BY RYAN O’CONNOR Athlete of the Month sponsored by Indian Head AthleticsHe didn’t have much choice in the matter. Michael Stys, whose mother played basketball at Boston College and whose brother rode a full hoops scholarship to the University of Hartford, was destined for success on the court. “It was laid out for me,” ...

BY JERRY LIPTAKThe question for fourth-seeded Central: how do we, after losing to this team by 16 points on our home court just a few weeks ago, stop unbeaten and top-seeded Salem? The Little Green found an answer – incomplete, it turns out – in the Class L boys basketball semifinals. Still, they proved they could more than compete ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORWith his fourth-seeded squad playing its best basketball of the season, Central boys basketball coach Doc Wheeler said a 16-point home loss to undefeated Salem two weeks earlier helped propel his young hoopsters into the Class L semifinals. The Little Green have won five in a row since the embarrassing setback Feb. 22, ...

BY JERRY LIPTAKSomeone older and someone newer led Manchester Central to a familiar spot – the Class L girls basketball playoff semifinals. The second-seeded Little Green used 16 first-half points from senior Alicia Doucet and all six team points in overtime from sophomore Christiana Bakolas to escape with a 51-48 win on Sunday, March 2, ...

BY JERRY LIPTAKCentral’s student body had a message for visiting Salem and, more specifically, its star junior forward, Josh Jones: “Napoleon Dynamite – Gimme your tots!” Jones, the Central faithful feel, bears a striking resemblance to the awkward high schooler of film fame. But on Saturday, Feb. 23, Jones was anything ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYWith the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Class L girls basketball tournament locked up, Manchester Central didn’t have much to play for in its regularseason finale vs. Salem High School. But when the contest on Saturday, Feb. 23, was over, the Little Green left with a 61-47 win in one of their most physical games of the season, ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORAmong city schools competing at the Meet of Champions, it was Manchester Memorial finishing highest with 20 points to Central’s 13 and West’s 10. That’s due, in large part, to Jacob Gagnon’s second-place finish in the 215-pound weight class at the meet on Saturday, Feb. 23, at Londonderry High ...

BY JENN McDOWELLResults from the first year of 11th grade New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) testing show local high school students are performing below statewide averages in math, reading and writing. Acting Superintendent of the Manchester School District, which educates students from Hooksett, Candia and Auburn, Henry Aliberti, ...

BY JERRY LIPTAKThe coaches from Manchester Memorial, West and Central, realizing their respective wrestling squads had little chance to pin down a Division I team title, focused on sending as many wrestlers as possible to the Meet of Champions. And from that perspective, the state meet was a success. Manchester’s public high schools ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYManchester Central generated little on offense, falling 3-0 on the road to Salem High School in Division I boys ice hockey on Saturday, Jan. 5. Salem scored little more than two minutes into the contest when forward Derek Tomes put in a rebound past Central goalie Jared Cox. Central trailed by three when, with 9:20 remaining in ...