Its championship run defined hard work. It typified the desire to win. And if any Hollywood producers are reading, it made for one heck of a story.

In fact, in a year filled with athletic achievements in Goffstown and Weare – some small, some big, but all memorable – the success of the Goffstown wrestling team proved to be the biggest of them all in 2006.

Choosing the year’s top story isn’t easy, but neither was the Grizzlies’ long ride to the Division II state title. After only five years of varsity competition, Goffstown followed a breakout campaign in 2004-05 with an purely magical one this past season to earn its first championship and the area’s only high school state title this year.

Three different wrestlers claimed individual crowns as well, and on top of it all, the underdog Grizzlies went through the best to do it, dethroning twotime defending state champion Plymouth.

But that’s not to say the success of the Grizzlies were the only thing keeping the local athletic world abuzz these last 12 months.

The John Stark girls soccer team made an amazing run to the Class I final, its longest postseason run in program history.

The Goffstown Little League and Babe Ruth teams also completed a thrilling season with six combined titles during the summer months.

Then there’s Goffstown’s Chris Morgan and his destruction of the state track and field records books. The Grizzlies product set a Class L record in the javelin throw with a toss of 187 feet, 8 inches, an accomplishment that kicked off trips to the Meet of Champions, the New England Championships and the Nike Outdoor National Championship.

And how can anyone forget the Goffstown Screamin’ Eagles’ across-the-board success and national cheer titles or the John Stark hockey team’s ride into the state semifinals or the John Stark girls lacrosse and volleyball teams best seasons ever, both of which came under coach Lorraine Connell?

Yes, there was a lot to celebrate this year. As with any celebration, though, there’s always consolation, and area teams and athletes surely felt their share in 2006. And unfortunately, there probably are a number of stories and accomplishments that didn’t find their way into the pages of this sports section, though that hardly diminishes their importance.

But as any writer or commentator will tell you, a great play always deserves a second look. So, after a year filled with them, let’s cue the tape ...

There’s good reason the Goffstown wrestling team’s march to the Division II title stood as the year’s biggest story. The Grizzlies completed a 14-5 regular season, with a 12-3 in-state record, before dethroning heavily favored Plymouth – winner of four of the previous five titles and owner of a 13-0 D-II record – in the championship on Feb. 18.

Goffstown held a 136 to 135.5 margin entering the championship round. Phil Charte at 135 pounds, Chris Pastrana in the heavyweight division and Kevin Rose at 160 pounds claimed individual titles to help clinch the crown for the Grizzlies.

“To watch the program grow in the last five years to what it is today is just unbelievable,” said Goffstown coach Todd Lavallee, who also earned Coach of the Year honors. “Every year has been a successful year, even if we were 2-14 or 14-0, and this is just the icing on the cake.”

Goffstown later placed fourth at the Meet of Champions on Feb. 25.

The John Stark boys hockey team nearly completed a magical run of its own before falling, 7-2, in the Division III semifinals to eventual champion Souhegan of Amherst on March 8. John Stark, seeded fifth, knotted the game early at 1-1, but a rash of penalties and the Sabres’ four third-period scores sunk the Generals’ upset bid.

The defending champion Trinity girls basketball team, led by junior and Goffstown native Katie Larkin, also saw its season end in the Class L semifinals on March 8 when it fell, 52-46, to No. 6 Bishop Guertin.

The John Stark girls basketball team stood strong in its own quest for a state title, but fouls and turnovers resulted in a 48-33 Class I quarterfinal loss to No. 3 Kearsarge on Feb. 19.

Rachel Titcomb and Jen Gelinas, the Generals’ two biggest offensive weapons, had led their team to a 54-51 first-round win over No. 11 Pembroke Academy on Feb. 15 with 18 and 14 points, respectively. But Kearsarge held both in check as Titcomb scored six and Gelinas three.

The Goffstown girls basketball team, though seeded at No. 16, gave eventual champion Pinkerton Academy a scare in its Class L first-round tilt, taking the Astros to the wire in a 49-45 loss.

“We wanted respect at the beginning of the season,” said Goffstown coach Dave Michaud. “But it wasn’t (until) our final game we got it.”

The Goffstown cheerleading squad enjoyed a strong winter, finishing third at the Kiwanis Club spirit competition on Jan. 14 and ninth at the Class L championships on Feb. 11. The John Stark squad, competing among Class I teams, took 12th.

The Goffstown boys basketball team finished it season at 1-17 but returned the majority of its team this winter as it lost just one senior in Kasey Donovan.

The Goffstown boys hockey team also finished out of the playoffs with a 6-12 record, as it was hindered by suspensions and six one-goal defeats.

The John Stark girls swim team placed 19th at the state swimming and diving championships on Feb. 4 behind Laura Getts’ second-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle race and fourthplace finish in the 100-yard free.

John Stark’s Ashley Reade represented her team well at the NHIAA state gymnastics championships on Feb. 11, finishing 32nd with 21.025 points, including 8.325 – her best performance – on the vault. Goffstown finished 23rd as a team.

Chris Morgan turned in perhaps the greatest individual performance of the year when he rode his arm to a 12th-place finish with a throw of 177-04 in the javelin at the Nike Outdoor National Championship in Greensboro, N.C., on June 17.

Along the way, the sincegraduated Goffstown product – now at the University of New Hampshire – set a Class L record with a throw of 187-08, easily took the Meet of Champions with a throw of 181-00 and finished fourth among New England’s best with a toss of 177-05.

“It’s my last high school meet,” said Morgan of his mind set entering the national meet.

“So just have fun.”

Morgan wasn’t the only track standout to represent the area well. John Stark’s Stephanie Ludwig placed second in the discus with a throw of 97 feet at the Class I championships, then placed ninth at the Meet of Champions. Goffstown’s Taryn Murphy placed 12th in the high jump at the Meet of Champs.

The Mountain View Middle School baseball team also enjoyed a successful spring, finishing the regular season with a 7-1-1, a division title and the No. 1 seed in the Tri-County League playoffs. But the Mountain Lions stumbled in a 3-2 semifinal loss on June 1.

The John Stark girls lacrosse team enjoyed its best season in program history under coach Lorraine Connell as it finished the regular-season at 6-9 and upset No. 8 Kearsarge, 15-9, in the Division III first round for its first-ever playoff win. Though the Generals fell in the quarter-finals, it gave No. 1 Con-Val all it could handle in a 12-9 loss.

“We’re a fast team, we’ve got a lot of endurance, we’ve got a lot of skill, and I really think we were a threat,” Connell said.

The 14th-seeded Goffstown softball team earned a playoff trip but lost in a 1-0 decision to No. 3 Pinkerton Academy in the first round on May 31.

The Goffstown boys tennis team also ran into a tough opponent in its playoff bout, falling to Class L powerhouse Concord, 9-0, after a highly successful 9-4 regular season. No. 2 singles player, senior Kasey Donovan, suffered his only loss in the playoff defeat.

The Goffstown Junior Baseball Little League and Babe Ruth teams’ success, though not unusual, proved as exciting as ever this summer.

The season started with the majors all-star team’s Ryan Beal and his 16-strikeout no-hitter of Derry National on June 26 and ended with even more cheers as four teams combined for six titles.

The minors all-star team outscored its opponents by an average of 11 runs as it claimed its second straight Matty Dobens Tournament title, the run culminating in a 14-0 thrashing of Derry on July 24.

The Babe Ruth 14-year-old all-star team also won its second state consecutive crown with a 9-4 win over Salem on July 30 before finishing 2-2 at the Babe Ruth Regional Tournament, the final blow coming on Aug. 8 in back-to-back losses to teams from Connecticut and Maine.

The 9- and 10-year-old all star team bounced back from early losses in both its district championship and state championship series to claim dual crowns. After losing the first game, Goffstown defeated Manchester East 3-2 on July 18 to take the District One title, and then – on the strength of three home runs from Tyler Perron in three games – won two straight against Portsmouth after dropping the first game to win the state crown on July 27.

The Babe Ruth 13-year-old all stars also captured their District One title with three one-run wins, inlcuding a 4-3 win over Lamprey River in the title game on July 16.

“The town is committed to baseball,” said Mike Giaimo, manager of the 9- and 10-year-old all star team, in explaining the town’s success. “In other towns, other sports rival baseball. In Goffstown, there is no rival.”

Those four teams weren’t alone, though. Beal’s team, made up of 11- and 12-year-olds, won three games, including a 3-1 win over Bedford on Jake Glauser’s walk-off home run on July 3 and a 5-4 victory over Salem on Dylan Bisceglia’s single on July 10.

The team’s run came to an end, however, on July 14 in a 4-1 loss to the same Bedford team, this time in a 10-inning game that was suspended due to darkness on July 13 and concluded the next day. Bedford scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning, the spark coming after a controversial call at second base.

The 10- and 11-year-old all-star team played well itself, winning four games in its district tournament before being knocked out.

Another youth team also made noise on the diamond this summer. The Kearsarge Mountain South 10U all-star softball team – with players from Goffstown, New Boston, Weare and Henniker – won the state title with a 15-4, mercy-rule victory over Bedford on July 16.

It then fared well at the New England regional tournament, reaching the title game before falling, 6-5, to Brookfield, Conn. on July 31.

In American Legion baseball action, Goffstown improved on its 4-16 record from 2005 with a 6-10 mark this year while Jutras Post 43 advanced to the state tournament as the District B No. 4 seed after a 10-4 win over Milford in a play-in game.

Once there, it knocked out Salem, 3-2, on July 30 before falling to Portsmouth Post 6, 12-2, on July 31. The loss ended the Legion coaching career of manager Tom French, who spent 27 years with the team as an assistant and its top coach, winning five titles.

Weare’s Alex Murchie enjoyed a second-place finish in this year’s Drive, Chip and Putt regional competition on July 11, earning him a trip to the national competition held in Orlando, Fla.

Other notable individual achievements from the summer include Goffstown’s Mike Przekaza’s selection to the National High School Coaches Association’s All-Academic team. The GHS senior was the only New Hampshire wrestler named to the squad.

Speaking of football, two area gridiron stars represented their schools in the 53rd annual Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, the annual showdown between New Hampshire and Vermont’s best sincegraduated senior high school football players. John Stark’s Tyler Nicol and Goffstown’s Mike Donahoe each suited up in New Hampshire’s 24-7 win on Aug. 5. This year’s Granite State Senior Games also proved a hit, attracting a record-number 507 participants.

Weare’s Randi Whitney won silver in her age group in the 40K cycling road race while Michael Page claimed gold medals in each individual event in the pistol shoot competition.

The 27th Goffstown Gallop enjoyed another successful year in 2006. The event drew 128 runners to the Goffstown streets on June 24, where Jim Clark and Jossee Briscoe represented the town’s top local finishers.

The Manchester Swim Team, with several local participants, claimed its third straight Division 3 Granite State Swimming Association title on Aug. 6.

Fall

The John Stark girls soccer team nearly completed a magical run through the Class I playoffs with its first state title-game appearance, but a late overtime goal from top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas ended the No. 3 Generals season in a 1-0 championship game loss on Nov. 5.

John Stark, led by eight seniors, had won 13 straight games to that point, including a 2-0 semifinal upset victory over Hanover.

“To be honest, from the beginning of the season, I never imagined that we would make it this far,” said senior Kaylin Bull. “...

We always said, ‘Don’t have any regrets.’ And we didn’t.”

Goffstown youth sports continued to shine into the fall season as well, this time with the Screamin’ Eagles youth football and cheer teams. Goffstown claimed three conference football titles at the Pee Wee, Junior Pee Wee and Junior Midget levels and two state titles, those going to the Junior Pee Wee and Junior Midget teams.

The cheer squads also had a stellar year, capturing two state titles, three bids to the regional competition and ultimately two national titles, with the Division 15 Small Blue squad and the Division 12 Small Blue team taking home the country’s top honor in their age and skill groups.

The John Stark youth spirit squad, in its first season of AYF competition, sent its Division 15 Small Red squad to the New England regional competition after it placed third at the state level.

Goffstown cross country runner Sean Colligan also enjoyed a stellar individual season, leading the Grizzlies all fall before finishing 23rd at the Meet of Champions on Nov. 4 to earn an invite to the New England Championships on Nov. 11. He ran that 5K race in 17-minutes, 38 seconds to place 147th.

The John Stark girls volleyball team earned its first trip to the Division II playoffs after an 8-8 regular season – its best in program history – but fell, 3-1, to St. Thomas Aquinas in the first round on Oct. 26.

Meanwhile, the No. 15 Goffstown girls volleyball team clawed its way into the Division I playoffs, where it gave No. 2 Bishop Guertin a hard-fought match in a 3-0 loss on Oct. 25. The junior varsity team also enjoyed its best season at 8-8, and the Mountain View Middle School program capped the year with the town’s first volleyball playoff win at any level.

The John Stark football team completed its best season as a Division III squad, with a 5-4 mark, and earned perhaps its biggest victory as a varsity squad with a comeback 46-35 win over Souhegan in the regular-season finale.

The Goffstown football team didn’t fare as well in its first season in Division II, but won its first game of the year with a 15-6 victory over Merrimack on Oct. 14.

This season also marked the first time in four years that Goffstown and John Stark did not meet for its annual Thanksgiving Day game.

The Derryfield School girls soccer team and field hockey teams – which featured locals on both squads – each fell in their respective state finals.

After struggling in the regular season, the 12th-seeded Goffstown field hockey team found some redemption with a 2-1, firstround win over No. 5 Londonderry on Oct. 19 in the Class L playoffs.

Its season ended, however, with a 5-0 loss to eventual champion Salem in the quarterfinals.

The Grizzlies can take solace in the impressive play of some of its alumni, however. New Boston’s Caitlin Gleason became Stonehill College’s all-time leading scorer this year and earned NFHCA first-team All-American status while Holy Cross senior Tara Welch, also of New Boston, set program records for career goals and points to earn Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors.

The Goffstown boys soccer team won three of its final four regular season games to claim a playoff spot, but fell, 3-0, to eventual champion Exeter in the first round on Oct. 26.

The Goffstown High and John Stark cheerleading squads impressed at the Fall State Spirit Competition on Nov. 9, with Goffstown taking ninth among Class L squads and John Stark fifth in Class IMS.

Goffstown High’s Brad Cannon advanced to the second round of individual play at the Class L golf tournament, finishing with a 170. The sophomore carded a 78 and 92, respectively.

The NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick competition was again held at Goffstown’s Mountain View Middle School this year. Locals David Ricard placed fourth and Patrick Austin fifth in the 10- and 11-year-old boys division, and New Boston’s Abby Riedel took second in the 14- and 15-year-old girls division. New Boston native Cody Howe tallied 129 feet in his competition.

With that said, bring on 2007.