Jackson named Division 3 North Coach of the Year

LYNN – The Eastern Mass. Soccer Coaches Association has named St. Mary’s boys soccer coach Al Jackson the Division 3 North Coach of the Year.The award was announced in March and presented at a dinner in Canton, which Jackson was unable to attend because he was in Brazil on a work-related trip.The Spartans only had four players back from the previous year, but still managed to go 10-5-3 to qualify for the state tournament. Jackson has been head coach of the Spartans for the past 12 years (and 14 years total), and his teams have qualified for the tournament every year.”This is a compliment to the kids,” Jackson said. “Winning this award is really nice. I wish I could give one to every kid on the team. I’ve been blessed with some pretty good talent over the years.”Jackson said he thinks the award is partially the result of the fact that his players do a lot of work in the community, raising money for different projects. He said in the past two years, his players have raised approximately $7,000 for various charities on the North Shore.