opening, 5-1 win over Pentucket and a three assist performance in a 4-1 win over Masco in the Haverhill Christmas Tourney. Sweeney and the Knights look to get back in the win column on Saturday afternoon. They will play a matinee game against Masco. The puck drops at 1:15pm at the Haverhill Valley Forum. With a promising start to the …

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The O-Zone

Six NAHS Teams in Action Wednesday

It will be a wild Wednesday for the Scarlet Knights.

The NAHS winter teams are approaching mid-season and that means they are busy, busy, busy. Today the boys ski team will be in action at Bradford Ski Hill, but watch out because six North Andover teams are in action Wednesday. Girls Skiing At Bradford Ski Hill, the girls ski team will have its second meet of the season against Haverhill High School. The meet begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday and the forecast calls for a perfect skiing temperature of about 35 degrees. Boys and Girls Indoor Track Both squads will take on Andover Wednesday. The meet gets underway tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. The Golden Warriors will host the event. It will be both teams’ first competition against Andover this season. Girls Basketball The Knights will be on the road at …

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The O-Zone

NAHS Gymnasts Start Season 1-0

The North Andover gymnastics team is in action tonight and Friday night.

The North Andover High gymnastics team is 1-0 this year after winning its first meet of the season on Friday against Salem. The Knights won 131-119 against the Salem Witches. Jessica Whitehead and freshman Chrysla Gui starred in an exciting Knights win.  Freshman Chrysla Gui had an amazing debut by winning the all-around competition with 33.25 points. Her teammate Jessica Whitehead was right behind her with 33 points. Gui won the bars competition with a score of 8.2. She also took first in the floor competition with an 8.7. The strong debut will leave the Knights very optimistic about her career.  Jessica Whitehead, pictured above, picked up right where she left off last season. Whitehead had a strong floor effort placing second behind Gui…

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Brandon Walsh: 2011 Male Athlete of the Year

Senior Brandon Walsh takes home the award for the second consecutive year.

Brandon Walsh is simply the best athlete North Andover has seen in a long time. The entire town has been relying and depending on the right arm of this talented football and baseball player since he emerged as a standout at North Andover High School. Walsh’s year was highlighted by the MIAA Division 2 North Championship of baseball that he helped the Knights achieve. At Fraser Field in Lynn, the Knights’ number two starter got the nod against Lynn Classical in North Andover’s biggest game in over five years. Walsh delivered 11 strikeouts in a 4-0 victory; it was North Andover’s 23rd consecutive win. Throughout the season, Walsh was North Andover’s top catcher and an offensive force. Shifting gears to football, the Knights were anchored …

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Top Five Sports Stories of 2011

Patch looks back at the year that was in sports.

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 arrested for possession of child pornography. Castricone, 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 winning the MIAA Division 2 State Championship, a brilliant reward after a tumultuous …

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