Happy Spring.

The calender says it’s been spring for the last couple of weeks, but we all know it really starts this week.

When it comes to high schools, it’s a special season, ever since there wasn’t a season in 2020.

That was the pandemic plundered two months. No baseball. No softball. No track. No tennis. No lacrosse.

No fun.

But no more.

It’s our third straight spring season now. Two years ago the NHIAA did the smart thing with a regional schedule (they called them pods), and the tournaments had a little different flavor.

Last year, we were back to the regular format. And now this week you can put your Easter eggs in your favorite basket. Even Mother Nature is into it, as the temperatures are supposed to be in the 60s and dare we say 70s. Let’s play two.

Lacrosse fan? Bishop Guertin is still likely to rule the area, and maybe the state, in both boys and possibly the girls. Remember, the Cards lost a pretty good crew to graduation. Stellos Stadium will be busy, and later this week a pretty good matchup when the BG girls, Division I champs, host Portsmouth, the Division II champs who have moved up.

Baseball fan? You get your wish as the gates of Holman Stadium open on Monday. Nashua South will be playing, but actually the Panthers won’t be the home team as it’s Goffstown’s home game. Nashua North is set to be in there on Tuesday.

We’ve already had tennis, and some track teams opened up last week.

It’s the busiest season of the three. The daily local schedules are often filled with 30-plus events. We may have days with the temps feeling like February, but come June when the tournaments start, we’ll be in sleeves and shorts. Last spring , while BG ruled lacrosse, Hollis Brookline had a day on the final day of the season with a boys volleyball and baseball championship. Not bad.

We need a local team in the Division I baseball Final Four. We need Nashua baseball to get back into prominence. The semis are always at Holman Stadium, yet it’s been a while since Nashua or the local area has had a team there. It looked like the Panthers would make it last year, but they got derailed at Holman in the quarterfinals by upstart Exeter.

Back in 2017, there was a great day of softball at Southern New Hampshire University when Bishop Guertin won the Divsion I title and right after Milford captured Division II. The Spartans found their way back into the finals in 2021, but Campbell has been the dominant local school. It will be interesting to see the Cougars compete in Division II.

But it would be nice to see a local back in the Division I contender mix. Merrimack did make the semis back in 2021, only to fall to Concord; the Tomahawks will push to get back there.. In Nashua, the sport has suffered; North is still building and head coach Kevin Handy knows he’s been just a couple of players away from doing damage. In fact, it was fun to see the Panthers in the quarterfinals two years ago. Do they have the talent to do that again? Could be. Alvirne and Bishop Guertin likely do too.

Two years ago Nashua North had a magical two nights on the seacoast in winning the boys and girls track titles. We’ll see if there’s a chance for something like that again; remember, the track athletes had a full indoor season for the first time in three years so they’re in ready, set, go mode.

Yes, the busiest high school season is here. Happy Spring and Happy Easter/Passover Weekend everyone.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.

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