Longtime NH sportswriter and Ball 603 contributor Mike Whaley has released a book – “A Pen For All Seasons: Dispatches From a Rural New England Life in Sports.” It contains 65 of Whaley’s favorite stories and columns with photos from 35 years in the newspaper business.
Rochester and Farmington figure most prominently in the book, which includes stories Whaley has written since the late 1980s from the Rochester Courier, Rochester Times, Foster’s Daily Democrat and Portsmouth Herald.
There’s plenty on basketball. Here’s a list: Spaulding boys and girls basketball, including long-time former SHS coach Tim Cronin; Holy Rosary HS of Rochester, 1955 Class C boys champs; Nute’s David Burrows; Farmington’s 1970 state championship boys team and the 1967-68 Tiger Tigers, who were undefeated that season in volleyball, basketball and softball; Portsmouth’s Dan Parr and Sox great Carlton Fisk; Newmarket’s Ron Weitzell and Bert McGloughlin; UNH coach Gerry Friel; Oyster River girls coach Cathy Coakley; Whaley’s old college hoop teammates and friends, Bill Fitzgerald and John LeMieux, and the Austin-Cate Wildcats, 1971 NH Class S boys champs.
The book will be available (for $22) at the following book events: Collins Sports Center, Rochester, Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Farmington House of Pizza, Sunday, May 21, 5 to 7 p.m.; Rochester Public Library, Wednesday, June 7, 6 to 7:30 p.m., and Goodwin Library in Farmington, Thursday, June 22, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
The book may also be purchased at Collins during regular business hours (closed Sundays) starting May 22.
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Whaley was a full-time area sportswriter from 1987 until his semi-retirement in 2019. He still writes occasionally for Foster’s and the Herald, as well as Ball603. A two-time New Hampshire Sportswriter of the Year, Whaley lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife, Jill.
We love to honor those local legends from the past and thanks to our local legend himself, Mike Whaley, we have started a list of all-time NHIAA 1,000-point scorers list.
GIRLS SEMI #1: COFFEE COUNTY 97, BELMONT 26
GIRLS SEMI #2: KENNETT 75, FARMINGTON 30
BOYS SEMI #1: BELMONT 56, DERRYFIELD 45
BOYS SEMI #2: PROFILE 70, FARMINGTON 41
• Profile’s dynamic duo of juniors Josh Robie & Alex Leslie led the Patriots to a record-setting performance in their first game of the tournament. Robie connected on 10 three-pointers en route to a tourney record 52 points, while the Patriots also set the high-water mark for points in a single game with a 103-44 win over Nute. The game also featured the most three-point field goals combined for both teams (21) as Profile buried 13 and Nute dropped eight of their own.
• The closest game of the day was a hard-fought battle between the Coe-Brown and Belmont girls. The Bears came out flat and managed just three points in the first quarter, but head coach Joe Vachon’s squad increased their productivity each quarter and closed out the fourth to come away with a 37-34 victory.
• The Coffee County squad that hails from Manchester, TN is no joke. The Red Raiders came in with an impressive resume and they wasted no time showing the field that they meant business as they jumped out to a 43-3 halftime lead over host Farmington. It should really come as no surprise as Coffee County Central High School boasts an enrollment of over 1,200, while Farmington has just 249 students. Regardless, the Red Raiders size, depth and revolving defensive schemes will be a tough match for anyone in the tournament.
