Abington High School’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee(SAAC) has decided to honor two athletes during each week of the 2020-2021 Fall II season. SAAC will recognize one male and one female athlete per week, from the Football, Indoor Track(run outdoors), Volleyball, and Gameday Cheerleading teams. Highlighted on the first week of these Fall II spotlights are Brady Cristoforo and Rachel Barrett.

Brady Cristoforo

Senior Captain Brady Cristoforo is our male athlete of the week. He is one of the anchors of the Green Wave football team and has been for multiple years. Cristoforo is a guard on the offensive line and a defensive end, and wears jersey number 51. He started playing eight years ago and has been in love with the game ever since. The senior’s favorite moment while playing the sport was winning the State Championship. On top of a Superbowl win, Cristoforo has multiple accolades that include Enterprise All-Scholastic and South Shore League All-Star honors. Cristoforo has an outstanding sports resume, which only grows when you talk about his baseball skills. He will be attending the American International College to play baseball and study sports management. He is a fantastic player who has been playing Varsity baseball since his freshman year. Brady wants to thank his parents, as well as Coach Reilly and Coach Kelliher, two of his football coaches, and Coach Perakslis, his baseball coach, for their continued support. Brady’s favorite class in school is sports marketing, which is taught by his favorite teacher Mrs. Howell. Keep an eye out for Cristoforo on the baseball field and in the headlines!

Rachel Barrett

Senior Captain Rachel Barrett is this week’s female athlete spotlight. Barrett, wearing jersey number 21, has been playing volleyball for four years. When asked why she began playing, Barrett said, “My family puts on a big volleyball tournament every year in my Nana and Papa’s backyard, with a bunch of family and friends coming to play. I grew up always going, then eventually playing and once I got to high school and found out we had a volleyball program, I chose to play.” Barrett’s favorite memories of the sport are the bus rides home from games after winning, when everyone is singing and having a great time. Aside from volleyball, Barrett dances competitively outside of school. Her favorite teacher is Mrs. Maddalena. “She holds high expectations of her students, which I really appreciate because it allows me to hold myself accountable and not slip up on certain assignments,” said Barrett. Additionally, her favorite class is English. Barrett said, “Ms. Tomlin is a great teacher and I love all of the class discussions we have. I really enjoy reading so getting to dissect some of the classics is an added bonus.” She credits her successes to her parents who have always cheered her on. Rachel Barrett plans to study Biology at UMass Lowell next year and hopes to eventually become a Physician’s Assistant.