Author: KJ Cardinal

Unexpectedly Perfect: Woodsville’s chemistry led to fourth D-IV title in five years

By Mike Whaley

(This is the second in a series on the eight 2025 NHIAA state championship basketball teams.)

To say Jamie Walker is low key might be an understatement. But you could hear his normally even-toned voice rise a few octaves when he was asked about his team’s undefeated Division IV state championship basketball season – Woodsville’s fourth title in five years. “I did think we would be competitive,” he said. “I would have told you you were crazy if you told me we were going to go undefeated and win a state championship. That would have never entered my mind.”

Indeed, the Engineers ran the table with a 22-0 record, which included a nail biting 51-48 overtime win against North Country rival Littleton in the championship at Colby-Sawyer College.

Woodsville’s previous season ended with a semifinal loss to Littleton. From that team, four of the first six players graduated, leaving coach Walker with some positions to fill. The good news? The Engineers returned two of the best players in the division in his son, junior point guard Ryan Walker, and 6-foot-3 senior forward Landon Kingsbury. The key, however, was surrounding that duo with a complementary supporting cast. Coach Walker was able to do that.

After the Engineers lost in the 2024 semis, Walker knew he had his son and Kingsbury returning. “We didn’t know what we had around them,” he said. He figured senior Jacob Putnam and junior Cowan Kimball would be solid. Although both had played sparingly in big games, they did get quality minutes in the semis when one starter was too sick to play and another, Connor Houston, incurred an ankle injury that prevented him from playing in the second half.

Ryan Walker. [📸 KJ Cardinal]

The possible fifth starter was 6-2 senior Devin Sabina, who had spent three years as a JV point guard. “I had a conversation with his mother back in May (of 2024) and I said ‘I think Devin can help us next year, but he’s got to start playing now and continue on throughout the year.’” Sabina made the commitment. He played AAU ball with Kingsbury and Ryan Walker, and did all the summer stuff. He also had to embrace a new position inside as a forward since there was no way he was supplanting Ryan Walker at point guard.

The first guy off the bench turned out to be senior Owen McClintock, who did not play as a junior. He was a kid who could shoot the basketball. When coach Walker got wind that McClintock was thinking about playing, he asked his son to nudge McClintock into making the summer commitment, which he did. He became a valuable asset as the first player off the bench. “As the season progressed, I told him ‘your job is to come down and get your feet set, find a place you like, and somebody will find you and you’ll get the 3s,’” coach Walker said. “He hit 3s all year long for us.”

Eventually that group of six became the rotation and it turned out to be a very good one, certainly better than anyone could have predicted. Kingsbury noted that Woodsville used the summer to try to build chemistry with its new lineup. “Chemistry was the big thing,” he said. 

It took the rest of Division IV some time to catch up with what Woodsville had going on. Early on, Kingsbury and Ryan Walker received a lot of attention. “They pretty much said those two aren’t going to score,” coach Walker recalled. “And then everybody else started scoring. They thought ‘well there is a little bit more there than Ryan and Landon.’”

The big “coming out game” was the first Littleton contest on Dec. 19 at home – a 58-38 win. Walker and Kingsbury were held to six points each, but Sabina and Kimball stepped up big time with 21 and 15 points, respectively. “They were left wide open and made shots,” coach Walker said. That revelation made the Engineers even stronger as teams now had to respect the shooting ability of their secondary players.

Landon Kingsbury. [📸 KJ Cardinal]

Still it took a while for the offense to get into sync with the new players learning how to play with the veterans and vice versa. While the offense was a work in progress, Woodsville put its nose to the grindstone and focused on defense. “We figured if we play defense, we’ll get the turnovers and that leads to baskets and that’s always good,” coach Walker said. 

In coach Walker’s mind there was no clear favorite in the north. He wasn’t as sure about the south, but in the north “I didn’t think there was anyone heads and shoulders better than us,” he said. “I thought it was a pretty competitive year for the top five, six, seven teams.”

By the second half of the season Woodsville was still undefeated. The schedule tightened up as the Engineers started seeing some teams for a second time. In their final nine games, five games were decided by seven points or fewer and two others were competitive wins of 11 and 13 points. It didn’t come easy. “We always found a way to win,” said Ryan Walker. “We always had someone step up and push us over the other team and win the game.”

The beauty of it was that Woodsville was getting contributions from everybody. They weren’t just relying on Kingsbury and Ryan Walker. Putnam hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win at Profile, 42-39. McClintock’s late shot beat Littleton at their place by three, 61-58. “I’ve told a ton of people this,” said coach Walker. “They were just a good team that enjoyed playing together and knew each other. They knew what their strengths were. They knew what they didn’t do well. They all played a role in us winning.” 

Ryan Walker was the glue that held it all together. It was not a surprise that he was the Division IV Player of the Year and the top point guard in the division. “The reason we don’t look rattled in close games is because he’s pretty calm out there with the ball in his hands,” said the coach. “That takes a lot of pressure off everybody else on the team. … He doesn’t turn it over. Turnovers are key in close games, big games. He gets us into our offense. That’s very, very important.” Bottom line in Division IV, nobody had what Woodsville had at the point.

“I kind of let the game come to me,” said Ryan Walker. “Everyone on the team could score, so I knew that kind of takes a little pressure off me. I just try to get everyone involved.”

Jacob Putnam. [📸 KJ Cardinal]

Kingsbury’s evolution as a player was also important. A four-year varsity member who played on championship squads as a freshman and sophomore, he was primarily a scorer before this year. “This year he started doing the little things,” said coach Walker. “Defensively he was taking charges and getting steals. He was rebounding offensively and defensively. He started to round out his game. He wasn’t just a scorer anymore.” Kingsbury still scored, of course, averaging a shade under 20 points per game to lead the team, hitting the 1,000-point plateau, and earning D-IV First Team All-State honors. Next year he plans to attend and play basketball at Central Maine Community College.

Kingsbury knew that as the team’s biggest guy on the floor, he had to take more of a big man role. “I realized I had to start playing a little bit better defense,” he said. I have to try to get more rebounds and try to help my team out with more than just scoring.”

Ryan Walker could also score, providing 16.9 ppg, while Sabina (8.2), Kimball (7.8), Putnam (6.1) and McClintock (3.4) chipped in. Kimball and Putnam (a D-IV All-Defensive pick) were the stoppers on defense.

When the regular-season dust settled, Woodsville looked around and found itself at the top of the D-IV heap with an 18-0 record. 

“If you came to any of our practices, you never heard the word undefeated,” said coach Walker. “I’m not sure we ever discussed what our record was. We just focused on the next game. The kids might have been talking about it. I never heard it in practice. Everybody in the back of their mind knows they have a target on their back. Everyone wants to be the one that beats you.”

The Engineers opened at home in the first round vs. No. 16 Lin-Wood, who they had beaten by 38 points during the regular season. It was close to start, but Woodsville was able to get it into double figures by the second quarter and keep it there in a 61-46 win. Kingsbury led the way with 21 points, while Walker added 12, and Sabina and Putnam split 19.

Devin Sabina. [📸 KJ Cardinal]

A tough game with No. 8 Farmington never unfolded because their top player, Demery Hadges, got injured in their first-round game and was not close to full strength in the quarters. The Engineers played their best first half of the season, leading 18-3 after the first quarter and 36-9 at the half en route to the 57-40 win. Kingsbury and Sabina each had 14 points, while Walker added 11.

The semis was against No. 5 Gorham, who Woodsville had beaten twice during the season. This proved to be the perfect time for the Engineers to play their finest defensive game of the season to hold in check the Huskies high-scoring duo of Isaac Langlois and Jack Saladino to 14 points between them in a convincing 43-27 victory. Putnam slowed down Saladino and Kimball limited Langlois, the division’s top scorer. “I tried to force him left and keep him out of the paint,” Putnam said of his Saladino assignment. “I was up on him all night.”

“We knew what we had to do,” said Kimball, who held Langlois to a season-low nine points. “Keep the ball out of Isaac’s hands.” Those words were stressed by coach Walker. “Stay on him. Don’t help out. Wherever he goes, you go.”

Walker led the offense with 17 points. Kingsbury and Kimball added 11 and 10, respectively.

That set up an all-North Country championship at Colby-Sawyer College with No. 3 Littleton. The Crusaders had vanquished the division’s other undefeated team in the semis, Concord Christian, by a 64-51 score. This was the third meeting between the two rivals, both won by the Engineers (58-38, 61-58). “Littleton had just knocked off Concord Christian,” recalled coach Walker. “I’m sure they were saying ‘we just knocked off one undefeated team, let’s beat the other one.’”

The Gorham win came with some potentially crippling news. Late in the game, Ryan Walker severely rolled his ankle. “I tried to jump a passing lane and I landed on someone’s foot,” he said. “I rolled my ankle. It happened with a minute to play in the game. I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

As Walker recalled, the ankle was pretty swollen. There was no way, as far as he was concerned, that he wasn’t going to play. “I just wanted to rest it and get it to be as good as it could be,” he said.

Jamie Walker. [📸 KJ Cardinal]

The silver lining, if there was one, was that the semifinal game was played on a Monday, so he had four days to recover. “I iced it a lot,” Walker said. “I really didn’t do much on it. As the days went by, I was walking fine. On Friday, I didn’t practice or anything. I just shot around a bit and it felt a little bit better. I just wasn’t sure what it was going to feel like come game time.”

On the ride home from the Friday practice, coach Walker could see an improvement in his son. “He was positive in his talk. ‘He seemed a little upbeat,’ I said to myself. ‘OK, this is a little different than the guy limping around for three days.’ I kind of thought he was OK.”

That being said, even though the tape job made the ankle feel good, Walker hadn’t done anything on it since Monday. “He hadn’t been running up and down the floor,” his dad said. “He hadn’t cut right to left.” He definitely wasn’t 100 percent. There were times in the championship when he looked like his old self. “He looked quicker and could get by people whenever he wanted,” said his dad. “But there were (also) times when he looked a little hobbled.”

Coach Walker wasn’t sure what percentage to put his son at. “He wasn’t 100, but he was certainly closer to 100 than he was to 50.”

Woodsville was fortunate that the semifinal game was played on Monday. Had it been played on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, his dad said he would not have played in the championship. “There’s no way,” coach Walker said. “He was limping pretty bad for two days after. You really couldn’t see his ankle until Thursday or Friday when the swelling finally went down.”

Ryan Walker recalls warming up before the championship and he felt at that point he was probably at 60 percent. “Once the game came around and the adrenalin was flowing, I was probably higher than that,” he said. “I tried not to be aggressive around the rim and land on anyone’s feet. I was playing away from the rim and fading away, when I usually go towards it.”

A third meeting with Littleton was certainly going to be a tough nut to crack for Woodsville. Walker expected it to be similar to the three-point second game. “They’re a tough team to defend,” he said. “No matter what five are on the floor, they can all dribble and shoot. There’s no leaving someone alone on that team.”

The game was as good as advertised. Littleton jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter, but the Engineers battled back to take a three-point lead at the break on McClintock’s 3-pointer at the buzzer. Predictably, it was a game that came down to the final seconds.

The Engineers didn’t help themselves as time was winding down. With the game tied at 43-all, they called timeout with 18 seconds to play. But they then turned the ball over on the inbounds pass. Littleton went ahead 47-45 when Marcus Hampson made both foul shots after being fouled driving for a layup at 15 seconds. Down two, coach Walker signaled not to take a timeout. His son took the ball the length of the court, drew three defenders and then hit Sabina for the game tying layup that forced overtime. “Devin was right where he was supposed to be,” said coach Walker. “When someone drives to the basket, I want you opposite them. I don’t want you on the same block. Then your defender is right there. Always get opposite to the guy driving to the basket. Where did he go? Opposite and he got the layup.”

 In OT, Putnam scored his only points on a corner trey at 2:30 to give the Engineers a three-point lead (50-47) and an eventual 51-48 championship win to complete the season at 22-0 – the only undefeated boys team in New Hampshire.

Putnam recalled his game-winning shot. Walker drove to the basket and drew Putnam’s defender. “You’ve got to know it’s coming when he has two or three defenders on him,” Putnam said. “I just try to give him a good angle because he’s got two people on him; help him out and catch the ball and shoot. It was like the exact same shot that I hit against Profile. No problem. No hesitation.”

Despite the injury, Ryan Walker played a great game. His teammates were concerned during the week that he might not be able to play or that if he did play, he wouldn’t be himself. “I was nervous because we hadn’t played without him all year,” Kimball said. “He’s our biggest contributor on the floor. I was a little worried and I was a little worried for him. I know he likes to drive and get into the paint. There are a lot of feet down there. I was a little worried that he would roll it again.”

It all worked out. “He played great,” Kimball added. “I thought he played one of his better games. He looked normal to me.” Walker led all scorers with 19 points and paced Woodsville in playoff scoring with 60 points in four games. Kingsbury and Sabina added eight points apiece, and Kimball had seven. Sam Reagey led Littleton with 16 points, while Connor Roy and Hampson chipped in with 10 each.

At the beginning of the season, there were certainly some question marks. But as the season unfolded, the Engineers started checking off boxes. “They were a team that accepted their roles and played them very well,” coach Walker said. “They were an easy group to coach. There was no fighting. They got along. They liked playing with each other.” As their record indicates, it proved to be a winning recipe.

Whaley can be reached at whaleym25@gmail.com

Floor Burns: Versatile Trocki’s unusual journey paid big dividends

(This is an excerpt – Chapter 16 – from Mike Whaley’s new college basketball book “Floor Burns.” It details the versatile college athletic life of former Alvirne HS star Paul Trocki, who played three sports at a high level at Keene State College – soccer, basketball, and track and field. Whaley’s sprawling celebration of NAIA basketball in New England encompasses 48 chapters and 620 pages. It is available for purchase through shopball603.com or bondcliffbooks.com. Retail options are listed below.)

Soccer provided the bookends for Paul Trocki’s Keene State College athletic experience in 1975 and 1979. Neither season, however, was as memorable as what went on in between.

One thing I found in writing this book is that many of the basketball players I interviewed played more than one sport, particularly those who played before 2000. Porky Vieira played baseball as did Ron Diorio and my friend and teammate Bill Fitzgerald; John Pazdar was a tennis player; Maureen Burchill and Terri Nelson played softball; Steve deBree was a soccer goalie; and Michelle DuFour Brodt picked up lacrosse and soccer when Castleton didn’t offer volleyball and track and field. Those are just examples. It’s a pretty lengthy list.

Paul Trocki’s multi-sport resume is the most impressive. The Pelham, New Hampshire native played three sports at Keene State. He was a key part of district champion basketball (1977) and soccer (1978) teams that qualified for the NAIA national tournament, while also competing in track and field. In 1979, Trocki won the NCAA Division III national championship in the decathlon. He was an All-American in soccer and track and field (twice). That’s a pretty impressive record for a guy who did not play organized sports until he was 13, and that was baseball, which he later dropped for track.

GROWING UP WITH BREAD

Keene State’s Paul Trocki excelled in soccer, basketball and track and field in the 1970s. Here he is attempting to pole vault, one of the events in the decathlon. [Courtesy photo]

“I grew up in a bakery,” said Paul when I talked with him over the phone in September of ‘23 from his home in Leesburg, Florida, where he lives with Kelly, his wife of 35 years. “My dad (Stan Trocki) owned a bakery when I was 10 years old in Nashua (Debbie Lee Bakery, named after Stan’s first granddaughter). I got up and went in early in the morning with him.”

Paul did a lot of the grunt work, cleaning, washing pots and pans. But his dad did not like to decorate cakes, so that duty fell into Paul’s hands. On Saturdays, Paul would go into the Bakery with his dad at 3 a.m. Stan would start mixing bread doughs and then when it was done, let it sit and rise. “I would sleep on the flour sacks for a couple hours and then he’d wake me up when he needed a hand cutting the bread or working the oven,” Paul said. 

Because he was always working, Paul’s first organized sport was Babe Ruth Baseball at age 13. “I couldn’t play Little League. I was working in my dad’s bakery.”

When Paul was at the bakery by himself, there was a big wall out back. He painted a strike zone on the side of the wall. He had a rubber-coated baseball, which he threw off the wall. He had his glove and he pretended he was playing shortstop fielding ground balls.

Paul also recalls in 1967 entering the Punt, Pass and Kick competition, which was sponsored by the National Football League and Ford Motor Company. He was 10. He recalls competing at historic Holman Stadium in Nashua, placing second in his age division with no football experience.

Paul was interested in playing football, but his mom, Celia Trocki, quickly snuffed out those hopes. She had two brothers who were seriously injured playing the sport, so she made it quite clear that Paul was not going to participate in football.

One day, Paul, then 13, decided to go to Babe Ruth tryouts. He showed up and the coaches were like “Who the hell is this kid?” He was picked to a team and ended up being selected to all-stars. “I always wanted to play sports,” he said. “I could never do it because I was working.”

Eventually he found his niche sports, which were track and field in the spring, basketball in the winter, and soccer in the fall. His high school PE teacher Donald “Ducky” Mead recognized Paul’s soccer potential watching him play crab soccer as a freshman. Paul was an excellent three-sport athlete at Alvirne. He was on playoff basketball teams, competed well in baseball and then track and field, and within two years of picking up the sport was an all-state goalie on outstanding Alvirne soccer teams, which also featured future Keene State basketball teammate, Kevin Savage. As a junior, the team won the state championship and then went on to win the New England title.

A minor wrench was thrown into Paul’s high school experience in 1974 when his hometown of Pelham opened its own high school. Having spent three years at Alvirne, he wanted to finish his senior year there. There was some question if that was possible, but eventually it worked out that he could. “I don’t know the politics behind it, but they allowed me to stay at Alvirne,” he said. 

Here’s an amusing tidbit mentioned by Savage. After Alvirne won the New England soccer title, a group of players, minus Savage and Trocki, gathered at the school and with 10 gallons of paint brushed a huge white number one on the side of the brick building to celebrate their championship. When the principal saw it, he called in Savage, one of the captains, who explained he had nothing to do with it. Nonetheless he was told to get players together to scrub off the number with Brillo pads. They spent hours doing so, but could never quite remove it as some of the paint had already absorbed into the brick. The following year, the school burnt down, except for one wall. Yes, you guessed it, the wall with the faded number one stayed up. Over 50 years later, if you look closely at that wall, which was merged into the new building, you can still see the vague white outline of that number. In the trophy case, according to Savage, there is also a burnt soccer ball recovered from the fire with legible signatures of every player who played on that 1973 championship team.

Paul was not involved in the painting incident, but he definitely recalls it. “One of the guys went to his dad at 9:30 at night: ‘Dad, do we have a step ladder?’” Paul said. “He went and got a step ladder. When we came into school (on Monday) there were number ones everywhere. They were on the trash bins, side of the school. They were everywhere. … There were four of them that did it. I was not involved with that. I plead the fifth.”

HEADED FOR KEENE STATE

These members of the ‘76-77 Keene state squad gathered in Florida early in 2024. From left are Warren Marshall, Mark Yeaton, Kevin Savage and Paul Trocki. (Courtesy photo]

Paul’s initial plan when he graduated from high school was to buy a bakery. His dad nixed that, telling h2im he was going to college. He had interest from Keene State College soccer coach Ron Butcher, so he went to Keene to play soccer. The plan was pretty simple. He’d go to school, play soccer in the fall and compete with the track and field team in the spring. Basketball was not on his college radar. That plan changed.

As noted, Keene already had an All-American soccer goalie in sophomore Tad DeLorm, so Paul found himself in a back-up role as a freshman. One of his friends at Keene was Mike Theulen, who he had played basketball against in high school. Mike was also the son of Keene State basketball coach Glenn Theulen. Mike was constantly asking Paul to go out for basketball. He spurned those requests for a while, but then he realized that he was going to be sitting on the bench for three years as DeLorm’s understudy. Finally he went to Butcher and said he was done and that he was going to play basketball. Butcher was a little upset, but Paul thinks he understood the reasoning.

Of course, now that he’d chosen to switch sports, Paul wasn’t sure where he would fit in with the basketball team or if he would at all. “I had no idea,” he said. The thing was, the hoop team was pretty good. The Owls had gone to the NAIA national tournament in 1973 and 1974. The 21975-76 team was possibly the program’s most talented, going 17-12 and losing in the regional semis. There were no guarantees he was going to play.

8

“I was a decent athlete in all sports,” Paul said. “But I loved basketball the most. Mike (Theulen) knew me. He said I’d be fine. His dad must have heard.” Still Paul had his doubts.

“I thought I was in over my head,” he recalled. “This is a decent team. These are good guys. Maybe I shouldn’t be out there. But as I was practicing, I noticed I was bringing something to the team.”

It took a little while, but eventually Paul did find how he fit in. He was a 6-2 guard/forward type who could jump really well, even dunk the ball. He was fast so he could run the floor; he had the ability to make short jumper shots, and he could hit the offensive glass effectively. He was a perfect person to come off the bench to give the Owls some spark. He became the sixth man. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had my role,” he said. “I was part of the team.”

Paul had a connection on the court with star center Joe Yaris. “He’d grab a rebound and I’d break to the other end and he’d throw it to the foul line and I’d lay it in,” Paul recalled. “I got a lot of points that way, a lot of fast break points. I figured I could fit in.”

Yaris remembers that connection well. “I would just grab it and fling it to Trocki because I knew he could pretty much outrun anybody,” the center said.

In that sixth-man role, Paul averaged 8.3 points per game. He had some big games during the regular season in wins over Plymouth State (14 points), New Hampshire College (17) and Salem State (18). In the district championship, he scored 13 points to help beat two-time defending champion Husson, 85-76, notched 14 in the NESCAC championship win over Plymouth, and was the team’s high scorer with 17 points at the NAIA nationals when the Owls lost to Central Washington, 72-56, in Kansas City.

The 1976-77 Keene State College men’s team won the NAIA District 5 championship, the school’s third title in five years. In the front, from left, are team managers Dale Ramsay and Rick Taft; (middle) Mike Bohi, Chet Brach, assistant coach Ted Kehr, head coach Glenn Theulen, Mike Themilis, Virgil Terry; (back) Kevin Savage, Paul Trocki, Mike Theulen, Jeff Monroe, Warren Marshall, Joe Yaris, Bill Lacaillade, Gene Nygaard, captain Mark Yeaton, Matt Theulen and Greg Bonomi. [Courtesy photo]

Mike Theulen was in awe of Paul’s high level of athletic versatility. “Had recruiting been as refined as it is now, he obviously would have been a Division I track scholarship guy.” As a basketball player, Mike recalled that Paul was an outstanding defender who could rebound and jump. “He could dunk. He had an excellent mid-range jump shot. He was a tough kid. We didn’t play much beyond six guys that year. Not much was expected that year. But we banded together so tightly. It was amazing. It was like Hoosiers. He was a big part of that.”

The following year with three key seniors graduated, Keene struggled, going 6-22. Paul led the team in scoring, but he didn’t enjoy himself. “There’s something wrong with the team if I’m the leading scorer,” he said.

Paul made the decision to return to soccer. He went to coach Theulen’s office to tell him of his decision. It did not go well. “He was really upset,” Paul recalled. “He looked at me and said, ‘Paul, if I were you I’d leave here, transfer. You’re not going to be anything.’ He was pissed. Mike and I stopped talking.”

He admitted that the Theulens’ negative energy “lit a fire under me a little bit.” He went on to become an All-American in both soccer and track and field.

It took some time, but Paul eventually mended fences with the Theulens. When Glenn was inducted into the Keene State Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, Trocki went to the ceremony. “We made up. We were fine,” he said.

As for Mike Theulen, they both moved on after Keene and did not stay in touch. The 1977 championship squad had a reunion in 2019 at Mike’s place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The two made up and have stayed in touch since.

BACK TO SOCCER

In the fall of ‘78, Paul was returning to soccer after two seasons away from the sport. DeLorm, the All-American, was gone. “I was decent,” Paul recalled. “I knew I could beat them (other goalies) out and I did. It all worked out for me.”

Paul was more than decent. He led the Owls back to the NAIA national tournament in 1978 with a record of 15-5-3. He was named second team All-American.  Keene went 1-2 at the nationals. They lost their first two games to eventual champions Quincy (Ill.), 3-1, and The King’s (N.Y.), 2-1, before winning their final game over Tennessee Wesleyan, 4-0. Paul ended the season with a record of 14-4-3 with a 0.88 goals against average (GAA) and nine shutouts.

The following year in 1979, Keene went 13-3-2, but did not make the tournament. Paul allowed nine goals with 98 saves for a .916 save percentage. Over 40 years later, he is still the program leader in career save percentage (.901) and GAA (0.74).

A PASSION FOR TRACK AND FIELD

While his soccer and basketball careers at Keene were patchwork, spring track and field proved to be the one constant. He competed all four years from 1976 to 1979.

Paul played baseball during the spring at Alvirne, but w8hen the school added track and field during his senior year, he jumped at the chance to unleash a hidden passion and join the inaugural team. “I took a lot of crap when I did that, but I could run well,” he said. He also had a minor track background as a youngster. “In first or second grade they had an event in Pelham called the Sport-O-Rama for kids,” Paul said. “It was a 50-yard dash, broad jump and something else. I think it was three events. Three years in a row I won three things. So I had these little trophies for three years in a row. I could never run track and field because it was never really around.”

Despite little experience, he did well in the 400-meter run and high jump, advancing to the New Englands in the 400.

Keene had a track team, but it didn’t have a track. The coach was Bob Taft, who was also the school’s financial aid director. “I hooked up with some crazy guys on the track team,” Paul said. “All fast.”

Paul picked up the decathlon, an event he had done once in high school, and really focused on it as a junior. He worked out at nearby Monadnock Regional High School. “They had a track I could run on, so I did that,” he said. “I could run fast and jump high. I couldn’t throw worth crap.” The decathlon is a grueling two-day competition comprising 10 events – 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400, 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1,500.

Paul knew he didn’t have the size to throw the shot put or the discus, but he could make up for those deficiencies in the runs. The pole vault was a challenge. “I practiced it and I couldn’t do it and couldn’t do it. But I did figure it out,” he recalled.

The decathlon is pretty simple in its concept, according to Paul. “The better you do, the more points you get. You try to get all PRs (personal records) in each event.”

One person who supplied Paul with a ton of advice was Keene State chemistry professor Jerry Jasinski, who died in 2021. He had a pretty impressive track-and-field background, including decathlon expertise, so that drew him to help Paul. Jasinski had an in at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., occasionally taking Trocki up there to work out on his long jump and throwing events. “He gave me pointers along the way. He followed me pretty well,” Paul said. “I relied on Jerry to help out with stuff. He was a good old guy who if I had any questions he would help me. My weak events were the weight events – the discus and the shot. He helped me there.” Today Jasinski would likely be called a part-time volunteer assistant coach or consultant.

As a junior, Paul qualified in the decathlon for the NCAA Division III nationals at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Entering the final event (1,500), Trocki was near the bottom, 11th out of 16 competitors. There were two heats, and he was in the slower heat of eight runners because he was in 11th. “I could see who was ahead of me,” he said. “I’ve got to beat all those guys by a lot.”

Paul mentioned PRs, well he went out and ran one. He won the heat in 4 minutes, 11.4 seconds. “I almost lapped the last guy. I beat everybody there,” he said. After the second heat was run, Paul had tied for fifth, earning All-American honors as the top six received that accolade. “It kind of made me good for the following year,” he said.

In ‘79, Paul qualified again for the championships, this time as one of the favorites to win the decathlon. The national meet was held at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Slippery Rock College from Pennsylvania won the team title, but they were also known for doing well in the decathlon. Paul recalls they had three competitors in that event. “They would keep coming over and talking to me to get in my head,” he said. “That went back and forth, but I was having a decent meet.”

After the first day, he was in second place thanks to strong finishes in the 400 (second) and the 100 (third). 

On the final day, he stayed near the top. Paul got a PR in the pole vault, going a foot better than his previous best. The javelin was the second-to-last event. “I remember my best throw was around 180 feet,” Trocki said. “I threw it 205 feet, a really good throw.” He credits Jasinski with helping him to find a way to uncork that record throw.

That put him comfortably in first place with one event to go – the 1,500. “I was sitting there after the jav and going ‘shit, I’ve got this.’ Unless I fell during the 1,500, I wasn’t going to lose.”

 “It’s funny how it happens,” Paul said. “The mind was there. They’re called PRs. I had PRs that day in the pole vault and the javelin. I had two PRs in the last three events. You score a lot of points if you do that. Some events you could score more. The vault was one if you could vault higher, there were more points available to get. In the 1,500, I knew I could hold my own there. I just needed to run well.” 

Paul left nothing to chance in the fast heat of the 1,500. He won the race in 4:16 to cap off his championship performance with 7,163 points, finishing ahead of two Slippery Rock guys in second and third. He was selected as an All-American for the second consecutive year. 

Because Paul was essentially working out on his own as a senior,  the school required that he have someone to oversee those workouts and travel with Paul. That coach was Dave Terry (1969-71), one of Keene’s first basketball stars under coach Theulen. “He didn’t know anything about track, but we got along,” Paul said. “He was a supporter and all that.” While Terry could offer little in the way of decathlon instruction, as Jasinski could, he did help with the mental aspect because as a former basketball player he understood how that facet of sports worked. Mostly, however, he stayed out of the way and let Paul do his thing on his own.

After winning, Paul went back to his room where Terry had left him a celebratory case of Stroh’s Beer on ice in the bathtub. “I was the only one who made nationals that year, so just Terry and I had gone out,” Paul recalled. “So I had two beers and I fell asleep.”

Coach Theulen’s harsh words had fueled Paul’s drive to do well after he left the basketball team. “I had to prove something,” he said. “I was pissed. ‘But I’ll prove you wrong. I’m going to show you.’” The decathlon championship was a by-product of that.

Paul played his final soccer season in the fall of 1979, graduating after four-and-a-half years. He briefly moved out to California in 1980 to train for the Olympics in the decathlon. Inspired by 1976 Olympic decathlon gold medalist Bruce Jenner, Paul had his book and trained at San Jose City College just as Jenner had. “I made some friends and we worked together and worked on everybody’s technique,” Paul recalled. He never made it to the Olympics, but he had fun trying. He ended up recording the 50th highest score in the country.

“Then life got in the way,” he said. “I was working more and training less.” Paul returned to the bakery business, as he said he would, working for years in bakery sales. He remembers going to lunch with guys from a company called Ace Baking that his company represented. “Kevin Saunders was there. He had played for Husson in 1977,” Trocki said. “It was blood and guts that game. We got creamed up there (in Bangor). But when we played for all the marbles, we beat them.” Toasted them even.

FOLLOW SHOTS – Paul Trocki is the only NAIA athlete in New England that I have found in my research to have gone to a national tournament in three different sports. Here’s a list of those to go in two: Ron Diorio, New Haven (basketball 3, baseball 1); Steve deBree, Southern Maine (basketball 2, soccer 2); Maureen Burchill Cooper, Southern Maine (basketball 1, softball 1) and Gary Liberatore, New Haven (basketball 1, baseball 1).

Where to buy “Floor Burns”: 

(New Hampshire) Water Street Bookstore, Exeter; Collins Sports Center, Rochester; Balin Books, Nashua; Toadstool Bookstores, Peterborough and Keene; White Mountain Cafe, Gorham; Little Village Toys and Books, Littleton; White Birch Books, North Conway; 

(Vermont) Green Mountain Books, Lyndonville; Bear Pond Books, Stowe.

The book’s cover features former Franklin Pierce star Larry Leach who played for the Ravens from 1978 to 1982. He still holds the men’s career scoring record with 2,226 points. [John Dauphinais design]

Upcoming book events: 

Saturday, April 12, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Toadstool Bookstore, Peterborough, N.H.

Saturday, April 12, 4 to 5 p.m.. Toadstool Bookstore, Keene, N.H.

Friday, May 2, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Bear Pond Books, Stowe, Vermont

Saturday, May 3, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Vermont State University—Lyndon

The wait is over: Groveton fends off rival Littleton for 17th state title

By Mike Whaley

(This is the first story in a series on the eight 2025 NHIAA state championship basketball teams.)

The Groveton High School girls began the 2024-25 season trying to reverse a recent trend. The most dominant girls program in the history of New Hampshire high school basketball with 16 state championships, the Eagles were in the midst of an unusually long dry spell. They had gone 11 years (2013) without claiming a crown – easily their longest hiatus since winning their first title back in 1988. Although Groveton was a contender in the previous two tournaments, it stumbled at or near the wire – a 47-33 loss in the 2023 championship to Colebrook and a discouraging 29-26 setback in the 2024 semis to Newmarket.

The Eagles were returning to their former level of play but the question was – could they reach the D-IV summit? The answer, when the D-IV dust settled, was an emphatic “yes,” courtesy of a thrilling 36-33 championship win over North Country rival Littleton. But it certainly wasn’t easy.

Veteran coach Tim Haskins recalled that the loss to Newmarket in the 2024 semis did not sit well after the 2023 championship loss to Colebrook. “We were right on track to get back again last year,” he said. “Newmarket played a great game in the semis and we didn’t. I think that loss, to be honest, was kind of hanging over us or in the back of our minds. We were pretty motivated to get back to at least that point – back to the semis. And then get a chance to win that game and then get a chance to get ourselves back to the final.”

Aspen Clermont [📸 KJ Cardinal]

The Newmarket game certainly motivated the girls. “It really upset me,” said senior point guard Aspen Clermont. “There were a lot of things that went wrong. We didn’t play to our full potential.”

Junior forward Delaney Whiting hit the 1,000-point mark this season, led the team in scoring and was named Division IV All-State First Team. “The biggest thing last year is we weren’t a team when we went out on the floor,” said the Eagles’ go-to player.

Mylee Kenison was a freshman forward last year. She admits she put too much pressure on herself. “It was a lot. I had a part on the team,” she said. “I had to try my best to get to the championship.”

Assistant coach Kelley Brown, a four-time champion during her Groveton playing days, said everyone played as individuals. There was no teamwork. When the team saw the game video, they all agreed: “We didn’t play as a team. We were playing one-on-one with the Newmarket girls. I kept reminding them this year that we need to play as a team.”

The Newmarket game served as a strong incentive for this past season. The Eagles were certainly a pretty good team. Were they good enough to make a run to the championship was the looming question. 

Delaney Whiting [📸 KJ Cardinal]

What helped early on was beating Littleton in their own holiday tournament, as they had done in 2023. Groveton stopped the Crusaders, 37-28, a game that flew under the radar with little press coverage. But it served to boost the team’s confidence for the rest of the season. “It helped us,” Whiting said. “It made us aware that we can beat them. It didn’t count as much in everyone else’s eyes. But it showed us we have what it takes to beat an undefeated team.”

The first part of the season before Christmas was the weakest part of Groveton’s schedule. After the holiday break, the schedule definitely toughened up. “It was literally five straight weeks where every team we played had a winning record,” said coach Haskins. “There just weren’t any breather games at all on the schedule. We’d win one and say, ‘Well that’s good.’ There was no time to celebrate. We had to turn around and get ready for the next one.”

Part of that brutal stretch included two games with Littleton, which the Eagles lost – 52-36 and 40-37. It stung, but it wasn’t the end of the world. In both games, Littleton used a big fourth-quarter surge to pick up the win. “In both of those games we were upset emotionally and frustrated,” said Clermont, a second-team all-state selection. Upset for sure, but not defeated. Underneath that frustration, they still had confidence. They knew what was possible.

Along with the two Littleton losses, the Eagles had some hard-fought wins during that stretch over White Mountains, 50-44; Pittsburg-Canaan, 48-38 and 54-41; Farmington, 50-48; Colebrook, 62-49, and Woodsville, 40-34.

Head Coach Tim Haskins [📸 KJ Cardinal]

Haskins said the goal at the end of the regular season was to be a top-three team, which would allow them to host the first two playoff rounds, and to stay out of Littleton’s side of the bracket. It took some work, but they were able to accomplish both goals.

Once you earn one of the top four seeds, the accomplishment is immediately relevant. Unless you get a first-round bye, there is the potential to host two playoff games. The Eagles took advantage of their friendly home court to roll through the first two rounds over Lin-Wood, 72-32, and Portsmouth Christian, 69-40.

“We knew pretty much what we were going to get with those games,” said coach Haskins. “Those rounds make me the most nervous. You’re the favorite and by a lot. What if we mess up? The farther we go, the less nervous I get personally.” If Haskins had any nerves in those first two rounds, they quickly dissipated.

That set up a semifinal game against No. 2 Holy Family, whose only loss had been to Littleton (47-40). Haskins had been able to scout the Griffins at Franklin. “We felt it was going to be a challenge because they had girls who were a bit bigger compared to what we had,” the coach said. “We were ready. We got back to the same point where we got knocked out last year. The girls were pretty determined that it wasn’t going to happen again.”

Clermont recalls Holy Family walking into the Bedford HS gym for the semis. “I said ‘Oh my god.’ They were pretty tall. It was a little intimidating.” Indeed, the Griffins were an imposing unit with five girls 5-foot-8 or taller led by six-foot freshman Lizkenza Yonkeu. Whiting was one of only two Eagles 5-8 or taller.

Kaycee Chappell [📸 KJ Cardinal]

The difference was that Groveton’s secondary players really stepped up. While the Griffins were able to limit Whiting’s scoring chances, holding her to five points, Mylee Kenison and Julia Chappell picked up the slack, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively, in a convincing 51-29 win. Clermont also tossed in 12. The Eagles held a slight 19-16 lead at the half, but used a 16-5 burst in the third quarter to take control of the game.

“We felt whenever we can we like to play a pretty fast-paced, up and down the floor game,” Haskins said. “We felt it might give some of their big girls a little bit of a problem.” Groveton also held its own on the boards, despite being undersized. Another big factor was that the Eagle defense was able to hold HF sophomore all-state scoring ace Ryenn Pedone to 10 points, well below her 22.0 average.

“We showed that we weren’t just a team of one or two players,” the coach said. “We had different girls who could step up if the occasion dictated.”

Myle Kenison understood the situation and that she needed to be ready to contribute. “I knew I had to step up and when I was open I had to shoot. When I had my drive, I had to make a drive,” she said.

Groveton had advanced past the semis to the championship for the second time in three years. Their opponent was not a surprise – the unbeaten No. 1 seed and defending champions from Littleton. “It was two coaches and two teams that knew each other pretty well,” said Haskins of himself and the Eagles and Littleton and their coach, Dale Prior.

Littleton had won three games to get to the finals, but their path had been a little more difficult. No. 8 Farmington had pushed them in a 52-41 quarterfinal win and then they held off pesky Newmarket in the semis, 37-31.

Mylee Kenison [📸 KJ Cardinal]

The championship was just as everyone figured it would be at Colby-Sawyer College – tightly contested and down to the wire. It was tied after the first quarter, 7-7. The Eagles led at the half, 20-16, and then jetted ahead 33-24 after three quarters. As in its two previous losses to the Crusaders, Groveton found itself succumbing to a fourth-quarter outburst that reduced a nine-point lead to one with 32 seconds to play, 34-33, after a 3-pointer by Juju Bromley. Were the Eagles headed to loss number three?

Littleton fouled Mylee Kenison with 15 seconds to play. The sophomore forward had already stepped into the spotlight as an unlikely star in the semis with a game-high 13 points. Now she had two foul shots to give the Eagles a chance to maybe put the game away. “I knew we were up by one,” the sophomore said. “I knew they were going to foul us. They wanted the ball back. When I got to the line, my heart was beating really fast. I knew I had to at least make one of them. I usually just take a deep breath and shoot. I just took a breath. I knew if I made one we would be in a pretty good spot. I made both.”

Now leading 36-33, the Eagles did not let Littleton put in the tying basket and won their first state championship in 12 years. That ended the longest championship drought since the Eagles won their first state crown back in 1988, increasing their girls’ state record total for state championships to 17. It was the sixth title under Haskins who has coached the team for 19 years, and has been a part of the program for 39 seasons (and all the state championships). He got his start in 1986 as an assistant and JV coach under coaching legend Gary Jenness, who has more wins than any other high school girls basketball coach in the state with 641. From 1988 to 2013, Groveton had one of the most dominating runs in state history with 16 titles in 26 years. Only the Nashua girls are in the same stratosphere, capturing 15 crowns during an impressive span from 1982 to 2004.

Once a perennial contender in D-IV, Haskins noted it has gotten harder for Groveton to stay consistently competitive with the town’s declining population, an affliction that runs across the North Country. That makes this year’s championship run all that sweeter. 

Makalyn Kenison [📸 KJ Cardinal]

Mylee Kenison once again led Groveton in scoring with 10 points. Julia Chappell had another big game with eight points, and Mylee’s younger sister Makalyn also had eight. Littleton’s defense held Whiting to five points and Clermont did not score. For the Crusaders, Addison Pilgrim had 10 points, while Addison Hadlock chipped in with eight and Bromley tossed in seven. Two other players who supplied invaluable playoff contributions for the Eagles were seniors Kandrah Savage and Kaycee Chappel. Freshman Makalyn Kenison was a consistent force all year long as the team’s No. 2 scorer behind Whiting and its top offensive rebounder. She received all-state honorable mention.

To further drive home the point that Groveton’s secondary players expanded their roles during the playoffs, one need only look at the increased scoring numbers of Mylee Kension (6.9 to 10.5 ppg) and Julia Chappell (3.8 to 10.3 ppg). When it mattered most, they delivered.

Whiting did a commendable job adjusting her game, especially later in the playoffs when opposing teams really focused on shutting her down. “Rather than get super frustrated because she wasn’t scoring, she’d grab rebounds, play defense, get assists, and just was a good teammate out there,” said Haskins. “She did her role well in that respect.”

Haskins noted that when Groveton lost in the finals in 2023 and the semis in 2024, the team went six players deep in both games. During this year’s championship run, they embraced a seven-player rotation. “We were a little bit deeper and more versatile,” Haskins said. It was just enough to get the Eagles over the hump and onto the championship podium.

In addition to holding down Littleton’s long-range shooting game, the Eagles did not let them run. Clermont said they made sure to keep an eye on Bromley who is very good at getting breakaway baskets. “Whoever was closest to her when a shot went up, just went with her,” Clermont said. “It kind of worked. I feel like our defense didn’t give them a chance to break out.”

Ditto, of course, for the Groveton offense, which also likes to run. Littleton limited those opportunities.

Perhaps the biggest difference was the insistence by Clermont that Groveton use its 3-2 zone versus a 2-3 matchup that Haskins felt would stymie Littleton. For most of the season, the Eagles had used the 3-2. “I raised my hand and asked ‘Haskins, what do you think about trying the 3-2 and if it doesn’t work switching to the 2-3 matchup?’ He said ‘Let’s give it a shot.’ For the whole game, we played a 3-2 defense. It worked. We had really good communication during that game. Realistically, the entire year we did play a 3-2 against most teams.”

Clermost’s value to the team went way beyond what she brought to the court. She was Haskins’ team liaison, keeping him in the loop when problems were on the horizon. She was equipped to deal with any drama that might surface. “Being a captain on a girls varsity basketball team is a very difficult thing to do,” she said. “In high school there is X amount of drama. There is so much that comes up. Sometimes you’re not prepared for it. Last year prepared me because I knew what was going to happen this year. Who causes the drama and who does this and that.”

She added that she and Whiting, as captains, were in constant communication. “We talked about how to fix things,” Clermont said. “Before the playoffs started, we were in a very good place. We had very little drama. A lot of the girls were there to support one another.”

Clermont said that her role was there to set up the offense and “get people where they need to be and position people; keep it positive and all the attitudes in line. Sometimes Mylee would get down on herself. I would have to go over to her: ‘Dude, you’re fine. Let’s go.’ We’re not going to win with this attitude. There were times when I would say ‘Relax, we’re winning the game. There is no need to freak out.’”

Clermont’s presence will be the biggest void to fill next year, both her ability on the court and her strong leadership skills. Savage and Kaycee Chappell are also moving on. Haskins pulled the three seniors to the side fairly early in the season to make a point. “‘These three graduate next year,’” he told the rest of the team. “‘I don’t know who it’s going to be, but one of you is going to be the fifth starter (next year).’ The eight to 12 players this year will prep for maybe that role next year.” That, of course, is a story in the making. For now, the Eagles will savor a championship that, in a town used to winning championships, was well worth waiting for.

Whaley can be reached at whaleym25@gmail.com

NHADA honors 2024-25 Scholar-Athletes

By: KJ Cardinal

CONCORD, NH – The top NHIAA senior student-athletes in New Hampshire ascended on the state capital on Monday and Tuesday mornings as the New Hampshire Athletic Directors’ Association celebrated the 2024-25 Scholar-Athlete Award recipients at the Capitol Center for the Arts in downtown Concord.

More than 1,500 student-athletes were honored over the two days that were officially named Scholar-Athlete Awards Days in New Hampshire by Governor Kelly Ayotte, who addressed the crowd prior to the D-I awards being handed out.

NHADA Scholar-Athletes must be seniors who play at least two varsity sports and have a B+ grade-point average.

In addition to recognizing the Scholar-Athletes, The NHADA/NHIAA Scholarship recipients were announced for all divisions and state-wide winners…

DIVISION SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
D1 Boys – Nathan Bigelow, Dover
D1 Girls – Jenna Dinndorf, Bedford
D2 Boys – Cameron Carter, Pembroke
D2 Girls – Piper Lopashanski, Kennett
D3 Boys – Michael Pantano, Hopkinton
D3 Girls – Lola Hayes, Conant
D4 Boys – Daniel Tolman, Moultonborough
D4 Girls – Samantha Nagle, Moultonborough

STATE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Boys – Cameron Carter, Pembroke
Girls – Samantha Nagle, Moultonborough

Check out photo galleries from all four division ceremonies…
Division I Photo Gallery
Division II Photo Gallery
Division III Photo Gallery
Division IV Photo Gallery

Here’s a list of the full list of all Scholar-Athlete recipients…

Alvirne
Jonathan Abdulla
Korra Ascolillo
Mike Bebris
Sophia Berube
Evan Bettencourt
Shawn Boudreau
Alekhya Buddhiraju
Audriena Chipperini
Emma Coppi
Caiden Cox
Charlie Crawford
Chris Darbe
Brent Dunning
Reese Durkee
Ella Hartson
Garrett Howard
Grace Lavoie
Callie Lemire
Ava Martin
Lindsey Moreau
Jocelyn Nye
Riley Peterson
Braden Plante
Jacob Plante
Lilly Ribeck
Mustafa Salman
Devin Scott
Anna Simpson
Edison Tan
Mia Tardif
Addison Tobin
Ryder Wanamaker
Avery Willard
Ava Zaulyczny

Bedford
Katherine Allard
Reilly Andrews
Ethan Benjamin
Aubrey Beyer
David Casado
Jenna Dinndorf
Mackenzie Forrester
Javon Georges
Parker Gupta
Jack Hinton
Jack Janelle
Colin Johnson
Ruby Kaupp
Madeline Kiely
Leah LeBlanc
Anselm Lin
Jack Maye
Maxwell Murthi
Elie Nasr
Jack Noonan
Parker O’Toole
Eleanor Oliviero
Zachary Petrie
Brooke Poirier
Dean Poltronieri
Ethan Pulsifer
Luke Purnell
Isabel Rodgers
Lucas Sampo
Anika Scott
Elizabeth Slozak
Peter Suozzo
Ashley Van Valkenburg
Keagan Ware
Dustin Westcott
Reese Wisherd
Brody Woloski

Concord
Katherine Blinn
Tess Bolduc
Damon Corbett
Charlotte Dill
Jonah Gaby
Ella Goulas
Nadia Hanna
Shadrach Harerimana
Frances Lesser
Evander MacIver
Willa Marino
Lilly Merrill
Madison Mikkelsen
Andie Moreira
Madeline Muller
Deborah Nishimwe
Colby Nyhan
Oliver Quinn
Makayla Root
Cameron Roy
Carl Sirrianna
Shelly Smith
Elisabeth Worster
Addison Cain
Phoebe Dater‐Roberts
Kaylee DellaIacono
Evianna Raimo

Dover
Soren Anderson
Will Angers
Rachel Bachrach
Kraven Baker
Kyle Behan
Carter Bell
Margaret Berry
Nathan Bigelow
Anna Blanchette
Jordyn Bolobanic
Anthony Bondi
Leyden Churchill
Aubrianna Connelly
Carson Conrad
Elizabeth Cook
Grant Davis
Adam DelloRusso
Samuel Drake
Lincoln Fendiana
Emeline Friend‐Gray
Maxine Goard
Lily Hunt
Brooke Kelly
Zoe Kirk
May Lawton
Erin Lynch
Nathaniel MacGregor
Zachary Maidrand
Graciela Mercier
Anique Poulin
Kaela Robins
Isabel Schlosser
Benjamin Tower
Abigail Tracey

Exeter
Mia Albertelli
Avery Allard
Elsa Bishop
Elizabeth Carlson
Elizabeth Dean
Kiara Fahey
Nola Fletcher
Nev Haugh
Jaclyn Khoury
Maeve Larkin
Olivia Levitsky
Anna Lieberman
Isabelle McCormick
Hailey O’Kane
Amber Orleans
Danniah Ostroff
Bridget Peterson
Riley Postage
Delaney Roache
Melina Roth
Karli Scherpf
Elizabeth Tuttle
Daniel Batstone
Tyler Bland
Cohl Capparelli
Michael Caron
Jackson Greene
Callum Howarth
Connor Jaworski
Thoren Kersten‐Guiler
Marshall Lasewicz
Griffin Lechner
William Manix
Spencer Mann
William McIlroy
Fletcher Neveu
Ryan O’Keefe
Brodie Proulx
Parker Tuttle
West Vaillant
Leonardo White

Goffstown
Lucas Baguidy
Nathanael Baguidy
Jacob Bates
Avery Brisiel
Austin Campbell
Amelia Cole
Laura Cuddy
Luca De Marco
William Donovan
Peyton Duff
Noah Durham
Ryan Dutton
Mariella Fales
Arianna Girzone
Charles Goodwin
Jayden Hastings
Donovan Jordan
Aiden Lunt
Daniel Picone
Nathan Reed
Sophie Roussel
Tyler Sanders
Kara Tschida
Meredith Winterburn

Keene
Greyson Ansevin‐Allen
Sean Callahan
Peyton Gowell
Colin Hennigan
Trenton Hill
Aiden Ioannou
Eli Kopcha
Sawyer Lepple
Josue Palacios Chajon
Hyrum Pinegar
Evan Ray
Noah Von Dette
Molly Alexander
Neela Carey
Tatum DiLegge
Jocelyn Downing
Jasmine Fischer
Gillian Frink
Sadie Guardiano
Alexis Hills
Claire Holmes
Oriah Holmes
Rachel Kamphius
Kiera Keating
Sydney Key
Logan Lord
Jocelyn Lucius
Nathan Malay
Lillian Rowell
Pooja Soni
Maya Stebbins
Sarah Weber
Sophia Weishaupt

Londonderry
Reagan Anderson
Abby Austen
Cam Ayotte
Marquis Chambers
Kyra Courtemanche
Maya Daaboul
Riley Doyle
Evan Fortin
Luc Gaudet
Zach Green
Linsey Gregoire
Jon Vincent‐Inglese
Nathan Marshall
Ava Naar
Emma Nadeau
Carson Palma
Ryan Palmer
Mason Paquette
Isabelle Robinson
Jayden Skitch
Jack Smith
Keira Strike
Blake Thompson
Mason Turek
Ali Von Pichl
Nkechi Wambu
Sayde White
Kyle Woodward

Manchester Central
Eeman Barton
Wyatt Fougere
Noah Turner
Sean Venator
Trevor Walsh

Manchester Memorial
David Leonard
Grey McDonald
Aidan Simister
Zachary Telge
Hollis Velie
Ryan White
Mackenzie Allard
Collin Beaulieu
Mallory Bell
Isabella Bradley
Elizabeth Champagne
Kelly LeGallo
Madison McCaffrey
Emina Ramic
Dominick Rowell
William Sylvester

Merrimack
Wayne Alexander
Lilly Anderson
Avary Berardinelli
Alexander Cayot
Emily Doyle
Lina Eldeib
Luca Kabel
Beau Lamontagne
Maeve LaRock
Mia LeBlanc
Ava Martin
Sahil Mujawar
Joshua Ozog
Tristan Plumb
Colby Smith
Izaiah Traverso
Zachary Troiani
Jackson Woods

Nashua North
Kassandra Allen
Brielle Baxter
Ian Blake
Logan Briggs
Tiana Brown
Tyler Byrne
Zariel Cintron‐Arizmendi
Andrew Cullinane
Alyssa Deck
Nathan Delehanty
Johanna Desfosses
Jack Desjardins
Grace Desrosiers
Molly Ducharme
Emily Fitzgerald
Ryan Garon
Rachel Gauthier
Charlotte Henderson
Claire Hilderbrand
Taylor Joyal
Brayden Labrecque
Lewis Mazerolle
Aaron McNair
Nicholas Mercier
Mary Pappas
Charles Patterson
Luke Peters
Domingo Reynoso
Nora Ross
Yehoshua Salazar
Mason Sartor
Julia Saucier
Darius Smith
Michael Soto
Navein Sribalaharan
Chukwuebuka Stanley
Austin Suchecki
Jhanelle Thomas
Aidan Valcourt
Laura White

Nashua South
Bennett Azevedo
Medha Bashyam
Amanda Bell
Camdon Brien
Andrew Byrne
Daniel Byrne
Diego Cabrera
Alejandra Chavarin
Nicholas Chipchak
Chloe Cruz
Jackson Daw
Leo DePaolo
Saige Devins
Ryan DuVarney
Nevaeh Eppolito
Mihir Garimella
Nora Gautieri
Benjamin Girouard
Renee Glidden
Christopher Hogan
Collin Kochanek
Broden Landsteiner
Molly Lecklider
Maren Lowell
Joshua Mathson
Grant McCubrey
Tanvi Nawale
Karina O’Donnell
Revin Olsen
Ishaan Parmar
Cameron Patronick
Zoe Perkins
Katelyn Perry
Emily Richard
Nicholas Samos
Gus Smiley
Noah Soule
Timothy Staveley
Chase Stuart
Kosay Tanaka
Brynn Tefft

Pinkerton Academy
MacKenzie Bergstrom
Anthony Caruso
Ronan Connors
Noah Daigle
Abigeal Dennehy
Mia Eckerman
Isabella Fall
Paul Farley
Rocco Fiacchino
Brielle Foote
Cameron Ford
Charlie Franks
Michael Griffin
John Hanlon
Jamison Isaac
Brodan Kimbark
Rylie Lamb
Althea LeBlanc
Leigha Lemay
Caitlyn Lemay
Preston Libby
Benjamin Limperis
Hannah Lisauskas
Ava Mohammed
Matthew Morrison
Mohamed Mousa
Marcus Navarro
Braydon Parker
Kiareese Perez
Andrew Perfetto
Anna Perkins
Benjamin Quintiliani
Juliana Terrenzio
Parker Townsend
Jameson Trask
Tessa Zoeller

Portsmouth
Patrick Bancroft
Wilder Carrigan
Briggs Catino
Logan Chasse
Tyler Christo
Oliver Fitzpatrick
Nicholas Gladu
Ben Gotlieb
Jack Hoium
Tate Johnson
Joshua Kelly
Seth Kozak
Ethan Lander
Nolan Peters
Nicolas Ranalli
Ian Rooney
John Tobin
Jocelyn Bancroft
Sophie Berling
Sophie Cosgrove
Clara Daw
Elena Hartley
Maeve Honda
Sierra Mikolaities
Sydney Pettis
Morgan Ruhnke
Abigail Stacy
Sophie Williams

Salem
Madeline Beeley
Liliana Burke
Kenneth Chouinard
Ivan Colon
Dylan Coyle
Marina D’Amico
Sara Espaillat
Connor Doughty
Isabella Evangelidis
Laila Galvez
Jackson Gannon
Kayla Garcia
Lillian George
Lindsay Goetz
Jocelyn Harvey
Grace Hoover
Daniel Hughes
Brock James
Kelsie Jones
Benjamin Lagrasse
Cassara Lamasters
Alexander Lenfest
Ava Marchesi
Sidney Mikhael
Mia Molino
Nicholas Daigle
Gabriella Mosto
Amelia Murray
Kyleigh Oliveri
Julia Petersen
Jack Quinby
Kaelyn Roberts
Jacob Slade
Logan Smith
Brody Snyder
Evan Spence
Avelinn Ward
Madison Wilson
Zeynep Yildirim
Emily Young

Spaulding
Aiden Auger
Logan Barker
Cameron Bastien
Abigail Brennan
Bryce Bushway
Trevor Cormier
Jose Cuevas‐Ovalles
Cole Deangelis‐Poland
Clara‐Jean Dexter
Ryan Dube
Madelyn Gagnon
Matthew Gould
Dylan Gravallese
Meadow Grondin
Madison Hartman
Noah Jackson
Collin Jacques
Michael Jeffrey
John Jensen
Wade Jones
Samantha Krafton
Abigail MacMillan
Averie Marcotte
Stella Mitropoulos
Emmaline Morin
Owen Nesbitt
Isabelle Orrell
Hunter Peplinski
Devin Peterson‐Matos
Jayden Peverada
Samantha Skaggs
Caden Smith
Kaitlin Tallman
Xzavier Tucker
Natalie Young

Timberlane
Cameron Bonfiglio
Logan Brandano
Tatenda Chanakira
Addison Conlan
Antonia Diamantakis
Sophie Doherty
Luke Dorow
Zachary Farnell
Joseph Fox iv
Devin Hysette
Liam Kelley
Rianna Kelley
Ella Lampron
Talia Lopez
Jeremy Mlocek
Emma Norcott
Nate Olsen
Andrew Pantano
Anderson Petry
Aidan Quimby
Trevor Rego
Andrew Russell Jr.
Sebastian Schatz
Elizabeth Shanley
Paige Simmonds
Nicholas Sinotte
Matthew Smith
Ava Stewart
Troy Stoddard
Elizabeth Trasatti
Ella Watts

Windham
John Atilano
Samuel Becht
Connor Belair
Lilah Boucher
Rosalinda Christopher
Addison Filadoro
Ryan Gilsenan
Andrew Grzyb
Sarah Guarnaccia
Reid Krizan
Reid Lambert
Sedona Lee
Darby Madden
Brooke Martin
Anna Mitrou
Justin Pare
Milad Vessali
Kelly Wright

Winnacunnet
Teagan Rooney
Greyson Belliveau
Christopher Berry
Zane Robin
Lyla Pearlo
Brayden Emery
Ryan Zumbach
Anna Burrus
Jenna Kelly
Carson Mariotti
Andrew Martin‐Biggs
Mackenzie Champney
Maitri Clifford
Elias Spalding
Emmy Granger
Julia Merrick
Mattais Germain
Rowen Berndt
Carter King
Alexander Batchelder
Emerson Babyak
Cameron Crooks
Ella Waddell
Skyla Mace
Will Granger

DIVISION II

Bishop Guertin
Matthew Roma
Lara Finnegan
Natalie Haight
Anna Fondakowski
William Howell
Emmersn Danish
Olivia Nestor
Meghan Hartshorn
Lorna Wood
Charles Dabrowski
Shea Carpenter
Sarah Brunelle
Asher Griffin
Austin Harvey
Carson Fischer
Ciara Fallon
Gabriel Kourkoulakos
Ryan Uong
Madalynn Eder‐Linnell
Jack Razzaboni
Christian Neal
Devyn Reny
Sean Schultz
Matthew Giardina
Ethan Drouin
Elena Ellia
Kolby Piper
Austin LaFontaine
Paige Metivier
Michael Ponto
Kobe Spinney

Bow
Adam Auclair
Leland Bourque
Angelo Constant
Trevor Carter
Sophia Coombs
Kayla Croscut
Harrison Denise
Madison Desrosiers
Lexi Farr
Anna Fellers
Emily Fauteux
Adam Folsom
Abby Foote
Sarah Franklin
Jonathan Gancarz
Ella Gray
Lillian Gula
Jackson Hall
Luke Hartshorn
Keenan Hubbard
Zachary Ingram
Isabella Jones
Patrik Jurcins
Nate Kiah
Jack Kohl
Makaylie Laws
Vivian Madden
Kody McCranie
Kathryn McGovern
Kylie McKee
William Miller
Jack Noce
Lauren Oppold
Hannah Pawlowski
Caly Poitras
Thomas Sargent
Evelyn Smith
Jameson Smith
Mackenzie Szczepanik
Bryana Szepan
Gabriella Tarsa
Adam Valpey
Colette Vickery
Owen Webber
Madelyn Winch

Coe‐Brown
Nicholas Caproni
Casey Colby
Haile Comeau
Gavin Dyjak
Margaret Escabi
Matthew Flanagan
Quinn Froburg
Caleb Jobin
Luc Kerouac
Ryan Kouchoukos
Bruce LaPierre
Cameron Lee
Delaney Manning
Aiden McGuigan
James McKane
Paige Murdough
Jennifer Noni
Samantha Perron
Dylan Plowman
Shannon Elizabeth
Travis Schultz
Isabella Tenney
Stella Vachon
Liam White

ConVal
Owen Beaulieu
Maya Bennett
Ashley Biathrow
Eliza Bull
Roman Cadwallader
Ryan Close
Kalena Cooper
Hannah Daniels
Josh Decker
Dylan Farrell
Elliot Featherstone
Maeve Finn
Brynn Frosch
Honor Hagelberg
Evelyn Harriot
Isabelle Jobin
Brooke Johnson
Zoey Lazzaro
Avery Moore
Grace O’Brien
Mary Quintanilha
Kai Reitnauer
Garrett Rousseasu
William Simard

Hanover
Sam Ames
Jackie Anderson
Nora Bradley
Aiden Caulfield
Schuyler Clapp
Penelope Collins
Sophia Costa
Ali Daigle
Heidi Davis
Eleanor Edson
Ryan Faris
Charlie Forbush
Dave Frechette
Iris Freeman
Dahlia Fuld
Tyler Gammell
Hannah Gardner
Iain Greger
Ian Holmes
Amelia Holthoff
William Hopkins
Julia Lawe
Campbell Madden
Andrew McGuire
Gavin Munson
Isaac Novosad
Alex Orsino
Sadie Ross
Lily Smith
Beckett Sobel
Ella Tullar
Andrew Valentino
Natalie Wainwright
Campbell White
Ryder Wilson

Hollis Brookline
Colin Allen
Maia Arthur
Miranda Bergeron
Annika Bergin
Sofia Bergskaug
Kate Berrigan
Sophia Brickner
Finn Brown
Samuel Bruneau
Caden Bruseo
Anika Carlson
Addison Dougherty
Bailey Dunn
Ronan Finnegan
Daniel Frixione
Paul Gehan
Audrie Green
Charlie Harmon Stone
Sabrina Hill
Benjamin Hoesch
Ava Imbrogno
Nyah Jernberg
Zoe Kreick
Cameron Kump
Summer Leavitt
Rachel Levesque
Colin Magnuszewski
Addison Marchant
Mason Marshall
John Masiello
Brady McCammack
Margaret Noble
Charlotte Petrella
Ava Porto
Y’arie‐Aime Ramas
Brynn Spencer
Mackenzie Talbot
Noah Taylor
Emily Tebbetts
JohnPaul Torgersen
Casey Young

John Stark
Natalie Lawson
Jillian Fredette
Haley Stafford
Rio Calle
Ryann Telgen
Joel Douzanis
Ava Rivers
Emily Fredette
Joey Dykstra
Cedar Beaupre
Ayris Beliveau
Chase Philibotte
Alexis Boudreau
Kira Linstad
Amanda Leonard
Kaycie Rhodes
Cam Carpenter
Brennan Champagne
Evelynn Tagliaferro
Sam Kinsey‐Turner
Ethan Veilleux
Ryan Kerr
Jacob Winn
Darien Foote
Hayden Pond
Alex Descoteau
Noah Redman
Jackson Lochmandy
Chris Gagnon
Isabella Mann

Kennett
Owen Arias
Daven Bailey
Hailey Boynton
Haylee Burke
Jack Calderwood
Beckett Clark
Isabelle Frechette
Cameron Fusco
Emma Geoffrey
Spencer Glackin
Zoe Groves
Noah Hembree
Jack Heysler
Jillian Howland
Sawyer Hussey
Moira Irish
Devin Jakubec
Hannah Kelsch
Stephanie Kendzierski
Sabrina Lamarche Cook
Patrick Laughland
Piper Lopashanski
Cole McAllister
Camden Newton
Nolan Proulx
Austin Roberts
Sophia Smith
Alexandra Sweeney
Logan Troon
Avery Whitelaw
Connor Wiggin

Kingswood
Jennifer Baldwin
Alivia Blaney
Jacob Brown
Garrett Burke
Isabella Bush
Ava Cole
Rowan Donovan‐Laviolette
Hayden Eastman
Evan Harrington
Caden Laing
Jack Larson
Addison Lawlor
Noah Leighton
Benjamin Libby
Jaylin Lovering
Kylie Rapoza
Sierra Rose
Riley Stevens
Bradley Tuttle
Isabella Vachon
Eva Zavas

Laconia
Luke Stafford
Gracehelen Lewis
Ethan Byington
Nate Hobby
Caden Tucker
Brady Stevens
Madeline Mousseau
Lilly Milligan
Cali Andriski
Kendall Myers
Natalie Miles
Michael Muller
Myrabella Castagno
Matthew Beaupre
Landen Brothers

Lebanon
Bode Price
Augustin Ramos‐Glew
Doyen Kodiweera
Myles Nolan
Nathan Dube Jr
Reed Ferland
Laura Hines
Abigail Gallagher
Mackenzie Ray
Kyle Hines
Norah Burns
George Tafe
Anya Wolcott
Lucy Eshbaugh
Nicholas Petrucci
Benjamin Britton
Amalia Mladek
Jenney Lutz
Sophia Mladek
Sage Murray
Nina Ellingson
Marco Getchell

Manchester West
Ryan Perkins
Chloe Murphy
Jhystoni Rivera
Eshaya Lauder
Hayden McNamara
Rowen St. Jean
KeShawn Foster

Merrimack Valley
Caydence Allberg
Alyssa Brodeur
Grace Corliss
Kendra Davidson
William Dewitte
Madison Geddes
Matthew Giguere
Taylor Gionet
Michael Heine
Abby James Bentzler
Olivia James Bentzler
Matthew Lauren
Kaiya Mercier
Ryan Monaghan
Nicolas Oglesby
Lenna Quiter
Mychal Reynolds
Kayla Smith
Taiylor Stinson
Caroline Wheeler
Eli Wormald

Milford
Cameron Lewicki
Kadyn Tessier
Catriona Carter
Claire Cote
Joshua Berry
Hunter Kolesar
Avery Wilson
Katherine Seale
Haleigh Lloyd
Jake Neubeck
Matt Gaumont
Liam Zahn
Jasmine Blay
Quinn Johnson
Isabella Cornaro
William O’Connell
Katherine Demmons
LuLu Maguire
Jocelyn Shaw
Adyson Flynn
Ellianna Nassy
Amanda Faria

Oyster River
Thomas Aldrich
Olivia Andersen
Una Bleckmann
Mackenzie Cook
Erinn Doherty
Hannah Dunbar
William Fagan
Courtney George
Jack Gill
Rose Goldsmith
Cooper Jacques
Kira Jakobs
Haley Kavanagh
Mitchell Keesee
Kevin Kell
Caitlin Klein
Henry Miller
Kai Nield
Talon Ouellette
Kaden Pare
Jack Smith
Mia Weglarz
Amanda Yu

Pelham
Sarah Bellahrossi
Allison Bodenrader
Katherine Carroll
Sarah Coppinger
Colby Crear
Logan Hastie
Tibor Ivanyi
Hannah Kelly
Nathan Migliore
James Patchen
Jordan Robito
Olivia Squillante
Samantha Tetreault
Kaeden Truong

Pembroke
Daniel Bonisteel
Cameron Carter
Natalia Dube
Bailey Gatchell
Samuel Harrington
Annika Jawidzik
Lindsey Jones
Ashley Klawes
Kendall Purtell

Plymouth
Anna Boyer
Aiden Caya
Cameron Ciechon
Carlotta Contini
Elijah Crane
Thomas Daigneault
Lucas Diamond
Harrison Dixon
Kelina Donnelly
Evan Duchette
Alex Fleury
Nolan Galvin
Mason Glew
Heron Hannon
McKenzie Huckins
Leah Ines
Lillian Jenkinson
Addison Kay
Ryan Killion
Rylie Langford
Hannah Latulippe
Lukas Legacy
Gordon Love
Nathan Lyons
Grady Marunowski
Skyla McNamara
Carys Mitchell
Emmit Nossaman
Jane Price
Kate Ricotta
Nicholas Ring
Margaret Roper
Jacob Sanborn
Noah Shaw
Reagan Sutherland
Drake Tautenhan
Ava Wildermann

Sanborn
Jessica Addorisio
Will Bancroft
Nili Chiacchia
Robbie Comtois
Hannah Lesiczka
Kai Patterson
Jake Pitre
Alyssa Radjavitch
Julia Rockwell
Luke Thomas
Maya Thompson
Hanna Tomany

Souhegan
Maya Bagshaw
Elysse Bell
Brynn Biskovich
Katya Boucher
Anna Brammer‐Depuy
Isabelle Brandt
Emma Crisman
Glenn Dodge
Caroline Drum
Emily Facey
Brooke Fallon
Kasen Fox
Benjamin Gaudet
Isabela Goulet
Grant Harris
Lyla Hawkes
Maxwell Hayes
Natalie Heimarck
Tess Jancar
Karl Leonardi
Shea Llewellyn
Christian Miller
Dallen Noorda
Harrell Ross Pascual
Andrew Reagan
Callie Russell
Jonah Saunders
Ava Schwoegler
Nathalie Whitehouse
Lincoln Wilkins
Lucy Wysor

DIVISION III

Belmont
Tyler Durand
Madison Smith
Adeline Takantjas
Talia Watson
Kathryn Walker
Nolan LaFrance
Megan Divers
Dahlia Beaudette
Madelyn Besegai
Molly Reposa
David Tripp
Rebekah Edgren
Madison Carrier
Keegan Martinez
Jaelyn Nialetz
Sophia Gilbert

Berlin
Daven Duquette
Gabrielle Poulin
Lily Kelley
Arayanna Bedard
Emma Guibeault

Campbell
Bridgette Hidalgo
Abigail Guerrette
Leah Bowen
Piper Odum
Scott Hershberger
Hale Erdemir
Brady Gerardi
Sarah Hart
Gianna Letizo
Kelsey Watkins
Emma Lacasse
Bailey Cayer
Riley LeonGuerrero
Andrew Dineen
Nicholas Hershberger
Olivia Lacasse
Jack Bourque
Logan Barka
Luke Delia

Conant
Emily Battisti
Elizabeth Crespo
Lola Hayes
Tristin Herr
Francesca Ketola
Hannah Manley
Benjamin Sawyer
Kendra Wooster

Derryfield
Jessica Avalon
Briana Sanchez Camilo
Sophia Correnti
Lucy Yakola
Brianna Murray
Alexandra Benson
Laurie Best
Chloe Bremberg
Lily Kfoury
Caleb May
Dylan Clyne
Fernando Sandoval

Fall Mountain
Cora Buswell
Sydney Byrne
Kendal Cote
Vaughn DiBernardo
Lukas Doescher
Gabrielle Hall
Emelia Jewell
Braydon Patch
Tyson Patch
James Paulette
Emma Putnam
Clara Stewart
Mariella Tsitsonis

Gilford
Clark Blackwelder
Makenna Clayton
Anna Coapland
Camryn Coutts
Mallory Daley
Leah Davignon
Georgia Eckhardt
Kyle Gandini
Kendal Heyman
Micah Javalgi
Lianna Keenan
Olivia Keenan
Grace Kelly
Gracey LeBlanc
Ian Lofblad
Addison Normandin
Kaitlyn O’Brien
Sophie Powers
Kaegan Sanville
Alana Sawyer
Benjamin Smith
Abigale Taylor
Brody Testa
Elliot Warren
Evan Wilson
Lilly Winward
Benjamin Wolpin

Hillsboro-Deering
Morgan Dean
Kathryn Thyng
Ben Perrin
Jack Harrington
Logan Lane

Hopkinton
Bronson Ammann
Noah Aframe
Reese Bove
Madison Ceriello
Merrick Chapin
Brayden Crawford
Annie Daniels
Flo Dapice
Tate Doolan
Evie Hopper
Kennedy Mark
Michael Pantano
Amelia Walsh
Sydney Westover
Nolan Staples‐Roy

Inter‐Lakes
Alec Adorno
Laura Cove
Brogan Donnelly
Lola Ferrante
Garrett Hayward
Jacob Hayward
Jennifer Madigan
Isaac Nudd‐Homeyer
Tagel Ort
Logan Smith

Kearsarge
Gabrielle Lamb
Addison Place
Jada Kendrigan
Ava Shapiro
Carly Grant
Ellie Wimer
Graham West
Alex Spinney
Ethan Brand
Brodie Malynowski
Jack Cicoria
Soeren Baughman
Luna Landers
Ava Valle
Ella Dumais
Lilian Chapman
Tori Wooten
Andrew Brahan
Benjamin Clough
Sullivan Merrill
Liam Miller
Hannah Priest
Noah Whipple

Mascoma Valley
Braelyn Stone
Ethan Lewis
Brayden Cilbrith
Brody Goulette
Avery McDermott
Kaleigh Dinsmore
Anna Sullivan
Brody Albanese
Trevor Maheu
Andrew Prince

Monadnock
Shaylee Branon
Cainen Avery
Bailee Soucia
Sara Dafeldecker
Andrew Hopkins
Arianna Drouin
Gavin Lombara

Newfound
Rosalyn Gordon
Josie Halle
Isabella Valliere
Casey Bush
Kathleen Egan
Elle MacDonald
Adeline Dolloff
Anthony Estes
Cora Sanschagrin
Landon Sargent
Tyrone Belyea
Calvin Colby
Tucker Magrauth

Newport
Taylor Fellows
Lela T Trott
Maddox Lovely
Peyton Blackinton
Cassandra Sanborn
Cheyenne Hannum
Torrence Williams
Christian Forsythe
Aaron Fellows
Jazmyn McNamara
Erica Sayer
Skylar Nelson
Gabriel Howe
Kamden Pollari

Prospect Mountain
Victoria Christie
Joseph Deane
Serigo Duarte
Alexandria Duclos
Whitney Good
Kaleb Kennedy
TJ Locke
Shaun McAneney
Olivia Noyes
Wyatt Varney
Bryce Watson
Juliette West
Parker Wood
Wyatt Yewdall
Ava Tibbs

Raymond
Clayton Cramer
Abigail Yockel
Bianca Bergeron
Gustavo Da Silva
Lily Darling
Amina Jennings
Camden Morrill
Caleb Pekalsky

Somersworth
Abygail Lambert
Katelyn Whiteman
Ari Carter
Danna Dyer
Sya McKay
Emily Patterson
Lillie Hamilton
Mallory Walsh
Simon Grandmaison
Thomas Rees
Will Sneddon
Alex Brown
Cam Brown
Baileigh Ssenyondo

St. Thomas Aquinas
Garrett Aceto
Lillian Alonso
Amelia Anderson
Reece Anderson
Lila Anthony
Chloe Baker
Luciano Barbini
Genevieve Bolduc
Logan Campbell
Meghan Costello
Emily Dyer
Nicholas Gakopoulos
Abigail Gaynor
Kensley Harris
Dillon Lassard
Kadence Law
Ava Lyder
Meghan McCarthy
Andrew McMorrow
Cooper Miller
Charles Monteiro
Emily Pettinato
Myles Reilly
Delaney Riley
Andrew Rodriguez
Mason Ruger
Anna Seifert
Henry Stonis
Cecelia Underwood
Mary Winter

Stevens
Aubree Herzog
Isabella Bovell
Connor Miller
Rhea Quick
Austin Simoneau
Devyn Corliss
Sarah Wheeler
Connor Premo
Nevin Marsh

Trinity
John Alade
Ryan Ashooh
Kimberly Bui
Domenic Canny
Sydney Demers
Rerelolu Edokpolo
Mackenzie Goldstein
Jeffrey Hickey
Juwer Malwal
Anthony Meehan
Olivia Scharr
Megan Schmidt
Sophia Bouchard
Tristan Hasselbach
Mallory Hobausz
Shawn O’Neil
Kylie Palmeter
Cassidy Realjo
Madeline Souza
Destiny Wani

White Mountains
Aubrey Merrill
Emma Simpson
Axel Fjell
Gregory McCormick
Noah Covell
Lila Staley

Winnisquam
Gianna Ball
Peyton Collins
Joseph Curtin
Brendan Goodwin
Shayla Jordan
Carter Laliberte
Victor Pham
John Shea
Louis Soyk
David Swain
Justin Tardiff
Benjamin Wood

DIVISION IV

Bishop Brady
Aiden Boule
Aleah Ryan
Alexander King
Avery Sahr
Benjamin Matseas
Bohden Esty‐Lennon
Caleb Goldstein
Calen Chaudhari
Camdyn Despres
Claire Jackson
Elizabeth McKinney
Hayden Lafleur
Jason Doyle
Kevin Dunn
Kimble Rose
Luke Jackson
Madison Noel
Olivia Lazear
Owen Simoes
Owen Thornton
Payton Bryson
Sarah Allen

Canaan
Joe Noyes
Lehanna Haynes

Colebrook
Arlyn Dorman
Jack Kyller
Jackson Weir

Concord Christian
Abigail Owens
Ireland Baines
Isaac Kirby
Jaden Young
Kaylie Christopherson
Koen Melder
Kristina Baglio
Lilliana Carlile
Logan Duffy
Lylah Shumway
Sadie Thompson

Epping
Abigail Stitch
Emily Carleton
Garrett Follansbee
Nathaniel Johnson
Patrick Thompson
Tyler Morang

Farmington
Jacob Watkins
Jacob Chapman
Madison Ricker

Franklin
Abigail Collins
Alen Veletanlic
Cole Johnson
Harrison Kaplan
Savaughna Slocum

Gorham
Addison Eastman
Ayden Corrigan
Chaise Wade
Connor Lemoine
Ethan Corrigan
Gabriella Behling
Gavin Corrigan
Isaac Langlois
Jack Saladino
Kasey Guilmet
Laney Downs
Lily Gorhan
Marina Santy
Risa Gallant
Tori Demers

Groveton
Aspen Clermont
Brody Platt
Dylan Simino

Hinsdale
Jenna Emery
John Winter

Holy Family
Chase Paquette
Elianny Gonzales‐Pena
Simon Rouillard
Torrey Pedone

Lin-Wood
Clark Mason
Clermont Kaitlyn
Clermont Kiley
Drapeau Brynne
Dylan Blood
Harvey Abigail
Ivester Asha
Mack Mackenna

Littleton
Addison Hadlock
Brody Lewis
Chris Smith
Kaelyn Moore
Kiera Therrien
Molly Donahue
Nate Lavoie
Reece Cook
Shiloh Reagey

Mascenic
Elijah Barthelmess
Ella Keating
Hunter Thompson
Logan Lucas
Lorelai Shippee
Lucas Leroux
Valerie Stenersen

Moultonborough
Daniel Tolman
Deji Stave
Emily Hurst
Gavin Marchand‐Correia
Grace Elliott
Karl Koch
Kylie Burkhardt
Nicholas Sturgeon
Olivia Lipson
Samantha Nagle
Tamlyn Whiting
Teddy Stave

Mount Royal
Abriana Scallon
Harrison LaRose
Luke Moorehouse
Mia Cahill

Newmarket
Amelia Raab
Eilis McKenna
Jillian Long
Melkato Swanson
Richard Horner

Nute
Andrew Watts
Brayden Viveiros
Silas Picard

Pittsburg
Janessa Hodge
Joseph Cristoforo
Tayton Keezer

Pittsfield
Addison Clark
Helen Flores
Sadie Rafferty

Portsmouth Christian
Gabrielle Nickerson
Gideon Beal
Landon Hasty
Louisa Henker

Profile
Annabella Fresolone
Belle Freligh
Coen Mullins
Ella McPhaul
Everrett Locke
Isaac Reeder
Jackson Clough
Kimmy Williams
Kyah Knight
Makenna Price
Mia Frammarsvik
Owen McPhaul
Sophie Marceau
Travis Locke
Wyatt Lawton

Sunapee
Anya Filippov
Malik Nasir

Wilton Lyndeborough
Ben Jacobs
Harry Krug
Kelsey Crouse

Woodsville
Bryce Williams
Cooper Mayo
Eliza Wagstaff
Faith Griswold
Jacob Putnam
Jane Roy
Natalie Therrien
Owen McClintock
Paige Royer

Mike Whaley’s 2025 All-Tournament Teams announced

For the fourth-straight season, our Mike Whaley has selected All-Tournament Teams from all eight divisions of NHIAA postseason play. These All-Tourney squads are chosen from final four participants in each division.

Congratulations to all on a great postseason run…

DIVISION I BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Logan O’Connell, Bedford
Connor O’Rourke, Bedford
Javon Massiah, Keene
Kasen Abbott, Keene
Derek Swartz, Portsmouth
Nate McNeff, Exeter

DIVISION I GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Kate Allard, Bedford
Mel McCarthy, Bedford
Sammie Sullivan, Londonderry
Brooke Eacrett, Londonderry
Rileigh Finneran, Windham
Emma Smith, Concord Christian

DIVISION II BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Evan Berkeley, Pembroke
Andrew Fitzgerald, Pembroke
Chase Frizzell, Sanborn
Dylan Rego, Sanborn
Matthew Jernigan, Oyster River
Brady Hegan, Pelham

DIVISION II GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Alexa Bausha, Milford
Avery Fuller, Milford
Vivian O’Quinn, Oyster River
Olivia Andersen, Oyster River
Macy Swormstedt, Laconia
Anna Fazelat, Derryfield

DIVISION III BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Keegan Martinez, Belmont
Treshawn Ray, Belmont
Eli Whipple, Kearsarge
Austin Needham, Kearsarge
Cole McClure, Saint Thomas Aquinas
Tanner Moulton, Mascoma

DIVISION III GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Emma Toriello, Saint Thomas Aquinas
Genna Bolduc, Saint Thomas Aquinas
Emilie von der Linden, Saint Thomas Aquinas
Clara Stewart, Fall Mountain
Abby Jarvis, Fall Mountain
Bailee Soucia, Monadnock

DIVISION IV BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Ryan Walker, Woodsville
Landon Kingsbury, Woodsville
Sam Reagey, Littleton
Connor Roy, Littleton
Isaac Langlois, Gorham
Luke Farland, Concord Christian

DIVISION IV GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Delaney Whiting, Groveton
Mylee Kenison, Groveton
Addison Pilgrim, Littleton
Leah Poulton, Littleton
Amaya Beckles, Newmarket
Ryenn Pedone, Holy Family

Farmington’s first hoop title still resonates 55 years later

By Mike Whaley

It’s the 55th anniversary of Farmington High School’s first state championship in basketball – the 1970 Class M boys crown. Their story is about as “Hoosiers”-esque as they come.

At the time, Farmington was a virtual basketball nobody. The Tigers had exactly one playoff win in their history (1957). They lost in the first round of the 1969 tournament to Inter-Lakes by a point. Despite their history, they did have a pretty good team in 1969-70. Their starting five had grown up playing basketball together: seniors Paul Moulton, Danny Reynolds, Alan Hagar, and Paul Bishop, and junior Tony Quinn. They were guided by third-year coach Art Parissi.

Farmington had a solid regular season, going 15-2 to earn the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Their losses had been to league rivals Newmarket and Oyster River. The talk of the tournament, however, centered around  No. 1 and unbeaten Woodsville, coached by the volatile legend John Bagonzi. The Engineers had beaten all comers in winning the 1969 crown in similar and perfect fashion, including Class I champion Littleton. In fact, Woodsville capped the previous season with a record-setting 97-41 win over Pittsfield in the final at the University of New Hampshire – records for championship game points scored by the winning team and winning margin that still stands as overall tournament records.

The Engineers were just getting going in a span that would see them win five state titles in nine years.

Tony Quinn drives to the basket in Farmington’s quarterfinal win over Conant.

The Tigers, led by 1,000-point scorers Moulton and Reynolds, drew a first-round bye and faced Conant in the quarterfinals at Bishop Brady High School in Concord. The Orioles hung with them into the second half before the Tigers pulled away to win 79-66. Moulton led a balanced attack with 24 points, followed by Reynolds (17), Hagar (16) and Quinn (13).

That set up a matchup at UNH against powerful Woodsville, whose winning streak now stretched to 40 games. David vs. Goliath. It looked like it was going to go like everyone thought it would as the Engineers darted out to a 10-1 lead to force a Farmington timeout. In the huddle, a slowdown approach was discussed and quickly discarded. Like Woodsville, the Tigers embraced a fast-paced style. “We wanted to play the only way we knew how,” said Moulton in 2020. The one change that coach Parissi made was to have his players dribble through the Engineers’ vaunted press versus using the pass, which just wasn’t working. The worm began to turn.

Farmington’s Danny Reynolds lays one up versus Woodsville in the semifinals.

By halftime, Farmington had found its groove and was up 46-41. Woodsville was getting into foul trouble (three players fouled out). The Engineers pulled to within three at one point, but no closer. As time was winding down, Woodsville did something it had not done in two years – it pulled off its press.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Tigers had stunned the New Hampshire basketball world with one of the greatest upsets in state high school tournament history, 90-81. All five starters reached double figures: Moulton and Hagar with 23 apiece, Quinn notched 16, Reynolds had 15, and Bishop collected 13.

Standing in the way between Farmington and championship glory was another underdog – No. 10 Merrimack. The Tomahawks were in the final after three upset wins. It was a track meet, but it was anticlimactic after the Woodsville game. The Tigers led 49-40 at the half, and stayed in control to win by 12 – 95-83. To this day it remains the overall most points scored (178) in a state championship game in N.H. history. Again there was great scoring balance led by tournament MVP Moulton with 30, Reynolds with 28, and Hagar and Bishop with 15 each. All five starters made the Class M All-Tournament Team and averaged in double figures, led by Moulton (25.7 ppg). The other four starters averaged between 12 and 20 points per game. The Iron Five scored every single one of Farmington’s 264 tournament points.

Head Coach Art Parissi is hoisted up in celebration following Farmington’s title game victory over Merrimack.

“It was fun,” said Moulton in 2020. “We were the heroes of the town – for the next 50 years, I guess.”

Although some of the players  – most notably Moulton, Hagar and Bishop – and coach Parissi have passed away, it is still hard to forget the 1970 champions. If you take a gander at this year’s Division III tournament program, the Tigers once again deserve a mention in the record section. And given how the game has slowed down, it could last, well, another 55 years.

Whaley can be reached at whaleym25@gmail.com

The best at both worlds: Nichols successfully navigated coaching both genders

By Mike Whaley

(This is the last in a series on the 2022 and 2024 inductees into the New Hampshire Basketball Coaches Organization’s Hall of Fame.)

Even in his 70s, Dave Nichols’ passion for coaching basketball remains as vibrant as ever. It has never waned. When he was a young man, Dave got ahead of himself, focusing on his passion while forsaking college until he realized he needed the latter to move forward at the former. Plus, one needs to make a living.

Dave coached multiple stints at Oyster River High School on both sides of the gender aisle for 24 years and over 40 years in total counting his time in Milford and Hanover as an assistant or sub varsity coach. He was the first, and still only, New Hampshire coach to guide both genders to a state championship – one in boys (1988) and three in girls (2003, 2006, 2009). He was an assistant coach with four other state champions. Dave was one of seven coaches inducted into the NHBCO Hall of Fame last November in Concord.

“I remember thinking, heading into Dave’s program, we were winners,” said Jill Friel, who played for the Bobcats from 2005 to 2009. “I wanted to be part of that.” She was a key member of two championship teams coached by Dave.

Hanover’s Dan O’Rourke has coached with and against Dave for over 20 years. “He had similar approaches to basketball as I had,” said O’Rourke when introducing Dave at the Hall of Fame. “It’s hard to read Dave sometimes. He has a poker face. I knew that his teams got better year by year and during the season. While we were heavily favored (in the 2005 championship game), I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and sure enough it was tied (going) into the fourth (quarter).” Hanover pulled out a 49-38 win.

Dave was never a predictable opponent. The opposition could never be sure what he had up his sleeve coming into a season. “You always coach to the talent that you have,” he said. “That dictates whether you’re going to be a running team or a set-up team or pressing team, zone team or a man-to-man team.” Some coaches have a set style and they stick to it. Not Dave. He wanted to see what he had for talent and then adapt to the strengths of that talent. Dave predictably made the most of the players he had.

In just his second year as head coach in 1980-81, Dave Nichols guided the Oyster River boys to the Class I championship game – an overtime loss to Timberlane. [Courtesy photo]

Dave grew up in Milford, played basketball for Milford High School where he graduated from in 1969. He did not take a conventional path into coaching.

After spending a year at a Kansas college, he returned to Milford and started dating a cheerleader at Milford HS, who later became his wife. He also started helping out with the basketball program. He decided not to go back to college. “I spent more time coaching basketball and arranging my schedule for basketball than I did arranging my education,” he said. “I would go to practice. I would scout. At away games, I did the scorebook.”

Dave went back to the Kansas college at the start of the 1971 school year. When he came home for the Christmas break, he noticed that Milford had a really good team. “I talked myself into not going back for the second semester,” he said. Milford was indeed good. The Spartans were a Class I school, but for just that season, they went up to Class L. They beat preseason favorite Manchester Central twice that winter – at a holiday tournament and for the Class L title. Milford won another title in 1975 in Class I.

By then Dave was on board as a freshman coach for a couple years and then the JV coach for several seasons. Still, a career path was on hold. Debbie, that cheerleader, was now his wife. They were both commuting to Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts to complete their education, graduating in 1979.

With a degree and coaching experience in hand, Dave began applying for jobs as a math teacher, while Debbie was looking to get a job as a first-grade teacher. “I was getting job interviews, but she wasn’t,” he recalled.

Dave Nichols is the only New Hampshire coach to have led a boys team and a girls team to a state basketball championship. [Foster’s Daily Democrat photo]

Dave interviewed in New Hampshire at Salem, Milford and Oyster River, as well as Biddeford, Maine. He had other opportunities to interview in Massachusetts and Vermont, but the feeling was they wanted to be in Maine or N.H. He decided to take the Oyster River job, which was to teach math and coach JV boys basketball. That changed pretty quickly.

It wasn’t even the first day of school when Dave was talking to Athletic Director Sam Clark in his office. In walks the current head coach, Dick Colprit, who Dave was introduced to. “He looks at me and Sam and says ‘You might as well be the varsity coach, I’m all done.’”

Dave said the main reason for Colprit’s resignation was that he felt Oyster River could not compete in Class I, which is where they were moving up to after a successful run in Class M.

Dave was taken aback. “I’m thinking there’s a 6-7 kid named Pat Galvin that I’d already met and several players that I had been told about,” he said. Clark told the principal about Colprit’s decision. He said they would sit on that for several days and think about it. A few days turned into a week, but the end result was that Dave was offered the varsity job.

Dave was hoping to be a head coach eventually, so he was ready in that regard. Had he stayed in Milford, the head job would eventually have been his. “I kind of wanted to get away from Milford,” he said. “I thought it would be good to get away for a while. I’m going to go to Oyster River for five years, which turns into 35 and then five more as a sub.”

As a first-year head coach, Dave was not intimidated at all by Class I. “That’s what I was familiar with,” he said. Dave had seen some of the kids play at a local youth center and been impressed with what he saw. “Geesh, we’ve got some players here,” he told himself. “Two years later, we’re in a championship game.”

In 2009, Dave Nichols coached the Oyster River girls to the Class I title with a 39-33 win over Hanover. [Foster’s Daily Democrat photo]

A big challenge facing Dave was that Oyster River had no feeder program. There were intramurals at the middle school level that picked all-stars at the end of the season to play several area schools. “At first, in the offseason, we scheduled something for Sunday nights and it kind of grew over the years,” he said. “Eventually we started camps and set up a whole summer schedule. That evolved. It had to be a consistent program at that level. I knew the coaches in Class I were pretty much having year-round programs and summer programs.”

Dave’s instincts were right about his early teams. His first year (1979-80), they made the Class I tournament, won a first-round game before losing in the quarterfinals to Lebanon, the eventual champion. The following year, the Bobcats made it all the way to the championship game before losing into overtime to Timberlane.

Dave had a big team with the 6-7 Galvin, two 6-4 forwards and a 6-3 guard. Their weakness was the lack of a solid point guard. Although a believer in man-to-man defense as something you always needed to have, with this team he focused on using their size and length with a 1-3-1 zone.

Timberlane coach Bucky Tardif told Dave this about that 1-3-1. “He mentioned he had to have an extra day of practice to go against Oyster River to get ready for that damn 1-3-1 defense.” Over the years, other coaches have said the same thing that they needed several days to prepare for Dave’s teams.

Matt Whaley was a 6-3 guard on Dave’s first two teams. “He did a pretty good job. He didn’t know anybody or the community,” Matt said. “It was a step up for us, for sure. He was a much harder worker (than previous coaches). He had a lot of ideas with offense. Defensively he did things.”

Matt respected Dave’s honesty. He was telling him what he needed to hear, not what he wanted to hear. “He told me I wasn’t a great ball handler. ‘You can score and rebound and do a lot of other things well.’ He was truthful.”

Dave Nichols gives his NHBCO Hall of Fame induction speech.

One thing Dave learned early on was that if you knew you had a good tournament team, you coached that team for the tournament all year long. “You just don’t do that the last couple days before the tournament,” he said. “You prepare them all year with your philosophy. I learned that myself.”

With his first teams, they would extend the 1-3-1 with a lot of traps and stuff. It still wasn’t ideal on a big court like the one at UNH. “But what could you do? You’ve got to coach what you have.”

After the success in ‘80-81, the program was down for a bit, operating with kids who were primarily soccer players and trying to get them to play basketball. Eventually a group led by John Freiermuth surfaced in 1985. The core was very good, but “unfortunately the expectations were higher than what the reality was,” Dave said. “You don’t win a championship with freshmen.”

But things did get better. A couple of those freshmen made varsity. The next year, Pat Casey came along, the linchpin as a point guard, even though at the time he was a “small forward.” Dave saw his potential as a point guard. Casey had good leadership qualities. He could handle the ball and pass, he could defend, he was tough, and as an added bonus, he could score. “He was determined enough,” Dave said. “We didn’t have one and I decided he was going to be one. His father was delighted. He saw the same thing I did.”

You could make the argument with little pushback that Casey was the greatest point guard to ever play for Oyster River. He scored over 1,000 points, and then went on to have a very good career at Middlebury College. “He was more concerned with defense, dishing out assists and running the game,” Dave said. But obviously he could score when needed, which added to his value at that position.

Dave said they slowly improved. They’d make the tournament and get knocked out in the first round. “The kids were fine,” Dave said. “They could see that we were progressing and getting better. We were playing a really good schedule. We got better and better every year.”

The summer before the 1988 championship, Dave coached an AAU team with Farmington’s Mike Lee and Winnacunnet’s Jack Ford. Casey and Freiermuth were on the team, which was made up mostly of players from Class L. The other Class I player was Lebanon’s Mike Joslin.

Dave Nichols gives his NHBCO Hall of Fame induction speech.

The three Class I guys hung around a lot together. Dave remembered they were playing in the AAU nationals in Arkansas. He was driving them from one gym to another. “At one point, Mike was bragging about how Lebanon was going to be state champs. Pat and John were giving it right back,” Dave said.

Finally, Dave chimed in, telling them what was going to happen. “Lebanon is going to go undefeated because they play a soft schedule,” he said. “They are going to go to the finals and when they play, hopefully us, we are going to knock them down. We’re going to play a really tough schedule like Merrimack Valley and Pembroke and Goffstown. We’ll all play each other and have 2-3 losses.” Winter comes and all that comes true. Lebanon goes undefeated. Oyster River made it past Merrimack Valley in the semis to meet Lebanon in the final.

Dave recalls that Lebanon had six limousines parked in front of UNH to take them back home after the championship to celebrate. “They can go home,” Dave offered. “I don’t know if they’re going to be celebrating.” They weren’t. The Bobcats knocked them off, 65-51.

Even winning a state title did not appease the parental naysayers of which there are usually many in Durham. “I got told ‘Well, Dave, why don’t you focus on just being the athletic director,’” Dave recalled. He was essentially being told to resign as a result of parental pressure. “I really wasn’t ready to do that. I finally got the School Board to overrule the principal and superintendent and give me back the job. Now I knew what it would be like if I actually did come back. Enough of that. I was offered the job and then I resigned.”

A common theme in some of these hall of fame stories has been when a door closes and window opens. Several years later, Dave’s daughter Kate started playing basketball. “That got me into girls basketball,” he said. “It opened up a whole new path.”

It was 1996. The current girls basketball coach had stepped down, which led to a search to fill the position. It was the fall. The search did not yield any good candidates. The recommendation was to hire Dave. The feeling was that Dave’s daughter, now a sophomore, was on the team and he had proven he can coach in the past. “They asked and I accepted,” he said. There wasn’t much basketball talent. But they were athletic with soccer and volleyball players. Dave talked a few other kids into playing. The Bobcats won four games in his first year and then five. In the third year they made the playoffs.

Since Dave was also the AD, it created a little upheaval as other administrators had to cover for him when his team was on the road. He was approached at the end of his third year coaching girls in 1999 with the suggestion that maybe it was a good idea to hire a new coach so he could totally focus on his AD duties. His second tour as a head coach was done.

Dave decided in 2000 to step down as the AD and return to teaching math full time. The AD position was half time, which meant he was also teaching math half time. “I would teach in the morning and be the AD in the afternoon and night,” he said. “It was unfair to students. It was hard to arrange extra help time.”

It worked out for Dave. He now had some free time to watch his daughter play for her college team in North Carolina. In 2001, the girls’ JV position opened up, and he was asked to take the position by the head coach. “My son was going to be a freshman,” said Dave, who talked to him about being the JV coach. He didn’t have a problem with it. “My wife smiled,” Dave said. “‘I think he has a crush on one of those girls. He’ll have an in if you’re coaching them.’” Dave took the job.

After that season, Dave said parents chased the head coach out. Dave was asked if he would take over from her. He wasn’t happy with the school letting the parents treat the coach like that so he said no. He told the coach, a young woman named Celeste Best, that he would not taek the job. She said, “I’d much rather you coach the team than have somebody from the outside come in.” Dave also saw some of the outside candidates and was not impressed. He said he’d think about it, and then he applied and interviewed. “They ended up offering me the job,” Dave said, which was for the 2002-03 season.

Dave knew right away he had a potentially very good team on his hands. He had a group of girls he had just coached as freshman (Kate Maurer, Hayley Janelle and Megan Wyand) combined with the seniors Brittney Cross and Lindsay Laughton. “This is a team that could go a long way,” he thought to himself. “Brittney and Lindsay were great leaders and really embraced those younger kids.”

The coaching changeover happened in the spring, so that allowed Dave the chance to coach the girls over the summer, which helped get ready for the season. They certainly didn’t talk about going undefeated. What they did talk about was playing 25 games, which was the maximum they could play if they played their full regular season and then went to the finals of the holiday and state tournaments. “We began chanting this thing – one down, 24 to go. Two down, 23 to go,” he said. 

The moment when the Bobcats truly realized they could win the Class I championship came during the Manchester holiday tournament semifinals against preseason Class L favorite Nashua. Dave felt his team could compete with Nashua. He did not expect to win. “We ended up beating them,” he said. “We got a good lead. The last minute and a half, Brittney pretty much dribbled out the clock. They fouled her and she made some foul shots and we won.” They won the championship game as well.

When the Class I tournament rolled around, OR was undefeated and No. 1. “I mentioned the pressure of the undefeated season,” Dave said. “When we started this, the idea was to play 25. It wasn’t to win 25.”

But win 25 they did. At the end of the road was John Stark in the final at Saint Anselm College. They beat them for the title, 50-41. A 25-0 season – the program’s first title in 25 years. Nashua won the Class L championship over Alvirne, 51-48. But since Oyster River had beaten them in the holiday tournament, the Bobcats could rightly claim they were the best team in New Hampshire, and Dave was the first Granite state coach to guide both boys and girls to a state championship.

“I didn’t want the season to end,” said Cross, who scored her 1,000th career point in the championship game and then played at the next level at the University of Vermont. “We wanted to get one more win each time so we could keep it going.”

Cross never recalls feeling any pressure with being undefeated as the season progressed. “He must have done a pretty good job with that,” she said. “Obviously we were aware we hadn’t lost. We were aware of what was at stake each game. I really just remember us just enjoying competing together and finding a way to win.”

Cross felt that Dave “had a lot of confidence and belief in us. I can remember that as an individual. I was kind of an undersized point guard. I wasn’t really getting recruited. I was probably lacking a little of the confidence I needed to get to the next level or to lead the team in the way I was capable of. Coach Nichols did a great job of instilling confidence and belief and expectation in me personally, and then as a result in the team that we could do it, to compete for a state title.”

Two years later with that strong group of sophomores now seniors – Janelle, Maurer and Wyand – the Bobcats lost in the championship to Hanover. They came back with a new team in 2005-06, lost one game in a holiday tournament, and went on to win the state title over Kearsarge, 45-33.

Jill Friel was a freshman on that team as the sixth man. She was the youngest of former University of New Hampshire men’s basketball coach Gerry Friel’s five basketball children. All played for Oyster River. All scored 1,000 points, and all went on to play Division I college basketball (Jill at UNH). She said she was fortunate to have some great seniors to look up to in Nicole Casimrio, Chelsea Evans and Sam Brown, as well as juniors Kelsey Cross and Emily Jasinski. “They all taught me the ropes,” she said.

Friel was particularly appreciative of how Dave handled her. “He treated me as an individual,” she said. “He acknowledged and was aware that my family had a reputation; that I would have eyes on me. He acknowledged that. But he treated me as an individual. What do I want to get out of being on the team? What did I want to get out of myself? Our relationship was about our team and how I would contribute to that team. It wasn’t about my family’s legacy or comparing or contrasting my siblings. He navigated that well.”

Fast forward to the 2008-09 season. Friel was now a senior. She was the centerpiece on the Bobcats along with sophomore center Danielle Walczak. In an early battle between top teams, Oyster River was hammered at home by defending champion Hanover, 71-39. After the game, Dave told the team, “I still have a lot of faith in you guys, but obviously we have a lot of things to get better at and things to work on. This is good that we can use this the rest of the season as motivation.”

Hanover coach Dan O’Rourke, who introduced Dave at the Hall of Fame ceremony, remembered that game. “When I went through the line to shake Dave’s hand, there was that face, a look of determination.” O’Rourke recalled the rest of the season, checking the NHIAA standings and seeing that Oyster River was winning and winning and winning. The Bobcats never lost another game.

Meanwhile, Friel recalls that early-season loss. “That was really the touchstone of the year,” she said. “The snapshot of it was if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. We lost by 30. We got absolutely demolished. We knew how far we had to go. On the other hand, we knew we had strong centerpieces in myself and Danielle Walczak. It was also about how do we get the rest of the pieces to fit.”

One thing Dave did that Friel thought worked well with the team was to move the Hanover game into the rearview mirror and focus on being the best team in the Seacoast area, which had some very good teams in Portsmouth, St. Thomas Aquinas and Coe-Brown. “If we can dominate the Seacoast, we’re in a really good position; we’re demonstrating that we’re getting better and we at least have the capability to excel. It was mentally breaking it down into smaller goals. If we were making sure that we won our neighborhood that would progress us to eventually take down Hanover.”

When the dust settled on the Class I season, Oyster River and Hanover were the last two left standing in the championship game at Southern New Hampshire University. Hanover had everyone back from the previous year’s championship team, but there was a lot of fighting amongst themselves. They had several very good big players and an outstanding guard, although Dave felt Walczak was the best big player in the tournament, despite being only a sophomore. Friel, of course, was a top-notch guard.

“Sure enough, we met in the final,” said O’Routke. “Again we held them to 39 points, which was great. In my career, we only lost two or three times when we held a team under 40 points. That was always my goal (to hold the opposition under 40).

“Unfortunately, Dave’s team came out and played one of their best games. It was a defensive battle and they held us to 33 points and he won (39-33).”

A key part of the game was indeed defense. While Friel was held to four points (but also seven assists), she held Hanover star guard Lizzie BelBruno scoreless. Walczak had a monster game with a game-high 15 points and 11 rebounds.

“Everybody else stepped up. That was the biggest difference between losing by 30 early in the year versus so many different parts of the team we could lean on in those moments if they’re going to shut myself down,” said Friel.

Dave recalls at halftime the Bobcats were up 22-15. Friel was shooting around at halftime while Dave sat on the bench. Her brothers, Keith and Greg, called her over to offer advice. When she came back to the bench, he asked her what they talked about. She said they told her she needed to score if they were going to win. Dave looked up at the scoreboard, which showed a seven-point lead despite Friel not scoring. “I think we’re going pretty good,” he said. Friel shook her head up and down. “I think so, too,” she replied.

Hanover got as close as two points at 4:59 of the fourth quarter (26-24) before Friel fed a lob to Walczak for two points and the Bobcats were on their way to the win.

Friel said it helped that Dave trusted her, especially as she got older and became a captain. That was important. The idea that this was a collaborative effort. “He allowed me opportunities to be a leader without his voice and with his voice,” she said. “I’m really appreciative of that. I also feel that the most important thing he did was make me and all of us feel like we controlled our own destiny. Whether that’s how we lead or that’s how we play, we had a say in those things in how that looks.” 

Friel paused for a second, adding, “It comes down to him recognizing us as individuals and allowing that room. I think he had a preferred method of how he wanted us to play. But ultimately he was really flexible in leading the team to what we were capable of.” 

Dave coached through the 2012-13 season, although with far less talent at point guard, the Bobcats never achieved the success of those teams in the 2000s. He also saw the writing on the wall. Some administrators weren’t happy with him, so he decided not to fight it and moved on. That opened the door to new opportunities as a scout and an assistant coach. 

Two friends and opposing coaches, O’Rourke and Ed Tenney (Sunapee), asked him to scout for them during the 2013-14 season in the Seacoast area. So he went to Class I girls games for O’Rourke and Class S boys games for Tenney, who was now a boys coach after battling Dave as a Class I girls coach at Kearsarge.

That scouting evolved into an assistant coaching position at Hanover. Halfway through the Class I season, Dave said to O’Rourke, “I’ve done so much scouting and telling you how to beat these teams, but I don’t know your team very well.” O’Rourke invited Dave to come up and spend the night in Hanover. He went to a couple of practices and then a couple of games. Dave would sit in the bleachers and write up reports.

Eventually Dave was invited to sit on the bench with the team as a full fledged assistant in 2015. When he wasn’t scouting, he was at the games on the bench. “They had some really good teams,” said Dave, who has been involved with the Hanover team in some fashion for 12 seasons, including championships in 2019 and 2022 – 50 years after he was part of his first state title at Milford in 1972. “I would scout the toughest opponents and would show up (for those tough games).”

During the 2021-22 season, Dave scouted Bow seven times, Hanover’s eventual championship opponent. “I knew what they were going to do before they did it,” he said. “I knew them so well.”

There was a reason Dan O’Rourke wanted Dave as part of his Hanover staff. “Dave has found success wherever he’s coached. Most importantly, he’s done it the right way. He’s a man of integrity, high moral character. He’s done it with commitment, respect and he’s created the culture.” Like Jill Friel said when she came in as a freshman, his program was something you wanted to be part of because it was a winning program.

Looking back, Dave said as a head coach “I always felt kids needed to have fun. A lot of kids are getting pressured to focus year round on soccer, volleyball or whatever it is. I never wanted kids to focus year round on basketball. But I wanted them to play as much as they could. I always offered opportunities. I helped kids get on AAU teams. I talked to the coaches. I prepped them for tryouts.”

He ran local summer leagues, summer camps and held open gyms. That was something that struck Jill Friel. “Dave’s differential is that he always shows up,” she said. “He was always willing to put in the extra time. Summer leagues. Summer camps. That’s him volunteering for us to have the best possible experience. I find that even more remarkable as an adult that he continued to show up and invest in others.” The simple act of caring and then acting on it was a big part of who Dave Nichols was as a coach. He could see a player or group of players for who they were, adapt to their strengths and then mold them into a successful team that was having fun, while always making sure there were opportunties available to improve. That was a true hallmark of his coaching.

Mike Whaley can be reached at whaleym25@gmail.com

Nifty at 50: Oyster River’s ‘Rag Tag Bunch’ snared first title in 1975

By: Mike Whaley

When the Oyster River High School boys won their first state basketball championship 50 years ago this month, there was no indication that might even be possible until the second half of the Class M season.

The previous year had not gone particularly well due to a lack of cohesion. The Bobcats went an uninspiring 8-10 to make the tournament, and then were quickly bumped out by rival Newmarket.

Doug Sumner recalls in the spring of 1974, the returning players were playing pickup basketball in Dave Durkee’s driveway. It started getting a little chippy. Everyone stopped, recalled Sumner, and there was the realization that they needed to unite for their senior season and dispense with the division and backbiting that plagued the ‘73-74 campaign if they were to challenge for a state title “We had to all be moving in the same directions,” Sumner said.

Another factor that played into all of this is that half of the team was made up of soccer players, which was Oyster River’s primary sport. That spring talk Sumner referenced also pertained to soccer. The Bobcats went onto have a great season, losing their only game in the state championship to Kearsarge in overtime – on corner kicks no less when that was used as an unfortunate tiebreaker.

Despite that pact, senior-ladened OR, dubbed the “Rag Tag Bunch.” did nothing in the early going of the 1974-75 season to suggest that a magical run was in store. In fact, the Bobcats struggled through the first half of the season at 4-6, the low ebb coming in Milton to Nute High, a demoralizing 68-52 drubbing.

These six members of the 1975 champs gathered for a 50th reunion on March 8. From left are Phil Reilly, Bill Shackford, Doug Sumner, Mike Whaley, Randy Kinzly and Jim Murphy.

The biggest change that helped turn the season around was to move two talented, but underutilized, underclassmen into more prominent roles in the starting lineup: junior forward Bill Shackford and sophomore guard Randy Kinzly. From that point on, Oyster River blossomed. The Bobcats went a stellar 8-2 to finish the regular season at 12-8.

It is important to note that the Bobcats played a brutal schedule that season, which undoubtedly helped prepare them for the playoffs. Of their 20 games, 16 were against tournament teams, including six vs. Class I squads Somersworth, Timberlane and St. Thomas.  “We were never badly beaten and it certainly made us ‘play up’ to competition,” said Shackford. 

Other than the Nute debacle, no team handled OR. Although they lost twice each to Somersworth Timberlane and Pittsfield, they were in every game. Pittsfield ended the season with a perfect 20-0 mark. The Bobcats dropped their opener at Pittsfield, 51-50, and then lost to them a few games later at home, 69-61. However, in that game, OR was ahead when Sumner cracked heads with classmate Durkee, requiring five stitches over an eye. He missed the rest of the game and Pittsfield won.

Sumner and Durkee, a co-captain, were two starters in the forecourt at a solid 6-2 and 6-4, respectively, along with the six-foot Shackford, while Kinzly was at one guard in the backcourt with senior co-captain Jim Murphy. Senior Steve Grant, a 6-1 forward/guard, was the super sub off the bench to complete the rotation OR used for the most part during the remainder second half of the season, along with senior guard Chris Congdon who saw spot duty in the backcourt spelling Murphy and Kinzly.

Bill Shackford.

Other games of note: The 134-51 thrashing of Raymond. Although there are no official state records for the regular season, that 134 has to be in the running for the most points in a single game (that’s 4.2 points per minute). OR beat rival Newmarket at home in double overtime, 49-45. There were also two hard-fought wins over Class I St. Thomas, 77-74 and 74-69. After the embarrassing loss to Nute in December, the Bobcats came back to beat the Rams at home, 60-54.

When the tournament rolled around, the Bobcats were seeded fifth behind No. 1 Woodsville, No. 2 Pittsfield, No. 3 Hinsdale and No. 4 Newmarket. Also making the 12-team field from the old Southeastern League were Nute, Farmington and Epping.

Doug Sumner.

Oyster River opened up the tournament at Plymouth State University vs. No. 12 Epping, who they had defeated twice during the season by 20 and 17 points. Murphy led the way in this one-sided affair (73-40) with 17 points.

Murphy was a master entertainer and the clear team leader. His boombox blasted a mixed tape in the locker room and during bus trips with him in the back colorfully leading lively team singalongs. The playlist featured, among others, Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock,” “Elderberry Wins,”and “Benny and the Jets,” as well as Jim Croce’s “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” Harry Chapin’s “Taxi” and “Chantilly Lace” by the Big Bopper.

Murphy was also the emotional spark plug. He fired up the Bobcats before each playoff game. The team would gather in the entryway to PSU’s Foley Gymnasium before they hit the floor. There Murphy would get everyone psyched up with his impassioned antics, pumping his fist and chanting with everyone joining in until the energized Bobcats were united as one before taking the floor for layups.

In the quarterfinals, the opponent was rival Newmarket, who had given the Bobcats one of their two second-half losses (66-58 in Newmarket). The season could have ended then and there. The Mules jumped out 14-4 after the first quarter, which would have been a death knell during the first part of the season. But one thing this OR team did well by that point in that season was not to get frazzled. They worked their way back into the game to trail 22-18 at the half. The second half was all Oyster River. Led by Murphy’s 14 points, OR took control 38-32 after three stops, en route to a 50-40 win. Shackford added nine points and Kinzly tossed in eight.

That set up a semifinal match with unbeaten Pittsfield (21-0), after Woodsville dispatched defending champion Hinsdale in the earlier semi, 42-37. One could make an argument that this was the championship. It was certainly worthy of being the nightcap on the semifinal card. At the end of regulation, nothing had been decided – tied at 42-all. Ditto after one overtime, 44-44. Led by Murphy and Kinzly, the Bobcats were finally able to get some separation in the second OT, outscoring the Panthers 13-6 to win, 57-50. Murphy and Kinzly each had 17 points, while Shackford chipped in with 10.

It was Oyster River’s third trip to a championship game. Previously, Bobcats teams had lost in two finals – in 1964 to Newmarket, 51-45; in 1967 to Tilton-Northfield, 64-59 OT.

Dave Durkee.

“Beating Pittsfield in the semis was like getting over a hump,” said Murphy. Sumner recalls going out for the second overtime and before the jump ball having a brief exchange with a Pittsfield guard who he had battled against for four years. “We shook hands and one of us, probably me because I don’t shut up, said ‘the winner is going to beat Woodsville.’ We looked each other in the eye and nodded.”

Woodsville, of course, was by then a Class M power coached by the legendary John Bagonzi. The Engineers had won titles in 1969, 1971 and 1973. The trademark of Bagonzi’s teams was their full court pressure, which unraveled unprepared teams and sometimes even prepared ones. “Even though Woodsville was well coached and very disciplined, we were a very athletic group, who could run, shoot, and were tough, especially on the boards,” said Shackford. “We just had to beat their press and we worked hard on it leading up to the finals.” That was the key. Oyster River was ready for the vaunted Woodsville pressure. It bothered them here and there. But mostly they broke it until it worked against the Engineers in the second half when foul trouble began to pile up. 

Woodsville came out fast to take a quick 6-0 lead. But the Bobcats caught their breath, regrouped and tied the game as Shackford dropped in three long jumpers from the left corner. It was a dogfight from there – until the fourth quarter. It was tied (10-10) after the first quarter. The Engineers led 26-24 at halftime, before Oyster River threatened to open the game up in the third when they surged to a 42-32 lead. Woodsville ended the quarter with a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 44-42 after three, and then sliced the lead to one to start the fourth. That was as close as they got. It was still a game with just under six minutes to play, 51-47. Then Murphy and Kinzly combined for 12 points during a 13-2 surge over the next four minutes that built the lead to 64-49 to put the game out of reach. At this point, OR was breaking Woodsville’s press with ease as the Engineers started fouling out, eventually losing four players. The Bobcats ended up scoring 32 points in the quarter to pull away for the convincing 76-56 victory – the first of five state titles for the boys and the only one in Class M/Division III. The other four (1988, 1992, 1995, 1996) were in Class I/D-II.

Jim Murphy, left, and Randy Kinzly.

It was a huge night for the Oyster River faithful. Everything went right in the end. As a team, the Bobcats shot 57-percent from the field (25 of 44) and 70-percent  from the foul line (26 of 37). Murphy led five players in double figures with 16 points, followed by Durkee (15), Shackford (14), Grant (13) and Kinzly (10).

Oyster River’s final record was 16-8, which included 12 wins in their final 14 games. The Bobcats’ eight losses is certainly one of the highest totals in state history for a champion, but it speaks to their difficult schedule and their ability to overcome adversity to finally come together at the right time. The Bobcats that people saw in December were a far cry from the honed outfit that hoisted the hardware in March. Fifty years later, the “Rag Tag Bunch” may not have the game they once had, but their championship status remains undeniable.

***

The Bobcats held a 50th reunion on March 8 in Portsmouth. Six former OR players were on hand. Sumner recounted this rather odd story. Last summer, a fellow on a motorcycle showed up at the Sumner house in Exeter. Sumner wasn’t home, and his wife told the guy as much, so he drove off. He returned several weeks later and this time Sumner was home. The guy, it turns out, had played for Pittsfield HS during the 1973-74 season. He did not play the following year on the undefeated team, he said, because he did not get along with the coach. Why was he at Sumner’s house? He wanted to tell Sumner that had he played in 1974-75, Pittsfield would have defeated Oyster River in that semifinal game. Talk about not letting something go.

Mike Whaley can be reached at whaleym25@gmail.com

Granite State connections at the D-I dance

By: KJ Cardinal

It’s time to dance and this year’s Division I March Madness will feature 11 players with ties to the Granite State.

The most notable are a pair of starters for the two-time defending champion UConn Huskies. Alex Karaban (New Hampton School) and Solo Ball (Brewster Academy) both played prep school basketball in New Hampshire and have guided the Huskies to the No. 8 seed in the West Region. UConn takes on No. 9 Oklahoma in First Round action on Friday night at 9:25 pm.

The only player in the D-I big dance that played NHIAA ball is Michigan State’s Kur Teng. The 6’4 freshman hails from Manchester, N.H. and played at Manchester West before moving on to play prep school ball at Bradford Christian Academy in Haverhill, Mass. Teng has seen limited action for Tom Izzo’s squad, but came in as a top-40 recruit. The Spartans garnered the No. 2 seed in the South Region and will take on No. 15 Bryant on Friday at 10:00 pm.

The other eight players all played at Brewster. Check out where they currently play, who they match up with in the first round and other notes on them…

Kadary Richmond, St. John’s
• No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 15 Nebraska

JP Estrella, Tennessee
• No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford
• Scarborough, Maine native
• Currently injured

Nojus Indrusaitis, Iowa State
• No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb

Daniel Jacobsen, Purdue
• No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 High Point
• Currently injured

Carey Booth, Illinois
• No. 6 Illinois vs. No. 11 Texas/Xavier

Eli Crawford, BYU
• No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 VCU

Austin Patterson, Montana
• No. 14 Montana vs. No. 3 Wisconsin

Javohn Garcia, McNeese State
• No. 12 McNeese State vs. No. 6 Clemson

Herons go 1-1 at D-II nationals

By: Mike Whaley

The Great Bay CC men’s basketball team went 1-1 at the USCAA Division II National Tournament in Buffalo to finish the season with the best record in school history (23-6).

The No. 4 Herons lost their opener on Wednesday night to Penn State Schuylkill, 74-55. It was a close game at the half with GBCC trailing, 35-32. But Penn State used a big second half (39-23) to pull away. Theo Wolfe led the Herons with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Mpore Semuhoza added 10 points and seven boards. Sean Chanakira and Ethan May (five steals) added nine and eight points, respectively. GB shot just 34 percent from the field and made only 5 of 26 of their 3-pointers.

In the consolation round on Thursday, Great Bay bounced back to beat Penn State York, 103-100. Wolfe had a monster night with a game-high 37 points on 14-of-17 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. Semuhoza added 23 points, Chanakira knocked in 12. Keith Landry and Cam O’Brien had seven points apiece. The win was the 23rd for the Herons, also a school record.

Miami Hamilton won the national title on Saturday over Penn State Schuylkill, 53-52.

At the award ceremony on Monday (March 10), Wolfe was named D-II First Team All-American and Semuhoza was picked to the second team. NHTI’s Joseph Cantey was honorable mention.