David Willis: Under The Lights: North Andover's Duffy breaks his Duke record

David Willis, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·2 min read

May 22—Duffy sets record

North Andover's Erick Duffy broke his own Duke University school record in the pole vault with a 17-9.75 to take first at the ACC Championship last week.

That height broke Duffy's own record mark of 17-7 set less than a month earlier. The former North Andover High and UMass Amherst star also became Duke's first pole vault league champ since 1967.

Video of the record vault can be found on the North Andover track Twitter page (@NAknightstrack).

Fernandes to UNE

Eagle-Tribune All-Star Salem running back/defensive back Dante Fernandes will play his college football at the University of New England, the school announced on its Twitter page.

Fernandes had a breakout season as a junior in 2020. He finished second in the area in rushing yards (717) and scored 10 touchdowns for the Division 1 semifinalist Blue Devils. He was forced to sit out his senior season due to a controversial ruling regarding his grades.

He is listed as a defensive back on the UNE Twitter page.

Knights announce captains

North Andover High football announced its captains for the 2022 season on its Twitter page. Leading the Scarlet Knights will be offensive/defensive lineman Shane Fitzgerald, running back/linebacker Brian Ferullo, offensive tackle Finn Murphy, running back/linebacker James Federico, defensive end Nate Jacques and linebacker Hunter Scott.

Captains Corner

With spring sports nearing its end, we at The Eagle-Tribune still want to honor the area's high school captains as part of our Captains Corner series. Coaches — or parents or the athletes themselves — who would like their captains featured are welcome to submit a photo to dwillis@eagletribune.com. Photos should have all captains featured and ideally in uniform.

Central ranked high

All seven Central Catholic spring sports teams are ranked in the top-30 of the MIAA's Division 1 weekly power rankings. Leading the way are girls lacrosse (4), softball (6) and baseball (10).

Derro honored

Congrats go out to four-time Eagle-Tribune indoor/outdoor track Coach of the Year Steve Derro of Pentucket, who has been voted into the Massachusetts Track Coaches Hall of Fame. Derro's served as Pentucket outdoor track head coach since 1999, and has been the Green and White's girls indoor track coach since the team was established in 1997.

One Final Thought

As Michael Muldoon used to say, "If you can bring a smile to someone's face today, just do it."

TWITTER: DWillisET