Hopkinton 1st, Gilford 2nd,
Hanover 3rd, Kearsarge 4th,
Keene 5th, Bow 6th
Key players: Hopkinton – Francie Trafton (3rd), Ava Rothe (4th), Hannah Bennett (6th), Elizabeth Clarner (7th), Elizabeth Trafton (8th); Kearsarge – Molly Ellison (2nd), Kylin Frenkiewich (22nd), Katelyn Harvey (23rd); Bow – Rachel Pelletier (10th), Ali Sargent (35th)
Highlights: Gilford’s Catherine Stow won the 5K freestyle race at Proctor Academy in 17:03, but the Hawks placed five skiers in the top eight to easily top the 13-team field. Ellison (18:32.1) and Trafton (18:32.6) battled it out for second and third.
Coach’s quote: “A great race by Francie Trafton and Ava Rothe led the girls to their first win in their first race of the season.” – Hopkinton’s Rob Rothe
Gilford 1st, Fall Mountain 2nd, Hanover 3rd, Kearsarge 4th, Hopkinton 5th,
Bow 6th, Belmont 8th
Key players: Belmont – William Riley (4th); Kearsarge – Gareth Richer (8th), Camden Dezotell (15th), Aidan Deegan (28th); Hopkinton – Matt Clarner (11th), Will Chapin (19th), Harrison Wilson (24th); Bow – Michael Pelletier (7th), Oliver Dolcino (20th), Calen Smith (27th)
Highlights: Area Nordic teams opened their seasons with a 5K freestyle race at Proctor Academy. Gilford’s Mitchell Townsend (15:32) and Aiden Bondaz (16:08) led the Eagles to the team win, while Kearsarge, Hopkinton and Bow finished in the top half of the 12-team field.
Coach’s quote: “Both teams have been working hard this season under tough skiing conditions. We’ve spent little time on snow, but we’re making it work where we can.” – Hopkinton’s Rob Rothe
Merrimack Valley 55
Bishop Brady 50
Key players: MV – Macy Gordon (22 points), Kayla Smith (12 points), Mackenzie McDonald (10 points); Bishop Brady – Libbey Hicks (17 points), Morgan Casey (15 points)
Highlights: Brady battled back from a 18-9 first quarter deficit to tie the game, 26-26, at halftime, but the Pride regained the lead, 42-40, heading into the fourth quarter and held on for the win.
Coach’s quote: “Another good game between these two teams. I thought we came out strong early on the road, but Brady battled back. We struggled to score and when Brady is knocking down shots, they are tough. We made a few adjustments in the second half and we were able to pull it out late in the fourth. What I like about our team is we are finding ways to win games and that builds a lot of character and confidence as we continue to play tough teams. We are back at it tomorrow vs. Brady and I’m sure it will be another battle.” – MV’s Bob McNutt
Records: MV 8-1; Bishop Brady 1-8
Hopkinton 57, Hillsboro-Deering 23
Key players: Hopkinton – Hannah Pecce (11 points, 3 assists), Maddie Carmichael (10 points, rebounds), Sydney Westover (6 points, 3 blocks); H-D – Emily Howell (16 points)
Highlights: The Hawks came out strong defensively, holding the Hillcats to two points in the first half en route to their second victory over H-D this season.
Coach’s quote: “Good team effort with all 10 players scoring. Helping each other on defense and sharing the ball were the keys tonight.” – Hopkinton’s Pat Roye
Records: Hopkinton 7-2; H-D 0-6
Lebanon 42, Coe-Brown 22
Key players: Coe-Brown – Kalina Kasprzak (10 points, 6 rebounds)
Highlights: Lebanon led 14-13 at halftime, but came out strong defensively in the second half and took over the game.
Coach’s quote: “Tale of two halves again. Still looking for that complete game.” – Coe-Brown’s Joe Vachon
Records: Lebanon 6-2; Coe-Brown 4-5
Hopkinton 69, Hillsboro-Deering 25
Key players: Hopkinton – Brendan Elrick (22 points), Quinn Whitehead (17 points), Vincent Louca (6 points), Hunter Boissy (6 points), Gavin Davies (6 points); H-D – Jacob Davies (14 points)
Highlights: Hopkinton came out to a 13-4 lead, but H-D went on a 5-0 run to make the score 13-9. The Hawks answered with a 7-0 run to close the first quarter up 20-9 and extended their lead in each of the remaining quarters with stifling defense, holding the Hillcats to single digits quarters.
Coach’s quote: “I was so impressed with our defense tonight. We held H-D to their lowest offensive output this season, mainly due to Vincent Louca and Hunter Boissy sharing defensive responsibilities on H-Ds leading scorer (Zack Coombs), holding him to three points all game. We were out two starters and an early off-the-bench guy, so to see the mentality of the next man up was great to witness. This showing tonight will help with creating depth for the playoffs.” – Hopkinton’s Stephen Signor
Records: Hopkinton 7-1; H-D 0-7
Kearsarge 80, Newport 22
Key players: Kearsarge – Chris Stanchfield (19 points, 5 rebounds), Connor Pillsbury (12 points, 4 rebounds), Sam Carl (10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals), Bobby Needham (10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals), Josh Holderman (7 points, 3 steals), Jack Chambers (6 points), Adrian McCarthy (5 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals), Jacob Rockwell (4 points, 3 steals), JJ Davis (3 points, 3 steals), Noah Hastings (2 points), Noah Whipple (2 points, 4 steals)
Highlights: Kearsarge came out with tremendous energy on defense, getting multiple steals which led to easy points in transition. The Cougars led 29-6 after the first quarter and 55-15 at halftime. Kearsarge was extremely unselfish all game, with all 11 players scoring and four reaching double figures, led by point guard Carl’s had his first career triple-double.
Coach’s quote: “It was nice to see our defensive energy and intensity didn’t drop off at any point, as everyone who played tonight made an impact at both ends of the floor. I’m proud of Noah Hastings and Jacob Rockwell for getting their first varsity points, as well as Sam Carl getting a triple-double in basically three quarters of play.” – Kearsarge’s Nate Camp
Records: Kearsarge 6-0; Newport 0-5
Plymouth 52, Winnisquam 9
Key players: Winnisquam – Aemon Gauthier (win by pin at 113), Brendan Parry (won 3-0 decision at 220)
Highlights: The Bears picked up a couple of victories against some stiff competition. Plymouth has won four of the last five Division III team titles.
Bedford 6, Bow 1
Key players: Bow – Owen Webber (goal), Billy Smethurst (assist)
Highlights: The Falcons kept it close early against one of Division I’s best programs, trailing just 1-0 after the first period, but allowed three goals in the second.
Records: