Marauder Soccer Receives Top Rating For Sportsmanship in Division One

We announce with great happiness that Hanover Boys Soccer has been announced as the highest rated Division One team for Sportsmanship in 2014 by the NHIAA.

This year, the process involved each coach meeting with the Athletic Director to rate all opponents in four categories: 

School Climate
Coaches
Athletes
Spectators

In each of those categories, coaches were asked to grade one of three ways:

Meets Expectations
Exceeds Expectations
Below Expectations

When rating either "Exceeds" or "Below" the coach was required to comment.

Hanover's soccer rating was 2.250.  The next highest were  Pinkerton  (2.125) and Bedford  (2.120).  Hanover  had 18 total "Exceeds".  They had at least 4 "Exceeds" in each category, meaning that a minimum of five other schools rated them this way.  The next closest school had 8 total "Exceeds".

This is the seventh time in the last nine years that Hanover Boys Soccer has received the highest Sportsmanship rating from the NHIAA.  The Marauders are also receiving a Silver Ethics Award for receiving only 2 yellow cards in 19 games.  Over the past two years, Hanover has had a total of three yellow cards in 39 games.

Competing successfully at the highest levels of NH high school soccer
(Semifinals each of the past three years, One title, One Runner-Up)  is
something of which we are very proud.  But we truly believe that the players, parents and coaches are even prouder of our consistent rating (by opponents and officials) for exemplary sportsmanship.  The NHIAA works hard to produce champions in a number of sports, but they consistently cite sportsmanship as their highest priority.   "Winning is for a day.  Sportsmanship is for a lifetime".

Hanover Soccer Teams Sponsor Benefit Spaghetti Supper

The HHS Boys' Soccer Program is sponsoring a Spaghetti Supper on Wednesday, December 17 at the Norwich Congregational Church to benefit the Haven Food Shelf.  All of  the proceeds will be part of our continuing support for the Haven.

We have scheduled the supper in conjunction with the Martion Cross School's Holiday Concert at 7:00 that evening, and are working with Principal Bill Hammond, who will be suggesting this dinner as a pre-concert option for MCS families.

We have arranged for the planning expertise of the 2014 Captains' Parents.  The Strohbehns and Kazals have done this sort of thing before, and we are grateful for their help.  We would love to begin the process of enlisting the help of other parents and players for that evening.

We need volunteers to help!  We would love to have assistance from parents and players from any/all of the HHS boys' teams.  This is a busy time of year, but a few hours and/or a few dollars will help us raise a lot of money in a short while for the Haven.  Please be in touch with me if you are willing to help, or would like more information.  Thank you!

Varsity Players Honored at Banquet

The Marauders closed their season in appropriately celebratory fashion on Friday, honoring a number of players at their final banquet.  Those honored were eminently deserving, and all present also acknowledged that the highest accolades belonged to the team overall.  The Marauders started the season with many question marks and ended it playing the best soccer in the state.  They received just praise from neutral observers for both the quality and style of their play.  They became the third Marauder team in three years to reach the Division One Semifinals, and their 13-5-1 record included a number of signature wins.  More importantly, the team earned a reputation for sportsmanlike plan and community service, and grew into a cohesive unit.  The sense of family was palpable at the banquet.

Master of Ceremonies Kris Strohbehn thanked a number of people, praising the parents for their continuing support, and singling out a number for their help with the Snack Shack, scoreboard, program book, filming, snacks and team dinners.  He also thanked Trainer Jeni Frechette and Snack Shack Superhero Jin Kim.  Team Captains Andrew Kazal presented gifts to Coaches Toby Niles,  Dave Barlow, Ben Snyder and Rob Grabill.

Coach Grabill priased the work of Kazal and Strohbehn  as Captains, and also Captains Parents Lou and Rebecca Kazal and Judi and Kris Strohbehn, and particularly Kris for his work on behalf of the Friends of Hanover Soccer.  He cited the excellent work of Coaches Ben Snyder, Mike Callanan, Rob Edson, Willie Johnson, Toby Niles, Dave Barlow and Erik McEwen.  Coach Grabill said a few words on behalf of each player, including injured varsity players Sam Strohbehn, Reilly Decker and Jules Evens, and honored Manager Jacob Ahrendt.  He thanked Ann Greenwald and Claudio Pikelny for filming games and Rick and Max Greenwald for their tireless efforts editing the final highlight tape, which can be seen on several Facebook pages near you.

The following players were honored at the banquet, and also had previously given honors announced:

Goals of the Year:  Asa Berolzheimer, Ian Caldwell, Noah Kahan, Sam Strohbehn

Rookies of the Year:  Jake Acker, Seth Stadheim

Most Improved:  Max Greenwald

Defenders of the Year:  Konrad Mitchell, Luke Strohbehn

Unsung Hero: Max Greenwald

Coaches Award:  Josh Wallace

Most Valuable Player:  Asa Berolzheimer

Sportsmanship Award:  Luke Strohbehn

NH Soccer Coaches Association Awards

All State First Team

     Asa Berolzheimer
     Luke Strohbehn

Division One Senior All-Star Game

     Andrew Kazal
     Luke Strohbehn

Lions Twin State Cup All-Star Team

     Luke Strohbehn

NHIAA Life of an Athlete Player of the Month

     Luke Strohbehn

At the close of the Banquet, Coach Grabill announced the four Captains for the 2015 season:
Asa Berolzheimer, Ian Caldwell, Jamie Dinulos and Jonah Levine

Finally and appropriately, Noah Kahan and Max Greenwald sang their now-thematic duet "Send Me On My Way".

There will be one more game on the Varsity schedule next week, as the Marauders will host the Alumni at 11:30 on Saturday, November 29 at Merriman-Branch Field.


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Marauder Teams Celebrate The Season

The four Marauder teams, their coaches parents and friends crammed in the HHS Gym on Thursday for a happy, energetic celebration of the 2014 season.  Fueled by a bountiful dessert buffet, the united HHS Soccer Family cheered each player, and also applauded a number of award recipients:

Freshmen

Captains:  Ben Parrado, Sam Pych, David Wilson

John Kelly Award:  Sam Pych

Sportsmanship:  Lincoln Adam, Graham Penfield

Reserves

Most Improved:  Dimitri Somoff

Top Scorer:  Benny Grantrish

Most Valuable Player:  Gabe Loud

Sportsmanship:  Arturo Johnson

Junior Varsity

Rookie of the Year:  Sam Ives

Most Improved:  Dan Healy

Best Offensive Players:  Robbie Murdza, Luke Messersmith

Best Defensive Players:  Jack Pattison, Lucas Adams-Blackmore

Coach's Award:  Roger Danilek

Sportsmanship:  Addison Wanner


The players enjoyed the world premiere of the HHS Highlight 2015 teaser trailer edited by Max Greenwald.  The longer version will debut next week, but the shorter version is pretty enjoyable.  Here's the link: 

http://youtu.be/ENBpujL2S-s

 

Finally, the players and parents gathered in the Greg Henberger Auditorium for the annual Music Recital, which was particularly entertaining.  The Soarthroats kicked off the evening, followed by Jules Evens on piano, a duet from Luke Strohnbehn on 'cello and Maz Greenwald singing,  the Strohbehn brothers on 'cello and piano, the sax quartet of Andrew Kazal, Jacob Ahrendt, Avery Kravitz and Brendon Amos, a solo number by singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, and finally a duet by Kahan and Greenwald, sending everyone on their way. It was spectacular!  So was the season!

NH vs. Vermont Game Celebrates the Season

Two days before the four HHS boys teams gather to celebrate the season, 30 players representing those teams gathered on the sunny Merriman-Branch turf and celebrated in their own perfectly-appropriate way, playing a competitive and spirited NH-VT game.  This is the 12th year of this contest, originated by former Head Coach Chris Cheney, and it continued the tradition of seeing unexpected players rise to stardom.

New Hampshire eventually won the contest 5-2, but for the majority of the game it was a tight 1-0 defensive chess match, characterized by excellent defensive play and sparkling goalkeeping, particularly by Reserve netminder Arturo Johnson.  New Hampshire grabbed an early lead when Freshman team phenom Ben Parrado won the ball at midfield and fed the ball to Griffin Johnson on the right flank.  Griffin hit a nice centering pass and Roger Danilek rose to meet it and hit it unerringly into the Vermont goal.  Unfortunately, Roger was playing defense for Vermont, and the own goal gave the Granite State a 1-0 lead.

Each side saw a potential scoring play come to naught.  Vermont striker Jamie Dinulos went down in the box and the please for a penalty fell on deaf ears.  Shortly afterwards, NH striker Seth Stadheim put the ball in the net but the goal was called back for offisdes.  The margin for NH remained one when Arturo Johnson made a nice save on a Stadheim bid.

Things heated up in the second half after a few position changes on both sides.  New Hampshire replaced Connor Edson in goal with Owen Brooks, allowing NH to use Edson as a central defender, where he paired effectively with Parrado.  New Hampshire fielded a midfield of Konrad Mitchell and Noah Kahan, and this trio helped their side dominate.  Johnson made a pair of great diving saves on Mitchell, and  on the other end Addison Wanner made a great defensive play on Dinulos, who was a constant threat, just missing a great shot past the left post.

New Hampshire saw several chances just miss.  Stadheim hit the post, and then the duo of Robbie Murdza and Sam Ives created two glittering chances, but could not seal the deal.  Ives picked Luke Strohbehn's pocket, but his subsequent shot was saved by Arturo, who was feelin' it in goal.

Hope blossomed for Vermont when defender Lucas Adams-Blackmore figured out Daylight Savings Time and jumped into the action.  New Hampshire would not be denied, however, and Noah Kahan's outstanding play resulted in a 2-0 lead when he broke in alone, had his shot saved by Johnson, and Stadheim potted the rebound.  Following a New Hampshire corner kick that almost saw Edson HEd in the cross from his fellow goalie Mitchell, Kahan drove home a loose ball and the New Hampshire led jumped to 3-0.  Vermont talisman Asa Berolzheimer helped pull a goal back with a nice assist on Jake Acker's goal.

Trailing 3-1, Vermont increased the pressure.  Avery Kravitz hit a hard shot over the ball, and Will Smith hit the side of the upright following a free kick.  Ian Caldwell, a stabilizing force all game at midfield, moved to center back and helped slam the door, along with Ben Sobel, who sat in as a sweeper in front of the back four.  Acker missed a second goal when he couldn't convert a cross from Tim Alibiozek.

Back in the Vermont end, Johnson made a nice save on a shot by Luke Messersmith, promoted to midfield after a solid first half on defense.  The ball found its way out to NH defender Adam Pikelny, and Mr. GoPro made no mistake, blasting a long shot high into the net.  Vermont kept pressing, and got a second goal by Avery Kravitz, but NH had the final word when Kahan collected his second score of the afternoon, going bar down before rushing home to launder his uniforms, all the better to turn them in on Wednesday.

Arturo Johnson was the very deserving winner of the Most Valuable Player Award.  The dazzling Simon Pearce trophy will be presented to NH Captain Kahan at the Soccer Celebration on Thursday. See you there!

Soccer Meeting Monday; Soccer Game Tuesday

There will be a meeting on Monday for all players who played HHS boys soccer this year, and all of those who want to play next year.  The meeting will be in the Gym during Activity Period, and last no more than 15 minutes.  This will be the final opportunity to bring in your soccer uniforms. There will also be information and forms for Grantham Indoor.

On Tuesday at 1:00, we will play the annual NH vs. Vermont game on the HHS turf.  This is open to all players.  NH players wear white.  VT players wear green.

We look forward to seeing all players and families on Thursday for the annual Soccer Celebration.  Please bring one dessert for the potluck, and be prepared to sample 3-4 types of dessert from the buffet.  We start at 6:30 in the HHS gym with dessert and drinks, followed by team awards, and then the annual Music Recital.  See you there!

Marauders Lose to Pinkerton in Penalty Kick Shootout to End Season

Hanover's season came to an abrupt end in the NHIAA Division One Semifinals on Wednesday, as the Marauders lost to Pinkerton Academy in a penalty kick shootout following an electrifying 100 minutes of tense, physical soccer which produced a 1-1 deadlock.  For the second postseason game in a row, Hanover came from behind to tie the match, rallying on a second-half goal by Asa Berolzheimer after falling behind in the first half.  The two teams battled through 20 minutes of sudden death overtime, and then the necessity of determining a winner resulted Hanover's second tournament shootout in four years.

Five players from each team lined up to take alternating penalty kicks, and Pinkerton's unerring accuracy gave them the victory.  After  Marauder Asa Berolzheimer and Astro Kyle Hicks, fierce combatants all game at midfield, had each converted their kicks, Luke Strohbehn's shot was saved by
Pinkerton goalkeeper Hayden Pavao. Two more Pinkerton kickers sandwiched successful shots around a shootout goal by Ian Caldwell, and the score stood at 3-2 in Pinkerton's favor. Hanover keeper Konrad Mitchell's shot then kissed the post in a near miss, and when Astro Colin Coutts converted his spot kick, the Marauder season was over and Pinkerton advanced to the finals.

The first half of the match was typical of tournament play, with defense predominating and few shots for either team.  Noah Kahan had a dangerous-looking turnaround shot blocked at the fifteen-minute mark, and Ian Caldwell left a calling card with a long shot over the top.  Pinkerton was also confined to shooting form long range, with serial sniper Alex Ebner launching several prayers, all of which either missed the mark or were gobbled up by Konrad Mitchell in the Marauder goal.  Pinkerton then got a shooting opportunity from way, way out, and it gave them a 1-0 lead at the 29 minute mark.  Center midfielder Kyle Hicks collected the ball 40 yards from the goal and hit a long, high shot that carried over a retreating Mitchell and tucked under the crossbar.  Neither team threatened thereafter, and the half ended with Pinkerton happily holding their lead.

The Marauders made a tactical adjustment at the start of the second half, moving Caldwell to a center forward spot, and the move paid immediate dividends.  Hanover looked rejuvenated on offense, creating a number of quality opportunities.  Caldwell came close on a shot following a nice centering pass from Jake Acker, and then a great run on the left wing by Jamie Dinulos created a good corner kick possibility for the Marauders.

Pinkerton was pinned in their own end of the field, and the one time they got into Hanover's end and lost the ball, it was their undoing.  Konrad Mitchell hit one of his patented goal kicks which carried well beyond the center circle, and after a fortuitous bounce near the top of the Pinkerton penalty area, it was collected by Berolzheimer, who took a touch and then artfully chipped it over a stranded Pavao and into the net for the tying goal at the 51:11 mark.  It was Berolzheimer's team-leading 8th goal of the year, and perhaps his most critical.

Hanover still had some momentum after drawing even, with Caldwell making a dangerous run on the baseline which earned another corner, and then penetrating yet again before shaking and baking once too often and losing possession close to paydirt.  Jonah Levine, courageously playing with a painful bone bruise, two days after shedding his crutches, took a dastardly shot from long range that barely sailed over the bar.

Having spent so much energy coming from behind to tie, the Marauders were them obliged to play some great defense.  Mitchell made a good save on a hard shot by Colin Coutts, and Max Greenwald continued his superlative defense to keep the Astros at bay.  Time ran out in regulation, and the teams headed to overtime. 

This was hardly unfamiliar territory for Hanover.  The Marauders had played five overtime games during the regular season, including their 2-1 victory over Pinkerton four weeks ago.  Hanover had a look or two in the first extra session, but they were forced to make several clutch defensive plays.  Luke Strohbehn, a tower of strength all evening, got his head on a dangerous Ebner free kick into the box.  Berolzheimer managed to break up a threatening free kick right at the top of the Marauder penalty area. In the second overtime, Ebner and Hicks both missed god opportunities, and at the other end Caldwell was just offsides after a nice buildup, and Berolzheimer also nearly shook loose.  All too soon, the sand ran out of the hourglass.

So ends a 13-5-1 season that was full of twists and turns, but happily found the Marauders able to play some of their best soccer when it mattered the most.  Penalty kicks are brutal, but they are a part of the game.  Hanover's had some good luck over the years with these excruciating tiebreakers, so there was no beefing this time around.  The Marauders swallowed their bitter pill with class and composure, congratulated their worthy opponents, and walked out of Bill Ball Stadium with heads high and no regrets.  There are so many stories to tell about this season, and fortunately there will be both time and opportunity to do so.  This was a season in which almost every player, starter or sub, demonstrated significant improvement.  The team, as a result, was much, much  better by the end of the campaign.

A few quick bon mots to close:  Hanover benefited significantly this year from the quality coaching provided by Ben Snyder and Toby Niles.  The latter dropped out of the sky in mid-September and quickly became indispensable.  He oversaw the goalkeepers but contributed a great deal more as well.  It's been a dream for years to have Toby on the staff, and this year the wish finally came through.  The team is grateful. And then there's Coach Snyder, about whom no praise could be too excessive.  Ben's been coaching for decades, and he invested so much of his time and energy and expertise and humor and wisdom and love.  Most of the players were tactful enough to disguise the fact that Coach Snyder is now their favorite Hanover coach, most of the time. Like quicksilver, he flowed into every crack which needed filling, never disturbing the equilibrium of what was working, but always improving everything he touched. For the second year in a row, Hanover was lifted to great heights by an overqualified assistant coach.  Thank you Ben, so very much.

The end of a season is always abrupt, but there will be a few more events to keep this crew knit together.  Looking back, the players will rediscover what may have been lost in the shuffle:  this aggregation registered some great victories, learned some great lessons, and cemented the fact that in their three years in NHIAA Division One, they are a class franchise.  Stay tuned for an eventful and happy off-season.  Thanks, parents, for your support.  Thanks, players, for trusting and giving of yourselves and putting the team first. Goodnight!