College notebook: Johnson reels in defensive honors at Merrimack

Tony Johnson, a former Item football All-Star and Item/Agganis Foundation Defensive Player of the Year in 2007, wrapped up his third year on the Merrimack College football team on a high note.Johnson was one of seven players from the school to receive Northeast-10 honors, taking home the Defensive Lineman of the Year Award. Johnson led the league in sacks and tackles for a loss. He’ll enter his senior season with 27.5 sacks, the most in the school’s history. Overall, in 10 games played, Johnson had 30 solo tackles and assisted on 19 for 49.Jeanette Anderson is at it again.The Caldwell College freshman, who surpassed 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds during her playing days at English High, was named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Rookie of the Week for the week ending Dec. 19.For those thinking this all sounds vaguely familiar, you would be right. She earned the same honor a week earlier. Anderson was key in the Cougars’ 83-53 win over East Stroudsburg University in a non-conference game last Saturday.Anderson was pretty much unstoppable in that game, hitting 9-of-12 from the field and all four of her free-throw attempts. Her 22 points in 24 minutes off the bench was a college career high. Anderson also had three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in the 30-point win. Anderson is averaging 15 points and nine rebounds over her last four games.English High girls hoop fans who would like to see Anderson play won’t have to travel very far. Her next game is Thursday, Dec. 30, against the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Lowell. Caldwell College is in New Jersey.Former Swampscott High girls basketball standout McKinley Tennant is in her final year at Wesleyan. Tennant is captain of the women’s basketball team, which is currently 5-2. With seven games under her belt, Tennant is playing an average of 24.7 minutes per game and averaging 4.6 points per game. She’s 10-for-21 in field goals, 5-for-11 from the three-point line and she has 12 steals.Not to be outdone, McKinley’s older brother, Tyler Tennant, is now a member of the Bowdoin College football coaching staff. Tennant graduated from Bowdoin in 2010 and broke into coaching this past fall. He played linebacker for the Polar Bears all four years, capping off his college career with a team-leading 61 tackles and two interceptions. As a coach, he assists with the offensive backfield. Tennant graduated with a degree in geology.Ryan Woumn, a freshman on the Eastern Tennessee State University men’s basketball team, is in Cancun, Mexico, this week where his team is playing in the Cancun Governor’s Cup tournament being broadcast on ESPN Dec. 22-24. Woumn, unfortunately, is still sidelined with a foot injury sustained before the start of the season.The Salem State University women’s basketball team has a couple of former local players on the rosters. Tara Driscoll, who played for Swampscott High, is a junior captain and guard. She averaged 3.3 points per game. Kristen Federico, Peabody High, is a 6-1 junior center. She’s averaging 18.5 minutes per game and 7.5 points per game.Readers are encouraged to submit information about local athletes now competing at the college level. Joyce Erekson can be reached by email at [email protected].