The Peabody High School Athletic Hall of Fame committee has released the list of inductees who represent the 2020 class. Spanning several decades and representing a wide range of sports, this group of sixteen honorees not only contributed to the success of Peabody High School Athletics, but many continue to give back to the community.
The following individuals will be honored at the banquet in November:
Classmates and football teammates from the Class of 2001, Ray Lamonica and Caleb Pelger, were multiple sport athletes. Ray was a two-time football all-scholastic as well as an outstanding baseball player. Caleb was a GBL football all-star who also set four school records in track. Class of 1970 Gary Roltsch and Class of 1980 Davis Scribner both starred on the football field. Gary was a running back with blazing speed that he used to set several school records on the track. Davis was a defensive stopper at nose tackle for the football team and was a multiple time all-star defenseman in hockey.
James McDonald, Class of 1967, and Dave Lebrun, Class of 1980, were power forwards on the basketball court. James played varsity basketball for three years, setting a school record for most rebounds in a game and career. Dave led the GBL in scoring in 1980 and was considered the league’s most unstoppable forward. Melissa Macchi-Reed led the Tanner girls’ team as the starting point guard for four years. Melissa led the Tanners to two NS Basketball Tournament championships and was named the tournament MVP in 2004.
Cross-country and track teammates Dick Vose and Mark Coan were an unstoppable pair as they led the Tanners in the early 70s, setting a combined ten school records. Both all-stars and multiple team MVPs, these runners helped to begin the Peabody Track tradition.
Mark Cone, Class of 1989, and Scott Eiseman, Class of 1994, were both multiple sport athletes but their passion was lacrosse. Mark was an impenetrable wall in net, setting school records for saves in a game (59) and was named to the National Lacrosse All-Star game. Scott was a scoring machine, leading the state in scoring in 1994 and setting PVMHS records in assists in a game, season, and career.
Michael Karp, Class of 1986, was a leader on the swim team for four years, scoring over 100 points and earning GBL all-star status four times. Mike also set school records in the butterfly and individual medley.
Kim Lane-Leazott, Class of 2001, was an outstanding pitcher, with a career ERA of 0.88, led her team in hitting with a .326 batting average and was three-time GBL MVP. Peabody High School’s student-athlete of the year in 2001, she was also a three time all-scholastic in softball and a varsity soccer and basketball player.
Tawny Palmieri, Class of 2008, was a multiple sport athlete, earning all-star status in all three, and leading the GBL in scoring in 2006 and 2007. In basketball Tawny led the Tanners in points, assists and rebounds in 2008 but it was in softball that she found her passion. She was a GBL all-star three times, team MVP in 2008, led the Tanners to the North finals, and was ranked by Boston Herald as one of Massachusetts’ top 10 hitters.
Justine Hartigan, Class of 2007, was a three-sport all-star in soccer, indoor track, and tennis. In soccer she was a four-time GBL all-star, setting the school record for scoring with 119 goals and 60 assists. In track she set the school record in the 1000m and was an all-star. In tennis she was undefeated in the GBL in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In her senior year she was the Salem News Tennis Player of the Year and was named the PVMHS Athlete of the Year.
Completing the class of 2020 is PVMHS volleyball coach Lisa Keene. Coach Keene has been the head coach since 2004, leading the team to 8 league titles, and qualifying for the state tournament every year. With a career record of 243 wins and 81 losses, Coach Keene has become a leader in the sport, supporting new coaches and working with her team to implement community service projects every season. In 2018 Coach Keene was awarded the Women in Sport Award by the MIAA.
