Salem Observer : Salem, High School Sports

Salem’s late score means school wears football crown

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:50:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

The Salem football team has watched fellow varsity squads hang banner after championship banner at school, adding to the decor of Davis Gymnasium.

By coming from behind to defeat upstart Nashua North, 28-21, in the New Hampshire Division I state title game on Saturday, Nov. 21, the Blue Devils join the fun. Salem stands atop D-I for the first time since 1983 and captured their first crown since 1995, when the program competed in Division II.

“We’ve had some good teams,” said head coach Jack Gati. “I mean, we’ve made the playoffs eight out of the last 10 years, so the program’s been sound, rock solid really. “But obviously it’s hard to get here … You know, you play a 10-game schedule, and every game is tough and physical and to get here you need to play a lot of games like we had today.”

It didn’t come easy for Gati’s boys.

North, which took a 7-0 first-quarter lead, pulled out its bag of tricks for the contest. Two failed onside-kick attempts and a botched fake punt complemented a couple mildly successful novelty plays, but Salem’s defense continuously thwarted North and set the offense up to orchestrate two scoring drives in the second quarter.

Junior tailback Max Jacques found a crease and took off for 38 of his team-high 112 yards to put Salem on the scoreboard, and quarterback Matt Cannone connected with senior Kyle Hendrick for a six-yard touchdown with 20 seconds remaining in the half.

But the visitors put together a long, sustained scoring drive to begin the second half, then took advantage of a Salem fumble on the ensuing possession to pull ahead, 21-14.

After the locals lost another fumble at the end of the third quarter, the Salem defense stalled North’s potent rushing attack. This time, Cannone and company took advantage.

With seven minutes remaining, Jacques sold a play-action pass on the 3-yard line, allowing his quarterback to zip an express delivery to senior Darren Brown in the back of the end zone.

With two minutes on the clock, the defense once again came through, stuffing North on fourth down and an inch. And with little more than a minute remaining in regulation, Cannone averted heavy pressure, scrambled out of the pocket and spotted junior classmate Michael Lorenz streaking toward the goal line. The ball was placed where only Lorenz could catch it. He did, making an outstretched grab and maintaining control as he hit the ground.

Junior Joe Scire intercepted a desperation heave to clinch the victory.

“Boy, it was a great game for the fans, huh?” said Gati, who added the game-winning play was somewhat of surprise, even to him. “I thought I wanted to get the first down and work a field goal, and we went to a play we put in a couple weeks ago that had success last week (in the semifinals against Pinkerton).

“I mean the coverage was great, but sometimes you’ve got to be lucky, and Matt threw a perfect pass, and Mike made a great catch,” added Salem’s mentor. “What a great catch.”

Though he completed just four of 11 pass attempts for less than 80 yards, Cannone was perhaps the player of the game. In addition to his three touchdown tosses, the junior signal caller placed a handful of dropped balls right in his receiver’s hands and guided the team with his leadership.

“All season, Coach Gati kept pushing me and reminding me it would all pay off,” said Cannone. “Today he gave me a hug and said it all paid off. Right now, I just want to celebrate this one, but we return a lot of great skill guys. We’re going for back-to-back, baby!”

Cannone, Jacques and standout sophomore running back Jerickson Fedrick are back. If the lethal trio hopes to win another title, they’ll have to do so without the entire offensive line and many of the Blue Devils’ gritty veterans.

Greg Coleman, Trevor Downes, Michael Bujnowski, John Pascal, Dillion Cohen, Graig Lawlor and Tavar Johnson, who battled in the trenches for Salem all season, graduate.

Starters Kyle Hendrick, Alex Sobrado, Jake Matthews and Brown also depart, along with Tyler Kelley, Matt Stanton, Zachary Solomons, Rich Bourgoin, Connor McGuire and Nicholas Frederico.

Blue Devils blow into state fi nal after navigating choppy second half of semis

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:12:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

For years, Salem has been an 18-wheeler chugging down the Division I football freeway. SHS, frequently a powerful force, often seemed poised to flatten the competition, only to watch speedy Pinkerton Academy blaze past, garnering title after title – nine total – in a 23-year span.

In fact, the Astros entered this season having won 18 of the last 20 contests with the Blue Devils. But on Sunday, Nov. 15, Salem left the past safely in the rearview mirror.

Despite Pinkerton’s best efforts to overcome a 24-7 halftime deficit, the locals threw up a roadblock in the last seven minutes of the D-I semifinal contest, and the Astros’ series dominance came to a screeching halt following a 44-28 Salem victory.

“We haven’t beaten Pinkerton twice in the same season once, and that’s what we just did,” said standout tailback Max Jacques, referring to a decisive 24-7 regular-season home win over the ’Stros on Sept. 26.

“Honestly, going into this season, I didn’t think this team had what it takes to be here, but you could tell right from the time we came together at training camp and at two-a-days this was going to be a special year.”

Pinkerton’s coach said it’s no surprise this SHS team is the one to finally dispatch his charges.

“I think one of the most deceptive things is, yes, we’ve won 18 out of 20, but very few of those games have been blowouts. We just always had them,” said Brian O’Reilly. “It was always this or always that. A couple times it was overtime, one time it was a fumble at the 1-yard line when they could have won and just didn’t. Yes, it was one-sided in the Ws and Ls, but its always been a great game.

“This is a typical Salem team. They are what they’ve always been,” added the PA mentor. “(Salem coach) Jack (Gati) has a great offense. He’s always had the power and the play-action pass, but now he’s got the speed, and that’s the one thing he’s always lacked, that ability to hit you outside. Now that he’s got it, that team is devastating, and they play great defense on top of that.”

Indeed, while the backfield trio of senior blocking back Alex Sobrado, junior speedster Jacques and sophomore force Jerickson Fedrick ran up and down the field on the visitors, amassing more than 300 years and six touchdowns combined, Salem’s defense stopped Pinkerton’s always-potent offense in the first half, then clamped down late to fend off a fourthquarter scare.

Fedrick put the hosts on the board on the first snap of the game with a 73-yard scamper to paydirt, but Salem’s offense sputtered on its second possession.

PA blocked a punt and recovered the ball at the Salem 4-yard line, setting up its only first-half score.

Junior quarterback Matt

Cannone put the Blue Devils back on top when he connected with Sobrado on a 41-yard touchdown nine minutes into the contest.

Jacques found the end zone on a 3-yard run midway through the second quarter, and Chris Saulnier added a 24-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

Pinkerton scored on the first possession out of the locker room, but it was the defenses that carried the game into the fourth quarter.

With just under 10 minutes remaining, the Astros pulled within four points when Zach Tulley snagged a 45-yard touchdown from PA signal caller Ryan Simpson.

Though the point-after attempt was denied, the touchdown was the first of four in the next two minutes.

Jacques returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a score. Pinkerton answered with a three-play touchdown drive that took less than 45 seconds. Yet Fedrick snatched momentum back for good when he broke loose on the outside and took off for 66 yards with 7:42 remaining in the duel.

Senior Darren Brown intercepted a desperation pass on third-and-long on the next PA possession, and Fedrick capped the victory by punching the ball into the end zone once more – this time from five yards out – with two minutes left.

“I told the kids this was the biggest game of the year, and it was,” said Gati. “We’re at the pinnacle, and now we have one game left.”

The program’s last football title came in 1995, when they were still competing in Division II. They fell in 2005 and 2006 to Pinkerton in the D-I title game.

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the locals look to end that drought and capture their first D-I crown when they kickoff against Nashua North, which they beat on the road, 54-33, on Oct. 17. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

Game notes
Fedrick finished the contest with 191 yards on 18 carries, including three touchdowns. Jacques added one score and 73 yards on 17 carries, and Sobrado contributed eight carries for 37 yards and that 41-yard TD catch.

Cannone completed five of seven passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Brown compiled 87 yards on three reception.

Salem battles top-ranked Spaulding before falling in fi ve games

Salem Editor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:50:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Dan Young said he believes if his Salem High School girls volleyball team had been allowed to continue to battle Spaulding for a few more hours, the score would have been deadlocked.

Unfortunately for Young and the Blue Devils, the match ended after five games.

Salem lost a back-and-forth Division I semifinalround contest, 3-2, against top-seeded Spaulding on Wednesday, Nov. 4, ending its season with a 17-4 record.

The No. 4 Blue Devils took the first game, 26-24; fell in the second, 25-18; but bounced back with a 25-21 victory in the third frame. They were one more game victory from returning to the state title match for the first time since 2007.

Defending champion Spaulding responded with a run of its own, winning game four, 25-20, and cruising in the decisive fifth frame with a 15-4 decision.

“Whoever jumped out early in the game tended to win,” said Young. “It was all about runs, and unfortunately theirs came at the end, and we weren’t able to get the chance to respond.”

Junior middle hitter Melissa Ouellet posted a team-high 13 kills to go along with nine blocks, while Sarah Scott dished out 29 assists in the middle of the offense.

Kina Wilbur-Kamien’s effort was critical from the service line; she earned 18 service points while also playing stellar defense. Senior Erica Begin managed seven kills during her final match at Salem.

“With our team, we were so all over the place that we relied on different people at different times to carry us,” said Young. “Then there were times no one carried us, and that’s when Spaulding won. I’ve never had a team where game to game so many different people led us.”

Salem graduates captains Courtney Wright, Nicole Boucher, Erica Tilton and Begin, as well as Wilbur- Kamien, Alyssa Burnham, Jess Theriault and Olivia Connors. While the loss of those players leaves holes, Young said his team remains among the elite teams because of the returning talent.

Last year the Blue Devils were eliminated in the semifinals in five games, but Young said this year was different. “When we lost a year ago, we were tired,” said Young. “We weren’t tired this year. We started the game with a missed serve, and before we knew what was going on it was 6-0. We couldn’t really get going.”

In winning fall championship, Salem routine is anything but …

Salem Editor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:44:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Salem High School’s cheerleaders picked themselves up off the mat … literally.

After the Blue Devil pyramid collapsed during competition the week prior to the Class L fall spirit competition, the team responded by tweaking its routine during practice.

The fruits of their hard work were a state championship; the locals scored 201 out of a possible 220 points during the event hosted by Southern New Hampshire University on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Also that day, Pelham High placed fifth in the Class I event with 145 points. Second-place Pinkerton was Salem’s closest competition, earning a score of 191.

“We had some mistakes last week, so I just pulled those out and made sure it wasn’t going to happen again,” said head coach Tracy Berube. “Our pyramid I didn’t change, but we worked hard on it all week. It was pretty exciting because we’ve never fallen like that before. We knew that it couldn’t get any worse than it did.”

It was the second season in a row the Blue Devils were victorious after the squad took first during the winter competition.

The championship team included sophomores Sarah Dascoli, Jessica Hanlon, Erika Hughes, Samantha Johnston, Alexandra Philippon and Carley Reis, as well as juniors Kelly Armstrong, Kelsey Kurto, Madison Lichtmann and Jordyn Thommasi.

Stefanie Bromander, Devin Lawlor, Emily Mahoney, Lisa Nugent and Emily Spight were the team’s seniors.

“You work you butt off all season for one performance of three minutes,” said Berube. “It’s all about having a good day, and we did.”

After midseason switches, Salem rolls, faces champs

Salem Editor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:38:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Pinkerton Academy had no problem disposing of Salem during the regular season. What a difference a month makes.

The Blue Devils girls volleyball team avenged a 3-0 loss on Sept. 26 by knocking the Astros out of the Division I tournament on Saturday, Oct. 31, with a 3-1 victory to advance to the state semifinals.

Salem played its most complete match of the year, flying high and hitting hard to jump out to an early lead while grabbing the first two games by 25- 21 and 25-13 scores. Pinkerton responded in the third game, holding off a late SHS charge to win, 27-25.

But the final game of the match belonged to Salem, which won, 25-17, thanks in large part to strong play at the net by Melissa Ouellet, Erica Begin, Courtney Wright and a host of Blue Devils.

Ouellet had nine kills, Wright added eight, and Begin delivered seven for Salem, which has now reeled off eight straight victories after making midseason positional changes to address inconsistencies.

“They have come a long way,” said Pinkerton head coach Roger Konstant. “They pounded the ball at us all night long. That was the difference.”

Erica Tilton produced a season-high 17 digs, while Wright and Steph Long each tallied nine. Sarah Scott dished 30 assists in the win.

As a reward for their quarterfinal- round victory, the Blue Devils meet top-seeded Spaulding, which eased past Salem with a straight-sets victory in the regular season. The match was scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Spaulding has yet to lose a game in its first two playoff matches.

Salem’s head coach, Dan Young, said his team has been playing at its highest level during its playoff run.

“That was by far the best we’ve play this year,” said Young. “They’ve been progressing, and I hope we haven’t peaked too soon. It was not a clean game, but the plays that weren’t perfect, we adjusted and were able to move on as well as we have done this year.”

Salem fell in the semifinals last year after winning the previous two state championships. Spaulding won the D-I championship last year, and Young knows his team needs a tiptop game to dethrone the champions.

“We have to prepare, and we have to play aggressive,” said Young. “They’re a hard-hitting team, so if we don’t come with a high energy level, they’ll just keep coming at us.”

Defending champ Central edges top-ranked Salem

Salem Editor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:36:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Peter Lally knows from experience what the Salem girls soccer team went through at Stellos Stadium.

Lally’s No. 4 Manchester Central Little Green knocked off the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils in the Class L semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2-1, earning a shot at winning a second consecutive state title.

“I’ve certainly been in Salem’s position before. I’ve been a top seed and been knocked out, been undefeated and knocked out,” said Lally. “It’s not fun.”

All of the scoring in the game came within a span of 3 minutes, 28 seconds in the second half, beginning with a connection between two Hooksett players.

Deven McKiernan put a ball on net that bounced off Salem goaltender Sarah Snyder, and Lindsay Johnson put the rebound in while falling to the turf with 25:18 left to play. The Blue Devils responded when Cassandra Chase took a perfectly placed through-ball from Tayllar Righini and capitalized with a wide-open goal at the 22:03 mark to even the score.

A mere 13 seconds later, while Salem’s fans celebrated the equalizer, the Little Green came storming back when Hooksett’s Sarah Velasquez took advantage of a failed clear by the SHS backfield, finding the back of the net to again give her team the lead. Johnson earned the assist after putting the ball into the middle of the box.

“We let down after we scored, and that’s uncharacteristic of us,” said Salem mentor Kendrick Whittle. “I thought we were in the driver’s seat, but that’s what Central does to you. They were just a little bit tougher than us.”

The Blue Devils couldn’t muster many more scoring threats, though Chase did fire twice while closely guarded; the junior sent one high and the other into the side of the net.

As the final seconds wound down, Salem defender Avery Neusch lofted a free kick off the crossbar, but an infraction was whistled on the Blue Devils, and time expired just seconds later.

Both teams had similar runs into the semifinal meeting. Each won a preliminaryround game, 1-0, before surviving quarterfinal-round tilts on penalty kicks.

Salem graduates Neusch, Kristine Gosson, Elizabeth Morin, Sarah Raye, Amanda Vaudreuil, Katherine Donovan and Snyder from this year’s team, but the Blue Devils return several key players. Lally said his team’s grit has been the biggest factor in reaching the Class L championship, which is scheduled for the campus of Southern New Hampshire University on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m.

“We’re not the biggest team, but sometimes they play big,” said Lally. “Our program is as good as any team in the state. The Little Green is still around. I think the ‘little’ part of that is appropriate.”

Salem High School responds to challenge, beats Timberlane in finals

Salem Editor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:31:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

For the time being at least, the only sure things in life remain death, taxes and, of course, Salem High School’s domination of New Hampshire boys volleyball.

The undefeated Blue Devils won a sixth consecutive Division-I state championship following a 3-1 victory against Timberlane on Friday, Oct. 30, at Pinkerton Academy.

Despite being a team that had lost just 14 games during a 111-match winning streak, complacency was never an issue entering the contest with the Owls.

Indeed, Salem dominated during the first game. Following a powerful Jason Kinney kill, the score was 16-1. The Blue Devils won the game, 25- 5, and head coach EJ Perry said he witnessed a level of play he had never seen.

“That (game) was by far the best any of my teams have ever played,” said Perry. “Some people were doubting us, saying that we were beatable, and I told them we had to go out there and show that it wasn’t the case.”

After Salem won the second game, 25-20, the Owls erased a late three-point deficit to win game three, 25-23.

Following Salem’s high energy level during the first game, some Blue Devils said the closer second and third games were a result of the adrenaline wearing off.

“We did come down a little, but the second we lost (game three), we bounced right back,” said Daniel Tiner. And how. The Blue Devils rolled in game four, 25-10, to secure the title.

More than three hours prior to game time, the Salem bus pulled up and the team walked through the hallways of Pinkerton Academy, reacquainting themselves with the building Perry called his second home.

“We got here so early, and we were on fire right when we came out,” said Tiner, a senior who collected 20 kills, 14 service points and four aces. “We were so amped, and they couldn’t handle us.”

Kinney recorded 21 kills to complement his 10 blocks. Justin O’Brien managed 13 service points, and Chris Barnes delivered his second-highest career total when he dished out 53 assists.

Those seniors, along with Matthew Les, Patrick Sheehy, Jared Scali, Kevin Delfosse, Kyle Ruffen, Joseph Trovato and Chris DeMarco, depart with perfect records.

And next season’s boys volleyball landscape figures to change slightly in other ways, too.

Perry said he hopes at least three more teams join Division I, maybe even squads from Massachusetts. Further, the Blue Devils won’t begin their title defense until spring 2011, when volleyball becomes a spring sport.

“When you’re on a roll, you always want to play. I wish we could play tomorrow,” said Perry. “The level of play has climbed, and we want it to continue to do so. As long as they work hard in the offseason, we will reload.”

While Timberlane proved a worthy adversary, head coach John Dube said his team’s slow start set the tone for what became another link in the never-broken chain of wins for Salem.

“Any team is beatable, but that’s not a team you can play down against,” said Dube. “Once they smell blood, forget it.”

Salem falls in overtime of quarterfi nals after breathtaking battle

Salem Editor — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:17:00 GMT

BY JERRY LIPTAK

Salem High’s field hockey team took its fans on a wild roller coaster ride in Class L’s quarterfinal playoff round. But the hosts from Exeter High abruptly stopped the locals’ fun.

Two teams that entered the postseason with identical 10-3- 1 records needed overtime to decide a winner, and Exeter’s Emalyn Loh scored midway through the 15-minute extra period to give the Blue Hawks a 2-1 victory on Sunday, Oct. 25.

The goal stunned Salem and its followers, who just as quickly realized they’d seen a memorable match – full of ups and downs, twists and turns – and cheered their hard-working but defeated Blue Devils. Loh’s goal, her second of the game, capped a contest that featured back-and-forth action, momentum swings and athletic play throughout. It was also the second straight year Exeter knocked Salem from the state tourney by one goal.

“This is one of the better teams I’ve coached,” said John Gatsas, who has worked the high school sidelines since 1986, including 17 years through 2002 with SHS. “Obviously, it was a very well-played game, but Exeter – give them credit – beat us in transition in overtime.”

The Blue Devils led until just prior to intermission following junior Meghan Bench’s goal, a deflection of a long shot off the stick of sophomore Sarah Frahm.

Gatsas, though, was concerned Exeter was too often beating his charges to the ball. After some halftime adjustments, SHS, seeded No. 5, held fourth-seeded EHS scoreless after the break, helped by its goalie, Allison Breton.

Still, spectators watched – some with eyes partially hidden behind hands, others nervously nibbling fingernails – a second half that was more like a tennis match. Heads swiveled left, then quickly right, attempting to keep up with the frantic pace on Eustis Field.

Salem nearly took the lead near the end of regulation, smartly turning an Exeter corner opportunity at one end of the field into a two-on-one chance at the other. Melissa Higgins narrowly missed solving Exeter’s steady keeper, Emily Meade, who left the net and cut down Higgins’ angle. The speedy Salem midfielder threw her stick away in frustration.

Gatsas said his team, which crushed Manchester Central Oct. 21 in the preliminary round, 6-2, was naturally disappointed by the defeat. Yet he was also quick to mention the invaluable efforts of his departing seniors – Amanda Smigliani, Taylor Buatti, Christine Cannone, Carly Federico, Chelsie Muldowney and Megan Martineau.

Gatsas said he knows strong current contributors return in 2010, including sophomores Brittney Hall and Jenna Lucas, and he praised Christine Landry and Tiffany D’Amour, who coached Woodbury School’s 44 middle school players. He expects some of those athletes to further replenish Salem’s varsity squad.

“This was a great season,” said Gatsas. “I don’t think anyone thought we’d come this far.”

SHS grows closer while tackling roadblock of inconsistency

Salem Editor — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:14:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

For the Salem girls volleyball team, chemistry wasn’t an elective, it was a requirement.

Head coach Dan Young said his squad has faced a variety of hurdles, including position changes due to inconsistent play, that have brought the squad closer together.

“This team has been through a lot on and off the court, and despite that they have stuck together better than any team I have had,” said Young. “Chemistry has been forced upon us.”

The Blue Devils continued on their path to the playoffs with a straight-set victory over visiting Trinity on Monday, Oct. 19, to improve to 12-3.

Sarah Scott delivered a 12- assist match. The junior setter led the way during the third game, as Salem took a 10-0 advantage behind her service attack.

Senior captain Courtney Wright added four kills, while Melissa Ouellet chipped in five kills and three blocks. Despite its impressive record, Salem has so far proved vulnerable to the top Division I teams.

Spaulding, Londonderry and Bishop Guertin, the three teams ahead of the locals in the standings, have beaten the Blue Devils.

Though his team won its first five matches, Young was unhappy with his athletes’ play. As a result the coach moved Nicole Boucher from outside hitter to middle hitter and swapped Kerry White to the outside.

“We’ve made a lot of adjustments, and we’re starting to see the fruits of that,” said Young. “The consistency that wasn’t there is with us now … We are getting over (the mistakes) a lot better. We’ve made sure that it doesn’t affect us on the next play.”

Another difference-maker in Salem’s recent play has been Steph Long, a key contributor off the bench. Young said the outside hitter’s passing and defensive abilities allow him, in essence, to bring a starter off the bench.

The postseason opens Wednesday, Oct. 28, with the preliminary round. Salem concludes its regular season on Friday, Oct. 23, with a match against Merrimack that could decide the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

Unbeaten Salem grinds down North with ground game

Salem Editor — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:11:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Nashua North’s defense had their hands on Max Jacques and Jerickson Fedrick all game. The Titans just couldn’t hold on.

The electrifying pair of Salem running backs dashed for a combined 496 yards and seven touchdowns. Much of the yardage came after initial contact.

On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Blue Devils improved to 7- 0, 5-0 in Division-I play, and grabbed the top spot in the standings following a 54-33 road victory over previously unbeaten North.

“Everyone was underestimating us, and we had to show them who’s the best team in Division I,” said the sophomore Fedrick, who bruised his way to 220 yards and four touchdowns. “I just kept my legs moving after the first hits and kept moving.”

Salem entered halftime trailing, 26-19, but scored 28 unanswered points to open up a 47-26 lead.

Nashua trimmed the deficit to 14 late in the fourth quarter and recovered an onside kick with 5:43 remaining in the contest, looking to cut its deficit to a single score.

The Titans drove within striking distance of the end zone, but Fedrick made an interception at the 15-yard line and returned it all the way to North’s 19, setting up an Alex Sobrado score that capped the Blue Devil victory.

Salem ran sweep plays to Jacques throughout the contest, and though he regularly appeared bottled up near the sidelines, he popped free time and time again … for 276 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

Big plays were the norm for the Blue Devils, who produced five touchdown runs of more than 40 yards on the game, including Fedrick’s run of 81 yards and Jacques’ scamper of 71.

“It was a great statement for us. We’re looking to go undefeated,” said Jacques, a junior, who takes particular pride in the runs he makes following contact. “I love those scores. It’s all the work you put in during the offseason in the weight room paying off.”

The Blue Devils have finished the difficult portion of their schedule – on paper, anyway. Winless Concord and West, along with two-win Central, remain.

Salem head coach Jack Gati down-played the win over undefeated North. “I’m not willing to say (we’re the top team in Division I) yet,” said Gati. “We’re 7-0, and that’s nice, but that isn’t going to mean anything in the postseason.”

Though blessed with two highly talented backs, Gati also knows those runners wouldn’t consistently spring free without the blocking of Darren Brown, Andrew Ivas, Greg Coleman, John Pascal, Craig Lawlor, Dillon Cohen, Kyle Henrick and Mike Lorenz.

In five division games Salem has piled up 197 points – nearly 40 per contest – thanks in large part to its ground game.

“They’ve done it to everyone that they’ve played,” said Nashua North head coach Jason Robie. “That doesn’t make me feel any better about it.”

Good Salem team needs to improve outcome of chances it generates

Salem Editor — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:19:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

As Salem boys soccer approaches the finish of the regular season, the Blue Devils need to work on just that – finishing.

After producing a 6-1-0 start in Class L play, the Blue Devils suffered a three-game losing skid that included losses to three of the top five teams in the standings.

On Friday, Oct. 2, Salem lost, 2-1, to 7-1-2 Manchester Memorial, and head coach Tony Karibian said the reason was clear.

“It’s been all about finishing,” said Karibian. “We seem to want to score, but when we get in a position to do so, we don’t finish and take advantage of it. It’s not that we can’t do it, but we need to put the ball in the net.”

The Blue Devils jumped to an early advantage thanks to a Brad Hosey goal, assisted by Joao Vitor, about six minutes into the contest.

But Memorial struck back late in the half with a goal of its own, and the game entered the intermission knotted at 1-1 despite heavy pressure from Salem in the closing minutes.

With four minutes remaining until halftime, the Blue Devils entered the box, and several Salem attackers had a chance to score on a loose ball five feet from the goal line. However, an SHS shot hit the post, and Memorial escaped unscathed.

Twenty-one minutes into the second half, Peguy Ngatcha found an open lower-left side of the goal past Salem goalkeeper Taylor Morin to take the lead.

Though Salem earned a corner kick late in the game, the Blue Devils were unable to respond with the equalizer. All four of Salem’s losses have come against playoffbound teams, and only one has come by more than a single tally.

The Blue Devils’ first loss of the year was to Manchester Central by a 3-2 margin, followed by back-to-back victories before the three-game losing streak.

In recent years the locals have been a sub-.500 team, but a strong corps of upperclassmen has Karibian optimistic his team can make a deep run in the state tournament. Though the mentor said he hopes his group can secure at least one home playoff game, he also knows that task became increasingly difficult following its recent struggles.

“In years past we did well to lose (by one goal),” said Karibian. “Now we should be winning those games. We know we can win. We’re just making our road in the playoffs a bit harder.”

Steady Salem wins another crown; Cohen fires top score

Salem Editor — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:16:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

While head coach Ben Adams said his golf team was underestimated by many entering the season, the Blue Devils ultimately overwhelmed the Class L competition for their second consecutive state title on Thursday, Oct. 1, at Stonebridge Country Club in Goffstown.

Unlike last year’s dominant effort, when six SHS golfers broke 80 and the team won by 15 shots, Salem did not post eye-popping numbers, but instead used consistency from its four scoring individuals to shoot 320, beating Pinkerton Academy by three strokes.

“Adversity reveals character,” said Adams. “Those kids were champions to begin with, but they flew under the radar. There were teams picked ahead of them, but they didn’t let it bother them. They believed in themselves, perhaps even more than I did, and they felt that once you’re a champion, you can’t take that away.”

Ed Haroian led the Blue Devils while carding a 78. Jeff Cohen scored a 79, Ryan Butler added an 80, and Ryan Greenleaf managed an 83 on the 18-hole track.

Kyle Gaudette, who fired an 87, and Andrew Santo, who scored a 94, also competed for the Blue Devils.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, at the same venue, Cohen made it a clean sweep of Class L events for Salem when he came away with the individual title. Playing on a wet course, the senior trailed by four strokes during the round before coming all the way back to win by two.

“Skill-wise Jeff has the ability to play at this level – and the next,” said Adams. “He has a sense of confidence that is very healthy. Sometimes you run into the issue of a bad hole derailing the whole match. He has the ability to allow a bogey or double bogey to be what it is, and just move on to the next hole.”

The victory served as revenge for the Blue Devils, who lost only three times during the season.

Two of those losses were to Pinkerton, the other to Bishop Guertin, which finished in third place at the Class L tournament. Adams said it was the play of two of his seniors, Cohen and Haroian, that was the biggest reason for the title.

“They stood up and did what they needed to do,” said Adams. “The two of them combined are probably the quietest seniors I have ever had. They let their actions speak for them.”

Filling the shoes of the graduating seniors next year are Greenleaf and Butler, who took sixth at the individual event this year.

Salem’s mentor said he believes his team can again use its consistency for a third consecutive title run.

“(Greenleaf and Butler) are now two-time champions,” said Adams. “One time is wonderful, but two times is a tradition. While they are enjoying this moment, they understand that the expectation is for them to continue that and for us to be a high-level golf program.”

SHS, PHS, WHS run in Manchester

Salem Editor — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:42:00 GMT

For the first time, Windham took part in the Manchester Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26, and the girls team ran well thanks in large part to the 11th-place time of Kate Farrell.

Farrell completed the cross country race in 21 minutes, 7 seconds. Emma Boyd’s time of 22:12 was the second-fastest time for the Jaguars.

Rounding out the Windham top five were Olivia Goodale in 92nd, Alexis Clemons in 96th and Glori Foster in 112th.

Both of the Pelham teams finished in the middle of the pack during the event. The boys ended the day in 20th among 31 teams, and the girls were 10th out of 21.

Ethan Ely and Emily Spognardi posted the top times for the boys and girls, respectively, Ely coming in 87th in the small-school category at 18:50 and Spognardi grabbing seventh overall with a time of 20:55.

Salem’s day at the races included a 16th-place finish from its boys team and an eighth-place result from the girls.

Benn Dutton, Dan Schmidt, Eric Teuber, Eric Hutchins and Mitch Dutton were the top five boys for the Blue Devils, starting with Benn Dutton’s time of 17:41.

Crossing the finish line first for the Lady Blue Devils was Stephanie Cabral in seventh place overall, with Samantha Hutchins, Colleen Gill, Kerrin Foley and Amy DeNuzzio wrapping up the scoring on the day.

– Matt Schooley

Inevitably, Salem boys roll to 100th straight victory

Salem Editor — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:18:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Like most matches along the way, there was never any doubt.

The Salem boys volleyball team notched its 100th consecutive victory on Thursday, Sept. 17, in dominating fashion, reaching the milestone with a straight-set win over visiting Mascenic High School. In six years of varsity competition, the school has never lost.

“This is the greatest achievement that we have had so far,” said senior right-side hitter Jason Kinney. “Five is a lot of championships to win, but 100-0 almost never happens.” It was a streak that almost didn’t reach double digits – let alone triple digits – when Mascenic pushed the Blue Devils to the brink six years ago.

In a back-and-forth match, Mascenic forced Salem to five games, and in a fifth game that is supposed to end at 15 points, the Blue Devils fought for a 28- 26 victory.

“I always look back and say, ‘Wow,’” said Salem head coach EJ Perry. “It almost didn’t even start. We built on that win, kept it rolling, and that was what turned us into greatness.”

That match was one of the few times Salem was challenged; the Blue Devils posted a 300-11 record in game scores during the 100 victories.

In the weeks leading up to the 100th win, Perry pushed hard to pull fans into the bleachers at Davis Gymnasium. More than 500 in attended, many with signs, face paint and light-up devil horns on their heads.

Perry, also the Salem hoops coach, said the crowd rivaled those at a raucous basketball game.

“Occasionally you feel the pressure of the streak,” said senior Dan Tiner. “But when you have a crowd like we had tonight behind us, there’s no pressure.”

Salem scored six unanswered points to open the match before pushing the lead to as high as 18 – at 22-4 – before settling for a 25-8 win. In the second game, the Blue Devils led, 3-2, before scoring 13 of the next 15 points while subbing for the majority of its starters.

Game three was Salem’s most dominant effort. With Kinney and then Pat Sheehy serving, the Blue Devils reeled off 13 consecutive points to open up a 17-2 lead that stretched to 24-5. Alex Gomes served for the monumental win.

But Mascenic called a timeout, and after the teams broke their huddles, Gomes served the ball toward the back of the court, where first-year player Lucas Moore kicked the ball and walked off the court, giving the Blue Devils the 25-5 win, and victory No. 100.

“It didn’t really matter to us (being defeated for Salem’s 100th win),” said Mascenic head coach Tyler Bergeron, who said the kick was not planned in the huddle, and that he talked to his young player about it afterwards. “We knew they were a good team, and we wanted to see what we could throw at them.”

It certainly was not the first time Bergeron faced the Salem onslaught. He played for Mascenic, graduating in 2008.

“They’re so hard-hitting,” said Bergeron. “I have never seen anything like that.”

Tiner led the attack, pounding home 14 kills and adding four aces in limited playing time, though it was Kinney who had the best overall evening for Salem.

The senior had 11 kills, five blocks, nine service points and five aces on the evening, while Barnes added 21 assists and Gomes chipped in with 11 helpers.

“It was almost like another championship, maybe even a little better,” said Tiner. “Winning a state title is big, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. It blew my mind.”

Perry said the dedication of his players has maintained the streak; the players, of course, say the coaching staff deserves the credit.

Without question, the depth of the roster each and every year is a key to the program’s unprecedented success.

“If you’re going to be a great team, your first team has to be the best team in the state, and your second team has to be the second-best team in the state,” said Perry. “I think we have that.”

Though the competition in New Hampshire is limited because the sport is still relatively new, Perry sees expansion in the near future – and success for Salem regardless of the foe.

“We’ll play anyone,” said Perry. “I would put this team up against anyone in New England.”

Salem girls, despite inconsistent play, own perfect record

Salem Editor — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:02:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Despite some early-season fluctuations, the Salem girls volleyball team has been steady enough to win.

The Blue Devils earned their second consecutive Division I victory to open the season, posting a straight-set victory over visiting Dover on Friday, Sept. 11.

In taking the opening game, 25-6, the Blue Devils looked like the team that won two state titles in the last three years.

Both remaining games were close during the middle portions before SHS pulled away to take each, 25-15.

“We play up at times and look like the best team in the world, but then we play back down again,” said head coach Dan Young. “We’re just trying to maintain. They have the ability.”

Senior captains Nicole Boucher and Courtney Wright led the charge against Dover, with Boucher notching six kills and Wright contributing five.

Junior setter Sarah Scott led the passing with 14 assists, while senior Alyssa Burnham was next with nine helpers. Young lost a key group of seniors from last year’s semifinalists, including Amanda Saab and Becca Weiss.

“The best way for us to replace them is to not try to replace them,” said Young. “We had a group of seniors that we relied so heavily on. When they didn’t play to their peak, the team didn’t play well. This year we need to all play level, and maybe we have four girls who combined can be better than one Amanda Saab.”

Young said nearly every player on the roster will see time on the floor, and he expects them to contribute when they do.

Jen Bujnowski is a shining early-season example for Young. On the floor for limited action against Dover, she managed two critical blocks.

“Effort-wise, this has been the best senior class I have had,” said Young, who added he expects a steadier performance as the season continues. “It’s been a roller coaster at times since we started.”