March 3, 2010
Another 3-way race?
Guertin, Pinkerton, Hanover the traditional powers in N.H.
by Phillip Shore/
Three New Hampshire powerhouses — Pinkerton Academy, Bishop Guertin, and reigning state champion Hanover — have combined to win the last five Division I crowns, and are likely to battle for the right to make it six in 2010.
In 2008, Bishop Guertin finished undefeated in its conference, ranked as LaxPower’s number one team in the state, and beat Pinkerton Academy in the state final, 14-11. Last season, Hanover came into the picture to win the conference and top the rankings, thwarting Bishop Guertin’s attempt at a repeat with a 9-8 win in the championship game.
Those two undeniable powers will have to beat each other and fend off Pinkerton Academy — which actually finished 2009 ranked ahead of Guertin on LaxPower — to grab the state championship this year.
Bishop Guertin will be led by All-American Matthew Bayne, bound for the Air Force Academy, and Hanover brings back both of its All-Americans, Sam Gest and Gunnar Shaw.
A fourth team to watch that continually sticks its neck in the race but that has never quite made it past the Big Three is Exeter. Four of the Blue Hawks five losses last year came at the hands of the top three schools, but they will hope to change that this year and, led by goalie Donny Denman (committed to Springfield), they should never be out of any game.
In Division II, Bow will be looking to three-peat this year, with its seniors trying to reach the title game for the fourth consecutive season. The Falcons will be battle-tested and experienced, but they do lose All-American David Bucchino. St. Thomas Aquinas finished in second in the conference standings and Dover was the state playoff runner-up, and both have their sights set on being king of the hill. Timberlane — the only Division II school to defeat Bow during the regular season — loses Academic All-American Eric Hatton, which might hurt the Owls’ chances of getting past Bow in 2010.
In Division III action, Kearsarge looks to repeat as state champion; the Cougars are perennially a tough team, with four top-four finishes in the past five seasons. Their toughest competition will come from the team they beat in the finals — and that actually topped them in the regular-season standings — Monadnock; the 10-8 title-game defeat was the only thing that stopped the Huskies from having a perfect season, and they will be bent on revenge.
Hollis-Brookline, another team that dropped Kearsarge in the regular season only to drop a tight playoff game, has the same motivation this year. Like Kearsarge and Monadnock, Hollis-Brookline returns most of the core of its team.
In girls lacrosse in New Hampshire, Londonderry has a big target on its back.
The school won the state playoffs, finished first in the division with an 18-0 conference record, and was top-ranked by LaxPower (the team’s only loss in a 19-1 campaign was to Massachusetts powerhouse Framingham). The Lancers return a number of girls from the ’09 squad, including All-American and Virginia commitment Dana Boyle.
Pinkerton Academy, which lost to Londonderry in the semifinals of the state playoffs last season, should again be a top contender. Clearly, the Astros also have the potential to be one of the smartest teams in New England, as they return four Academic All-Americans in Rory Fawcett, Mary Santos, Cori Rees and Kristen Wolenski. Midfielder Kacie Connal, committed to the University of New Hampshire, should add to the Astros’ ability to wear down opponents.
Souhegan — the 2009 runner-up — Concord, with returning Academic All-American Phoebe Clark, and Exeter also should be in the Division I mix.
Bow, meanwhile, has a stranglehold on Division II, appearing in the last five championship games and winning three of them, including last year. The Falcons return a considerable amount of talent and depth as they try to repeat.
What the other teams have to look forward to is that it is an even-numbered year. Bow’s championships have come in ’09, ’07, ’05 and ’03 — all odd-numbered years. Winnacunnet, last year’s regular season runner-up, will rely heavily on New Hampshire-bound midfielder Molly Gaffey, and Bishop Guertin — which lost to Bow in the state title game — will use its overall depth as it tries to unseat the champs.
Division III also looks to be a battle between returning powers, with Hollis-Brookline the team to beat. The Cavaliers finished last season undefeated in the conference (15-0), 16-1 overall and with a state championship for the trophy case.
The Cavaliers return All-American goalie Lorin Field and Academic All-Americans Alicia Papineau, Emily Dutile, and Leigh Kowalski.
Kearsarge Regional had a strong season in 2009, but lost two blowouts, including the title game, to Hollis-Brookline, and will need major improvement in order to finish on top.
One team that could be on the rise in Division III is John Stark Regional. The Generals had a losing record in 2009, but they return four Academic All-Americans in Angela Beaulieu, Annele Jones, Kayla Hubbard and Sydney Getzin.
With another year of experience under their belts, the Generals could prove to be the surprise team in the state. λ
