MATT BONENFANT
Gateway AD
HUNTINGTON – Gateway Regional High School physical education teacher and head softball coach Matt Bonenfant has spent the last two weeks settling into his new post as athletic director.
Bonenfant replaced longtime athletic director Gary St. Peter Jan. 12 following St. Peter’s resignation to pursue other fulltime work.
“With Gary leaving, being a coach here, and being invested – our children go here – I wanted to make sure that someone with a passion for our kids would become athletic director,” Bonenfant said. “It’s a very close-knit community.”
Bonenfant said one of the biggest things that factored into his decision was his children, Brett, 13, and Alexi, 8, who will likely grow up through the public school system.
Bonenfant, 36, was named the school’s AD following interviews with two other candidates.
“It’s an opportunity I didn’t really want to pass on,” Bonenfant said.
Bonenfant said the biggest challenge has been taking the reigns from the former athletic director smack dab in the middle of a winter season quickly approaching playoffs with spring schedules due as well.
The new AD has been in contact with St. Peter, who has helped make the transition rather seamless.
“Gary really left me set up well,” Bonenfant said.
Bonenfant, a former youth and adult sports director for the Greater Beverly YMCA, has served as a physical education teacher for Gateway Regional schools since 2006. He is currently the Gators’ varsity softball coach, and the Junior Varsity coach for girls’ soccer and girls’ basketball. He was a JV baseball coach at the school from 2009-13.
