PEABODY — The best and the brightest Peabody High student-athletes took the spotlight Wednesday at the annual PVMHS College Signing Day.
Fourteen seniors, many of whom dressed in the colors of their colleges they will be attending this fall, took part in the ceremony. Each had a turn to be centerstage and sign his or her name on the dotted line. A large group of enthusiastic friends and family was also in attendance and joined in on the fun, posing for photos that – no doubt – will serve as special reminders of their days playing for Peabody.
“This was an excellent day to celebrate all of their accomplishments and what they’ve done in their four years at Peabody High,” Athletic Director Dennis Desroches said. “Not only what they’ve done athletically, but in the classroom. Let’s face it, if they didn’t take care of their studies, which is their No. 1 responsibility, they wouldn’t be going to these schools at all. It’s a great day to celebrate that and, also, their athletic accomplishments. Attaining that next level of play is awesome.”
From Division 1 to Division 3, from Ivy League to state universities, there was plenty of diversity to go around. While excited about moving on to college, many of the student-athletes said they will always treasure their days at Peabody High. Many also expressed their appreciation to their coaches for helping them make the right decision about where they will be spending the next four years.
Kyra Buckley will be running track and cross country at Bates College where she plans to study political science.
Buckley also considered Vassar College, Connecticut College and Union but settled on Bates because “it’s a really great program and it has a lot to offer.” She credited Tanners’ coach Fernando Braz for helping her make the right decision.
“He was very helpful and I am very appreciative of his involvement and interest,” Buckley said.
Basketball standout Raphel Laurent is bringing his talent to UMass Boston where he will study nursing. His goal is to secure a starting spot.
“We had an amazing season, but now I’m on to a really strong program at UMass,” he said.
Jaiden Fils-Aime will be playing soccer at Curry College. The defensive specialist decided on Curry because it is a “quality D3 program and I liked the way the coach (Peter Mendel) reached out to me.”
Fils-Aime said he also considered Salem State, but “that was a little too close to home.” He plans to major in business administration with a minor in marketing. He’s already prepping for the fall season with the team’s 12-week summer conditioning program.
“It’s pretty intense, but I’m up for the challenge,” Fils-Aime said. “If I have the experience that I had here at Peabody, I’ll be happy. Being here was like being part of a brotherhood. It was great and our soccer team was like a family. I’d never trade that for anything.”
High jumper Hannington Senfuma will be running track at Saint Anselm College. Senfuma said that after reviewing “all of his offers,” visiting St. Anselm and meeting with the coaching staff, it rose to the top of the list.
“I had a great meeting with the staff and I realized that the campus was the best situation for me out of all the others,” he said. “And Coach Braz helped me big-time and gave me an incredible recommendation.”
Senfuma plans to major in economics with a concentration in sports marketing, but he is also considering biology as he would like to go into physical therapy or athletic training.
While most, if not all, of the athletes, will be experiencing unfamiliar territory, not so much for Lasell College-bound Meghan Collins who will play field hockey. Her high school coach, Jillian Tobin, is also on the Lasell coaching staff and is thrilled with Collins’ decision to become a Laser.
“I get to keep her for another four years,” Tobin said. I don’t actually have to say goodbye to her, which is extra special.”
Softball standouts Logan Lomasney and Abby Bettencourt are heading in different directions with Lomasney heading north to Southern New Hampshire to play basketball and softball and study criminal justice, while Bettencourt is heading south to Brown to play softball and study human health and biology.
But right now, their attention is on securing a state championship.
“It’s all softball, softball, softball and the state championship,” Lomasney said. “That’s our only focus: getting that state title.”
“We’re out of school now, so that’s our only focus,” Bettencourt said. “That’s where we all are at the moment. We are ready to get out there and show that we should have made the final last year (Peabody lost in the semis) but this year, we are going to be in it right to the end. That’s always been the goal.”
Among other student-athletes who participated in the ceremony were A.J. Forte, basketball, Endicott College; Domenic Scalese, football, Stonehill College; Johnny Lucas, lacrosse, Saint Anselm College; Cam Connolly, baseball, Bridgewater State; Eli Loring, soccer, Western New England; Alex Silva, football, Western New England; and Eli Batista, football, Bentley.
