DANVERS — To say it was a good athletic year for St. John’s Prep would be an understatement. Throughout the 2022-23 school year, the high-flying Eagles brought home seven championships.
“In the fall, we won state championships in football and soccer. We won a New England championship in mountain biking in the fall,” Athletic Director Jameson Pelkey said. “In the wintertime, we won a state championship in wrestling and skiing, and in the spring, we were the Division 1 relay champions in track and field and, of course, we just won the lacrosse championship. In total, we had seven championships.”
“Overall, it was a very successful year,” Pelkey said. “From our middle school programs to our sub-varsity teams, up to the varsity teams.”
Pelkey was quick to praise Prep’s coaches and staff for putting the athletes in the best positions possible.
“Our coaching staff has done an excellent job as they always do. Not only with the X’s and O’s and the stuff they do on the field, but the work they put in the offseason,” Pelkey said. “Meeting with the kids and having them buy into what they’re doing and what the program is about – between the strength and conditioning programs or the community service we do.”
Pelkey credited the athletes’ offseason workouts for making sure their bodies were ready for gametime.
“We have a group of kids working under Bill McSheffrey, our strength and conditioning coordinator, to workout during the summer and that will go all the way until the fall season,” Pelkey said. “It’s four days a week that starts at 6:30 in the morning. They’re getting bigger and faster every day. They don’t just show up on day one of practice. They put the work in.”
When asked of his favorite moment, Pelkey pointed to the big-game wins.
“Going out and being able to be on the sidelines and be there with our kids competing at the highest level,” Pelkey said. “The most recent game was the lacrosse championship. That game was one of the most exciting high school games I have ever seen. The ups and downs, the emotions, going down in the third, come back strong in the fourth. ”
That wasn’t all for Pelkey.
“There’s a number of other memories too. At our soccer championship, it was a great crowd at Manning Field in Lynn. The win at Gillette where we pitched a shutout – the team played outstanding and it was a great win,” Pelkey said. “Those championship games and wins you’ll remember the most. Those big moments are the ones that are freshest in memory and kind of stick out.”
Pelkey acknowledged there were some challenges this season regarding the transportation shortage across the state, but emphasized the importance of patience and “making the best of the situation.”
“All the ADs and athletic departments have to deal with the shortage regarding transportation. We have to continue to put the kids first, so if a team arrives a half hour late, we need to continue to give them the appropriate time to warm up,” Pelkey said. “If the game starts 45-50 minutes late, then it is what it is. We have to make the best of those types of situations.”
Pelkey said the fall season will be here before they know it, but on Prep’s campus, there’s always activity to keep an eye on.
“There are 800 kids on campus right now between camps and activities,” Pelkey said. “We have Pat Connaughton (currently with the Milwaukee Bucks) working with our head basketball coach. There are 200 kids in the field house for basketball camp [and] another 85-95 kids on the lacrosse field working with John Pynchon and his coaching staff.”
It’s non-stop at St. John’s Prep, but with its track record, it seems to be working well.
