MANCHESTER, NH – While athletes and teams around New Hampshire battled it out for postseason glory, it was a couple private high schools from Manchester that walked away with hardware this spring. Here’s a look at all the action:
Baseball
Division-I
The Trinity baseball team last won a state championship in 1992. After completing an 18-1 regular season, the top-ranked Pioneers broke that 34-year drought with an 11-4 win over sixth-seeded Londonderry in the NHIAA Division-I state championship on June 13.
To get there, Trinity defeated eighth-ranked Goffstown, 4-0, in the quarterfinals, and No. 13 Timberlane, 6-2, in the semis.
Division-III
The Derryfield School baseball team’s Cinderella run through the Division-III baseball tournament came to an end in the state championship game with a 10-2 loss to No. 3 Belmont.
Still, the runner-up finish signaled the continued assent for the Cougars, who earned 5-4 and 10-9 victories over No. 4 Gilford and No. 1 Monadnock in the state quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to reach the state finale.
Girls Tennis
Divison-I
The Derryfield School girls tennis team earned its third-straight Division-I championship with a down-to-the-wire 5-4 victory over Bedford in the state title match.
“It’s the excellence of the players,” said Derryfield Head Coach Gus Moral. “They are the ones who make it happen every year. They come into the season with a commitment, with a thought process that even though, in reality, we’d be a Division-IV school (based on school size), we’re playing in Division I. So they know they have the history, the heritage of good tennis over the years, so it hasn’t been just the last five years, it’s something we’ve been building over time, and I think, certainly, they’re good kids, they’re committed and they want to perform well. And that’s all I ask, is for them to go out there and perform and to do their best, and the outcome will be the outcome, but you cannot lie to yourself when you look in the mirror.”
The Cougars, who lost to the Bulldogs, 5-4, in the regular season, reversed that result when it mattered most, retaining the state crown after also defeating upstart Bishop Guertin the No. 3 seed, 5-4, in the state semifinals.
Boys Lacrosse
Division-II
The Derryfield boys lacrosse team reclaimed its throne atop Division-II with a dramatic 8-7 victory over top-ranked Winnacunnet on Saturday, June 13. The win earned the Cougars their eighth state championship.
“We expect to compete for the divisional title every year,” said Derryfield Head Coach Chris Hettler. “We have a great core group coming back and have some promising young incoming freshmen. Division II will be adding Division III state champion Coe-Brown, Plymouth, ConVal, Bow and John Stark, who should all come in and compete right away with the other remaining members of Division II: Oyster River, Hanover, Kingswood, St. Thomas, Hollis-Brookline, Souhegan and Pembroke.”
To reach the title game, Derryfield dispatched familiar foe Portsmouth, 10-7, in the state semifinals, perhaps the last time the rivals will compete in the Division-II state tournament with the Clippers expected to join Winnacunnet and Goffstown in a move-up to Division-I next season
“Divisional alignments are changing, and we’re hoping to keep these rivalries going, but you never know, so I told the kids, ‘you can never assume you’re going to get back here,’ so enjoy the moment, take a look around, take a deep breath and enjoy playing in front of your parents and family,’ things like that,” said Hettler. “Obviously, when you come our on top, it feels a lot better, but make sure you take a moment to enjoy these moments.”