Post-Season Honors: Jurovich, Chaves, Harris, Martin, Dassau Selected All-Conference; Noonan an All-Star

The Winthrop High School football team did very well in the post-season awards selection process with five Vikings – seniors Peter Jurovich, Michael Chaves, Ian Harris, Xam Martin, and Chuck Dassau earning All-Northeastern Conference status – and a sixth player, junior quarterback Robert Noonan, voted an NEC All-Star.

The NEC football coaches, including Winthrop head coach Jonathan Cadigan, convened Monday night at Salem High School to vote on the All-Conference and All-Star teams.

“We’re very pleased that the coaches thought that six of our players merited NEC award recognition for their performances on this season,” said Cadigan. “I think the awards are a testament to our players’ hard work and dedication.”

Jurovich, a 6-foot-4-inch senior, was chosen as an All-Conference offensive lineman. Jurovich, who is being recruited by college football program, was also nominated for the NEC South MVP award, but the prize went to Peabody High quarterback Shea Lynch. Jurovich was also considered one of the conference’s top defensive lineman.

Chaves, who had two pick-6s during his excellent career and two interceptions this season, was selected for his offensive prowess an All-NEC wide receiver. Chaves caught two touchdown passes in the Thanksgiving game. He was a key contributor to the Vikings’ run to the 2020 NEC South championship during the spring season.

Harris was selected as an All-Conference linebacker. “I also think he was the best blocking tight end in the league,” said Cadigan. Martin was selected as an All-Conference running back. Both players were two-way starters this season.

Dassau, one of the most unsung contributors to the team, was selected as an All-Conference defensive lineman.

“Chuck really came on in the end defensively, but I thought throughout the year offensively he just gotten better and better every week. Like Pete moving from tackle to guard when we had injuries earlier in the year, Chuck moved to offensive guard in the Rockland game and he had a very good game. He won the Black Shirt [defensive player of the game] for the Rockland game and played very well on Thanksgiving. I was very happy for a kid like Chuck to get recognized, because I thought he an unsung guy all year long. He was a terrific, first-year starting offensive lineman.”

The All-Star nod to Robert Noonan, son of former Viking quarterback Robert Noonan, should give the signal caller a boost of confidence for the 2022 season. Noonan had some bright moments all year, but he will have to connect to a new No. 1 pass receiver with the graduation of Michael “Mikey” Chaves.

Agganis Game Invitations

Winthrop five senior All-Conference players will most likely be invited to participate in the Harry Agganis All-Star Classic in June at Manning Field.

Former Viking Ryan Hovermale was the South Team defensive MVP in the 2021 Classic.

“I hope our players will compete in the game,” said Cadigan. “It would be pretty to have five players representing our program in a game that has the best seniors in the area.”

Viking Opponent Rockland is Champion

As it turned out, Rockland High, Winthrop’s opponent in the state quarterfinals, was the eventual Division 6 Super Bowl champion. Rockland defeated South Shore League mate Abington, 23-13, in the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium.

Also of note in the state playoffs was the performance of NEC schools Marblehead (Division 3) and Swampscott (Division 5), who both took home Super Bowl titles.

“I watched all of the Super Bowl games,” said Cadigan. “I’m somewhat happy for the league, but I’m still disappointed that I’m watching those schools win a championship and watching Rockland dismantle Abington was good, but it was also tough because we’re right there with Rockland. We scored the most points on that team all year long and had a shot to win it at the end.”

Non-League Games in 2022

Coach Cadigan has announced that Winthrop will open the 2022 season at Stoneham High. The other non-league opponents are Austin Prep (Catholic Central), Medway (Tri-Valley), Austin Prep (Catholic Central), Danvers (NEC North) and of course, Revere (GBL) on Thanksgiving. The league opponents are Salem, Gloucester, Saugus, and Peabody.