Goffstown-area athletic successes in 2007 came at many levels, for teams and individuals.

This was never more evident than the summer, when nearly every Goffstown youth baseball team, from Little League through Babe Ruth, finished tops in their district, among the best in the state and, in some cases, the region.

Those playing middle school and high school sports had their share of successes as well, though only the John Stark spirit squad earned a banner. Still, the highlights from 2007 were numerous and memorable.

Winter

Wrestling
The Goffstown wrestling team finished fourth in its first Division-I championship, and John Stark placed a programbest third in D-II.

Stark’s 135-pounder David Cass and 145-pounder Keith DeMoura each earned runnerup honors, while 140-pounder Luke Marois and 171-pounder Adam Lantiegne were upset in the semifinals, yet both rebounded to finish third. Rob McCardell placed third in the 130-pound weight class, and senior 112-pounder Eric Avard came in fourth. All earned trips to the Meet of Champions.

For the Grizzlies, who sent seven to the M of C, 119-pound senior Matt Hayes finished a surprising sixth to reach the state final.

Others earning the M of C trip included third-place 102-pounder Ray Lazot, thirdplace 140-pounder Phil Charte, fourth-place 125-pounder Ryan Hardy, fifth-place 215-pounder Tom Foote, 152-pounder Chris Ives, and fifth-place 160-pounder Mike Przekaza.

By placing third at the Meet of Champions, Lantiegne was the only grappler to advance to New Englands.

Basketball
The John Stark girls stunned top-seed Kearsarge in overtime, 39-36, to advance to the Class I semifinals, but ran out of gas in a 46-32 loss to Lebanon.

The JS boys, on the other hand, were upset, 62-57, in the quarterfinals by Kearsarge, a team it had thrashed twice during the regular season.

Defending Class L champ Central hooked up with crosstown rival Trinity in the postseason semifinals. There, No. 3 Trinity avenged a regular-season loss to the second-seeded Little Green, but the Pioneers fell on a buzzer-beater to Salem in the finale, 54-51.

Hockey
John Stark surprised the entire Division III hockey landscape when it advanced to the championship game. But the Generals were finally handled in a 3-1 loss to Souhegan.

“I think there might have been a little bit of a letdown from the game last week,” said coach Ed Campbell of the Generals’ 3-1 semifinal win against top-ranked Somersworth. “We knocked off the No. 1 seed, and no matter what you say to your players, like, ‘These guys are just as good,’ you look at the stats, and well, they’re not.”

Goffstown was eliminated by third-seeded Timberlane in the D-II first round.

Spring

Tennis
The best boys tennis season in Goffstown High School history came to an end with a 7-2 loss to perennial power Concord in the Class L semifinals. “A lot of teams are looking out the window (at the beginning of the year),” said coach Tom Meighan. “We were just slapping everyone around at the beginning of the season, and we got some momentum going. And then, when we got some really hard teams, we had the confidence to beat them. That’s kind of how our season seemed to go.”

Derryfield School won its fifth-straight boys state championship, crushing top-ranked Berlin, 8-1.

“The more you do something, the more comfortable you are doing it,” said Cougars coach Bruce Berk. “So they’ve been there, they’ve played in the finals before and have confidence because of that. When kids compete, because they’re kids, all you can do is ask them to play close to their potential. If they can play better in the tournament, that’s what I hope for.”

In the Class M-S girls title game, Derryfield was edged by Gilford, 5-4.

Baseball
Goffstown High School fell in a 5-3 extra-inning semifinal affair to No. 13 Trinity, which used local athletes to reach the Class L final before losing to Merrimack, 7-2.

“No one thought we’d even be here,” said sophomore starting pitcher Sean Lyons. “We knew we had the potential to win this. We knew we were capable of proving everyone wrong.”

While other local teams failed to reach their respective class finals, a Derryfield squad made up of locals reached the championship game as the Class S No. 10 seed. Though the Cougars fell to Lisbon, 7-2, coach Jeff Hastings took pride in the group’s improbable run. “The team definitely thrives in the underdog mentality,” he said. “I talked it up a little bit because I wanted the guys to be loose, to realize all the pressure was on Lisbon … No one, except us, expected anything out of the 10 seed.”

The Mountain View Middle School baseball team beat Woodbury of Salem, 1-0, to emerge as Tri-County champions. “It was probably the best game I’ve ever been involved in, in my 20 years of coaching,” said coach Mark Marasca. “After last year’s loss in the semifinals, I just felt like that one got away. I never saw this one coming, and I know I won’t lose any sleep like last year.”

Lacrosse
The Goffstown U-15 boys lacrosse team capped an undefeated season with a state title, defeating Lakes Region, 8-4, in the finale.

Summer
Goffstown Gallop The 28th annual road race included more than 170 participants in 2007. Goffstown High senior Sean Colligan finished second in the event to Memorial High School friend Ben Coutu. “He’s not coming next year,” Colligan joked after extending the invite to his buddy. “I was leading the whole race until the last half mile when Ben passed me. I thought he might get me at the end, but that’s all right, second’s good, and I’m still the best hometown runner to finish.”

Little League/Babe Ruth baseball and softball Both the Goffstown 9- and 10-year-olds and 10- and 11-year-olds won the District 1 Little League all-star tournament. “There is nothing like winning districts in Goffstown because baseball is such a big deal here,” said 9- and 10-year-old manager Bob Gurskis after his squad’s 12-0 defeat of Manchester East in the championship contest. “… The kids just took the mentality that, win or lose, they’re going to be better ballplayers next year just by practicing and working hard, and I’ve seen them develop so much over the past month.”

The Goffstown 11- and 12- year-old Little League squad lost to Bedford in the winners bracket semifinal, 5-1, then were knocked out in a lightning-shortened 4-3 loss at Concord National. Goffstown also reached the Matty Dobens final before falling to Derry Blue, 2-1.

The Goffstown 13-year-old, 14-year-old and 15-year-old squads each won the Babe Ruth district championship. The 15s and 13s each won the state title, while the 14s finished second. The 13-year-olds fell one win short of the Babe Ruth World Series.

“I’ve played a lot of ball,” said 13s coach Steve Beal after a 10-1 season-ending loss to Manchester, a team it had already defeated three times in the regional final. “I lost twice in national tournaments. Those days were terrible, but this was way harder than those. Seeing the kids go through it … It’s going to be awhile to get over this one.” Granite State Senior Games West High School coach and New Boston resident Lee Hess recovered from a 25-foot ladder fall to win the 50-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter dashes in the 55- to 59-year-old division.

Fall

Spirit
The John Stark cheerleading squad traveled to Durham for the New Hampshire Fall Spirit Championship on Nov. 4 and returned home wearing the state crown after scoring a 152 to win the event.

Head coach Jen Middlemiss said it took months of hard work, dedication and “lots of practice” to reach the pinnacle.

Tammy Gagne, spirit coordinator for the Goffstown Screamin’ Eagles, said the coaches of each spirit squad provided their young athletes with an enjoyable learning environment. As a result, all four teams reached the American Youth Football national cheer competition in Orlando, Fla. Two squads, the Division 14 team coached by Lisa Roy, and the Division 8 group, coached by Gagne, returned home with titles.

“In cheerleading, you cannot substitute. Everyone has to be on the floor … and everyone has to contribute,” said Roy.

Football
After traveling to Winnacunnet and defeating the Warriors, 24-20, the Grizzlies were in position to enter the Division II playoffs with a victory against visiting Timberlane.

But in monsoonal conditions, the GHS gridiron gang allowed the contest to slip away, 21-20.

“We lost a game that we could have won, and that was apparent,” said coach Rob Cathcart. “It’s just incredibly disappointing. Everybody just got their hearts ripped out of them. You’re one point away from the playoffs. How much closer can you get?”

Cross country
GHS harrier Sean Colligan, who finished second in the Goffstown Gallop, placed 16th in Class L and 23rd at the Meet of Champions, and reached the New England regionals, where he came in 66th.

“When I started running, I was just really looking for a way to have fun and get some exercise,” said Colligan. “I never thought I would become the best runner from my school or anything like that.”

“It’s kind of weird because I’m a teacher at the school, so when something like Sean happens, you wonder how many great athletes are sitting in your classroom,” added his coach, Darren Hartung. “The program is still building, and when kids see it’s possible – and Sean is living proof – that’s how you build the program.”

Soccer
The Goffstown soccer team, after an inconsistent regular season, found themselves up 2- 0 in the second half against host West, but dropped the contest, 3-2, in double overtime. The John Stark girls lost to Oyster River, 1-0, in the Class I semifinals on Oct. 31.

Crew
Derryfield School won five medals in eight races at the 2007 Amoskeag Rowing Club New Hampshire State Championship Regatta. The men’s junior- novice-four won gold, and the men’s junior-four teams A and B finished tied for second at 16:09. The women’s juniornovice- four placed second, and the women’s junior-four finished third.