Head Coach: Pat Downey

Coach Downey is incredibly excited to lead the Pingree’s Highlanders Football Program to continued success. He comes to Pingree with an extensive football playing and coaching background. Coach Downey is a Graduate of the University of New Hampshire where he was a 4 year starter, Team Captain of the Wildcats and two-time All-Conference, All-East and All-New England athlete. Coach Downey went on to sign as an Undrafted Free Agent with the San Diego Chargers in the NFL and played 6 seasons in the Pro’s spending time with the Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons and in Training Camp with the New England Patriots. Coach Downey also played professionally in NFL Europe for the Frankfurt Galaxy and in the Arena Football League for the Nashville Kats and the Colorado Crush. Coach Downey has coached at all three levels including as an Assistant Coach at Swampscott High School, Malden Catholic and at his Alma Mater Bishop Fenwick where he was recently inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. In addition to his high school coaching experience, Coach Downey also served as an Assistant Coach at Curry College for Head Coach Skip Bandini. Coach Downey has also coached at the professional level in the Arena Football League serving as the Associate Head Coach of Jon Bon Jovi’s Philadelphia Soul and with the Columbus Destroyers. Coach Downey and his Wife Andrea and their three children Jackson, Peyton and Colton reside in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He is an experienced Sales Director in the Medical Device Industry. 

Associate Head Coach & Offensive Coordinator: Andrew Morency 

Andrew Morency, an esteemed figure in the world of high school athletics, boasts an impressive legacy as both a player and a coach. A former Beverly High School Hall of Fame athlete, Morency excelled as a three-sport standout and went on to quarterback for Stonehill College, graduating in the Class of 1991. With three decades of coaching experience under his belt, Morency has achieved significant milestones. He has amassed 84 career wins as a head coach and has been honored multiple times, including being named the Salem News Coach of the Year three times, the 104.9 FM Coach of the Year twice, the Cape Ann League Coach of the Year twice, and the Boston Globe Coach of the Year. His contributions have also been recognized by the New England Patriots, who named him Coach of the Week. During his ten-year tenure as the head coach at Hamilton-Wenham High School, Morency became the all-time leader in school wins. He led the team to two Cape Ann League championships, four playoff qualifications, including the school’s first-ever playoff appearance, an undefeated season, and a Super Bowl appearance.Beyond his coaching career, Morency is dedicated to his personal interests, which include biking, reading, writing, and cooking. He is the proud father of two children, Gabrielle, 12, and Mathew, 15. Professionally, he contributes to the academic community as a history teacher at Beverly High School and as an adjunct faculty member at Salem State University.

Defensive Coordinator: Scott Shairs 

Coach Scott Shairs attended Beverly High School where he was a three-sport athlete who played football, basketball, and lacrosse (captain). He went on to play college football at Norwich University. After his playing days were done, Scott wanted to begin coaching where he could reciprocate some of the lessons and skills he had acquired as a player under the exceptional mentors and coaches he had. He started at the YMCA in Beverly to coach young kids in basketball and went on from there to coach youth football as well. Soon after he was asked to join as a Varsity assistant coach for the Beverly High School Girls Basketball program where he stayed from 2000-2007. He then moved back to football in 2006 where he worked as Varsity assistant coach for Hamilton Wenham Regional High School coaching WR’s on offense and defensive backs on defense until 2013. In 2016, he joined the Beverly High School Varsity Football program as Defensive Coordinator, as well as coaching the RB’s and QB’s on offense where he stayed through 2021. During his time coaching with Beverly, he was afforded the opportunity to coach in the Harry Agganis Football Game in the summer of 2017. As a father of three, all of whom have been student athletes, he has a deep understanding and perspective as both coach and parent about the importance of the program for the students and the value it can serve for each student, the team, and their community. A seasoned coach, with more than 20 years of experience, Scott brings a balance of adept knowledge of football and a passion for the game, that will help to propel any team toward success

Offensive & Defensive Line Coach: Pat Henebury 

Coach Henebury is from Beverly where he served as Team Captain of the 1995 Beverly High Football Team. He went on to play college football at Stonehill College from 1996 to 1999 where he was a major contributor at Defensive End for the Skyhawks. Coach Henebury served  as the Offensive and Defensive Line Coach at Hamilton-Wenham High School from 2008 to 2015. He then went onto serve in the same role at Beverly High School from 2016 to 2021. Coach Henebury is a history teacher at Beverly High School.

Special Teams Coordinator: Rob Van Tuyl

Rob has been with the Highlanders football team since its inception in 2005. Currently Rob works with the offensive and defensive line and is the special teams coordinator. Prior to coaching football at Pingree, Rob coached as an assistant coach in Miami, FL. Rob is the head of the science department and coaches the varsity alpine ski team.

Defensive Backs/Receivers: Mike Wilmot

Mike Wilmot joined the Pingree athletics staff in 2010 and has worked with both the football and baseball programs. He has been impressed with both the level of play and the quality sportsmanship of the Pingree athletics program specifically, as well as the EIL and Evergreen League in general. Before joining the Highlanders, Coach Wilmot worked as the head coach of JV baseball and defensive coordinator of the JV football squad at Cushing Academy. In his previous athletic career, Coach Wilmot enjoyed playing baseball, football, and rugby.