Search results matching tag 'Sports'

Pelham-Windham close to regional crown

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:17:00 GMT

The Pelham-Windham Razorbacks fourth-grade football team remained unbeaten and closed within one win of the New England regional championship following a 31-7 regional semifinal-round victory against the Nipmuc Warriors of Central Massachusetts on Saturday, Nov. 14.

That triumph followed a 25-6 state championship defeat of the rival Salem Rams on Nov. 8 at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.

The defense dominated against Salem, allowing one third-quarter touchdown.

Tyler Mercier and Joe Micciche set the tone for the unit on the first play from scrimmage, a 3-yard loss for the Rams. Chris Rozzi then pounced on a fumble after the next snap.

Austin Wentzel, Case Foster, Freddy Stamatatos, Jack Moro, Justin O’Connor, Brian Schwab and Brian Murdza also played well for the stifling defensive unit.

Meanwhile, Brandon O’Grady scored twice in the first half, with Peter Lawson and Zach Debay finding the end zone after the break.

Ty Longo also ran well, adding a point-after touchdown for the Razorbacks.

Up front, Austin Chausse, Graham Diack, Liam O’Connell, Zach Shields, Chris Barsalou, Anthony Suppa, Michael Yeaton, Andrew Schuler, Nick Cunio, Robert Rya, Colin Peterson and Kameron Priestly supplied strong blocking.

“There are no egos on this team, there are no attitudes, there are no bullies, there are no superstars, or people who think they are superstars,” said head coach Lou Longo. “It’s 26 kids at age 9 and 10 years old, who looked at each other and looked at the coaches and said that we want to make a run at the state championship.”

With a win against the Monroe, Conn., Lions at Falcon Field in Meriden, Conn., on Saturday, Nov. 21, the Razorbacks add a regional title. Kickoff is 9 a.m.

• • •

The Pelham-Windham eighth-graders beat Leominster, Mass., 26--6, on Saturday, Nov. 14. That team also plays for a New England championship against the Ridgefield, Conn., Raiders on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the same venue. Kickoff for that contest is 5 p.m.

The state champion Pelham- Windham fifth-graders fell in the regional semifinals to the Tyngsboro, Mass., Tigers, 26-0.

– Submitted by Bob Diack

Jr. ’Dogs fall short

Bedford Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:59:00 GMT

The unbeaten Amherst Patriots found themselves trailing for the first time in two years before scoring the winning touchdown with just a minute to go, handing the Bedford Jr. Bulldogs Pee Wee Silver team a heartbreaking 13-12 setback in the state final.

Down 7-0 in the second quarter, Saiku Bah followed blocks from Zach Wallat and John Kiernan to cut the deficit to 7-6 at the break.

Conner Kelley, Gavin Grant, Cal Moody and Nathan Moody played strong defense to open the third quarter, forcing a punt.

From there, the ’Dogs marched downfield behind Christian Reid, Chris Fountain and Lucas Miller, with Bah breaking free after Gage Benson’s block for a 12-7 lead.

However, Amherst responded late in the fourth quarter, and James Haskell’s kickoff return in the final moments came up short.

Nolan Lacombe, Kyle Larson, Hans Andreasson, Ben Seals and Sean Kenny blocked well for Kyle Colella, Walter Wilson and Ty Benson, who also combined with quarterback Ty Cibotti for big yardage on a screen pass.

On defense, Justin Mello, Thomas Reynolds, Matt Beals, Jake Valeri and Jack Zimmerman turned in solid efforts.

Eagles middle-schoolers one win from another title

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:36:00 GMT

The Goffstown Screamin’ Eagles middle school football team plays for its third championship in four years following a convincing 28-8 win against the Manchester Bears on Sunday, Nov. 15.

The locals face Lowell, Mass., at Bedford High School on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m.

Goffstown once again started quickly, with Alex Duval capping the opening drive with an 11-yard touchdown.

After the Bears answered immediately, the Eagles’ defense shut them down. Charlie Hunt and Chris Garrison led the group with six tackles apiece, followed by Nathan Eldred, Ty Lazzari and Kyle Indingaro with five each. Ben Genest, Matt Garrison, Dylan Schlange and Dylan Sherwood all added three tackles.

Among the big plays were Chris Garrison’s 38-yard touchdown run and Indingaro’s 30- yard TD jaunt. Lazzari added a 2-yard scoring run. Indingaro rushed for more than 100 yards.

Goffstown’s junior varsity middle-schoolers also beat Manchester, 22-6, behind fine play from Nick McCallum, Ryan Pinard, Matt Collins, Christian Marque and many others.

Goffstown quick to answer Mass. size; locals one win from nationals

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:27:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Good things do indeed come in small packages. Especially when it’s a blitz package.

The Goffstown sixth-grade football team was severely outsized in its Northeast regional semifinal contest against Massachusetts foe Milford, but the Screamin’ Eagles proved they weren’t going to be outworked.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, the locals moved within one win of a trip to the American Youth Football National Championship Week in Kissimmee, Fla., following a 40-13 victory at Bedford High School.

“They had a center who was 200 pounds, and we have some kids who are 75 pounds,” said head coach Geoff Hubbard. “They got the ball, and when they started marching on us, they were doing it at will. The first few minutes of the game I was very nervous that we were going to get creamed – badly.”

Hubbard and his coaching staff made critical adjustments after Milford scored a touchdown on its opening drive.

The Screamin’ Eagles began to stunt and blitz with more regularity and relied on a six-man front to quell the opponent’s rushing attack.

Zack Comeau and Casey Gervais led the aggressive defense with 13 and 12 tackles, respectively, while Chris Melanson and Andrew Biron pounced on a fumble each and combined for eight tackles.

“While they were bigger than we were, they weren’t quicker,” said Hubbard. “We were able to take advantage of that and get past them. We have the best overall defense that I have ever seen in a youth group.”

Goffstown’s offense wasn’t too shabby either, led by TJ Urbanik, who amassed 160 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and Connor Bourque, who found the end zone twice to complement an interception on defense.

The New England Regional Championship is Saturday, Nov. 21, in Meriden, Conn., against another large opponent, Bridgeport, Conn.

Hubbard said he plans on using his team’s experience against Milford to prepare for his final New England combatant.

“Moving forward against Connecticut, they can’t be as fast as us, and that plays into our strengths again,” said Hubbard. “Our kids have shown they can battle against big teams. Our biggest asset is that our kids are stronger than the average team, and they’re super fast.”

Damian Jackson added to the ground attack for Goffstown, darting in for a 42-yard score and piling up six tackles in the blowout.

The Goffstown mentor said he now knows no team can blow out his Screamin’ Eagles, and he’s been surprised at the strength of the team’s mental makeup.

“They have certain things you can’t coach,” said Hubbard. “If we’re down by a score, they don’t let it faze them. They realize we’re a good enough team that we can score a couple quickly, so they don’t get rattled. I don’t think I have ever seen a group as poised as these guys.”

MLS player returns to town for talk and play

Bedford Editor — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:39:00 GMT

Jay Heaps, a Major League Soccer player with the New England Revolution and former Bedford resident, was a special guest at the Bedford Athletic Club’s recent player appreciation night.

Approximately 85 boys and girls from the BAC, a new Bedford travel soccer league, enjoyed a questionand- answer session, one-oneone drills and soccer games with Heaps, who also peppered some of the young goalkeepers with some shots on net.

During the Q&A, Heaps revealed he’s dribbled a soccer ball more than 6,000 times consecutively and, he said, “it took a really long time.” The Duke University alumnus attended school and played many sports in town as a youngster, and he drew a big reaction from the crowd when he mentioned his kindergarten teacher, Sue Tyrie of Bedford Village Morning School; many of the U8 to U14 players attended the same school.

“At the end of the day, it is all about the kids and making them happy,” said Shaun Oparowski, BAC vice president. “The league couldn’t think of a better way to show our appreciation than to bring Revolution player Jay Heaps here to Bedford.”

After long struggles, Pelham girls soccer program is improving

Salem Editor — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:23:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Pelham girls soccer players, all too familiar with the agony of defeat, are starting to experience the thrill of victory.

The Pythons, frequently winless in recent campaigns, have won two contests in recent weeks, a small step for second-year head coach Amy Alfaro, who continues to instill a new attitude in her players.

“Last year we would lose by four goals, and they were happy. I didn’t understand it,” said Alfaro. “They’re used to losing. Until recently, none of these girls knew what it felt like to win at the high school level.”

On Friday, Oct. 9, Pelham knocked off ConVal, 1- 0, when Kayla Soares scored four minutes into the second overtime session to help the Pythons improve to 2-9 on the year.

Pelham appeared to have scored the go-ahead goal with 10 minutes remaining when Soares and Brianna Diaz converged undefended on a through-ball in front of the keeper, finding the back of the net.

The goal was disallowed thanks to an offside call by the official, and the game remained scoreless. Though Alfaro said she did not believe the offside call was correct, she said it helped her team come away with the win.

“They were frustrated,” said Alfaro. “That call fueled them, and they used it to put pressure on (for) the rest of the game.”

Gina Grimes kept the visitors off the scoreboard throughout the game, using her aggressive goalkeeping style to break up chances and preserve her first shutout of the year.

Nine minutes into the first half, Grimes stopped the best ConVal threat of the game when she extended fully and knocked a low shot wide that was headed for the lower right-hand corner of the net.

Grimes used the muddy field conditions to her advantage, constantly racing to the outskirts of the box and sliding at the feet of attackers to grab the ball before they could put shots on net.

Alfaro said while Grimes has allowed nearly five goals per contest, the freshman has shown a great deal of potential.

“I took this job last year as a favor to a friend, and that favor expires next year,” said Alfaro. “(Grimes) will be the reason I stay beyond that. When an athlete like that comes along, she just makes you want to stay and keep building.”

The keeper’s toughness is undeniable; earlier in the season Grimes suffered a gash that required multiple staples in her head, but she never noticed until the referee stopped play. Grimes had to miss two games due to the injury.

Soares’ goal came from outside the box on the left side, and it was perfectly placed into the top right corner of the net, just as she planned.

“I just want to win,” said Soares. “I was aiming for that spot, and I hit it. It was definitely the high point of the year for us.”

The two teams met again on Monday, Oct. 12, at Con- Val, where the hosts defeated the Pythons, 4-1.

During a late-September contest, Pelham was thumped by Oyster River, 6-0, but Alfaro said that was the moment she saw a change in her team. The Pythons doubled up Laconia, 4-2, in their next scheduled match.

“I’ve been telling them all year about pressuring the ball, and during that (Oyster River) game, something clicked,” the mentor said. “I tell them that when we don’t have the ball, all 11 of them are defenders. They’re starting to get that.”

Weare resident gets Hometown Hero Award

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:12:00 GMT

By Kathy Remillard

Tony Sawyer of Weare was presented with Granite State Communication’s Hometown Hero Award at the 17th annual Customer Appreciation Day on Sept. 26.

The award is presented to a resident who is giving to his or her community to make it a better place.

Sawyer is president of the John Stark Generals Football Association, as well as a coach. He is also coordinator of the Hillsborough County Corrections Community Service Program, in which qualified inmates volunteer in communities throughout Hillsborough County, including Weare.

Sawyer said he was overwhelmed by the award.

“I’m very surprised, and very humbled by it,” he added, noting that the recognition is nice, but that isn’t what drives him. “I do this for the kids. They should have a place to experience positive things and I want to make sure they’re going in a positive direction.”

Sawyer said he’s also surrounded by a lot of great parents and volunteers, most of whom worked tirelessly to raise more than $30,000 to build a new concession stand at Weare’s Francis A. Bolton Memorial Park, known to most residents as Bolton Field.

Money raised by the concession stand will be rolled back into the organization, to pay for items such as team jerseys and having referees and EMTs at each game. Eventually, Sawyer would like to see lights at the field, so that teams can play evening games.

Sawyer has lived in Weare with his wife, Kerri, and their two children for eight years. He said that even when his own children are grown and it’s time to move on, he wants to leave the Generals “in a good place.” In his involvement with the Generals, he said he’s learned that “it really does take a community to raise a child.”

The Customer Appreciation Day also included a barbecue lunch, pumpkin decorating, a magic show by local magician Steve Thomas, balloon animals for kids and a child ID booth hosted by the Weare Police Department and John Stark senior Kris Begin. An interactive tour of the building provided visitors with a chance to explore what new services Granite State Communications has to offer, including fiber optic technology. Participants were given a scavenger hunt-type quiz to learn about fiber optics, and correct entries were entered into a raffle to win a Wii fit.

Bedford High XC showing marked improvement

Bedford Editor — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:59:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

A theme developed near the top of the Windham Invitational cross country meet’s individual standings: Bulldogs, and plenty of them.

The Bedford High School boys cross country team finished the race on Sept. 22 with four of the top five times, and seven of the event’s top 12 individual results.

Thanks to a score of 22 points, the Bulldogs earned first in the eight-team field, led by Mark Hosang’s secondplace finish of 18 minutes, 25 seconds on the hilly course at Windham High School.

Hosang was the first of four Bulldogs to cross the finish line within 25 seconds of each other; Scott Johnson followed him two seconds later, Sam Daly was next at 18:32 and Dave Phelps was the fourth straight teammate to cross when he notched a time of 18:50.

Caleb Earnshaw wasn’t far off the pace, grabbing eighth overall with a time of 18:59 to round out Bedford’s top five.

“They’ve been improving big time, and the times have been going down as the season’s progressed,” said boys head coach Craig Blahnik. “The course ran a little long, but they performed extremely well today.”

The Lady Bulldogs placed second with 78 points. Morghan Linehan and Margo Cassidy crossed the line within one second of each other in a close race for top team honors. Linehan was ninth overall in 22:34, followed immediately by Cassidy.

Neither runner could keep pace with Merrimack Valley’s Brianna Tevnan and her winning result of 20:19. Grace Ouelette, Hannah Zeltner and Kris Larosa rounded out the scoring during a race head coach Emily Blahnik described as an extended training session for the Manchester Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26.

“One of the main reasons that is such a big race for us is that we’re looking towards states,” said the Lady Bulldog mentor. “We’re very young, and for a lot of the freshmen this will be the first big meet they’ll see. It should give them a leg up.”

Both BHS teams competed in the large-school category at the Manchester Invitational. The boys placed sixth of 30 teams, many from Class L. Johnson, who finished 13th in the category with a time of 16:57, led the team, followed by Hosang, who ran the course in 17:08. Daly, Phelps and Earnshaw followed to account for Bedford’s score.

The Lady Bulldogs finished 16th among 22 large schools, led by Linehan in 29th overall. Cassidy was 62nd, Ouelette placed 64th, Zeltner finished 80th, and Katherine Lindberg was 109th.

Of the top five Bedford finishers at either race, only Ouelette is a senior.

During the state meet last year, the Lady Bulldogs finished eighth out of 16 teams, but Emily Blahnik said she has high expectations as this year’s competition draws closer.

“To compare them to last year, right now they are head and shoulders better,” said Blahnik. “They put in the miles during the offseason, and it’s really paying off.”

Windham High’s XC race includes Pelham runners

Salem Editor — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:36:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Windham doesn’t quite have a home-course advantage yet, but the Jaguars now officially have a course to call home.

Though nearly all of the teams at the newly opened Windham High School are junior varsity, the school’s cross country team is competing at the varsity level.

On Sept. 22, the school hosted its first-ever Windham Invitational, with the girls grabbing sixth in the eight-team field and the boys finishing in eighth, including a 10th-place time of 19 minutes, 33 seconds from Colby Putnam.

Windham’s best finisher from the girls team was Kate Farrell with a time of 21:44.

“To host the first meet here and have as many teams as we did, it was an amazing day for Windham High School,” said the Jaguars girls head coach, Kate Jackson.

Merrimack Valley won the girls team event with a score of 29, while Bedford dominated among the boys thanks to four runners in the top five. The Bulldogs tallied a team score of 22.

Pelham also took part in the event, as the young Python teams finished sixth and seventh in the boys and girls races, respectively.

Pelham’s head coach, Todd Kress, said his teams were not running at full speed, however, opting to use the race as a training day for the Manchester Invitational, which was Saturday, Sept. 26.

Freshman Brandon Hannon had the best time for the Pythons, running the 5-kilometer course in 20:58, good for 36th among 122 racers.

“In this sport, regular-season standings don’t matter, so there are certain races that you point to as big races, with Manchester being one of those,” said Kress. “(The Windham Invitational) was really about building confidence and gearing up for our next race.”

Hannon was one of the runners who Kress said benefited from the confidence boost, as the freshman is normally the team’s No. 5 competitor, but was able to run with the top Pythons throughout the hilly course.

Ethan Ely came in four spots behind Hannon, while Erin Krawczyk crossed the finish line just 15 seconds later. Senior Emily Spognardi was the best finisher for the Lady Pythons, grabbing 14th place with a time of 22:53. Jaguars boys head coach Mick Grant said the program’s future is promising because of the current members of the team, plus the strength of the middle school program.

The mentor also expressed his excitement about the inaugural invitational.

“We have a beautiful school, and before the race a lot of the teams wanted tours. It was a lot of fun,” said Grant. “It was great to be able to show off to the schools in the division.”

Bedford High School raises intensity for its toughest foes

Bedford Editor — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:07:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Arriving at the field for a marquee match with one of the top teams in Class I, Michelle Winning wasn’t sure what to expect from her Bedford High team.

It didn’t take the girls soccer head coach long to discover the answer.

Despite taking on Goffstown the day before, Winning’s Bulldogs came out full of energy and handed visiting Hollis- Brookline its first loss of the season on Friday, Sept. 18, 3-1.

“I felt like we might go into the game a little bit tired, but when I showed up at the field I knew my team was ready to play,” said Winning. “It was because of Hollis-Brookline. They always want to play their best against them.”

After all, the Cavaliers ended Bedford’s season last year, courtesy of a 1-0 semifinal loss.

In the latest meeting between the two, M.E. Steward broke a scoreless tie little more than 10 minutes into the game, taking a pass from Colleen Murray and rolling it into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal.

Hollis-Brookline tied the score less than two minutes before intermission, but Murray connected for two secondhalf goals to lead Bedford to the win.

Winning said the combined play of forwards Murray and Sarah Kelley has been at the center of the team’s 6-1-0 start. Angela Celli and Casey Levis lead a defense that has allowed more than one goal only twice this year, while never giving up more than three tallies.

The team’s one loss came Sept. 8, 2-1, against visiting St. Thomas Aquinas, which Winning believes is one of the top four teams in the state.

“We went down in the first five minutes of the game, and that was the only time we’ve had to deal with that,” said Winning. “They saw how they felt defeated, and they knew it affected their performance. It’s not a bad thing because we can build upon it for the rest of the season.”

In a rematch at St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday, Sept. 22, Bedford WON/LOST, X-X. Bedford’s difficult schedule, because of the new method of seeding that rewards teams for quality victories, could be a playoff boon.

The BHS mentor said she believes the strength of her team’s opponents has other benefits as well.

“Our confidence is pretty good right now,” said Winning. “Because of that difficult schedule, they know they can’t let up for a minute; they have to be at their best and be consistent at all times. I think that could pay off down the road.”