BY JERRY LIPTAKIt began with some strong individual efforts in the winter – a trickle of championships earned by Bow, Hopkinton and Concord athletes on the slopes and the mats. It continued in the spring and summer, with various teams hoisting title plaques for their lacrosse, baseball and softball prowess. It concluded with the Hopkinton ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORGoffstown-area athletic successes in 2007 came at many levels, for teams and individuals. This was never more evident than the summer, when nearly every Goffstown youth baseball team, from Little League through Babe Ruth, finished tops in their district, among the best in the state and, in some cases, the region. Those ...

BY SAPNA PATHAKIt’s simple. It’s obvious. It’s exactly the approach Whitney Boucher takes: team confidence breeds better play. That has been Boucher’s No. 1 priority this season, and the squad’s winning record proves it’s working. “I let the girls know they’re good,” said the West High girls ...

BY MATT STOUTThese days, the Manchester West boys lacrosse team isn’t short on motivation – or playoff talk. The Blue Knights understand several things have to go their way in the next week to sneak into the Division I state tournament. They’ll need to beat teams they’re chasing, such as Nashua South and rival Manchester ...

BY SAPNA PATHAKFor Beth Dooley, the best part of being the head coach of Memorial’s girls lacrosse team is never having to be quiet. The first-year mentor leads a Crusaders squad that hasn’t seen a win in more than two years. But not having to hold her tongue has kept the Crusaders smiling and positive despite their winless ...

BY SAPNA PATHAKDan Drewniak won’t freely admit it. Point out his actions during the game, and he’ll quietly say it. But after hosting Queen City foe Manchester Central, the West softball head coach reluctantly came out with it. “It’s a friendly rivalry,” said Drewniak with a laugh. “I hate to say it, but it is. ...

BY MATT STOUTThe play didn’t look like one a first-year varsity team could execute. Then again, the Derryfield School boys lacrosse team isn’t your typical start-up. Slashing through the heart of the Trinity defense, Derryfield junior Chad Kelsey took a pass from freshman teammate Ben Calegari and, in one motion, fired a shot into the ...

BY SAPNA PATHAKBack in the day, Bill Lawson was leading an inexperienced bunch of players on Bow’s boys lacrosse team. He thought he wouldn’t face that challenge again. He was wrong. Now head coach of the Central High boys lax squad, Lawson has to draw from his former days to develop another squad. Lawson’s team is still ...

BY MATT STOUTSometimes you can’t deny what you are. And by no means is Maura Murphy doing that. But past all her lacrosse program records, her accurate shooting and her knack of making goaltenders feel sorry they ever stepped in net, the Southern New Hampshire University sophomore attacker wants to be remembered as more than just a ...

BY MATT STOUTThe Bow boys lacrosse team could have emerged from Division II semifinal losses the last two seasons in several ways. Bitter, anxious, downtrodden – those were just a few of the options. The Falcons instead opted for “wise.” Returning the bulk of a team this season that was denied a title shot by the eventual league ...