Lacrosse All Year Round for Former Tanners Standout Welch

Peabody’s Greg Welch has a unique job -- he’s hard at work on and off the lacrosse field developing the next Greg Welch. Welch holds the lacrosse scoring records, but Tanner junior Kiefer Heckman is closing in fast.

Welch is the assistant lacrosse coach at PVMHS after a record-setting high school career of his own, captaining the Tanners, before moving on to captain the lacrosse team at Springfield College.

Heckman, only the second junior lacrosse captain in Peabody High lacrosse history, needs 60 points next season to knock Welch off the top spot, and the coach couldn’t be happier for Heckman and his brother Nick Ouellette, another Tanner standout.

“Records are made to be broken, I’m proud of my mark at Peabody, but Kiefer’s a great athlete and a hard worker and he should pass me next year during his senior year,” Welch said.

Welch played soccer and basketball as a youth in Peabody, and picked up a lacrosse stick in 1996, joining the city’s youth program and he hasn’t put it down since.

“I play a lot with the guys during the season, and I play in a few men’s leagues in the summer; lacrosse is pretty much year round for me,” Welch said.

“I played baseball for a long time and I kid my baseball friends on how baseball is like Chutes and Ladders and lacrosse is the sport to play,” Welch said.

After graduating from PVMHS in 2003, Welch attended Bryant College in Rhode Island before landing at Springfield, where he had a great career for the Pride. Welch received his degree in business management in 2008.

“There are so many people that have been an influence on me -- current (head) coach Anthony O’Donnell, Bob Danish, who is really the father of Peabody lacrosse, and former coach Kevin Houlden,” Welch said.

“Even though Anthony (O’Donnell’s) a Salem guy, he’s a great lacrosse coach, and Peabody lacrosse owes a lot to him,” Welch said. “He’s got so many great connections for kids that want to play lacrosse after high school -- just a great guy and a great coach.”

In addition to the men’s leagues this summer, the 28-year-old Welch works for a local beverage distributor, and he knows his single season and school record point totals are in jeopardy next spring.

“I’m very proud to be associated with Peabody lacrosse, I had a great career and now kids are experiencing the fun I’ve had playing the game,” Welch said.

“Lacrosse was a new sport when I started out, now it’s huge, and that’s great,” Welch said. “It’s a great game to play; it’s a great game to coach.”