BY MATT SCHOOLEYHeather Doucette isn’t one to show her emotions. A group of 10 players changed that. The John Stark girls soccer mentor stood at midfield following her team’s 4-1 loss to Bedford in the Class I quarterfinals, embracing 10 seniors before they walked off the field one final time on Saturday, Oct. 31. “It was really ...

BY JERRY LIPTAKJohn Stark football’s head coach, Bob Clarke, tried to tell his athletes they’d played well in a 12-6 loss to host Pembroke Academy on Saturday, Sept. 12. They disagreed. For proof, Clarke could point to the mud-covered uniforms – and faces – of his Generals, or his quarterback’s wrapped thumb, which ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYFor the time being, the John Stark girls soccer team is undefeated, but Heather Doucette still sees plenty of room for improvement. The Lady Generals knocked off Kearsarge, 3-2 in overtime, to kick off the Class I regular season on Friday, Aug. 28, but the team’s mentor wasn’t satisfied. “We’ve got a lot ...

By MARK OUELLETTE Friends of Sean Sandmann recently gathered in the atrium of John Stark Regional High School in Weare, where they quietly paid their respects and wrote heartfelt messages on a small memorial. This fall, Sandmann would have been a senior at the school. According to police, Sandmann, 17, was riding a 2009 Kawasaki motorcycle east ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYFor openers, not much can match a pair of aces. Entering the season, John Stark softball head coach Zach Medlock is relying on two returning starting pitchers who helped propel the team to the Class I quarterfinals last year, soothing memories of several years of subpar play. Seniors Emily Sweeney and Alexe Proctor are the main ...

BY SARAH LEBRUNResidents in Weare have spoken, and the general consensus is to keep the increase in taxes to a minimum for the coming year. Out of the 19 monetary items on the town, school and John Stark School District ballots, residents only voted to accept five. The biggest item voted down was a $1.25 million bond for a new Highway Garage and ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORTwo years ago, the John Stark wrestling team finished third in Division II and sent seven grapplers to the Meet of Champions. And last season, which some believe featured the strongest overall crop of D-II talent in more than a decade, the Generals placed fifth as a team and garnered six MOC nods and one regional ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYJustin Hojlo and Kevin LeBlond were in a shootout, but in the end it was Hojlo with more ammunition. The two senior guards dueled during a Class I contest on Tuesday, Jan. 13, with Hojlo’s Pelham Pythons pulling away from LeBlond and the John Stark Generals, 88-71. Hojlo poured in 35 points to help fight off LeBlond and his ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYDue to snow and ice, the departure has been delayed, but Mike Smith is looking forward to seeing who’s in their seats when this vehicle leaves the station. Weather has forced the John Stark boys basketball team to hold practices sporadically, but upon returning to the hardwood, the Generals’ head coach has been ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYUnlike the military, the captains must lead the Generals at John Stark High School. Last season, the John Stark girls basketball team was knocked out of the playoffs by Souhegan in the quarterfinal round, and now head coach Wayne Thomson turns to Brittany Purington and Olivia Cray, his two seniors, to fill leadership ...