Previews for local high schools’ NHIAA playoff and tournament games

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High school tournaments today

Boys’ soccer

Division II first round

No. 10 Coe-Brown (8-8-0) at
No. 7 Souhegan (8-5-3), 6 p.m.

Head to head: The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Notes: The Bears have the potential to pull of a playoff upset, as they showed with regular-season wins over fourth-seeded Lebanon and sixth-seeded Pembroke. And they can win on the road, as their 4-4 away mark suggests. But Souhegan is 4-1-3 on its home field this year and allowed just six goals in those contests. Coe-Brown is led by a deep senior class that includes midfielder Kyle Sanborn, forward Dewey Fanjoy and keeper Beau Pingree and sophomore forward Spencer Nowland has been the Bears’ most dangerous scorer.

No. 14 John Stark (7-9-0) at
No. 3 Goffstown (11-5-0), 3 p.m.

Head to head: Goffstown beat the Generals, 2-0, on Oct. 15 in Weare.

Notes: The Grizzlies will pose a major challenge to Stark, but it’s a game the Generals should be in. Goffstown has won seven of its last eight, but that one loss was to a Con-Val team that Stark beat in the regular season finale, one of two good wins the Generals posted in the last week. Juniors Josh Morin and Cam Williams have paced the Stark attack while keeper Mike Prindiville has been solid behind a back line led by seniors Thomas Zervos, Sean Doherty and Tyler LeGrand.

No. 11 Oyster River (8-8-0) at
No. 6 Pembroke (10-6-0), 3:30 p.m.

Head to head: The teams did not meet during the regular season

Notes: Pembroke comes into the game in a bit of a funk, trading wins and losses over its last six games. Luckily for the Spartans, they are facing an Oyster River team that is in more of a funk, having lost the last three games of the regular season. Pembroke must be happy being the high seed in this one, since they lost at home only once during the regular season. Alex Trujillo has led a defensive-minded team that has posted six shutouts this season.

Division III second round

No. 17 White Mountains (7-8-2) at No. 1 Belmont (16-0-0), 3 p.m.

Head to head: Belmont beat White Mountains, 3-1, in the season finale.

Previous tournament game: White Mountains edged No. 16 Mascoma, 2-1. Belmont received a first-round bye.

Notes: Belmont looks to continue the success of its dominant, undefeated regular season as it begins its playoff run. The Red Raiders outscored their opponents by an astounding 69-6, which included 11 shutouts. They are led on offense by Ashton Singh, Austin Wilder and Kevin King, who all do an excellent job of not only putting the ball in the net, but also distributing it to teammates as well. Kaleb Brace had an excellent regular season as he manned the goal for all of the shutouts.

No. 12 Kearsarge (8-7-1) at
No. 5 Newfound (13-3-0), 3 p.m.

Head to head: The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Notes: Kearsarge has a tough playoff matchup in store as Newfound ended the regular season on a tear, winning six in a row and eight out of its last nine. The Cougars have a solid chance for an upset, though, as one of Newfound’s three losses came against Mascoma, a team the Cougars beat in both of their matchups during the regular season. Andrew VanHooydonk and Bobby Lauster lead a balanced offensive attack, while Casey Laughinghouse solidifies the back end between the pipes.

No. 15 Laconia (8-9-0) at
No. 2 Hopkinton (15-1-0), 3 p.m.

Head to head: The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Previous tournament game: Laconia blanked No. 18 Monadnock, 4-0. Hopkinton received a first-round bye.

Notes: The Hawks proved to be an offensive powerhouse during the regular season as they scored fewer than two goals only twice. Riley McNicholas and Steve Auger often led the way for the offense, while Doug Fleury was mainly the one setting them up with great opportunities. Rob Ferguson controlled a defense that gave up only eight goals all season as he posted 10 shutouts.

No. 14 Hillsboro-Deering (9-8-0) at No. 3 Bow (14-2-0), 3 p.m.

Head to head: Bow defeated H-D, 5-0, early in the season.

Previous tournament game: H-D defeated No. 19 Stevens, 3-1. Bow received a first-round bye.

Notes: Dan Crisman and Ian Avery provided one of, if not the most explosive offensive duos in the league this year. Not only did they both put up a staggering amount of goals for the Falcons, but they were often found assisting on each other’s goals. Tim Bradley’s strong play in net gives the Falcons the confidence they need to push forward to keep pressure up on their opponents. Hillboro-Deering has found its form coming into the playoffs, winning five of its last six games and playing some very tough defense. If the Hillcats are going to pull off the upset, they are going to need Robert Armstrong and Austin Wheeler to get the offense off to a quick start, and rely on Josh Gould and Brett Bennett to continue their strong play in back.

Division IV first round

No. 12 Pittsfield (7-6-3) at
No. 5 Newmarket (12-4-0), 3:30 p.m.

Head to head: Pittsfield defeated Newmarket, 2-1, in Pittsfield, and Newmarket defeated the Panthers, 4-1, in Newmarket.

Notes: The Panthers must have confidence that they can come away with an upset here as they defeated Newmarket in their first game of the season. To pull it off they are going to need Elias Doucette and Max Tuttle to control the offensive tempo, but the main priority is getting strong play out of their defense. Pittsfield dropped only one game during the regular season when it gave up two or fewer goals.

Volleyball

Division II first round

No. 12 Laconia (5-11) at
No. 5 Coe-Brown (11-5), 6 p.m.

Head to head: The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Notes: The Bears are on a three-game winning streak heading into the tournament, and have won seven of their last nine with the only two losses coming against No. 1 St. Thomas and No. 4 Windham. Coe-Brown will look to senior Liz Peabody for leadership and contributions all over the court. Setter Sadie Steffen, middle blocker Emma Easler and libero Debbie Peabody will also be key to Coe-Brown’s playoff success.

Division III first round

No. 13 Newfound (7-9) at
No. 4 Hillsboro-Deering (13-3), 6 p.m.

Head to head: The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Notes: H-D has dropped only one match in the last six weeks, and that was a 3-1 loss at top-seeded Campbell on Oct. 10. The Hillcats are hoping to erase memories of last year, when they also came in to the playoffs as the No. 4 seed but were upset by Belmont in the first round. Seniors Katie White, Brandy Blevins and Jessica Newell, junior Hannah Pepper and sophomore Virginia Philbrick were all starters on that 2011 team, have all played well this season, and will all try to push the Hillcats into the quarterfinals.

No. 15 John Stark (5-11) at
No. 2 Farmington (14-2), 6 p.m.

Head to head: The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Notes: After missing the tournament for the last three years, Stark is happy to be back in the dance. This looks like a tough matchup for the Generals in their return to the playoffs, but they may be catching Farmington at the right at time. After winning 14 straight to open the year, the Tigers have lost their last two matches. Senior setters Kathleen Medvetz and Jessica Chapman and junior hitters Shelby Brouillet and Brittney LaCerte have performed well recently and will need to keep it up for Stark to pull off the upset.

No. 10 Belmont (9-7) at
No. 7 Ports. Christian (12-4), 6 p.m.

Head to head: The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Notes: The Red Raiders should be ready for the win-or-go-home stress of the tournament, having won a pair of games pressurized with playoff implications to end the season, beating Newfound and Inter-Lakes to move up to No. 10 in the standings. And Belmont knows how to win on the road in the postseason, as it showed last year with its first-round upset at Hillsboro-Deering. Senior Nicole Derosia has been a consistent force for the Raiders this fall and has had plenty of help from senior Rachel Weeks and juniors Jessie Bergeron, Megan Bailey and Ashley Ortiz-Bouzan.

No. 11 Inter-Lakes (8-8) at
No. 6 Winnisquam (12-4), 6 p.m.

Head to head: The teams split their two matches, with Winnisquam winning in straight sets at home, and Inter-Lakes pulling out a 3-2 victory in Meredith.

Notes: If this match is anything like the one these two had in Meredith, a 25-22, 21-25, 25-13, 11-25, 16-14 win for the Lakers, the fans in Tilton will be in for a treat. This is a deep Bears team that also has the experience of winning a title in 2010 and reaching the semifinals last year. Senior setter Elyssa Clairmont and her 1,000 career assists lead the Bears, but they can get major contributions from a variety of players including Bailey Long, Hannah Chapin, Dallis Austin, Carissa Archibald and Hannah Kilcoyne.