CROSS COUNTRY

Nashua PAL advances to Nationals in Alabama

Two Nashua PAL Cross Country teams and one individual advanced out of the regional bracket held in Harrisville, R.I., on Nov. 21 and will be advancing to the USATF Nationals on Dec. 11 in Hoover, Ala.

The Bantam Boys team were led by Kyle Fisher, who finished 28th with a time of 12:46. Other strong performances were turned in by Alex Koutsos, Connor Dube, Brendon Frost, David Pike, Zack Bethiaume, John Sullivan and Joseph Ntengeri.

The Midget Boys team was led by two top 10 runners – Camron Jackson (sixth, 11:01) and Conor Canfield (10th, 11:08) – and will also be moving on to the Nationals. Also helping the team move on to the Nationals were Connor Muise, Ryan Vermette, Aidan Sullivan, Simon Morrier, Ryan North and Tyler North.

Rebecca Ntengeri from the Bantam Girls team finished 14th overall in 13:11 and will advance to the Nationals as an individual runner.

Striders strong at Regionals in R.I.

It was a great weekend for the Gate City Striders Youth members at the Region 1 championships in Burillville, R.I. Teams from New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and part of New York competed for a chance to compete at the Nationals in Hoover, Ala., on Dec. 11. The top three teams in each age group race and the top 20 individuals qualified to move on.

The Intermediate (15-16) girls team took first place with a near perfect score of 16 points on the 5k course. Coutney Hawkins won the race in a time of 17:47 followed closely by Samantha Hicks in second (18:05), Rachel Springman in fifth (19:25.41), Cassie Wright in sixth (19:25.86), Felicia Lombardi in 11th (19:48), Christiana Pike in 14th (20:03) and Emily Benz in 15th (20:07).

The youth (13-14) girls team also qualified for nationals, placing third due to a tie-breaker with Granite State Flash on the 4k course. Megan Philpot was the first GCS runner in sixth place (14:56), followed by Brianna Lippitt in ninth (15:03), Mellissa Hiatt in 19th (15:24), Shauna Salem in 27th (15:51), Victoria Lizotte in 34th (15:59), Aimee Krafft in 66th (17:27), Sabrina Bishop in 67th (17:28) and Rachel Nakos in 75th (17:51).

Also moving on to nationals were in the Young Women (17-18) Erica Notini (first, 19:15), Midget Girls (11-12) Danielle Poublon (sixth, 11:49, 3k), Youth Boys (13-14) Tim Fafard (15th, 13:40, 4k), Midget Boys (11-12) Tim Tamulonis (13th, 11:20, 3k) and Bantam Boys Justin Carbonneau (fifth, 12:05, 3k).

BOXING

PAL boxer wins in Somersworth

Nashua Police Athletic League boxer Tommy Abreu won a decision last weekend over the Claremont Boxing Club’s Michael Darling in a 145-pound Novice Division bout at the Tri-City Christian Academy in Somersworth.

With the win, Abreu improved to 3-2 in USABoxing sanctioned amateur bouts.

GYMNASTICS

NSG competes in Dover sectional

The Nashua School of Gymnastics prepares for State Competition as it participated in the second Sectional held at Tri Star Gymnastics in Dover. The gymnasts needed an All-Around score of 33.00 to qualify for the state competition to be held in December.

LEVEL 4

Age group 6-8

Emily Colburn qualified with an All Around of 36.625 (2nd). She earned 9.05 on vault, 9.10 (2nd) on bars, 9.10 (2nd) on beam, and 9.375 (2nd) on floor.

Cory Foster qualified with an All Around of 34.425. She earned 9.175 (3rd) on vault, 8.40 on bars, 7.45 on beam, and 9.40 (1st) on floor.

Age group 9-10

Emma Lynch qualified with an All Around of 34.825. She earned 9.125 (3rd) on vault, 8.85 (2nd) on bars, 7.95 on beam, and 8.90 on floor.

Reece Greenleaf finished with an All Around of 32.325. She earned 8.50 on vault, 7.25 on bars, 7.70 on beam, and 8.875 on floor.

LEVEL 6

Age 11-12

Blake Boulia qualified with an All Around score of 34.175 (3rd). She earned 9.00 (1st) on vault, 8.00 on bars, 8.40 on beam and 8.775 on floor.

Kayla Townsend qualified with an All Around score of 33.85. She earned 8.55 on vault, 8.30 (3rd) on bars, 8.35 on beam and 8.65 on floor.

HOCKEY

Nashua Squirt II wins one, ties one

The Nashua Panthers Squirt 2 team recently earned a 3-1 win over Chelmsford and a 2-2 tie against Andover.

Nick Dapolito opened the scoring against Chelmsford at 5:48 of the first period. Isaiah Kepnes scored the eventual game-winner at 3:57 of the second period and added an insurance goal just three minutes later. Both goals were from tough angles that somehow found their way into the net.

In the tie against Andover, Elise Yabroudy continued her hot hand with a goal and an assist and Andrew Cavanagh scored the other goal for the Panthers. Danielle Chisholm and Brenna Cox led a depleted defensive corps in both games, alertly clearing the puck from in front of the net and moving the puck out of their zone. Daniel Smith continued his solid play between the pipes, giving up only three goals in the two games.

BASKETBALL

CYO

Jr. Mites (third-fourth grade)

In CYO Jr. Mite action, the St. Christopher’s parish team beat the younger-but-tough St. Christopher’s school team at Resurrection Center. Joseph Noon led all scorers with 14 points, with strong offensive support from James Bolton, Andre Laplante, Chase Nickerson and John Puksta. Chris Inzerillo was tough under the boards for the parish squad. Grace Lambert and Natalie Sheehy showed good court sense during the contest. Ameke Okorie led the charge for the school team, with offensive support from Manny Mendoza, while point guard Matt Thibault was tough at both ends of the floor.

Mites (fifth-sixth grade)

The St. Chris Mite boys posted their first win of the season, 26-18, over Presentation of Mary Academy at the St. Joseph’s church hall. Mason Dane (10 points), Mike Meads (five), CJ Barrett (four) and Grant Coy (four) handled the scoring, with defensive and rebounding support from Finn Littlefield, Tommy Ethier and Sam Martin.

The St. Christopher’s girls Mites won their opening game, 16-11, over Infant Jesus School.

Molly Dee poured in eight points, receiving scoring help from Isabelle Gosselin, Emily Moran, Erika Dahl and Charlotte Labonte all with two points each.

Cadets (seventh-eighth grade)

Sarah Shields led all scorers with 12 points in the St. Chris Cadet girls 50-8 win over Manchester’s St. Pius X. The entire St. Chris roster – Megan Kerutis, Marie Laplante, Taylor Choate, Adezi Okorie, Jackie O’Connell and Jessics Zalzal – scored in the game.

The St. Chris Cadet boys came up on the short end of a three-point game to the tough Resurrection Crusaders at Tyngsborough (Mass.) High School.

Myles Cassin-Reed, Rob Holbrook and Sam McCarthy led the St. Chris scoring effort in the 45-42 loss.

Nighthawks strong in Bedford tourney

The Nashua Nighthawks finished play at the Bedford Jamboree and placed four of their five teams in the semifinals, and three of their five teams in championship games. The following is brief summary of the weekend’s games.

Eighth Graders

The eighth grade Nighthawks fell to the Merrimack Heat in the semifinals, 63-51. Matt Lavallee led the ’Hawks with nine points and eight rebounds. Demitri Jackson and Dan McCoy each had eight points. Rounding out the scoring for Nashua was Mike Habibi and Mike Osgood with five points each. Josh Goulet, Christian Sullivan and Alex Boudreau each finished with three points.

Seventh Graders

The seventh grade Nighthawks defeated Londonderry 54-24. The ’Hawks received strong play from Ben Seegel (16 points) and Chad Olivieri (12). Patrick Sullivan continued to play tough defense and caused multiple turnovers, while Dylan Gamache pushed the ball in transition. Nashua received points from Collin Morrow (three), Casey Fisher (4pts), Garrett Bozek (four), Ryan Penkala (four), Jarrett Wilson (two), Brint MacDonald (five) and Shane LeGraw (four). The win placed Nashua in the championship game against Bedford.

In the championship, Nashua fell behind early to a talented Bedford and never fully recovered. Despite the loss, Olivieri was named the tournament MVP. During the championship, Olivieri led the Nighthawks with 12 points, while Penkala (six) and Sullivan (five) also played well. Rounding out Nashua’s points were MacDonald (three), LeGraw (three), Garret Bozek and Morrow.

Sixth Graders

The sixth grade Nighthawks defeated Merrimack to advance to the championship. Leading the ’Hawks was DJ Frechette and Rohan Patel with 11 points each. Max Osgood led the team with 14 rebounds. Stephen Signorello and Jishnu Siddabathula also dominated the boards. Cyrus Forcier, Kevin Genao, Joey Bernard and Alex Moody also chipped in on the offensive end. Defensively, Owen Amigo and Zach Boyer played well. The Nighthawks battled, but fell short in the championship game, losing to Bedford. Despite the loss, Frechette was named tournament MVP.

Fourth Graders

The fourth grade Nighthawks defeated Jaffery in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. Guard play was key with both Brendan Choate and Gabriel Perrault (eight points) playing well. The Nighthawks also received strong bench play from Chase Hart (six points) and Jake Robbins (four), while Andrew Moody, Spencer Desrosiers, Casey McNally and Nevan Roy controlled the boards and played great defense. Andrew Penkala and Jeffrey Reza played key roles in the victory with points, rebounds and defense.

The Nighthawks faced Bedford in the championship, but fell short, losing 37-30. On offense, Moody (six points) and Roy (seven) controlled the boards, while Perrault (four) and Choate controlled the point and distributed the ball from the point guard position.

Also contributing points in the defeat were Reza (four) and Penkala (six). Robbins, Hart, McNally and Desrosiers provided great toughness on the defensive end, and each came up with key steals and rebounds. Despite the defeat, Nevan Roy and Patrick Gillis earned co-MVP honors for the tournament.

SWIMMING

FINS outswim STORM

The Southern New Hampshire FINS swim team splashed to victory over the Greater Nashua YMCA STORM at the team’s first dual meet of the season on Nov. 7. During the meet, the following FINS swimmers broke team records: Becky Dionne, girls 15-19 200 backstroke; Oliver French, boys 13-14 500 freestyle; Emma Gosselin, girls 11-12 400 IM; Katie Mahoney, girls 11-12 200 backstroke; and Vaugn Mihok, boys 8 and under 50 backstroke.

The following FINS swimmers took first place in one or more events: Emma Bolton (11-12 200 free); Joel Copson (13-14 50 free; 100 fly), Abby Dewitt (15-19 100 fly); Becky Dionne (15-19 50 free, 200 back); Sindhu Donepudi (910 50 free; 100 free; 50 back); Monique Duchesne (13-14 50 free); Jennifer French (15-19 200 free; 500 free); Elise Gosselin 15-19 400 IM); Emma Gosselin (11-12 50 free, 50 breaststroke, 400IM); William Gosse (15-19 100 fly); Halley Lizotte (15-19 200IM); Katie Mahoney (11-12 500 free, 200 back); Mitchell Mahoney (11-12 200 free, 500 free); Murray Mahoney (9-10 50 free, 50 fly); Taylor Martell (15-19 100 breast); Austin McCalmont (13-14 100 breaststroke); Kylie Mihok (11-12 100 free); Vaugn Mihok (8&U 50free; 25 fly); Sean Mullaly (15-19 100 back); Sierra Mullin (11-12 50 fly); Jane Ostberg (8&U 25 back, 25 fly); Margaret Panteli (13-14 500 free); Sam Root (15-19 400IM); Caroline Shusta (13-14 100 fly, 200IM); Michael Shusta 11-12 50 breaststroke, 200IM); Claire Spencer (13-14 11 back); Mackenzie Sweeney (13-14 100 breaststroke, 200IM); Olivia Thrower (9-10 50 fly; 100IM); Anthony Vitale (15-19 200 free, 500 free); Jane Winarta (13-14 200 back).

Also swimming strong for the FINS were Brooke Bakhit, Catherine Bolton, Katie Brink, Tessa Brouillard, Kaylee Champa, Elena Copson, Wetha Donepudi, Amanda Dowed, Rebecca Duchesne, Amit Eshed, Noam Eshed, Lauren Flanagan, Robert Gosse, Natasha Kumar, Jane Lehto, Andrew Mahoney, Michael Mahoney, Mary Martin, Haley Miller, Madigan Murphy, Jack Olsen, Mary Olsen, Katherine Panteli, Sydney Peterson, Gourav Pullela, Claire Puranananda, Hannah Root, Jessica Root, Olivia Shusta, Colton Skavicus, Lucy Steer, Caitlyn Swartz, Lindsay Swartz, Sucheta Tamragouri, Ashley Thrower, Jessica Thrower, Sarah Ward, Rebecca Wuorio and Eileen Zhuang.

The FINS is a USA Swimming club based in Nashua. FINS swimmers compete in USA Swimming-sanctioned meets as well as New Hampshire Swim Association dual meets. For more information, visit snhfins.org.

CHEERLEADING

Nashua PAL spirit wins Regional title

Defeating cheer squads from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut, the Nashua Police Athletic League Force U15 senior cheerleaders were crowned Regional Champions last weekend at the American Youth Football and Spirit Regional Cheer Championships at the Verizon Center in Manchester.

With their victory, the PAL girls advanced to the National AYFS Championships in Kissimmee, Fla., on Dec. 11. As a U13 squad comprised largely of the same girls, the PAL team won the U13 Blue Division national championships last year, and hope to return to Nashua with another national title.

Competing on the PAL squad are Morganne MacKay, Alyssia Savage, Sara Bevilacqua, Alexandra Thompson, Elizabeth Ellison, Bryanna Griffin, Justice Grondin, Jamie Lavoie, Amanda Shaughnessy, Hailey Fraize, Brianna Terrizzi, Alyssa Burns, Holly Burns, Hailey Dube, Victoria Grady, Victoria Poulin, Kaleigh Dozois, Brianna Lyons, Carmen Butler, Aneisha Canto, Alicia Columb, Amanda Boudrot and Arie Foreman.

Newsletter