BY RYAN O’CONNORSitting 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 ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORIt’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. ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORFor 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 ...

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

BY SAPNA PATHAK When Bedford High School opens its doors later this year, traditions will be tested and rivalries rewritten. Around 900 students will move from Manchester West to BHS, dropping West’s student body by almost 40 percent. But perhaps the biggest hit will come to Queen City athletics programs. With each school drawing from ...

West starved of holiday bowl victory as Central’s LeClerc runs wildBY RYAN O’CONNORThough the Manchester West football team broke through in Division I last year – defeating perennial powerhouse Manchester Central twice, including a 13-0 Thanksgiving stuffing – the Little Green bounced back this season to once again stick a ...