HOOKSETT – The idea for the Granite State Games was one Patrick Mulcahy drew from his own experience as a high school athlete hoping to continue his playing career in college.

Mulcahy, chief executive director of the Granite State Games, was a high school soccer player in upstate New York. When the Empire Games were held at nearby Syracuse University, he jumped in. Mulcahy went on to play soccer at Division I’s University of Rhode Island, followed by a season with the New England Revolution and another with Seacoast United. 

Now, Mulcahy has made a career out of training the next generation of athletes. His goal for the Granite State Games is to help high school athletes across the gap to college.

“It’s a grind now,” Mulcahy said outside the gymnasium at the Derryfield School on Monday. “It’s a lot harder now than it was before just because there are so many more kids playing sports.”

Mulcahy has seen the recruitment process from a player’s perspective as well as a coach. He coaches high school soccer at Bishop Guertin and runs In the Net Sports Academy in Merrimack. Mulcahy has lived in New Hampshire for 13 years.

“It’s a very stressful grind for these kids,” he said. “There’s so many kids that want to play in college regardless of their sport.”

More than three dozen college coaches will attend the Granite State Games this week, Mulcahy said. The games are split between facilities at Southern New Hampshire University and the nearby Derryfield School. Sports include baseball, softball, basketball, lacrosse, field hockey, golf, volleyball and track and field. About 400 high school athletes from across the state will compete while representing their home regions: Monadnock, Lakes, Southern and Coastal.

The Lakes region incorporates the capital area and beyond to the north. Several area athletes are participating. Mulcahy said about 500 athletes tried out in the months leading up to the June games. Athletes are charged a fee if they make the team, but tryouts are free.

The Games are based on what Mulcahy experienced at the Empire games as a student-athlete. Wendy Sage-Matsis, a member of the board, recalled growing up in Illinois and seeing the Prairie State Games. She was quick to name a certain basketball player who participated in those games before going on to NBA greatness: Kevin Garnett, who spent his senior year of high school in Chicago.

“It was always such a huge summertime event at the University of Illinois,” said Sage-Matsis, who has lived in New Hampshire for 11 years.

The Granite State Games are still growing as the event enters its third year. The organization is a nonprofit supported by corporate sponsors and a staff of volunteers. It began with six sports and added golf and softball the second year. Baseball makes its debut in this year’s games, and tennis could be added in 2018. Wrestling has been discussed as another addition in the future.

As for attention, the number of college coaches attending has grown from fewer than 10 in the first year to nearly 40.

Growth is good – Mulcahy would like to incorporate more sports and open the door to more athletes – but it hasn’t been easy for the board and staff to keep up with. Like a nonprofit in its early years, the organization needs more volunteers and, of course, more money.

Monday was the first day of events at SNHU and Derryfield, but an incoming thunderstorm forced the cancellation of all outdoor games. Only basketball could continue.

This, it turned out, was a blessing for Mulcahy and his group of volunteers who are already being spread thin throughout the list of events.

“We were supposed to have different venues going on today,” Mulcahy said. “Luckily with the rain it makes our lives a little bit easier.”

The games continue this afternoon and through the weekend. A complete schedule and more information can be found at granitestategames.org.

The event is open to athletes entering their freshman through senior year of high school hoping for exposure to college scouts. Graduating seniors are not eligible. 

Mulcahy’s most important bit of advice to aspiring college athletes is to be proactive.

“You’ve gotta be annoying to some extent to these coaches because they’re just getting bombarded with emails every single day,” he said. “There’s a method behind it that is successful, it just takes a lot of work. It’s very different from when I was a kid because youth sports is such a big business now. … Call those coaches and email those coaches, send them your schedule, give them your bio, send them a little video. Just be proactive.”

(Nick Stoico can be reached a 369-3339, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)