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Good Central squad edged in state semis by very good North group

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:53:00 GMT

BY JERRY LIPTAK

Manchester Central’s football team, rolling along since mid-October, finished flat against Nashua North.

The third-seeded Little Green played well on offense and defense against the Titans, but the second-seeded hosts overcame a 12-3 deficit, scored late following a sequence of fumbles and reached the Division I finals with a 26-19 win on Sunday, Nov. 15, at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.

For Central, the game was really its fifth straight “playoff” contest. At 2-2 following a loss to Londonderry, the locals had no room for error, and they made none: lopsided wins over also-rans from Concord and Manchester Memorial preceded impressive victories against perennial power Pinkerton, 21-10, and previously unbeaten Salem, 45-7.

And for most of the first half against North, a trip to the championship seemed probable, thanks in large part to a pair of Hooksett players.

Tyler Nolet, a junior, picked off a pass in the right corner of the end zone to thwart North’s opening drive, and sophomore quarterback Jared Chandler capped a nine-minute drive with a touchdown pass to Nick O’Hagan for a 6-0 edge.

Central’s star running back, Michael Cavanaugh, chewed up time and North’s defense during the 80-yard drive.

“We wouldn’t be half as good as we are without those Hooksett kids,” said head coach Ryan Ray, speaking also of senior linemen Buddy Demmons and Ryan Bigg, as well as sophomores Kyle Brunelle, Christian LaRoche, Malcolm Sutton and Seth McCusker, and junior Eric Todd.

But Nashua, as it did all day, responded quickly, kicking a field goal to slice the deficit in half.

Back and forth the teams went.

Chandler’s athleticism produced six more points on Central’s next possession, which took almost six minutes. He ran left on first down from North’s 14-yard line, juked a Titan defender, tapped the falling player’s helmet with his right hand as he darted past, then dove into the end zone for a 12-3 edge.

“He’s a gritty competitor who always wants to make some big plays,” said Ray.

Central forced a punt, and Candia’s Sam Graham returned it to the 45-yard line, but the Little Green failed to take advantage, punted, and North’s quick-strike attack produced seven points in 33 seconds.

So, the lead was down to two after the extra point, and momentum had shifted. North scored first in the second half, added the two-point conversion and took an 18-12 edge.

This time, Central responded, converting a pair of long third-down conversions during the 75-yard scoring drive. First, Chandler connected with classmate Junior Brown on third-and-12, then Cavanaugh picked up nine yards on third-and-8, sustaining the drive. Ultimately, the senior from Raymond leaned over the goal line on fourth down, and sophomore Stephen Grzywacz’s extra point gave Central a 19-18 advantage.

After Nolet pounced on Dylan Brodeur’s turnover, Central was four minutes from the finals. But Cavanaugh fumbled one minute later.

“That was tough right there,” said Ray. “He’s been a rock for us all season. We wouldn’t be here if wasn’t for his hard work and effort.”

North’s Andre Williams finished a short 27-yard drive – and, effectively, Central’s season – on a 3-yard TD with 1:58 on the clock. The junior also picked off a fourth-down pass on the Little Green’s lastgasp drive.

“We played a good game on both sides of the ball,” said Ray. “They played just a little better.”

Shrine game a fond farewell for some, prep work for others

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:04:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Whether gaining closure or preparing for a gridiron future, the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl was a success for Neighborhood athletes.

On Saturday, Aug. 1, high school players from across New Hampshire knocked off their Vermont counterparts for the 41st time in 56 contests, easing past their neighbors in Windsor, Vt., 40-6.

Hooksett residents Jake Tremblay and Rick Fosher earned starts at cornerback and tight end, respectively, while Dunbarton’s Tom Foote started the game at right tackle. Also on the roster for the Granite State was Hooksett’s Justin Colvin.

Tremblay, a Central star, grabbed an interception and added a 45-yard punt return during the contest.

Leading up to the game, players spent 11 days together and endured three practices a day.

“Being selected to the team was really important for me, because I got to showcase my talent,” said Tremblay. “It helped get me in shape, too. I hadn’t been running and now I’ll be ready for the two-a-days that I have coming up in a few weeks.”

By the end of August, Tremblay is back on the field preparing for the upcoming season at Division III Springfield College. The majority of Fosher’s action came as a blocking tight end for a run-heavy New Hampshire offense.

As of now, Fosher plans on attending St. Leo University in Florida and playing baseball, although the former Trinity student said he may look to play a prep year instead.

“When I was in camp, I kept saying that it would probably be my last game,” said Fosher. “It meant a lot to go out with a win.”

Even though bragging rights were the only thing on the line, Tremblay still was enthused about his team’s performance after the clock struck 0:00.

“I thought it would be a close game,” said Tremblay. “The blowout definitely pumped me up. After the game I was still running around. I wanted to play again.”

’Canes have early sign-up, discount

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:21:00 GMT

The Hooksett Hurricanes football and cheer program, part of New Hampshire Pop Warner, offers a discount for anyone signing up through May 1.

Early sign-ups are offered Tuesday, April 7, and Wednesday, April 22, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., at the Hooksett Town Library.

One child costs $100, two children cost $175, and three or more children cost $200. After April 15, prices increase to $125, $250 and $275, respectively.

It’s all gravy for Central in Turkey Bowl win vs. Memorial

Hooksett Editor — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:56:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

His team’s 24-9 semifinal loss to Nashua South two weeks earlier was tough to swallow, but Ryan Ray and the Central Little Green had little trouble feasting on Memorial this Thanksgiving. CHS served up a 47-6 stuffing in the most recent edition of the Manchester Turkey Bowl on Thursday, Nov. 27.

After the contest, Ray said he was thankful for the opportunity to take back the coveted Queen City championship, which his team lost to West in last year’s contest.

“The playoffs were disappointing, but ... it’s great to end the season on a winning note and send the seniors off the way they deserve to be sent off, and send our underclassmen into the weight room for the offseason with some good thoughts,” said Ray.

On the opposite sideline, Memorial’s Peter Colcord found himself equally appreciative of his squad’s final placement. Despite the bad taste left by the basting, the first-year head coach left the Gill Stadium table with a loose belt and a smile.

Sure, his team finished the season 1-10, but Colcord knows reaching the Manchester title game for the first time in six years – by defeating West, 31-12, on Oct. 10 – is step one in a process he soon expects to come to fruition.

“We knew going in we didn’t have a senior-laden team, so we knew the goals were short, but getting into the Turkey Bowl was obtainable, and I absolutely expect to be back here every year, and I expect the score to be different,” said Colcord. “Obviously we’re not where Central is yet. They’re a great program that’s done extremely well over the years, but I think ... I know we’ll get there. I’m not sure if it’ll be next year or the year after, but you can see it in the young kids. You can see it in their eyes. They want it.”

Colcord has good reason for excitement.

After three years of winless football, Memorial’s freshman team went 8-2 and won the state title, and the JV team finished 7-3. While the youngsters eye future varsity success, Colcord credited the current group of veterans for turning the program around.

“These seniors, they’re the building blocks to this program and our future here at Memorial. They exhibited great leadership and really helped some of these younger kids along,” he said. “I told them, when you come back next year from college and come to this game on Thanksgiving, that score’s going to be different, and you’re a big reason for that.” Colcord knows the team remains young, and it’s going to make mistakes. But he said the playoffs, with the right breaks, are possible. And he said he’ll be a fixture.

“I told the kids at our first meeting, you’ve gone through three or four different coaches over the last 10 years, and I told them this is where I want to be,” he said. “I know the record hasn’t been good here, but this is where I want to retire, and that’s not going to be for a long time.”

For his part, Ray is acutely aware Central’s Queen City perch, as stable as it appeared this season, is still very much up for grabs each year.

“You’ve got three programs that are working very hard, and if we can be the best program in the city, well, we’re really excited about that, but you can never get too happy about anything like this because obviously the other teams are working hard to come in here and knock us off our throne,” said Ray. “Right now, our expectations are to reflect on our season and enjoy this win. But starting Tuesday we’re right back in the weight room working toward 2009.”

Excuse the Central seniors if they revel in the accomplishment a little longer.

“To be a part of bringing the Turkey Bowl trophy back to (Central) was huge for us,” said senior quarterback Pat Tatro of Candia. “For me and the rest of the seniors, it was really important to us that we go out the right way. We wanted to go out as winners.”

Game notes
Memorial freshman Steve Dwight, playing in his first varsity contest, notched one of two sacks on the first play from scrimmage, part of a handful of highlights for the Crusaders.

Central’s stable of thoroughbred underclassmen running backs was on full display in the first half. Mike Cavanaugh, Khari Haliburton and Daveon Watley all scored to help build a 20-0 halftime lead.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Central’s Jake Tremblay, a Hooksett standout, intercepted a pass and returned it 58 yards to pay dirt, and with 2:13 remaining in the quarter, Tatro found fellow-senior Brett Parenteau for six points on an 11-yard pass-and-catch.

Then, with 7:58 left in the fourth, Tatro hooked up with Graham Conforti, and Kevin Regan followed with the extra-point kick to increase the lead to 40.

Memorial finally found the end zone with 6:36 remaining in the contest. Sophomore quarterback Fred Rogers hooked up with Sebastian Cassanova on a 59-yard touchdown, but the extra point was blocked.

Memorial attempted and recovered an onside kick, but couldn’t advance the ball and handed it back to Central. With 5:05 remaining, Haliburton broke a 43-yard run to cap the scoring.

Central bumped by South in first round of playoffs

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:23:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

It’s not likely either coach was doing back flips when the Division I playoff matchups were announced.

Nashua South, which finished the regular season 7-1 and needed a botched late-game punt to beat Manchester Central by a point on Sept. 26, was forced to meet the same foe in the first round of the playoffs.

The Little Green, on the other hand, turned in the same regular-season record but went on the road to beat three-time defending state champ Pinkerton, 24-21, on Nov. 1.

Yet a three-way tie atop the standings between Central, South and Pinkerton resulted in CHS heading back to Nashua to open the postseason.

And for the boys from the Queen City, that turned out to be a very bad draw.

The Little Green looked sloppy and failed to take advantage of several key opportunities during a contest in which the Purple Panthers jumped out to a 14-0 first-half lead before holding on for a 24-9 victory on Friday, Nov. 14.

“It’s extremely hard. You know, you talk about it, and your seniors only get one shot at a championship,” said Central coach Ryan Ray. “I thought we were close, but obviously we weren’t close enough.”

After forcing a three-and-out to open the game, Central turned the ball over on its first drive, then allowed South to convert a fourth-and-1 and score minutes later.

The locals seemed to recover, piecing together a six-minute, 14- play, 75-yard drive that moved the ball inside the South 5-yard line. But South intercepted the ball and again made the Little Green pay for their transgressions, driving down the field and finding pay dirt for the second time.

Central regrouped in the locker room, however, and came out in the second half looking like a different team … sort of. The Little Green marched 66 yards on their first possession and put an exclamation point on the drive when senior Brett Parenteau made a circus catch in the end zone off a well-placed Pat Tatro pass.

After his team failed on the two-point conversion, Parenteau snagged his second interception of the day on the ensuing South drive, but the Purple Panthers turned around and picked up their third INT to take the ball right back.

Once again, the hosts put points on the board after a Central turnover, this time extending their lead to 17-6 with a field goal.

Central proved less opportunistic. Though the squad put points on the board with a Kevin Regan 21-yard field goal following Jake Tremblay’s 60-yard punt return, the Little Green failed to score when they took the ball back on the South 39-yard line with 3:44 remaining.

Tatro, who had been hurt earlier in the quarter, returned for the drive, but was sacked and then forced to make a desperation pass on third-and-17 that was picked off.

South, as it had done all day, scored again off Central’s mishap, this time on a 76-yard run by its star, David Zocco, to cap the scoring.

“If we played a perfect game, we would have been in a dogfight and had a chance to win, but we didn’t play a perfect game,” said Ray. “A lot of our mistakes were because South was playing great football on both sides of the ball.”

Now Central heads to the annual Queen City Turkey Bowl where the team hosts Manchester Memorial on Thanksgiving. “This is going to be a tough pill to swallow,” said Ray. “But we’ll go back to work on Monday and get ready to send our guys out as winners in the Turkey Bowl.”

Central’s four scores, good defense spoil West’s homecoming

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:41:00 GMT

BY JERRY LIPTAK

When fierce city rivals Central and West meet on the gridiron, you can, as the old saying goes, throw out the records. By postgame, that’s exactly what the Blue Knights’ mentor, Travis Cote, wanted to do.

Following Central’s 28-7 win during West’s homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 4, Cote’s group fell to 0-5, 0-4 in Division I. Central, meanwhile, improved to 2-1 in the division, 4-1 overall.

It’s not that West played poorly or Central dominated. The visiting Little Green simply made more game-breaking plays than their hosts. A 40-yard interception return by Justin Fleming; two Pat Tatro-to-Jake Tremblay passes, one for 38 yards and the other 26 yards; and a Khari Halliburton 19-yard run meant four Central TDs, more than enough against a determined West group.

“They’re probably the best 0-5 team in the history of 0-5 teams,” said Central’s head coach, Ryan Ray, of West. “But we’re fortunate to have so many Hooksett athletes – good athletes – who are capable players.”

Tatro, replacing injured starting quarterback Cole Warren, hit Tremblay with a quick screen pass in the second quarter; the senior, following a bruising downfield block by hustling left tackle Seamus O’Neill, then outran the defense for six points.

Central’s first possession of the third quarter effectively put the game away. It was capped by Tatro’s right-side toss to a diving Tremblay, who drew ooohs from the West faithful for the acrobatic catch.

Roland Lacroix broke up Central’s shutout bid on a 4-yard run to paydirt with 48 seconds left on the clock. Thomas Stephen’s extra point accounted for the final score.

Cote said he moved Beau Breton to quarterback prior to the Pinkerton contest on Sept. 19, giving one of the Blue Knights’ finest athletes as many touches of the ball as possible.

Breton played especially well on defense, and he often handed the ball on offense to Nicholas Florence, who keyed a West attack that was effective between 30-yard lines but couldn’t capitalize on most of its opportunities deep in Central territory.

“For the number (of players) we have, I think we’re doing pretty well,” said Cote, who added his team played competitively with PInkerton, then scared a strong Londonderry team on Sept. 26. “We’ve been moving the ball, but we’re having a tough time reaching the end zone right now.”

West faces another city foe, Memorial, on Friday, Oct. 10. Like the Blue Knights, the Crusaders are winless in D-I play. The victor of that game earns a second shot at Central – and the city championship – on Thanksgiving Day.

The Little Green, meanwhile, entertain another one-loss team, Londonderry, on Friday, Oct. 10, in a contest with postseason implications.

Notes
Ray said Warren “popped” his throwing shoulder in the first half.

Kevin Regan was successful on each of his four extra-point attempts for Central. Cote said roughly 16 players, most lining up for offense and defense, see the bulk of the on-field action among the 44 listed on West’s roster. Central suited up 62 players for the game.

Lacroix not only scored, he recovered a second-half fumble for the Blue Knights.

Penalties stalled a number of West’s first-half drives. Cote said his team had been averaging roughly two penalties for 15 yards per game, but the Blue Knights were hit with more than twice that in the first half alone.

At games, some adults cross the line of unacceptable behavior

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:45:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Sitting at a youth hockey conference, watching what was likely to be another boring prerecorded training video, Kermit Brunelle sighed.

On the screen, Don Lucia, coach of the national champion University of Minnesota ice hockey team, was giving a speech.

“A lot of people think I have the best job in hockey, and I tell them, ‘You know, I have the second- best job in hockey,’” said Lucia. “‘The best job is being the head coach at an orphanage – no parents to deal with.’” Brunelle chuckled.

The Bedford native has been coaching youth hockey in the greater-Manchester area the past decade.

For nine years, he woke before sunrise, brought his son or daughter to a frigid ice rink and taught half-awake children to skate, handle the puck and, most importantly, play hard and clean. Only this year did he shed the added pressure of coaching one of his own children.

He’s been able to handle the lack of sleep and multiple layers of clothing well enough.

In fact, the experience has generally been positive, even rewarding, but it’s parents who think their child deserves more playing time than another, or those who vocally second-guess a coach or official, that grate on his nerves.

That behavior, said Brunelle, does not reflect the true nature of youth sports.

In some cases, emotions run high; in extreme cases, people are hurt, even killed. Usually, it’s the child who suffers.

Pressure points
As a Little League coach in Goffstown, Bob Gurskis knows all too well the weight parents can put on coaches’ and players’ shoulders.

In a town where baseball roots grow deep, he feels like just another weed to be plucked from the infield dirt, even after leading the Goffstown 9- and 10- year-old tournament team to a District 1 title in 2007.

“Some parents are so demanding, I literally have to talk to them and say, ‘Hey, lighten up, you’re taking the (kid’s minds) out of the game,’” said Gurskis. He said he’s talked to several players so disenchanted they’re ready to quit the sport rather than continue into Babe Ruth. It’s no wonder, he said, that at least one study indicates only 9 percent of children play organized baseball after the age of 12.

Gurskis grew up playing in Nashua and competed in semipro ball. He relocated to Florida and coached Little League there before moving to Goffstown. The attitude toward junior baseball in Goffstown – as compared to everywhere else he’s lived – is astounding, he said. “This year, even more than ever, I think it’s kind of 50-50.

Half the families and half the people involved understand baseball is entertainment. It’s a game. Coaches teach you to work hard. Sports is a healthy thing,” he said. “The other half take the game so far to the opposite direction. Every play is life or death. Every pitch is the last out of the World Series.”

And Gurskis said that mentality has reached the softball diamond, the soccer field and the football gridiron, among other playing surfaces.

“Everyone gets emotional,” he said. “But it becomes personal. ‘Why is your son getting the starting assignment and not mine?’ or ‘Why is he playing four innings and mine is only playing three and two-thirds?’”

Gurskis has clashed with fellow board members and coaches who have exhibited such an attitude, both at games and behind closed doors.

He can deal with the shots fired at him. It’s the collateral damage that concerns him.

“The pressure comes down on the kids, and that’s not what you want,” he said. “They’re going to find pressure in life without us. We don’t need to put more on them.

“Let’s help them try to be successful and analyze and improve what they’ve done wrong rather than scream at them for swinging at a bad pitch.”

It’s not just the coaches and players who are targets.

Leon Kenison of Bow began officiating baseball in high school when he was forced to substitute for a group of absent umpires. Roughly 50 years later he’s still listening to parents, coaches and players question his rulings. Most of it is background noise.

“Because of my gray hair, I guess I don’t get as much grief as some of my younger colleagues, whether it be from parents, coaches or players … But it’s tough to say because I’ve really trained myself not to hear that stuff,” said Kenison. “I know the younger (umps) let it get to them a little. When I’m in the stands I prefer to be a silent spectator and only positively encourage those on the field, but if I’m umping and someone gets really bad, I’ll just turn to them and say, “Gosh, I could use some help.”

There is constant recruiting for umpires, added Kenison, who said he’d rather be officiating than coaching.

“The coaches get a lot more pressure from parents in terms of, ‘Why doesn’t my kid play more?’” he said. “Not only do they have logistic stuff, in terms of scheduling practices and finding fields, which is a nightmare, but they have to deal with the parents of a 12-year-old kid who is going to break into the Major Leagues next week.”

Kenison has umpired and/ or coached at every local level, from Little League to high school to American Legion and beyond, and he’s seen the sport and the attitudes evolve.

In the past, a disruptive parent would be reprimanded and usually calmed by peers. These days, it’s not necessarily a parent’s actions that create problems, said Kenison, it’s inaction. “A kid (is) throwing a hissy fit when they think they’ve been tagged out or something like that,” he said. “… I’m not saying parents should reprimand their kids right on the field, but I certainly don’t see folks getting involved (in discipline) like they did 20 or 30 years ago. I think it makes it harder on the coaches more than anyone.”

Brunelle can relate.

On the ice, he teaches children to play with respect for themselves, their foes and the game, minus the violence generally associated with hockey. He knows other coaches preach a similar approach.

Yet many pupils still exhibit selfish tendencies.

“It’s the trips home from the rink after games,” said Brunelle. “(Parents are) talking about the performance of their individual child, where on the bench we’re stressing team play.”

Every now and then he witnesses the effects of a parent coaching from a distance.

“A lot of parents, I think, try to live vicariously through their children,” he said. “But parents yelling from the stands in such a manner that a child can hear it, that child usually takes it as criticism and internalizes it as a negative experience for them.”

Indeed, such actions generally serve as a deterrent to participate, said Kate Hays, who practiced sports psychology in Concord for 25 years before moving her practice to Toronto in 1997.

“Ironically, a kid may lose interest in being involved in sports because of the huge amount of negative energy involved,” she said. “(The parent) is thinking they’re protecting their kid or standing up for their kid, but most kids actually find that type of intervention embarrassing and feel more pressure to perform.

“Essentially, what may ordinarily be a fun activity with friends begins to have a lot of emotional pieces that in turn create long-term implications.”

Jim Bail not only coaches and serves as a Little League board member in Windham, but he scouts players for the professional ranks.

At one particular American Legion game in 2007, Bail was asked by Concord coach Avril Cate to take a look at a couple players.

Bail obliged and, after the game, pulled one particular athlete aside and told him he’ll never have a chance at the next level if he continues to throw fits over an umpire’s calls.

“I see parents softening their kids up a little more than is good for them,” he said.

More than ever, he added, parents are turning their children into victims.

“(The players) aren’t taking enough ownership for their own issues,” he said. “They try to pout their way onto teams or try to pout their way into starting positions – with mom and dad in the background saying how unfair it is – instead of bucking up and doing it themselves.”

Even in youth football, said Dave Tremblay, a coach receives their share of parent-generated headaches.

Tremblay has coached football at the youth and high school level for roughly 10 years.

“Generally, I think you have two different types of parents,” said the current Pembroke Academy head coach. “You have the parents who expect their kids to be all-stars, and then you have the parents who kind of have the fear of the unknown, the ones who get nervous when their kids are practicing five days a week, and they’re getting used to the physicality of the sport.” The latter is easier to deal with, said Tremblay.

He remembered one incident when he coached the Hooksett Hurricanes.

A neighbor, whose child played under Tremblay, decided to confront him because of a perceived lack of playing time.

A mildly heated exchange ensued, recalls the coach, but he said he learned from the experience.

“First of all, the Pop Warner rules set forth and regulate playing time, but I’ve just learned to be really open with everyone and let them know up front how it’s going to be. I also spread the responsibility among my coaches, so it’s not just my decision, and parents can’t single out one person.”

Even if disagreements occur, Hays said these kinds of moments offer opportunities to positively resolve problems.

More importantly, she said it’s necessary to communicate with the child and identify and separate the aspirations of the young athlete from the parent.

Proof positive
One of Brunelle’s most memorable moments as coach involved a youngster from Minnesota who had transferred to New Hampshire and was moving back to the Midwest with his parents.

“I received an e-mail thanking me for my efforts as a coach, and more importantly it said the one thing the boy remembered is, at the end of the game when you shake hands, you’re supposed to take your glove off.”

That, said Brunelle, was indicative of parents who care, and there are many of them, he said.

In fact, all parties interviewed for this story acknowledged they’ve generally had positive experiences with youth sports, and they said there are some encouraging trends.

Leagues around the country are taking proactive approaches to eliminating inappropriate behavior.

Kenison noted that approximately 10 years ago the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association created a policy that mandates any coach or player ejected from a game must sit at least one additional contest. A second violation brings an immediate end to that individual’s season.

Several other organizations, said Kenison, including Babe Ruth, have adopted similar policies. “It’s sort of a motivational tool to make people behave, and from what I’ve seen, it’s made a heck of a difference,” he said. “People previously felt they could have their say anytime they wanted, and now we just say, ‘See ya.’ I think that’s had a very sobering effect on malcontents and makes the umpiring job much easier.”

Brunelle said USA Hockey and Granite State Youth Hockey have created a parents code of conduct and are enforcing zero-tolerance policies concerning a parent’s verbal or physical abuse of a player, coach, fellow parent or official.

If an individual breaks the code, he said, a 30-day suspension follows, and those punished must go before a board and request reinstatement.

“I think it’s needed just to make sure parents understand this is a game,” said Brunelle, “and winning and losing is not that important, as long as kids continue to develop as players and people.”

Dealing with rules, harassment and stereotypes, girls are finding success competing with the boys

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:19:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

It’s uncomfortable, but it’s a conversation both parties know must take place. As practice begins, Bill Walton, the John Stark wrestling coach, pulls Morgan Belanger aside.

“You know if anything inappropriate happens, you have to tell me,” he says. Belanger nods. She’s had this talk before. “I mean anything,” he continues. “If a guy touches you the wrong way, or a grab turns into a grope, I need to know about it.”

“No problem, coach,” she replies. Thus far, she’s been right.

In the 10 years since Walton started the wrestling team at John Stark, he said an issue has yet to be brought to his attention concerning any of the eight female grapplers he’s supervised. But he knows it takes only one brazen adolescent male to put the program in a very tough spot.

So the awkward conversations continue.

Look past the potential issues associated with high school co-eds wrestling on a mat, however, and Walton said there are some very talented female athletes holding their own against testosterone-laden counterparts – and that holds true in other traditionally male-dominated sports as well.

From the gridiron to the baseball diamond, the wrestling mat to the hockey rink, and on every surface in between, these girls are proving they can play with and beat the boys.

The challenge
Marc Noel knows a thing or two about female athletes. The Pembroke Academy boys hockey coach has also mentored the Lady Monarchs the past 10 seasons.

He’s sent eight females to play college hockey. His 20-yearold daughter, Stephanie, played for the Concord girls club program while attending Bishop Brady, and she’s now enrolled at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she played hockey her freshman season.

Noel’s Spartans currently feature two female players, forwards Jennifer Poulin and Alyssa Caruso.

Poulin, said Noel, is an impact player who will compete at the college level. She tallied seven goals and 12 assists during the 2007-08 season, her junior campaign.

“Jen’s a big girl that puts the puck in the net,” said Noel. “She’s been playing boys sports ever since she was little, so it’s the only thing she knows.”

Kaira Ellis understands that concept well.

Ellis began playing ice hockey when she was 4 and grew up competing with boys in the Concord Youth Hockey League and for the New Hampshire Selects.

As a goaltender for the Pembroke Academy girls hockey team, Ellis said she had to earn the respect of her teammates.

Now an assistant coach for the Spartans – after playing three years for the Saint Anselm College women’s team – she said she once again had to earn the players’ esteem. Yet she doesn’t believe it’s a male/ female thing.

When she stepped onto the ice as a high school freshman, she, like any other newcomer, had to prove herself. As a coach, her players needed to understand she knew what she was talking about before they would listen to her.

Ellis knows full well, however, that’s not the case at all schools. She’s thankful for the consideration the Pembroke players have shown her through the years.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they’ve walked on egg shells either. As a four-year starter in net at Pembroke, Ellis shared the same locker room with her male counterparts. All parties went into separate stalls to change and respected each other’s privacy, but she shared in the same off-color jokes typical of sports locker rooms throughout the country.

Ellis was just one of the guys, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I went from playing boys high school hockey to girls hockey in college, and the boys game is a lot faster,” she said. “You have to be mentally prepared.” It’s more than just being prepared that allows females to compete with males, said Noel. It’s a state of mind, a desire to excel when others tell them they shouldn’t be there.

Belanger said she struggled as a 77-pound freshman grappler and only found success when Walton taught her to enter a match believing she had just as much chance to win as her male foe. This year, as a senior in the 112-pound weight class, Belanger finished in the top four at the Class I wrestling championship and earned a berth at the Meet of Champions.

To Walton’s knowledge, one other female reached the Meet of Champions, and only Belanger walked away with a victory at the event.

The past four years, Belanger said she’s always been outmuscled, but has learned to use her speed and flexibility to gain a winning edge.

She’s also discussed her teammates’ mentality when they enter matches with females. Walton said he’s seen a male wrestler’s psyche totally destroyed by losing to a female.

Belanger learned to take advantage of any opponent’s apprehension. “I tried to get into their head and make them feel like they didn’t want to touch me, let alone wrestle me alone on the mat,” she said, adding she wishes other females would have the courage to wrestle. “It’s really not that scary. It’s actually a pretty fun sport once you get out there and learn to enjoy it.”

Getting physical
“Wrestling is a contact sport, and it’s not just football contact, it’s close-knit contact with no pads and no real barrier,” said Walton. “I always talk to the girls about the fact there is grabbing, and you’re going to have opponents grab legs and grab arms.

But it’s the other areas they might try to grab, or grope, that concern me.”

In turn, Walton said he advises his male competitors that expediency is key when facing a female. “I tell the guys to try to pin them as quickly as possible – nothing good can come of spending too much time on the mat,” he said. “You don’t want to go out there and embarrass the girl or belittle her either. You want to respect her like any other opponent.”

It’s not the sanctioned match, where refs, coaches, parents and fellow wrestlers are all watching closely, that gives Walton anxiety. It’s the practice room.

“I can’t see any guy ever trying to do something in an environment that they are being so closely scrutinized, but at practice, I can’t be watching everyone all the time … I always like having two girls because they can (practice) and work out together. It’s less looking out of the corner of my eyes for me.

“Thankfully, no issue has come up,” added Walton. “It’s tough enough trying to explain and get people to understand all the hard work and time that goes into wrestling, let alone having to go to the school board or administration and trying to explain something like that happening.”

That doesn’t mean it’s never happened.

Belanger said the one time she thought an opposing male wrestler took advantage of the situation, she went to her teammates.

They spoke to the offending opponent, explained it was inappropriate and warned him to avoid repeating his mistake. It wasn’t a problem again.

Ice hockey’s environment is different.

“(Girls) play a physical game against each other. There’s no checking, but they bump each other, and it gets a little nasty sometimes,” said Noel. “But when the girls play with the guys, they’ve got to be able to take (hard checks), there’s no doubt about it. Jen (Poulin) has been checked over and over again. She takes her lumps and bumps, but she keeps coming right back at them.”

It’s the hard checks, however, that keep some girls away from the sport, said Tom Ackerson, coach of the Concord High School girls hockey team, state runner-up in the inaugural year of the New Hampshire girls varsity hockey division.

“(Hockey) is physical for both girls or boys … There’s no checking in girls hockey, but players still get knocked around, it’s just not as ‘goony’ as it is on the boys’ side,” said Ackerson. “They’re not going out there trying to hurt each other.”

“Jen (Poulin) started getting a lot of grief (for being a girl), so when the boys were picking on her, she beat them up, and they left her alone,” said Noel.

Harassment
Lighthearted banter and roughhousing aside, many female athletes deal with both verbal and physical harassment that is sexual in nature.

Former University of Colorado placekicker Katie Hnida absorbed abuse in every form during her two years with the NCAA Division-I squad. According to a Feb. 23, 2004 article by Rick Reilly in Sports Illustrated, Hnida said teammates groped her, called her vulgar names, threw footballs at her head and worse. She also said she was raped by a teammate she considered a friend.

She dropped out following her sophomore year and, according to the story, was depressed for two years, suffered insomnia and gave up kicking.

But Hnida rebounded. In 2002, three years after the alleged rape, she walked on at New Mexico. In August 2003, she became the first female to score in a Division I game when she notched two extra-point kicks in a 72-8 win over Texas State-San Marcos.

A league of their own?
Not for everyone
Hannah Paitchel could be playing softball with other girls her age. Instead, the 11-year-old is striking out boys on the Pelham Little League diamond.

Paitchel, who has two older brothers, has played baseball since she learned to walk, said her father, Steve.

During the 2007 Little

League all-star season, Paitchel was not only the lone female to compete, but she was one of three 10-year-olds to play on Pelham’s 11-year-old all-star squad. In fact, Steve Paitchel said two other girls Hannah’s age joined the Little League this year.

“I think she’s led by example by giving them the comfort to play the sport they love without having to feel uncomfortable about it,” he said.

Hannah also excels playing flag football with the boys, said her father. She accounted for 30 of her team’s 35 touchdowns last year.

“In all fairness, the best boy athletes are actually playing real football, so the competition level is a little watered down,” said the elder Paitchel. “But that just makes her accomplishments in baseball that much more impressive because the competition isn’t watered down, and she’s dominating.”

While the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association restricts female athletes from playing male sports when an equivalent female-only option is available, R. Patrick Corbin, executive director of the NHIAA, said that rule does not apply to baseball because the sports have sufficient differences. Still, Corbin defended the restrictive policy because he said it promotes female athletics.

“We haven’t determined what to do yet because we don’t know where (Hannah) will be when she is 13, so we always said we would re-evaluate at that point,” said Steve Paitchel. “If she continues to be as dominating on the pitching mound as she is now, I think it would just be wrong to make her stop.”

Corbin added the NHIAA discourages females from playing baseball because, when freshmen and sophomores become upperclassmen, the playing field, in general, heavily favors male athletes.

“I’m going to try to play baseball as long as I can,” said Hannah. “And if I can’t, then I’m going to switch to softball, which I think will be a lot easier.”

Ellis said the formation of the NHIAA’s all-girl hockey division restrains female hockey players.

“For any girl that has the talent to play on a boys hockey team, it’s a great opportunity for them, and they should take it because when they get into college they have to play with the girls,” said Ellis. “If you take Jen (Poulin), for example, you put her on a girls team without the numbers and the depth, and it’s not as beneficial to her. It’s tough for me to endorse taking that away from the girls who have a lot of potential and are playing first or second line on a boys team.”

Ellis said that’s proof enough girls shouldn’t be restricted from playing where they’re most comfortable.

Still, Ackerson said female hockey has its place.

“I think if you have a girls team it allows more girls to play,” he said. “There are very few that can compete at the boys level. I’ve watched some girls play for some of the local (boys) teams in this area, and I’m not sure if they get to excel at the rate they would like to.”

Walton said he’s excited to see the creation of the girls hockey division because it signifies forward thinking by the NHIAA.

“Right now, we’re drawing more females into those perceived male sports and, who knows, maybe eventually we’ll have female wrestling in New Hampshire,” said the John Stark wrestling coach. “I know California has female wrestling, and the Olympics have female wrestling.

Unfortunately for New Hampshire, I think we’re still a long way away from that.”

Historic firsts and championships top 2007 Hooksett-area sports

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:16:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

For Hooksett-area teams and individual athletes, 2007 was a year in which the surprising became the norm, particularly at the high school level.

Though squads such as the Central girls tennis team finished tops in Class L and Cawley Middle School collected multiple titles, other perennial contenders bowed out of the postseason early, or missed the playoffs altogether.

The Central boys hoopsters didn’t reach the finals a year after winning the state title, and the gridiron was strangely absent a Little Green team.

Still, Pembroke Academy football was in the playoff hunt for the first time in school history, and Memorial’s track and field team collected a rare but disappointing mark during the state championships.

Let’s take a look back at the year in Hooksett-area sports.

Winter

Gymnastics
Manchester Central’s Nicole Simoneau repeated as the individual state all-around champ with 36.600 points in the NHIAA girls tournament.

Spirit
In January, the Pembroke Academy cheerleading squad finished tops among Class I participants at Kiwanis.

“A state championship brings a banner to your gym, but this is just as important,” said Pembroke coach Donna Ong.

“We’ve been here lots of years, but to have so many supporters out there is just awesome. It’s what these girls deserve.”

Weeks later, Central finished first in the co-ed competition at the state championships in February.

Pembroke placed third in Class I, and after finishing second at the Kiwanis event, the West cheerleading team finished eighth at states, in the process bidding farewell to eight-year coach Sherri Reinfurt.

“This year was more special because we knew it was our last for us and coach,” said senior co-captain Hayley McDonough.

“We’ve had some great finishes too (two second-place finishes and one third-place award). Hopefully, whoever takes over next year can step in and fill coach’s shoes, but it’ll be hard.”

Wrestling
West’s Mark Watts took home third place in the 145- pound weight class at the Division I wrestling championship on Feb. 17, earning him a trip to the Meet of Champions, where he finished sixth.

Memorial 171-pounder Nick Berube finished second at the D-I meet, and Central 130-pounder Ben Champagne placed third.

Others reaching the Meet of Champions from West by finishing in the top six at the division meet included Jared Crain, David Lamarche and Caleb Earnshaw.

Crain, a 130-pound sophomore, surprised competitors when he finished fourth at the M of C, just missing a bid for New Englands.

Basketball
Defending Class L champ Central hooked up with cross-town rival Trinity in the post-season semifinals. There, No. 3 Trinity avenged a regular-season loss to second-seeded Central, 52-49, before being bedazzled by a last-second buzzerbeater in a 54-51 heartbreaker to Salem in the final.

The No. 16 West girls lost, 53-36, in the first round of the Class L playoffs to top-seed Timberlane, a team that was upset in the quarterfinals by No. 8 Central, 56-51.

The Little Green’s surprising run came to an end in the semifinals when the girls lost to Bishop Guertin, 42-37.

Auburn Village School’s girls basketball team defeated Merrimack, 52-39, to win the Class M Tri-County championship.

Indoor track and field Memorial took second place at the Class L indoor track championship behind strong performances from Wes Cotnoir, fellow Auburn resident Thomas Piccioli and Bobby Johnsen, who placed second, third and fourth, respectively, in the 55-meter dash. Chris Lemieux took third in the high jump.

David Irving won the shot put with a throw of 52 feet, 5 inches.

The Central 4 X 800 relay team of Matt Paulson, Corey Sinotte, Craig Brown and Dante Vitagliano emerged victorious, and the 4 X 200 team of Mitch Albro, Chris Mitchell, Muzafer Aku and Paulson finished third in 1 minute, 36.25 seconds.

Paulson also won the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:05.26.

And thanks to Julianne Quinn and Kristin Johnson, the West High School girls finished fifth at the meet.

Quinn, broke two of her own school records by finishing the 1,000-meter run in 3:01.72 and the 1,500 in 4:53.32. She finished second in both. Johnson, like her teammate, finished runner-up in her best event, the 3,000-meter run, with a time of 11:00.37.

Spring

Tennis
Central High School won its third girls tennis title in school history and its first since 1995, defeating Bishop Guertin, 8-2, in the Class L championship.

The Manchester West boys failed to dethrone perennial tennis superpower Concord, losing 5-2 and settling for the consolation plaque.

The Blue Knights girls fell in the Class L semifinals, 7-2, to Central. But 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 match, Derryfield was edged by Gilford, 5-4.

Baseball
While other local teams failed to reach their respective class finals, a Derryfield squad with local talent reached the championship game as the No. 10 seed in Class S. Though the Cougars fell to Lisbon, 7-2, coach Jeff Hastings took pride in the 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.”

Thirteenth-seeded Trinity had similar success with local athletes, reaching 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.”

Softball
Cawley Middle School, on June 1, celebrated its second straight Tri-County Class M softball title. It wasn’t the Hooksett school’s only championship in 2007.

Track and field
Pembroke sophomore Allison Brehm tied a 45-year-old record, crossing the 200-meter dash finish line in 25.84 seconds at the Class I championship. She then finished second in the 100- meter dash and third in the long jump.

Manchester Memorial became the first team in state history to eclipse 100 points and fail to win a state championship. The Crusaders lost to the perennial thorn in their side, Merrimack, 114-105. Minus its best sprinter, Cotnoir, Memorial still earned nine first- and second-place finishes at the event. Central finished fifth overall.

Among the victors, Memorial’s Lemieux finished first with a 6-foot-4 high jump, David Irving won shot put and discus, William Wrobel took the javelin, the 4 X 100 team won, and Sean Beauvais topped all competition in the triple jump.

Thomas Piccioli finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.79 seconds.

Matt Paulson took individual titles in the 400- and 800-meter runs and combined with Central teammates Sinotte, Brown and Vitagliano to retain the 4 X 800 crown.

Though West’s Russell Johnson finished eighth in the Class L championship, his personalbest time of 4:32.29 in the 1,600- meter run still qualified him for the Meet of Champions; his effort was one of the next four best times among the four New Hampshire classes – L, I, M and S.

Elias Grijalva also advanced to the state meet, recording West’s lone team point by placing sixth in the 400-meter dash.

For the West girls track and field team, which placed 12th in Class L, Kristin Johnson came in third and Kelsey Hunt finished fifth in the 3,200 meter run, Julianne Quinn took fifth place in the 1,600, and the foursome of Quinn, Brittany Frazier, Kay Penny and Haley Lydstone finished fourth in the 4 X 400-meter relay.

Summer
American Legion baseball Sweeney Post baseball reached the American Legion regionals by defeating Keene in the New Hampshire final, 9-6. Shortstop Matt Skeffington of Auburn led Sweeney throughout the tournament.

“He’s a leader, and the kids look to him for the big hit. Between him and Bryan Poltak, I don’t think there is a better shortstop-second base combo in the state,” said Sweeney manager Dave Flurey.

Little League/Babe Ruth baseball and softball Auburn’s 11- and 12-year-old softball team repeated as state champs by defeating Lamprey River in the title game, 13-11.

The Hooksett 10- and 11- year-old Little League baseball all-stars reached the District 1 final, but lost to Goffstown, 6-1, on July 21.

“Winning is nice, but it’s really about constantly improving and coming together as a team, and they did that,” said coach Jim White.

The 14U Bedford Hornets softball team, with players from Hooksett, Windham and Bow, won the state American Softball Association tournament and New Englands and advanced to the Eastern national tournament and PONY national tournament.

“It sounds so cool to say you’re going to be pitching in a national tournament,” said Rachael Morgan. “And we know there are going to be teams that bring some crazy skills. But I know I’ll have a good time because I’ve got a bunch of girls who’ve been together for awhile now, and that’ll make a difference.”

The Bedford Hornets 12U softball team – featuring local players from Auburn, Bedford and Salem, among other towns – placed third in the ASA tournament and second in the New England competition, earning a trip to Ohio to compete for the national championship.

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.

Candia’s Dave Baldessari won the 65- to 69-year-old pistol shoot.

Punt, Pass and Kick Auburn 11-year-old Joey Dudek won the 10- and 11-yearold division of the local NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick competition at MerchantsAuto.com Stadium in Manchester on Aug. 7.

He followed that performance by winning the sectional competition in Bristol, R.I., on Oct. 14, and the regional competition on the Gillette Stadium practice field prior to the New England Patriots Oct. 28 contest against the Washington Redskins.

Fall

Soccer
The Cawley Middle School boys soccer team won the Tri- County championship with a 5-4 win over Hampstead, while the girls team fell in the final, 2-1, to St. Joseph of Manchester.

“It was one of the best-played games in both championships we’ve seen in a long time,” said Cawley’s athletics director, John Frazier.

After finishing the regular season undefeated, the Little Green girls were knocked off in the quarterfinals of the Class L tournament.

The West boys team, which came back from a two-goal second- half deficit to beat Goffstown in double overtime in Class L’s first round, lost to defending champ Exeter in the quarterfinals, 3-1.

Fifth-seeded Memorial suffered a tough 1-0 overtime loss at No. 4 Londonderry.

The seventh-seeded Lady Blue Knights were upset, 1-0, by No. 10 Alvirne in the first round, ending the season 8-7-1 The season included wins against the playoffs’ No. 4 and 5 seeds, Merrimack and Memorial.

Football After going to Salem – the team that knocked Central out of playoff contention the week before – and pulling off a comefrom- behind 17-14 upset against the Blue Devils in the regularseason finale, West bowed out in the Division I first round against three-time defending state champ Pinkerton Academy, 34- 7.

Two weeks later, however, West once again came back to win a big game, this time against rival Central in the Manchester Turkey Bowl. West scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win the Queen City championship, 19-13, and avenge a 28-16 midseason setback to the Little Green.

“We made the playoffs, and we obviously hoped for a state championship, but if we didn’t get that, the city championship is the next best thing,” said West coach Travis Cote.

Cross country
Central’s Craig Brown and Cory Sinotte finished second and third, respectively, at the Meet of Champions on Nov. 4. West’s Kelsey Hunt finished fifth at the event.

Cheerleading
The Hooksett Hurricanes Jr. Pee Wee spirit squad was crowned Pop Warner state champs.

It marked the fourth straight year – and fifth in six years – that a Hurricanes cheer team won a state title.

Golf
West High School, which finished No. 1 in the regular season, came in fourth in Class L. For the Blue Knights, Kyle Badger fired an 18-hole round of 68, while Jake Nutter led the Bedford High Bulldogs with a 77.

In the individual tournament, Badger fell one shot short of the Class L title, carding a twoday 141.

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 junior-novice-four placed second, and the women’s junior-four finished third.

Field hockey
Derryfield School, featuring players from Hooksett, Bedford, Hopkinton and Windham, finished the season undefeated and won the Class M-S state title on Oct. 28. The crown was Derryfield’s first in the sport in more than 20 years.

“It’s tough for us because we’re a Class S school, so … we’re always playing teams that are twice our size,” said coach Lenny McCaigue. “To win it is just a dream come true for us.”

West serves comeback in Turkey Bowl win

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:52:00 GMT

By Ryan O’connor

Post-game emotion on the two sidelines was quite different, but the feeling was the same: this was no ordinary exhibition.

The annual Queen City Turkey Bowl, featuring Manchester’s top two teams, saw West and Central pass the stuffing back and forth for three-plus quarters before Blue Knights running back

Nick Clement gobbled up the Little Green defense in the final seven minutes.

West scored the contest’s last 13 points on two Clement touchdowns for the come-from-behind, 19-13 victory.

And while West players congregated at midfield, hoisting the Queen City trophy high, the Little Green retreated, heads bowed, into their locker room.

“We made the playoffs, and we obviously hoped for a state championship, but if we don’t get that, the city championship is the next best thing,” said West coach Travis Cote.

His quarterback, Lyle Smith, said while the postseason pounding at the hands of eventual state champion Pinkerton left a bruise, the scars from a 27-14 setback on Oct. 26 to their crosstown rival had his squad motivated.

“It was a lot more than just an exhibition game,” said the senior signal caller. “There’s 20 seniors on this squad, and it’s great that we all get to end the season and our careers (at West) like this.”

Central coach Ryan Ray had a drastically different take on the event.

“We play … to win football games. And you know what? I hope they had fun. I hope they learned from their experiences. But nobody should be happy that they were out there just playing football,” said the Central mentor. “This was a football game. This was a city championship, and for the next year, West is city champ.”

Few could blame Ray for being upset. The Little Green held a 13-6 lead with seven minutes remaining, and the Blue Knights, who had little success moving the ball in the second half, faced 3rd-and-17 at their own 19-yard line.

That’s when Smith took the snap and found a streaking Clement cutting across from the right sideline.

Eighty-four yards and a Kameron Knowlton extra point later, the game was tied.

“Me and Lyle have been playing together for five years. He knew what I was thinking. I knew what he was thinking. I went to the middle and he just threw a perfect ball,” said Clement, a Bedford tailback. “We knew we could score if the (offensive) line provided, and the line provided.”

The ensuing drive, Central pushed 54 yards downfield, but hit a wall at their foes’ 19-yard line.

After senior quarterback Scott McCurdy was knocked out of bounds for a seven-yard loss, the Little Green failed to convert on 3rd-and-long, and McCurdy’s fourth-down pooch punt bounced into the end zone, giving the Blue Knights the ball at their 20.

With little more than three minutes left on the clock, Smith and power back Steve Gibson led West down the field, and with 26 seconds remaining in regulation, Clement broke free, darting 30 yards to pay dirt.

“We knew we had to get the ball in our best player’s hands, so that’s why we got the ball to Nick,” said Cote. “He’s come up big for us all year. You’ve just got to allow that kid to help you out, and he came up big for us today.”

Though West loses its core, Cote said he hopes the game acts as a springboard into next season.

“Graduating so many upperclassmen, it’s really important to these underclassmen to have something positive happen,” said West’s coach. “To get a win at the end of the season like that gives us a lot of momentum going into the offseason as these kids look to step up and fill a lot of roles for us next year.”

Game notes

Miles Davis put Central on the board in the second quarter when he caught a 23-yard strike from McCurdy in the back of the end zone. Davis toed the endline in making the reception.

Mike LeClerc capped Central’s scoring with a 5-yard burst off-tackle in the third quarter. Coupled with Zach Lemire’s successful extra-point attempt, the Little Green led 13-6.

West thoroughly beaten by defending champs

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:14:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Pinkerton Academy head coach Brian O’Reilly said he and his team were looking to make an example of someone. They found a victim in West High School.

The Astros lanced the Blue Knights, 34-7, on Saturday, Nov. 10, in first-round playoff action.

The week prior, PA, the twotime defending state champion, was stymied at home, losing its first Division I contest in more than two years, 30-7, to Nashua South.

“After embarrassing ourselves last week with our style of play, we needed to send a message to ourselves as well as anyone (else), that it’s playoff football time, that we’re the team people are supposed to contend with, and we need to start playing like it,” said O’Reilly.

The Blue Knights, on the other hand, entered the postseason after coming back from a two-touchdown deficit at beat Salem on the road, 17-14, in a must-win contest.

Moreover, West had nearly defeated Pinkerton in Derry on Sept. 15 when it took an early 14-0 lead.

But by the time the Blue Knights scored against the Astros again, it was almost two months and more than six quarters later, and they had allowed 50 unanswered points to the D-I power.

The locals fell in the regular- season matchup, 16-14, and were down 34-0 late in the fourth quarter of the semifinal contest when senior tailback Nick Clement broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown.

“The kids played confident. We had a good week of practice.

You know, after we came here earlier in the season, we thought we should have won that game,” said West coach Travis Cote. “We thought we had a good chance today to come in and play, and they just outperformed us.”

Pinkerton, utilizing its speedy rushing attack, scored first five minutes into the game.

After West turned the ball over on downs, the Astros punched in another score on the first play of the second quarter and ran in three more touchdowns by halftime, taking advantage of two more turnovers in the process.

PA didn’t score in the second half, and they didn’t need to. O’Reilly said the difference between the first time the two squads met and the postseason slaughter was as simple as studying film and making necessary adjustments.

Cote tipped his hat to the opposing coaching staff for altering Pinkerton’s schemes on both sides of the ball. He said, unlike the first contest, it was difficult to be upset because the game was so one-sided from the start.

“Fortunately, this year we’ve been able to do some things … to outscheme (foes) and keep us in games against teams that are bigger than us,” said Cote. “Today we weren’t able to do that.

They came after us, and offensively they just moved us off the ball and drove down the field on the ground.”

Despite the poor end to the season, Cote said the program continues to improve.

“Over the last few years we’ve been very competitive in this league,” said Cote of a West team that’s reached the D-I playoffs two of the last three years.

“It’s going to take some time to get that experience, and hopefully we will continue to build on the seasons we’ve had the last few years.”

Pinkerton remains the only team Cote has not beaten in his four-year tenure as West mentor.

Team notes
West features nine Hooksett players including seniors Kevin Beaudoin, Sam Leger, Adam Lula, Alex Mason, Chris Wallace; juniors Nathan Collins, Nick Florence and Kevin Germain; and sophomore Jeff Wallace.

Knockout blow – Central eliminated from playoffs in loss to Salem

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:13:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

The Central High School football team couldn’t stop Salem High School’s running game, and, in turn, the Little Green’s Division I postseason hopes faded on the Gill Stadium turf Friday, Oct. 26, in a 27-14 setback.

Central trailed 14-0 before putting forth one final attempt to salvage its playoff chances.

Quarterback Scott McCurdy ran for one score and threw for another, helping the Little Green pull even.

But the defense was unable to contain a balanced Salem attack, and the Blue Devils scored another touchdown with 21 seconds remaining before intermission.

Following a Central three-and-out to open the second half, Salem took the ball with 9:36 remaining in the third quarter and didn’t give it back until after it pounded into the end zone on fourth down to cap a 17-play, 88-yard drive that concluded in the fourth quarter.

That drive was indicative of the entire game. Central’s offense was on the field for 10:06, while Salem controlled the ball for 37:54, thanks to six drives of at least 10 plays.

The Little Green rushing attack produced just 50 yards.

Even so, Central had a chance to cut into Salem’s fourth-quarter lead, driving 60 yards to the 2-yard line. But McCurdy was hit as he went for the end zone, and Shawn Stoodley recovered the fumble for the Blue Devils, sealing the victory.

The loss dropped Central to 4-4 on the season, and the Little Green's final regular-season game is against Division II powerhouse Bishop Guertin.

Central still draws a rematch with Manchester West in the Turkey Bowl, played Thanksgiving Day at Gill.

Storming ahead – Little Green reign in Queen City showdown

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:25:00 GMT

BY RYAN O'CONNOR

The Blue Knights entered the contest having been in control of their own destiny all season, while cross-town rival Central was still in the process of climbing out of an early-season hole created by an 0-2 start.

When Central quarterback Scott McCurdy took a knee on the final snap of a 28-16 victory, it was the 4-3 Little Green who had the inside track on a post season berth.

Though there are still several scenarios that may play out over the last two weeks of the season - including possible tiebreakers between West, Central, Salem, and Londonderry should three of the four finish with 5-3 records - a Little Green win against Salem on Friday, Oct. 26, almost assuredly means a playoff appearance.

“We can’t lose another Division I game, we’ve known that ... and we only have one Division I game left,” said Central coach Ryan Ray.

“We’ve lost three games this year and all of them have been to very good teams, but you can’t get into the playoffs losing to very good teams.

“If we can beat Salem, maybe, just maybe, we deserve to be there.”

The 3-3 Blue Knights, on the other hand, must regroup and prepare to host another Queen City foe, Manchester Memorial, also on Oct. 26.

In addition to a victory, West players and coaches will likely be rooting for Salem to defeat Central in the aforementioned match-up creating a scenario where a win in the season finale with the Blue Devils will get them into the show.

But West coach Travis Cote said he’d rather have avoided the drama.

“We’re just not in a good position now,” said Cote. “Obviously we knew going into this that we had three games left and if we win outright we’re in there and now we need to rely on other people, and that’s never a good position to be in.”

The Blue Knights’ current position is due in large part to their inability to stop Central senior back Mike LeClerc who ran for 204 yards on 26 carries, including 157 yards in the second half.

“It’s kind of strange because early on in the year our defense was playing so well and that was kind of our strong point,” said Cote. “I don’t know really have the answer right now. We just haven’t been able to get stops the last couple weeks.”

Prior to the Central loss, West suffered a 34-24 setback at Nashua South, a team that also utilized its running attack against the Blue Knights.

Still, Cote said the most recent defeat hurt more.

“It’s a city rivalry, you always want to beat Central and they always want to beat us, so yeah, it’s definitely a tough one to take,” he said.

But the contest was close right up until LeClerc found paydirt for the third time on a 21-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter.

LeClerc got the scoring started on Central’s first possession by punching a 2-yard-touchdown run to complete a 63-yard drive.

In the second quarter, Central fumbled a punt return on its own 21-yard line where West’s Chris Wallace recovered.

Six plays later, Blue Knights’ signal caller Lyle Smith broke left and darted six yards into the corner of the end zone to tie the game at seven-apiece.

Central’s response took 11 plays and 80 yards, but it was soon back on top following a 16-yard catch and run by junior wideout Brett Parenteau, capped by Zach Lemire’s second converted extra point of the evening.

In the second half, LeClerc took the first play from scrimmage 63-yards, though West struck back with its first long drive of the night, a 70-yard push that ended with a 28-yard field goal by senior kicker Kameron Knowlton.

The Blue Knights then took advantage of another Central special teams miscue - a negative-2-yard punt that had been kicked straight up into the winds cutting through the stadium.

Two plays later, Clement scrambled 26 yards on a counter into the end zone.

West failed to convert a two-point conversion before LeClerc sealed the final score at 28-16.

Bedeviled – Mistake-prone Memorial blasted

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:01:00 GMT

BY DAVE CHOATE

Memorial High School had little margin for error against Salem High School. The team quickly trimmed that margin to zero with a bevy of mistakes and penalties.

The Crusaders were blown out by the visiting Blue Devils on Friday, Sept. 7, 42-7.

Memorial head coach Dante Laurendi said his team was doomed by turnovers. The most glaring was a botched snap into Memorial’s end zone that resulted in a hurried throw, an intentional grounding penalty and a safety.

“We just didn’t come to play mentally. We can’t make a lot of mistakes against a team that good,” Laurendi said.

Memorial, 1-1, managed its one score in the third quarter on a 5-yard run by halfback Chris Tomlinson. The Crusaders also briefly threatened late in the second quarter after running back Ben Copp broke off a 72-yard run, but the clock ran out shortly thereafter.

The score might have been more lopsided if Memorial hadn’t come up with a nice defensive stop in the second quarter. Defensive back Domingo Cruz picked off a floater in the end zone from Salem backup quarterback Peter Allain.

Memorial visits Concord next time out. Laurendi said the team must work on mental focus and run defense in practice this week because Concord is also a team with a physical running style.

“We’ll keep plugging away. Hopefully, we’ll be able to stop the run a bit better against Concord, but we’ll have to clean up the mental errors first,” Laurendi said.

Jam session – ’Canes host thousands of athletes, supporters

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:59:00 GMT

BY RYAN O'CONNOR

Thirty-nine teams from nine New Hampshire and Massachusetts towns converged on Aug. 18 for one day of Pop Warner football fun. Hundreds of aspiring young athletes and their parents, roughly 3,000 people in all, took part in the 2007 Ricky McGregor Hooksett Hurricane Kickoff Classic at Donati Field.

According to event organizer Thom Devos, the town was ready.

Devos, president of the Hurricanes, and his fellow board members decided to scale down this year’s jamboree after crowds the previous four years became difficult to control, especially parking and bus transportation.

Five years ago, when the event was established to raise money for local leagues, 141 teams from around the Northeast were invited, creating the world’s largest Pop Warner football jamboree and, at times, a virtual parking lot of traffic at the Route 28/3A corridor around Arthur Donati Field.

But Hurricane officials weren’t prepared to scrap the event altogether.

“For the program, it’s huge,” said Devos. “It’s the largest fundraiser we have each year, and it helps us stay financially responsible and in a positive situation.”

Money is raised from fees for each invited team, concessions and raffles.

Though he was contacted by teams as far away as upstate New York, Devos said he was forced to turn away many squads to create this year’s one-day event.

The goal, he said, was to build confidence from town officials and residents in proving the Hurricanes could host their annual fundraiser without disturbing the typical tranquility of a Hooksett summer weekend.

By taking advantage of the new road between routes 3A and 28, as well as working out an agreement with Cigna to use its parking lot and transport participants and parents back and forth from the fields, the event was as smooth as ever, said Devos, who added that the tireless efforts from the dozens of Hurricane volunteers was also a necessity in making the jamboree fun and functional.

He now hopes to gradually build the event back to at least 80 teams participating during two days.

“I wanted to make sure the town understood we knew how to manage it, so that next year we can go to them and say, ‘There’s nothing negative that happened last year. We managed the event well and we can do it again,’” said Devos. “Based on town’s feedback, I would expect we may increase it next year again to 50 teams.”

Formal feedback has also been requested of the other participating league presidents.

“So far, everything I’ve heard has been extremely positive, especially in terms of meeting the start and finish times that were established within a minute of each game,” said Devos. “Hopefully, next year, we will have a hotel in Hooksett that teams can stay at, and we can generate money for the hotel and local economy as well.”

On-field focus

The event wasn’t all about revenue, parking and volunteering, however.

Kent Beirne, Hurricanes board member and coach of the Junior Pee Wee squad, said the 14-hour day was a whirlwind of activity for Hooksett’s 95 players and the innumerable visiting children.

“It was a little overwhelming, but we had great fun and the kids had lots of fun, so it was certainly a worthwhile event,” he said.

Beirne said the jamboree also gives him and other coaches an opportunity to manage a game plan on the field against unfamiliar competition, something obviously unavailable during the regular season.

“As a coach, it was good because we were right there and able to turn it into a real development and learning exercise,” said Beirne, whose team was asked to play four straight 40-minute games to fill in for a team the Manchester Eagles were unable to provide.

“They started off fine, but by the middle of the third game and definitely in the fourth game both our offense and defense had run out of gas,” said Beirne. “Not so much for me as a coach, but for the players, it was definitely overwhelming to spend that much time on the field … I probably wouldn’t run them that much if we did it again next year.”

Still, everyone involved enjoyed the day, he said.

“As a parent, having partaken in it the last couple years with my son, it is a time to get the kids out there before the regular season starts and have them involved in a game-like atmosphere to get them ready for the real season,” Beirne continued. “From a social standpoint, you get to see other parents and mingle with them, which is always nice.”