Candia News : Central High School

Athlete of the month: Candia freshman stars for nationally ranked Wheaton

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:29:00 GMT

Sponsored by Indian Head Athletics

Cassey Muse may be just a freshman, but she hasn’t played like just anyone.

The Central graduate and Candia resident, now playing for the Wheaton College women’s soccer team, notched goals in her first six games, helping the Lyons move into the national rankings and earning the Indian Head Athletics Athlete of the Month honor for September.

Muse earned the start and scored twice in her initial collegiate game, the first goal coming just 57 seconds into the contest.

The former Little Green state-title winner went on to become the first Lyons freshman to find the back of the net in six consecutive contests since 1999.

“It’s like she’s not a freshman,” said Alessia Viscomi, a Wheaton captain. “We look at her like an experienced upperclassman. I can only imagine what it’ll be like during her senior year.”

The Lyons are now 9- 1 on the year and recently reached a No. 13 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.

During her first days of practice, Muse immediately began to click with her teammates. Her team captains said she quickly became vocal with her fellow freshmen, as well as the team’s upperclassmen.

“Just because you’re a freshman doesn’t mean you can’t be a leader on the field,” said Lyndsey McManus, another Wheaton captain. “It’s essential on the field to have great communication. Especially playing (forward), you have to have that constantly. You could tell that she really settled in.”

During 10 September games, Muse managed a gaudy nine goals, in addition to dishing out three assists for a total of 21 points. Muse said she is happy to help the team as it battles for New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference supremacy, but she worries there may be a down side to her early success.

“It’s really exciting, but in a way it’s scary knowing that because of the start I got off to, I’ll always be compared to this season for the rest of my time here. Anything less could be seen as a letdown,” said Muse, whose twin sister, Jordan, plays key minutes for the team’s stingy defense. “I try to forget about the statistics part and just play with heart and desire. I just want to be able to help in games and not make any mistakes.”

Entering a new system under a different head coach took some time for Muse to get used to, but she said she has been helped by motivating e-mails from Central head coach Peter Lally throughout the transition.

Viscomi said Muse’s determination and hard work during practice have led to her success.

“Since she first got here, she stepped on the field and wasn’t worried or scared. She said, ‘How can I help this team?’” Viscomi said. “It definitely has boosted the team to hear that.”

Muse said she is proud to represent her hometown and sends a message to her former teammates at Central: it is possible to have an impact at the college level.

“I’m just a girl from Candia, New Hampshire,” said Muse. “I’m showing it doesn’t matter where you come from. You can be successful.”

(Editor’s note: The Athlete of the Month receives a $50 gift certificate courtesy of Indian Head Athletics.)

Candia star is a multiple threat for rising SNHU program

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:54:00 GMT

BY MATT STOUT

Sometimes you can’t deny what you are. And by no means is Maura Murphy doing that.

But past all her lacrosse program records, her accurate shooting and her knack of making goaltenders feel sorry they ever stepped in net, the Southern New Hampshire University sophomore attacker wants to be remembered as more than just a scorer.

In less than two years with the No. 10 Penmen, Murphy has helped build a fledgling program into a contending power. She’s seeing the field better than she ever has, hitting open teammates and playing tougher defense.

A three-year captain under her coach and father, Bryon, at Pinkerton Academy, the Candia native “gets the whole team concept,” said SNHU coach Mary Squire.

“It’s not about getting the job done herself,” the fourth-year coach said.

Yet, when Murphy spins past a defender 25 feet from the net, slices through a blockade of opposing sticks and whips a shot past a goalie – that’s 77 career goals and counting following a 10-8 loss to Merrimack College on Tuesday, April 24 – she’s a scorer out there.

Just remember she’s not out there just to score.

“I think some people look to me as a finisher, but I just try to do as much as I can,” Murphy said Thursday, April 19, following a 12-9 win over rival Saint Anselm College, a game in which she netted four goals and added an assist.

“In high school, that was a big part of what I did, but when I came here, there are a bunch of people who can do that," she continued. "So having to play defense and contributing, it’s not just scoring but doing everything.”

So far, she’s had no problem with that. After scoring 46 goals and 56 points last season as a freshman – both program records entering Tuesday – Murphy has become one of the team’s most marked forwards this season. As a result, she’s worked on her individual moves to allow chances for both herself and her teammates.

Her eight assists put her on pace for the 10 she registered last year, but those totals don’t necessarily reflect her overall game, Bryon Murphy said.

They didn’t when she scored a program-record 229 career goals at Pinkerton, and they don’t now, when she ranks third with 39 points on a team that sits on the brink of even more program history.

At 8-3 and 6-2 in the conference with two regular-season games to play entering Thursday, April 26, the Penmen, in their fourth year, are in position to claim a top-four seed in the Northeast-10 conference tournament, a year after they made the playoffs for the first time and advanced to the semifinals.

Their No. 10 ranking in the latest IWLCA Division II national poll is also a first in program history.

Helping them get there were Murphy’s fellow sophomore attackers Jennifer Parro, with 53 points and 36 assists, and Libby Parent, with 49 points and 34 goals. They both rank in the top 10 in the conference in points per game, while Murphy, with 31 goals, does the same in goals per contest.

Yet, it was Murphy who was the most instrumental in leading the team to a 12-11 triple-overtime win over Bentley in last season’s NE-10 quarterfinals. Her “shining moment,” Squire called it, the then-rookie tied her own program record with six goals.

“I find that she pretty consistently saves her better games for better competition,” Bryon Murphy said, pointing out that as a freshman in high school, Maura scored six goals against Phillips Academy of Andover, Mass., a nationally-ranked team at the time, and five against Longmeadow, Mass., another quality program. “She relishes in that opportunity.”

She also knows she doesn’t have to do that every time. “We know we can sit it all on her shoulders. But when you can do that, if you have a player that has a bad game, you’re going to lose that game,” Squire said. “And she gets that.”

Little Green make pitch to erase ’06 glitch

Hooksett Editor — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:52:00 GMT

BY MATT STOUT

Last year was supposed to be the year. Eleven seniors, loads of talent, lots of pitching – the Manchester Central baseball thought it had it all, including a good shot to win Class L.

Instead, Central coach Andy Laroche said, three of its top players were suspended for 30 days after they were caught buying alcohol, the team was hampered by in-fighting, and, after eight one-run losses left them with a 5- 13 record, the Little Green found themselves out of the playoffs. “It should have been something better than that,” Laroche said.

A year later, it just may be.

This year’s Central team won’t enter its season-opener with Spaulding of Rochester on Wednesday, April 11, with anything approaching last year’s expectations. But after last season’s trying campaign, Laroche believes his players will enter stronger because of it.

Young players like Matt Shaughnessy and Candia’s Zach Lemire, now juniors and team leaders, gained valuable experience in replacing the suspended upperclassmen. Senior Mike Moody, this season’s No. 1 pitcher, took on more responsibility with the staff thinned. Junior Keith Trombley – a 6-foot-4, 230- pound Candia native who should catch the eye of more than a few scouts, Laroche said – also saw his first taste of varsity.

These are the good things Central is taking from a sub-par 2006. And these are the reasons this season shouldn’t be like the last.

“For us, it’s always been about getting to the playoffs, and once you’re in, anything can happen,” Laroche said, referring to the 13th-seeded Central team that won the 2000 Class L title. “So we’re trying to get back to that status.”

With a core group of seniors and a strong junior class, the Little Green intend on continuing that climb this spring.

Though admittedly short on pitching, Laroche said he’ll turn to Moody – a co-captain and owner of a good slider and drop curveball – and several others including Trombley, Lemire and Brendon McCarthy to produce enough strong outings to complement what should be a punishing lineup.

Senior Craig Martin returns to the top of the order and leads a group that includes Shaughnessy, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound hitter who may bat third; Kyle Maguire, a transfer from Massachusetts who’ll most likely handle duties at second and bat second; and a throng of power hitters – Trombley, Lemire and Anthony Malik – who, according to Laroche, “could all easily put it out of the park with an easy swing.”

Candia native Brandon Czaja is expected to play first base, Trombley said, while Jason Szelog should take over a spot in the outfield. Hooksett’s Ben Duckless also graces the Central roster.

If the Little Green can take a step forward as a program this season, the future looks even brighter with a large freshman class brimming with pitchers and the bulk of the team set to return next spring.

But Central is not going to get ahead of itself. It knows the perils of that.

“We have a lot of talent this year,” Lemire said. “We don’t have a lot of pitching, but we have a lot of fielding and defense. As long as our pitchers can make them hit some groundballs, we can make plays.”

A slight edge - Central clips Winnacunnet

Hooksett Editor — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 17:09:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

MANCHESTER – Against one of the state’s finest teams, Central’s girls basketball squad showed its best – and worst – side.

The Little Green hosted Winnacunnet on Friday, Jan. 5, in a battle of Class L powers surely to be revisited in the postseason. Central downed the Warriors, 44-42, preserving its undefeated record at 5-0, not including three wins in the Queen City Christmas tournament.

“This was a very big game,” said Central head coach Mike Wenners. “Winnacunnet’s very athletic; they trap a lot and bring a lot of pressure. I wanted us to get out to a quick start because that’s when we’ve been most successful.”

But Winnacunnet’s fullcourt zone press forced Central into 14 turnovers and 7-for-23 shooting from the field. The Little Green hung in for a 12-11 lead after one quarter but could not stop Warriors junior Conley Burns from putting up 18 points in the first half, good for a 30-21 Winnacunnet lead at halftime.

“When we don’t get out to a quick start, we start flubbing some plays,” said Wenners. “That’s what happened against Goffstown and Memorial in the Christmas tournament. That’s when we find ourselves clawing back for the win.”

Central senior Whitney Fremeau, who sat on the bench with foul trouble in the second quarter, scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half. With 30 seconds left in regulation, Fremeau fed Catherine O’Neill to give Central a 43-41 edge, its first lead since early in the second quarter. Fremeau tied the game at 41-41 when she converted a three-point play.

Though Winnacunnet had a chance to take the lead with 5.8 seconds left, Central forced the Warriors’ 10th turnover of the half to end the game. Central outscored the opposition, 23-12, in the second half, holding the Warriors to one field goal over nine minutes.

Junior Alicia Doucet scored 14 points for Central, while freshmen guards Christiana Bakolas and Hooksett’s Sam Walker also played well. Walker and O’Neill finished with five points apiece.