By Roger Brown
MaxPreps.com
When the Boston College football program hired Jeff Jagodzinski to replace Tom O'Brien as its head coach, it apparently landed a top offensive lineman as well.
Although Bishop Guertin's Mark Spinney verbally committed to a full scholarship offer from Syracuse in October, he appears to be headed for BC. According to EagleAction.com, Spinney committed to BC last week.
Spinney, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound offensive tackle/defensive end in high school, said renewed interest by BC after Jagodzinski took over was the reason for his change of heart. O'Brien left BC to become the head coach at North Carolina State.
Spinney's grandfather, Art, played at BC before joining the Baltimore Colts. He made the Pro Bowl twice in the 1950s.
"He verbally committed to Syracuse, but the actual signing date isn't until February," Bishop Guertin coach Tony Johnson told the Nashua Telegraph. "The Syracuse coaches weren't happy, but I have to say they were very understanding and professional. I want to stress that Mark didn't do anything wrong."
Spinney was a senior on the BG team that beat Exeter in last year's Division II championship game.
Hockey: Eno Makes Early Exit
Jamie Eno wasn't behind the St. Thomas bench when Saints beat Nashua South, 3-1, on Saturday. Eno took a leave of absence earlier in the week. The Saints were 0-7 at the time of his departure and had been outscored 34-6 in those seven losses.
"He called me early last week and said, `I don't know if my message is getting through clear," St. Thomas athletic director Jack Leary said. "He said he wasn't sure if he still had the ear of the team."
Former St. Thomas head coach Perry Plummer, who rejoined the team as an assistant coach this season, was elevated to the top coaching position. Plummer served as the school's head coach from 1994-95 to 2003-04.
Eno graduated from St. Thomas in 1992. He spent six seasons as Plummer's assistant coach, and has a 17-32-2 record in his two-plus seasons as St. Thomas' head coach. Leary said Eno will receive his full coaching stipend for the season.
"If he comes back today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, the door is open," Leary said. "As much as I tried to talk to him he said, `Perry's here. There's a potential for him to deliver a different message, and maybe it will stick.'"
Girls Basketball: Londonderry Suffers First Loss
Pinkerton Academy knocked off previously unbeaten Londonderry, 57-52, Friday night, leaving Timberlane (8-0) as the only unbeaten team in Class L.
The Lancers lost despite a 22-point performance from Boston College-bound forward Stefanie Murphy. Pinkerton and Londonderry are both 7-1 and are part of a three-way tie for second place with Trinity.
Elsewhere Friday, Kearsarge raised its record to 11-0 by beating Portsmouth 51-35. The Cougars are the only unbeaten team in Class I and have won six games against teams with at least seven victories.
"Our first 10 wins, only three were against teams with losing records," Kearsarge coach Ed Tenney said. "We've beaten some of the better teams in this division. It certainly hasn't been a mirage."