Telegraph photo by TOM KING Seeing just a few fans in the stands at Stellos Stadium, and all from one school, was a strange but necessary site last week during the first week of the return of high school sports.

NASHUA – They did it. One week-plus is in the books for the 2020 high school fall sports season.

Nowhere was it busier than at Stellos Stadium, which saw seven Nashua High School North vs. South varsity contests on the turf at Motta Field, and nearby Mines Falls with two big cross country meets.

Sure, it may have been a little weird for some to see the stands with a limited number of fans, plus none for the visiting teams, be it North or South.

“Weird’s a good word, but accentuating the positive, it was just good to see kids out playing,” South athletics coordinator Nate Mazerolle said. “(Last) Monday was fantastic. Got to see field hockey, volleyball, then soccer the next night.

“The protocols are absolutely necessary. We have to do this the right way. We have to keep people safe. The kids are so happy they have this opportunity – especially our seniors, for obvious reasons.”

And strange to see a North-South football game with just a low number of fans, all for one school.

“Again, not ideal,” Mazerolle said. “But ask any kid who is out there, they’ll take it.”

So will all the athletic personnel around the state.

“Lisa (Nashua athletics director Lisa) and the other ADs acrosse the state have done a fantastic job,” Mazerolle said, adding the athletic directors have had at least one Zoom meeting a week “getting ready for this.”

Everyone got to see some great athletic contests after everyone was idle for the spring.

“The kids are ecstatic about it, as are we,” Mazerolle said. “That’s why we got into this business, to watch kids get this opportunity.Whatever it takes, we’ll make sure we do it the right way. Safety and health will always be the priority. But it’s Friday night, and we’re watching football.”

For girls volleyball at South’s Belanger Gym, Mazerolle would spray and disinfect the volleyballs. His North counterpart, Dante Laurendi, did the same when the two teams met at North.

“I didn’t think that was something I would add to my resume,” Mazerolle joked. “But the overused phrase is the ‘new normal.’ But if that’s what it takes to get volleyball games or whatever event in, fine, I’ll do whatever it takes within the protocols.”

And that got Mazerolle looking ahead, given the indoor nature of the sport.

“We’ve got to start thinking winter,” Mazerolle said. “But of course,we’ve got to get through this first.”

But now, though, they have the blueprint.

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What did we see that first week at Stellos? Here are a few observations:

First, the Nashua South field hockey team has a natural scorer in Kaitlyn West, who pumped in seven goals in the two games vs. North. Granted, the Titans are a team looking to improve, and not the strongest defensive team out there, but it was obvious West has a good connection with her teammates and they look to feed her the ball. It will be interesting to see how any upper echelon teams in South’s scheduling grouping handle her.

—- The Nashua North girls are vastly improved from a year ago and have two great offensive keys in Ari Dumaine (two goals) and Emilee Deleo, but also keep in mind that a defense led by Kaitlyn Laurendi helped shut out the very capable Panthers not once, but twice (2-0, 1-0).

— Watch out for Nashua South boys soccer again. The Panthers are extremely skilled, and are hoping their depth can be a match for, say, possible Division I title favorite Manchester Central if they meet down the road. Four different players scored for the Panthers, but their sparkplug still looks like Manny Orozco Alvarez. But what Panthers coach Tom Bellen reminds us is that this is all a five week preseason with the tournaments being open, so the Panthers and others will use that time to jell.

“We’re going to mess around a little bit,” Bellen said, “because this essentially all preseason.”

—- Panthers girls coach Lauren Keating certainly wasn’t happy about losing twice to the Titans, but she knows better days – and seasons – are ahead. Why? She has two freshmen that can give defenders fits, in speedy Soraya Ross and Ella Benzekri. The best is yet to come for those two.

—– North girls volleyball has a player to really watch. It’s sophomore hitter Alyssa Stanton, who has quite a kill shot when given the opportunity. One knowledgeable observer asided that if she continues to improve, she could be one of the best players in Division I down the road.

—- No one is taking this for granted, knowing one outbreak, however small, can shut a season down for at least two weeks. “We don’t know what tomorrow is,” Titans girls soccer coach Jacqueline Thompson said. “Play for today. … That’s how we’re focusing on things, because you don’t know what will happen. Every day we play as it is the last.”

But on the flip side, the players were just thrilled to be on the field.

“Oh I was so excited,” Deleo said. “It feels so nice. Playing all year, then missing six or seven months, it feels very good to get back on the field.”

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The Milford High School athletic community has been hit with a couple of very tough losses in these last few weeks.

The latest was the horrible death/alleged murder of Jon Amerault, who graduated in 2013 and was the captain of the cross country plus indoor/outdoor track teams.

“He was just a really good kid and was doing really well for himself,” his coach at Milford, Mike Wright, told the Keene Sentinel.

Last month, the Spartans sports community lost recent graduate and heralded softball pitcher Jenna DeAngelis, the victim of an auto accident.

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