Andover Massachusetts is about 25 miles north of Boston and is referred to as the “Home of America”. Andover is also the home of William Heikkinen. While at Andover High School, William played football for the Golden Warriors wearing the gold and blue jersey of the team. He also became a well-known and much sought after student for multiple Ivy League schools. There have been several outstanding players from Andover that have gone on to play football at Ivy League colleges. The reason is these coaches push the players to be equally good at football and academics.
Student involvement in a sport is an opportunity for that student to be a part of the school’s activities that work physical, emotional, and social abilities that help to create an intelligent, competitive, self-confident and compassionate adult.
In order to play any sport at Andover High School, a student has to meet certain academic and physical standards. Students are expected to exhibit the highest level of conduct on and off the field. They also need to demonstrate respect for their fellow students, teammates, opponents, spectators, and more.
For William Heikkinen, the Andover High football team allowed him to play sports which he had done since childhood and also taught him how to be a critical thinker and high level achiever earning honor roll status each year.
Organized sports helped William learn about good sportsmanship and that it is equally important to win and lose with grace. He also learned to make decisions under pressure and how to be a role model for younger students.
When it comes to football at Andover High, William Heikkinen was fortunate to have EJ Perry as his coach. EJ’s brother, James Perry, went from Andover High School to Brown University and became one of the greatest players in the university’s history crushing many of the school’s records for passing.
William Heikkinen had always done well in school, but once the Ivy League schools started sniffing around, he knew he had to step up his studies and get more focused if he wanted to continue on to the Ivy League. Will pushed himself to be better – better as a player and as a student. His hard work paid off. Harvard, Princeton, and several other schools, contacted William but eventually he decided to go to Brown because of the legacy of players who had gone from Andover, MA to Providence, RI and because he valued the education Brown could give him.