NORTH SHORE (Podcast) For their exploits both in the classroom and their respective athletic endeavors, Peabody High’s multi-talented guard, Anthony Forte and Bishop Fenwick basketball superstar Cecilia Kay have been selected as the male and female Moynihan Lumber Student-Athletes of the Month.
Anthony Forte – Peabody High School Basketball with Bill Newell
Forte, who goes by AJ, said he knew something special was brewing with his Peabody High boys basketball season during the preseason, when everything seemed to click and the team chemistry was readily apparent. “You could tell that a lot of guys had improved and were hungry going into the season … and that it was going to be a good one for us,” said the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder. “It was really an awesome season for us. It was hard to appreciate when it was happening, but now looking back on it, you can see what a special bond we all had.”
The 18-year-old Forte more than did his part as a senior captain and floor general. He averaged 19.1
points per game, dished out more than three assists a night and drained 58 three-pointers to help vault Peabody High to the top of the Northeastern Conference standings for the first time. The Tanners went 18-2 in the regular season and finished 19-3 overall.
Making it even more meaningful for him, said Forte, was that he battled through injuries throughout the season and had to miss two games, but he kept battling through them to stay on the court.
“We had never defeated Beverly in my high school career, then went over there the second game of the season and beat them at their place (71-57). That was a great game,” Forte recalled. “We also had a great win at Salem (69-42), and winning that playoff game (at Belmont) in the last ever home game for us seniors was a really nice memory.”
Excelling in the classroom is also something that Forte specializes in. He’s ranked 31st in his senior class at Peabody High with a 3.789 GPA. Among the classes he’s currently taking are Advanced Placement Calculus and Advanced Placement Government. “The key is communicating,” said Forte, who is also a center midfielder on the Tanners’ boys soccer team. “Talking with my classmates about the work we’re learning, going back for extra help if you need it, being able to problem solve and figure things out.” Making the most of his free time, Forte studies in school when he can; otherwise, he devotes time after practice to do so. “The teachers are what makes Peabody High so great. I’ve had a lot of terrific ones,” he said.
Forte will matriculate to Endicott College and play basketball for the Gulls and their head coach, Kevin Bettencourt (another Peabody native). “Being honored with the Moynihan Award is special because it recognizes both sides of you as a student-athlete,” he said. “It shows all the hard work I put in on and off the court.”
