Sept. 13 Varsity/JV Game Time Change

The Varsity and JV games at Nashua South on Saturday, Sept. 13  (this was recently changed)  will now be played at 2:30 p.m.  The bus will depart at 12:00 Noon.

Game and Practice Schedule Aug. 30 - Sept. 8

Sunday August 31

2:00 – 3:15           Optional Varsity Practice -  HHS Turf Field

Monday, Sept. 1

5:00- 6:30             Varsity Practice – HHS Turf Field

Tuesday, Sept. 2

3:30 – 4:30           Varsity Film Study

3:40 p.m.             Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

4:00 – 5:30           Regular practices for JV, Freshmen and Reserves at Dresden

6:00 – 7:30           Varsity Practice – HHS Turf  Field

Wednesday, Sept. 3

2:40 p.m.             Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

3:00 – 4:30           Regular practices for Freshmen and Reserves at Dresden

4:00                     Varsity and JV Home Games vs. Concord

Thursday, Sept. 4

3:30 p.m.             Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

4:00 – 5:30           Regular practices for JV, Freshmen and Reserves at Dresden

4:00 – 5:30           Varsity Practice – HHS Turf Field

Friday, Sept. 5

1:00                     Varsity/JV Bus Departs for Exeter

3:30                     Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

4:00 – 5:30           Regular practice for Reserves at Dresden

4:00                     Varity and JV Games at Exeter

4:30                     Freshman Game vs. Bedford at Dresden Fields

Saturday, Sept. 6

TBA                    Freshman Game at Manchester Central

Sunday, Sept. 7

1:00                     Suicide Awareness Walk Starting at HHS  (Optional)

Monday, Sept. 8

 3:40 p.m.            Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

4:00 – 5:30           Regular practice for JV at Dresden Fields

4:00                     Freshman Game vs. Concord – HHS Turf Field

4:00                     Reserve Game vs. Mt. Royal – Dresden Field

6:00 – 7:30           Varsity Practice – HHS Turf Field

Junior Varsity Delivers in Home Opener

The Bishop Guertin teams were victims of a faulty bus, and got to Hanover an hour late.  In the JV game, they were then victims of a relentless offensive display from our boys, who dominated from start to finish in a shortened 4 – 0 game.

Robbie Murdza started the scoring 15 minutes into the match, chasing down a nice leading pass from George Geraghty to send a clean shot home for the lead.  The group substitution followed, and a flurry of shots peppered the BG defense, but none found the net.  The score was 1 – 0 at the half.

Then, in the second half, the scoring opened up.  With the aggressive midfield and defense controlling the game, the entire half was basically played on Hanover’s offensive side.  Shots began to find net, with Yedne Atkins lofting a corner cross to Jack Hazard, who, in his characteristically determined way, fought through a crowded box and nailed one at close range to double the lead at 2 – 0.  Geraghty got in on the scoring for the third Hanover goal, on a solid header off a blocked shot, and the tired visitors wilted even more.

Casey Starr finished off the scoring, scoring after corralling a long lead that glanced off a defender, and nailed a feisty goal around many bodies.  Minutes later,  the whistle mercifully blew, and Hanover walked off with a resounding 4 – 0 win in their opener.

The defense of Jack Pattison, Roger Danilek, Ben Sobel, Lucas Adams-Blackmore, Ingio Panos, Addison Wanner, Jensen Dodge, and the whole gang was stellar, and  Marauder keepers Harry Olszewski and Owen Brooks got very little action through the match.

Next up is a home match against Concord September 3 at 4:00 p.m.

-  Matt Starr

Marauders Open With A 1-0 Win Over Bishop Guertin

By Jared Pendak
Valley News Staff Writer

Friday, August 29, 2014
(Published in print: Saturday, August 30, 2014)

Hanover — After losing more than three-fourths of its total scoring production from last year’s undefeated state championship squad, one of the biggest questions facing the Hanover High boys soccer team this season is where its goals are going to come from.

With six seconds remaining in Friday’s season opener against Bishop Guertin, at least one answer finally came for the Marauders.

Sophomore striker Sam Strohbehn —the younger brother of 2013 Hanover graduate and former Marauders leading scorer Ian Strohbehn — uncorked a left-footed beauty from the left side in the final seconds, beating Cardinals goalie Ryan Schweizer for a 1-0 Hanover win in the season opener for both teams.

After a pass from the right wing by active defender Cian Kelly, junior Ian Caldwell sent a well-placed crossing pass to Strohbehn. The sophomore tapped the ball behind a defender and then ripped a lifted shot that tucked into the right side of the net for his first career goal. It was the 20th shot of the game for Hanover, which had a number of quality chances, but sent the ball clanging off a post of or high over the net. “We were getting shots, but not goals, the whole game,” said Caldwell, one of eight backups from 2013 who started for Hanover on Friday. “We finally got one on the board there at the end. (Kelly) sent in a great ball and Sam had a couple of great touches.”

For reasons both on and off the field, the score was a long time coming. Guertin’s bus broke down on Interstate 89 in Sunapee, forcing Cardinals parents to caravan the players in multiple trips and delaying the start of the game by 1 hour, 10 minutes.  After kickoff, Bishop Guertin’s defense was the main catalyst for the goose eggs on the scoreboard as Cardinals coach Paul Ostberg jam-packed the back line. Guertin yielded no shots on net, and made life difficult for a Marauders team striving to find chemistry with its new lineup. A tie would have felt like a victory for the Cardinals, who were 1-15 a year ago.

“Tactically, Bishop Guertin did what I would have done, too, if I were coming off that kind of season and coming in to Hanover,” Marauders coach Rob Grabill said. “They sat back, never went to the goal and stayed behind the ball. That would have frustrated a lesser team, but our guys stayed composed. We didn’t start chirping at each other, we didn’t commit any stupid fouls. I’m glad that the winner was such a beautiful goal. They really earned the result that they got.”

Hanover had plenty of chances, applying consistent pressure from the offensive end. Its first major scoring opportunity came nine minutes in and may have been its best chance until the winner. Caldwell — who was in the middle of things all game long — sent a crossing pass that Jamie Dinulos dove forward to head in stride. It just missed the right post. Later, strong bids by Seth Stadheim and senior defender Luke Strohbehn also went wide.

In the second half, the Marauders kept the tempo high and nearly scored on Jonah Levine’s shot off the right post. Levine later set up Kelly for an offering going over the net and through the football field goal posts. Kelly lowered his aim, but not enough, moments later when he put one off the cross bar. “I told the players, ‘Let’s not forget about the header by Jamie or the ball that hit the post,’ ” Grabill said. “As difficult as Bishop Guertin made things, we had plenty of chances.”

The Marauders were 19-0-1 last season while outscoring opponents 66-5. They lost three of the top 11 scorers in program history in All-American Daniel Hazlett (41 goals, 24 assists—65 career points; now playing at Dartmouth College), Rocco Linehan (25-22—47) and Xavier Tchana (30-12—42). Starting goalie Andrew Bynum and former stalwarts Evan Greenwald, Sam Carey, Jack Lightbody and Thomas LaPorta are also gone. Much of that nucleus had played together since youth league and for several seasons as varsity starters. Senior defender and co-captain Andrew Kazal acknowledged that the team is in search of a new identity. “It’s not the same as last year, because those guys had been playing together for a long time and we don’t really have that yet,” Kazal said. “We’re trying really hard to (establish) our own chemistry now.”

Free Kicks: The cause of Bishop Guertin’s bus breakdown was overheating because of an oil leak, according to Cardinals coach Paul Ostberg. ... Hanover was whistled offside twice in the first half, much to the consternation of its coaching staff. ... The Marauders had four corner kicks to none for Guertin. ... Schweizer made four saves for the Cardinals. Hanover’s Konrad Mitchell did not need to make any, but gathered a number of loose balls and launched a couple of towering drop kicks. ... The Marauders play three of their first four games at home, with 2013 semifinalist Concord coming to Merriman-Branch Field on Wednesday. Hanover beat the Crimson Tide 1-0 on the road in the semis last November.

Varsity and JV open the Season With Wins

Undaunted by the late arrival of the Bishop Guertin teams due to bus difficulties, and Marauder Varsity and JV opened the season with wins.  The JV beat BG 4-0 in an abbreviated game.  Stay tuned for a more detailed account tomorrow by our JV correspondent Matt Starr.  The Varsity has a bit more trouble scoring against a packed in defense, and finally got the game winner on San Strohbehn's first varsity goal with 6 seconds left to play in regulation.  Ian Caldwell had the big time assist.

Our schedule for the weekend calls for no sessions for any team Saturday and Sunday.  One slight change:  The Varsity will have a voluntary shooting practice on Sunday from 2:00 - 3:15 on the turf.

We have been fortunate to have Lars Blackmore shooting photographs at several of our games.  Here is the link to his individual and team photos of the Varsity and JV, and some action shots form the Lebanon scrimmages:  http://gallery.ameridane.org/Photo-Essays/HHS-Soccer-2014

Here's an important reminder for everyone in the program.  Students at Hanover, Lebanon and surrounding schools concerned about suicide among young adults are sponsoring the second annual Suicide Awareness Walk on Sunday, Sept, 11.  A number of HHS students participated laast year, and we encourage your participation this year.  Here is the information:

2nd Annual Upper Valley Suicide Awareness Walk
Sunday September 7, 2014
Starts at 1:00pm
@ Hanover High school back field/parking lot
To register and receive a free t-shirt: http://bit.ly/1oQn6Xe
Pre-registration is NOT required, but will ensure each registrant a tshirt.
To volunteer:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jdD11QV6jSCy-vNLyqCDedLZdEJCUW2AHd0mPg8-kv8/edit?usp=sharing

Preseason is Over - Let the Games Begin!

It's been 11 days since the start of preseason, back on that balmy Sunday evening when many of us met at the turf for the bleepin' beep test.  (Or was it the beepin' Bleep test?)  We started out with a list of 97 names on a list who quickly became flesh and blood students of every possible description:  swaggering seniors, jiving juniors, scatter-brained sophomores and fearful frosh.  Eleven days later, we've trained hard, scrimmaged, rehearsed set plays, tried on our uniforms, and now we're ready for the games to begin.  The Varsity and JV get the honors, hosting Bishop Guertin on Friday at 4:00, with the Varsity on Merriman-Branch Field, and the JV on the time-honored turf of George Merrill Field, next to the high school.  (Did you know that this location once housed the original Sachem Village?)

Timing-wise, today, there was a lot about today's practice schedule that I liked, because it allowed me to be in touch with every single player and coach in the program.  We started with a Varsity practice on the turf, jammed into a 90-minute window right after school.  In reality, the best we could do was to get going with 75 minutes before the field hockey team's scrimmage.  By the time we had finished warmups, we had less than an hour, but this was the day before a game, and it was all good.  We weren't  even bothered when the Windsor Field Hockey team marched onto the far end of the field and started setting up their cones.  Uh, coach?  ladies?

Twice during our warmup, I left things in Ben Snyder's capable hands and zoomed out in front of the high school to make sure that the practice busses  were going to arrive on schedule, so we could load up the 50 or so Freshman, Reserve and JV players headed to Norwich.   Mirable dictu, the busses came on time!  Two for the soccer mob, headed to the Pasture, and one for Reserve Girls Soccer, bound for Huntley.  Back to the turf!  Practice lurched foward, and we looked pretty shabby, the day after a very promising scrimmage with Hopkinton.  The only real coherent work being done was by Judi Strohbehn, planting mums and weeding the area in front of the snack shack.  Talk about over-qualified.  This wasn't bad.  No way we would be overconfident heading into tomorrow's game.
(Although sometimes Hanover teams can always find a way to be overconfident).

We ended our dress rehearsal for corner kicks with Luke Strohbehn emphatically heading a beautifully-driven Asa Berolzheimer serve into the back of the net.  Want a safe bet for the BG game?  Bet on Luke creating havoc in the box during corners and restarts.  We finished up with some good old bread and butter, and huddled for a bit after the workout was done.  This team is ready to compete tomorrow.

Now for the fun part.  I hopped into my car, which for the last 11 days had contained soggy soccer balls, mouldering pinnies,  various dew-bedecked lost and found items, leaking ice buckets, and sweaty players.  There was a certain olefactory je ne said quois within my trusty ride.  Good thing it was a windows-open day.  I pulled into my favored parking space at the Pasture.  It's the one right behind one of the goals, where it's certain the be hammered by balls high and wide of the net.  I stepped out of the car, and ........Paradise!  Everywhere I looked, there were hard-working soccer players on the glistening greensward.  The grass was mowed (oh, boy, does that field-maintenance episone seem like a long while ago!), the sky was blue, and the fleecy white clouds  scudded by on northerly breezes, presaging the dome of high pressure that will give us a sweet day tomorrow.

On the Farmer's Market field, Mike Callanan was prepping the JV for tomorrow's game.  He's a marvel.  48 years coaching, and he still has his team meticulously organized and ready to go.  Oh, and he was the last coach to leave the field at the end, hunting in the tall grass for a missing soccer ball.  He knows every one of his balls personally, and won't leave until they all accounted for.  Across the way, on the near end of the King Arthur Field, Rob Edson was putting the Freshmen through their paces.  They looked really splendid  in their flashy gold practice jerseys, and were working on a small-sided game to enhance their field vision.  Rob brought them together in time for me to offer them a small discourse on the value of proper hydration.  We really want all of our players to bring enough water to every practice and game so that they can drink copiously during, and then drink a lot more afterwards.  Those dinky little water bottles just aren't enough.  We need to start thinking in terms of half gallons. And the best way to re-hydrate after a session is with a 50-50 mix of water and sports drink.  Let's all try to work on this.  Oh, and I had time to give back some lost and found, so Brook got his shoes back from yesterday.  In my past life, I was GREAT at Lost and Found.

Then I spent a good 20 minutes watching Coach Willie Johnson working with the 28 members of the Reserve Team pool.  There were "only" 28 because 4-5 other candidates weren't there.  That's our current challenge:  How do we handle the 35 or so Reserve players?  We had 8-10 upperclassmen come out of the woodwork at the start of school, seeking spots on the team.  It's a nice compliment to the program, but it is a challenge.  Willie and I have been talking a lot about this, and we see a lot of good possibilities.  We're going to take a week to let everyone show us their commitment, and one of the advantages of this situation is that bar is being raised for everyone.  The days of Reserve Soccer being a casual, come-when-you-like affair are long gone.  They'll have fun this season, but the fun will come from working hard and showing up every day.  I have already calculated that 45- of these players will be on the JV next year.  We owe it to them to create a team situation where they can develop and become better players.  For our first game, we'll have a practice pool with every player in it, and pick a team of 22 or so for the next match up.  That way we'll have a realistic game management situation, and it gives us the flexibility to allocate playing time based on performance and attitude in practice, and also on the opposition.  The Reserves also figure to be excellent scrimmage opponents for both the JV and the Freshmen.  We're gong to devote a lot of time to making a logistically challenging situation into a win-win for every one of these players. It's worthy to note, by the way, that we have four foreign exchange students with us in the program.  They all appear to be doing quite well, and I am particularly excited to watch Inigo on the JV team and Joseph in goal for the Reserves.

5:30 came quickly, and all three of the teams picked up and crowded into the awaiting cars and First Student Bus, faithfully piloted by Warren Turner, my favorite driver. (Yes, I know many of these drivers.  That way I can get good reports on bus behavior.  So far, so good).   It was an amazing afternoon for me.  There were 74 players at the Pasture, and another 26 on the turf.  Exactly 100 Hanover High soccer players. That's crazy!  But we're equal to the task.  After the boys had left, all four Head Coaches  (Grabill, Callanan, Edson and Johnson) stood around and chatted.  And no, we weren't all resplendent in our red shirts.  But yes, we were all color-coordinated in gunslinger black.
And we talked shop for a good while,  about field use in the days ahead, and missing soccer balls (Edson is almost as anal as Callanan), and some of the players we all know in common, and tomorrow's games. Then it was time to head back across the river for everyone but RiverWillie.

I'm bone tired as I type this.  But it's good tired, satisfied tired, work-in-progress tired, proud of these players tired, TGIF tired. Big day tomorrow, and then a well-deserved weekend for all of us.  Thanks for your trust and support. Good times ahead.

Varsity - JV Schedule Change

This just in:  The Varsity and JV games at Nashua South scheduled for Friday, Sept. 12 have been moved to Saturday, Sept. 13.  Both games will kick off at 11:00.  More adolescent sleep loss.

First Day of School is a Productive One

The first day of school went smoothly at HHS.  The day was a blur for most of the students, although some remembered the free ice cream at the end of the day.  The freshmen, dazed and confused, staggered down to the scalding turf or Merriman-Branch field, donned their new uniforms, and proceeded to play a brilliant match against the Hopkinton High Junior Varsity.  Caleb Putnam and David Wilson scored in the 2-2 draw.  Sam Pych almost scored an ESPN-worthy goal, tipped onto the bar by the goalkeeper.  Henry Kahl directed traffic at midfield, auditioning for a future gig on Lebanon Street before and after school.  Ben Parrado calmly controlled the defense from his center back spot.  Harris LaRock made a very effective debut in goal.  The Marauders took advantage of their ten subs on a sweltering day.

The Varsity took their turn next and submitted a greatly improved effort against their Hopkinton counterparts, the defending state champions in Division 3.  Hanover took a 1-0 lead in the first half on Luke Strohbehn's conversion of an Asa Berolzheimer corner kick.  The Marauder upped the lead in the second half on Berlozheimer's successful penalty kick conversion.  Hopkinton pulled a goal back on a free kick after goalkeeper Patrick Logan handled the ball at the edge of the box.  Hanover continued to dominate play for the rest of the match, however, and were never threatened.  The Marauders welcomed several players back to action after they had been sideline with injuries.  With or without them in the lineup, Hanover looked more efficient and composed on offense, and created a number of chances. 

All four HHS teams will be training tomorrow as we finally get into a regular routine.  The Varsity will be on the turf from 3:00 - 4:30.  The JV, Reserves and Freshmen will be at the Pasture in Norwich. The practice busses will leave at 3:40, and practice will go from 4:00 - 5:30.  The bus back to HHS will leave at 5:45.  Parents may pick up their players in Norwich.  Players may drive to and from practice and ride with other players once they have completed their transportation questionnaires.  These will be distributed at practice in Norwich tomorrow.

The Freshmen and Reserves will practice in Norwich on Friday, and the JV and Varsity will host home games on Friday at 4:00 against Bishop Guertin on the turf and on the HHS grass fields, respectively.  All teams will have Saturday and Sunday off.  The Varsity only will practice on Labor Day.

Hanover JVs Lose To Lebanon on Last- MInute Goal

On a hot afternoon on the home turf, a tight contest ended with a minute to play, as the visitors found an opening and launched a goal, and the 1 -1 tie was over, as was the game. 

The first 25 minutes went scoreless, although Lebanon sent a number of shots to the net.  One finally found the mark when the boys up the road sent 3 players on a run against 2 defenders, and a hard shot from the left side gave them a lead that held up well into the second half. 

Robbie Murdza tied the game when the keeper came out too far, leaving Murdza with an open shot that he put on the mark.

That’s where it stayed until the last minute of the game, when the Lebanon striker slotted the game winner.  2 -1 Lebanon.

Yedne Atkins and Robbie Murdza made some good shots that just missed, and the junior midfielder line of Casey Starr and Peter Huizenga on the wings, along with George Geraghty at center mid, all were strong, defending, passing, and advancing with skill and determination.  Jack Hazard was flying all over the field and playing great defense, and Lucas Blackmore and Roger Danilek kept things close by closing down multiple Lebanon runs.

The first regular season game is Friday at home against Bishop Guertin.  Be there on the home grass at 4:00.

School Starts Wednesday - Marauders are Ready!

Tuesday was a productive day for the Marauder soccer program, as everyone readies for the start of school.  The freshmen, aided by a number of upperclass leaders with soccer pedigrees, made their way through orientation, and then trained at the Pasture in preparation for their scrimmage with Hopkinton at 4:30 Wednesday on the turf.  Players should be at the field no later than 3:30.  Coach Grabill will be there with uniforms for the game.  The Reserves also trained at the Pasture, and will do so tomorrow form 3:00 - 4:30, joined by the JV.  There will be bus service available to and from the Pasture, departing HHS at 2:40 p.m.

The JV and Varsity teams received uniforms, posed for pictures, and entertained their Lebanon counterparts for back to back scrimmages at simmering Merriman-Branch Field.  The JVs created a number of good offensive chances, and looked particularly good in the second half, rallying to tie the match on a goal by junior striker Robbie Murdza.  Lebanon stole the match in a goalmouth scramble in the dying minutes, walking off with a 2-1 win.  The Varsity had their moments against a strong, determined Leb side.  It appeared as the match would end in a scoreless draw, but the Marauders gave up a late corner and cleared poorly, and the visitors nicked a goal at the death of the match to win 1-0.
There were lots of lessons learned for both teams.

The Varsity hosts Hopkinton at 6:15 on Wednesday.  It's possible that the team will meet prior to the game for film study.  Please stay tuned to the blog for updates, and also check here and on Facebook for a link to the game film of the Lebanon game.  Varsity players should wear their white uniforms on Thursday, and report to the field no later than 5:15.

The final event of the night on Tuesday was a well-attended meeting for players and parents. Althletic Director Mike Jackson distributed "Permission to Treat" forms and also distributed the Code of Conduct for players and parents to sign.  Players whose parents were not able to attend brought these forms home for discussion and signatures, and they should be returned to the athletic office.  Players who could not attend the meeting should pick up these forms at the office.

Coach Grabill discussed the bus transportation to practice, which will leave every day 40 minutes after school.  The bus will also return to HHS 15 minutes after practice.  Coach Grabill also discussed the driving permission forms, which will be distributed in the next few days.

Finally, Coach Grabill discussed the "Life of an Athlete" program, which is sponsored by the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association.  The program offers schools a wide variety of resources to help student-athletes reach their full potential, with information and programs to promote better nutrition, improve sleep habits, and make better lifestyle choices.  "Life of an Athlete" stresses working with the Code of Conduct process, and promotes improved team culture and student leadership.  This link provides and overview:  http://nhiaa.org/PDFs/5306/ProgramOverview.pdf
We will be providing information about this program regularly, both through the coaching staff and on the blog.

Junior Varsity and Reserve Squads Named

These are the 2014 Junior Varsity and Reserve Squads.  It was obviously a challenge to make these selections.  We're fortunate that the Reserve squad this year will be well-coached, with a challenging schedule.  And we're glad that it has been demonstrated that a player can progress from the Reserve Squad one season to the JV in the next one.  Several more players may be added to the Reserve roster if they are able to demonstrate their commitment.

The Junior Varsity should report to the High School at 2:30 sharp to receive uniforms, have individual and team photos taken, and scrimmage Lebanon at 3:30 on the turf field.  (Varsity should report at 3:00 for uniforms and photos, and will scrimmage Lebanon at 5:00.

Reserves and Freshmen will practice from 3:30 - 5:00 at the Pasture.  All four teams (and their parents) will meet at the HHS gym for the Preseason Meeting at 7:30.  Please drink lots of water during the day, and bring a lot more to practice!

Junior Varsity

Brendan Amos
Yedne Atkins
Lucas Blackmore
Owen Brooks
Alvaro Cooper
Roger Danilek
Jensen Dodge
George Geraghty
Jack Hazard
Dan Healy
Peter Huizenga
Sam Ives
Griffin Johnson
Sander Macaulay
Adam Mendelsohn
Luke Messersmith
Robbie Murdza
Harry Olszewski
Inigo Panos
Jack Pattison
David Seigne
Ben Sobel
Casey Starr
Addison Wanner

Reserves

Liam Abbate
Jacob Arendt
Aidan Connolly
Graham Dickson
Daniel Felde
Benny Gantrish
Joseph Glock
Gwynn Granizo-Mackenzie
Hayden Hatfield
Arturo Johnson
Jonathan Klotz
Ryan Kynor
Gabe Loud
Sam Lutz
Cameron Marshall
Kaz Matsuoka
Angus McClalland
Avery Monahan
Francesco Navarro
Jack Olszewski
Wilson Rimberg
Tenzing Rumrill
Dimirti Somoff
Tenzin Tashi
Allesandro Vasconi
Avery Wallis
Daniel Wilson

Schedule Updates and Game Schedules

First, a couple of quick schedule updates, followed by the publication of some of our game schedules:

There is no Varsity practice on Monday morning.  There is one practice for all teams form 3:30 - 5:00 at the Pasture.  We are looking forward to welcoming some new faces. Please remember that every player is expected to be properly equipped with shin pads, and every player must bring ample drinking water.  The next three days will be August hot!  All players who were on the JV squad Saturday are reminded to bring their uniforms  (shirt, shorts, socks), cleaned and bagged, with player's name on the bag.

Please remember that all players and parents are invited to the Program Meeting on Tuesday at 7:30 in the HHS gym.

Here is the latest draft of the Varsity/JV Game schedule, followed by the Freshman schedule  We don't anticipate too many changes, although we are hoping to add another game to the Freshman schedule, since Bishop Guertin just cancelled their match with us.

HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER

VARSITY/JV SCHEDULE 2014

Preseason

Tue.    Aug.   19      Alumni                                                             7:00 p.m.

Wed.   Aug.   20      Windridge Scrimmages:  Stowe, Colchester

Thu.    Aug.   21      Windridge Scrimmages:  Rice, Essex

Sat.     Aug.   23      Keene Jamboree                           Depart    6:00 a.m.  

Tue.    Aug.   26      Lebanon                 JV at 3:30, Varsity at   5:00 p.m.

Wed.   Aug.   27      Hopkinton   Freshmen at 4:30, Varsity at 6:15 p.m.

Regular Season

Fri.      Aug.   29      Bishop Guertin                                       4:00 p.m.

Wed.   Sept.    3      Concord                                                    4:00 p.m.

Fri.      Sept.   5      at Exeter                                                    4:30 p.m.

Tue.    Sept.    9      Londonderry                                             4:00 p.m.

Fri.      Sept.  12      at Nashua South                                       4:30 p.m.

Tue.   Sept.  16       at Salem                                                      4:30 p.m.

Tue.    Sept.  23      Bedford                                                      4:00 p.m.

Tue.    Sept. 30       at Manchester Central                              4:30 p.m.

Fri.      Oct.   3       at Keene                                                      4:30 p.m.

Mon.  Oct.   6       at Manchester Memorial                            4:30 p.m.

Wed.  Oct.    8        Nashua North                                             4:00 p.m.

Fri.      Oct.  10       at Pinkerton Academy                              4:30 p.m.

Tue.    Oct.  14       Winnacunnet                                              4:00 p.m.

Fri.      Oct.  17       Timberlane  (Homecoming)                     6:30 p.m.

Tue.    Oct.  21       at Alvirne                                                    4:30 p.m.

Fri.      Oct.  24       Dover                                                         4:00 pm.

                     

NHIAA Division 1 Tournament

Wed.   Oct.   29      First Round                                               6:00 p.m.

Sat.     Nov.    1      Quarterfinal Round                                  2:00 p.m.

Wed   Nov.     5      Semifinals – Exeter                         4:00/6:00 p.m.   

Sat.    Nov.     8      Finals – SNHU                                         6:15 p.m.

 

		FRESHMAN BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE
		2014
DATE	OPPONENT			HOME/AWAY		TIME
F 9/5	BEDFORD			HOME		4:30
S 9/6	CENTRAL				AWAY
M 9/8	CONCORD			HOME		4:00
S 9/13	DOVER			HOME		11:00
F 9/19	MEMORIAL			HOME		4:00
S 9/20	EXETER			HOME		2:30
S 9/27	SALEM				AWAY	4:30
F 10/3	LONDONDERRY				AWAY	4:30
T 10/7	PINKERTON				AWAY	4:30
S 10/11	KEENE				AWAY	11:00
S 10/18	CARDIGAN MT. SCHOOL				AWAY	3:00
FRESHMAN COACH:		ROB EDSON

Marauders Flourish at the Keene Jamboree

Shrugging off their dawn departure, the Hanover Varsity and JV had a productive morning at the Keene Preseason Tournament, joining over 16 teams in a series of 30-minute matches spread over four fields with simultaneous action.  When the dust had cleared, the Marauder Varsity had a clean slate with three wins and a scoreless draw against D2 and D3 opposition.  Hanover scored 12 goals, and had four consecutive shutouts.  The Junior Varsity beat D2 opponent Pembroke 2-1, had scoreless draws with D1 foes Concord and Keene, and lost a well-played match to the Monadnock Varsity.

The Varsity opened with a 0-0 draw with a capable Con-Val side, controlling the action for most of the match.   In the next match with Brattleboro, the Marauders continued their airtight defense, but sharpened up on offense, getting two goals from Noah Kahan and one from Henry Allison for a 3-0 win.  The floodgates opened against Stevens, with Hanover prevailing 6-0.  Freshman Seth Stadheim  opened his account with two goals.  Noah Kahan tallied his third goal of the day adding an assist, and the Marauders got single scores from Ian Caldwell, Cian Kelly and Avery Kravitz. After an hour's break, the Marauders enjoyed the wide open spaces of Keene's main field, and beat Berlin 3-0.  Kahan had his fourth goal of the day, Stadheim tallied his third, and Allison volleyed home his second.  Cian Kelly and Asa Berolzheimer each collected their second assists on the day.

Yedne Atkins scored Hanover's lone goal in their loss to Monadnock, and then joined with Casey Starr to tally the goals that gave the JV a come-from-behind win over Pembroke.

Sunday will be a well-earned day off for the entire program before the program gears up for a busy, busy week.  The Varsity practice at 10:00 at the Pasture has been cancelled. Every player in the program will report for duty at the Pasture on Monday from 3:30 - 5:00, and the final JV team will be named Monday evening.  On Tuesday, the JV and Varsity will  have team photos at 3:00, and then scrimmage Lebanon on the turf, at 3:30 and 5:00, respectively.  The Freshmen and Reserves will practice at the Pasture from 3:30 - 5:00.  Then the entire crew will gather with parents in the HHS gym for an all-program meeting at 7:30.

School Starts on Wednesday, and the JV and Reserves will inaugurate bus service to the pasture for their training sessions at 3:00.  The Freshmen will scrimmage Hopkinton on the turf at 4:30, followed by a Varsity scrimmage with the Hawks at 6:15.

JV Squad Listed For Keene Tournament

The following players will travel to Keene as the JV squad on Saturday.  The bus will depart at 6:00 a.m. sharp.  Players are responsible for bring breakfast with them if they do not eat before the bus leaves.  Players must provide their own water.  There are concessions there for lunch after the games are finished at 11:00.  (The Varsity will be finished by 11:30).  The bus will return by 1:00 p.m.  Players may not return with parents unless we have a signed not before the bus leaves.

Players should dress in comfortable practice gear.  Uniforms will be provided on the bus.

Travel Squad:

Brendan Amos
Jacob Arendt
Yedne Atkins
Lucas Blackmore
Owen Brooks
Alvaro Cooper
Roger Danilek
Graham Dickson
Jensen Dodge
Daniel Felde
George Geraghty
Jack Hazard
Daniel Healy
Peter Huizenga
Sam Ives
Griffin Johnson
Sander Macaulay
Adam Mendelsohn
Avery Monahan
Robbie Murdza
Harry Olszewski
Inigo Panos
Jack Pattison
David Seigne
Casey Starr
Addison Wanner

Next Step - Naming the Junior Varsity

Even though the rain (or the threat of rain) wiped out many of our plans today, we are on track for our next step in the process of putting our teams together.  We'll huddle after the morning workout of JV candidates of Friday, and name the JV squad that will attend the Keene Jamboree on Friday.  We'll do that by 2:00 on Friday, and post it here on the blog.  We may make an adjustment or two before we finalize things next Tuesday, after we get to know some of the four foreign exchange students who will be joining us this season, but the squad that goes to Keene will be 95 percent final.

Every sophomore or junior remaining in the pool of players will end up on either the Junior Varsity or the Reserve team.  All of the remaining freshmen will be on the Freshman team.  The Freshman and Reserve rosters will be announced on Tuesday.  Tuesday's a busy day:  we'll take team and individual photos of the JV and Varsity, and both team have home scrimmages with Lebanon.  We'll finish the day with a meeting for all players and parents in the HHS Gym at 7:30.  We'll be finished no later than 8:17.

A few schedule reminders:  The team dinner tomorrow evening at 6:00 at the Kazal home is for varsity players only.  Remember to park at the high school.

The Varsity and JV teams headed to Keene on Saturday need to be at the high school at 6:00 a.n. sharp.  Six.  A. M.  Both teams will be kicking off at 8:00 sharp.  We will be home shortly after 1:00.  Some of your fellow students will be just waking up by then.

Bulletin - All Trainings Cancelled Thursday

All JV and Freshman soccer training has been cancelled for today, Thursday August 21.  Training will resume Friday for both groups at the scheduled times:

JV  (all upperclass)   10:00 - 11:30

Freshman  3:30 - 5:00

If freshmen have the opportunity to pick up Chrome books today, they should do this.

Report From Windridge

We had an uneventful trip to beautiful little Roxbury, VT, and arrived in time to move into our cabins:  Will, Jake,  Patrick, Marcus, Adam and Seth are in a sung little cabin for six.  Next door, the other 19 are in a large double cabin they have nicknamed "AD".  I am sure some of you get the reference.

We dressed for the 11:30 match with Stowe, had a good warmup, and kicked off against the defending VT Division 2 champs.  Stowe is coached by my good friend Brian Buczek, who works for Windridge, and helped me bring this event into being five years ago.  It's grown since those early days. They are expecting close to 16 high schools here in the next four days.

After a scoreless first half, Stowe broke on  top 1-0 after a giveaway in our box gave their striker a clean loo at goal. It was exactly the same play as the one which  decided the summer league championship two weeks ago.  Same central characters, who will remain nameless.

We rallied in the second half and scored two late goals.  Avdery Kravitz created both of them,causing all sorts of mayhem on the left side.  He sent a ball through the box and several people had looks at it before Cian Kelly ghosted in at the back post and tied the game.  A few minutes later, Avery beat his defender to the baseline and centered a ball that was knocked back to Jake Acker, who ripped it into the net for the winning goal.  Defenders Max Greenwald, Ian Caldwell, Luke Strohbehn, Cian Kelly and Reilly
Decker played well.  The starting midfield of Asa, Jonah and Josh controlled the match.

We went straight to the dining hall for lunch, and enjoyed barbeques chicken, rice with beans, carrots with a few green beans thrown in, and corn muffins.  Nice, light pregame meal, washed down with a lot to drink and a few granola bars for dessert.  Mmmmm.

After a ten-minute nap, we got to the fieldin time for our afternoon  match with Colchester, the defending Division One champion.  They were really up for the game, wearing their game uiforms.  The first half was scoreless.  Neither side had many good looks, and Patrick Logan wasn't tested in goal.  Seth Stadheim and Tim Alibozek created some good chances, but we weren't in a position to finish.

Our subs enjoyed an edge over their starters in the second half, but neither team did much as the hot afternoon got hotter.  Their coach was keeping time, and interestingly,  the game ended just as Seth broke in alone on the Colchester goal.  We laughed it off.

We had two good hard games, with everyone healthy playing a lot, no one getting injured, and
our injured guys resting.  We're playing ourselves into shape, and learning a lot.

After the game, the team adjourned to the swimming pool, which was said to be quite chilly.   Perfect for Andrew Kazal's post-game icebath.  Most players went in for a dip, and a good number stayed long enough for a game of"500" that cooled their cores.

We'll have supper at 7:00, an evening program with some guest lectures by college coaches (both the Middlebury and Norwich coaches watched us today), and then some s'mores over the campfire.  Open flames, sharp sticks, sugar, and 25 energetic high school students.  What could possibly go wrong?

Stay tuned for an update tomorrow!

p.s. Check out this link to some great photos of last night's Alumni Game:

https://www.facebook.com/mike.stinson.14/media_set?set=a.631915636907216.1073741929.100002663555085&type=1

p.p.s  There is no Freshman training Thursday afternoon.  Training will resume Friday at 3:30.

Varsity Team Named,And Now Battle Tested by Alumni

Today was a long and productive day for the program.  The second day of double sessions concluded with the naming of the 25-Man varsity team.  It's a strong group, capable of playing well now, and extremely well in a couple of months.  Congratulations to Jake Acker, Tim Alibozek, Henry Allison, Asa Berolzheimer, Ian Caldwell, Reilly Decker, Jamie Dinulous, Connor Edson, Jules Evens, Max Greenwald, Marcus Helble, Noah Kahan, Andrew Kazal  (co-Captain), Cian Kelly, Avery Kravitz, Patrick Logan, Jonah Levine, Konrad Mitchell, Adam Pikelny, Chris Powell, Will Smith, Seth Stadheim, Luke Strohbehn (co-Captain), Sam Strohbehn, and Josh Wallace. 

The team travels to Windridge Wednesday and Thursday  (8:00 departure Wed. morning, as stated in thee-mail to all parents, and announced at the Alumni game) for four competitive scrimmages against some strong Vermont opponents.  Meanwhile, all of the candidates for the sub-varsity teams will continue to train for the rest of the week.  All upperclass players will attend the JV training from 10:30 - 12:00.  Freshmen will train from 3:30 - 5:00.  The JV squad for the Keene Tournament will be announced on Friday afternoon at 2:00.

The newly-named Varsity team received their annual baptism by fire on Tuesday before an impressive crowd at Merriman-Branch Field, playing a star-studded Alumni squad.  The well-stocked Alumni team had a squad of nearly 30 players, and it was littered with for Marauder Captain, All New-England players, and college veterans.  Having already worked hard during two training sessions, the newly-minted Marauders played superbly, and held the alums scoreless for more than 40 minutes before Rocco Linehan ripped a laser from outside the 18.  Former Wesleyan All-American Woody Redpath, currently the KUA Head Coach,  added a goal, and then Dartmouth-bound Daniel Hazlett, New Hampshire's current Gatorade Player of the Year, chipped one in.  The current Marauders never lost their shape, and the reserves who played a lions share of the time gave ample evidence that they deserved to be Varsity players.  To a one, they are eager to return the favor at the second Alumni Game on Thanksgiving Weekend.

We're not sure if the rustic internet access at Windridge will permit a Wednesday update, but we promise a full accounting by the end of the day Thursday.  Thanks to every player who participated in the tryout process for hard work and a positive approach.  This portends to be a wonderful season for all four teams!

Opening Day Goes Well - Alumni Game on Tap

The first day of double sessions went well for the Marauders.  Over 70 players reported for double sessions. We started the first session by acknowledging JV Coach Michael Callanan's 48th year of coaching high school soccer.  Although he is focusing on the season ahead, he is also planning ahead for years 49 and 50!

The mixture of drills and scrimmages allowed all five coaches the chance to observe the players in a variety of circumstances.  There is some sense of immediacy with Varsity candidates, since the team will be named at the end of practice tomorrow.  There are many more candidates who are capable of playing on that level than there are spaces available.  These will be hard choices, and there will be some tough cuts.  However, because we are able to guarantee every player a spot on one of our four teams, it cushions the blow somewhat.  There will be a number of players who may not be initially happy with their placement, but we are confident in our ability to make these placements, and to balance the individual developmental needs of every player with the best interests of each team.

Tuesday night, the scene shifts to Merriman-Branch Field for the annual Alumni Game at 7:00.  The Alumni team seems to be taking this year's match pretty seriously. They have even printed tee shirts for the occasion.  The game will be highlighted by a pair of father-son confrontations, with alum Jim Mitchell hoping to score on Konrad in the Marauder goal, and the first-ever Strohbehn family clash, with alums Kris and Ian  (father and son), squaring off against younger brothers Luke and Sam.  We are looking forward to greeting former Marauder Captain Angus Kennedy, just returned from his work with Grassroot Soccer in South Africa and Zambia.  Everyone in the program is welcome to this entertaining event!

Marauders Are Off and Running

Hanover High preseason soccer got off on the right foot Sunday evening with a short team meeting, followed by fitness testing.  69 players were on hand at Merriman-Branch Field, and all but a few were able to try their hand at the "Beep Test".  The overall fitness level of the collective group was quite good.  Junior Asa Berolzheimer and Sophomore Will Smith finished Level 16, and Junior Reilly Decker was close behind at Level 15.  Juniors Addison Wanner, Ian Caldwell and Dan Healy, Sophomores Griffin Johnson and Jake Acker, and Freshmen Sam Pych and Seth Stadheim  rounded out the top 10, all finishing Level 14,  Nearly two dozen more players  finished Levels 12 and 13.  It was a great showing.

The scene shifts to The Pasture Monday morning for the first of two days of double sessions.  Each session will start with a series of technical drills, followed by full-field scrimmages that will allow the best possible chance to evaluate every candidate.  Monday morning, the green-clad freshmen will play the orange/red sophomores, and the snow-white juniors will tackle the seniors, all in black.  The afternoon session will see mixed rosters during the scrimmages, as we get down to the serious business of seeing as many "bubble" players as possible.

Tuesday's session will follow the same format, and the Varsity team will be announced at the end of the Tuesday practice.  The Varsity won't wait long for their first chance to play together, taking on the Alumni at 7:00 Tuesday night on Merriman-Branch Field.  Wednesday morning at 8:30, the Varsity will leave for two days of scrimmaging at the Windridge Tennis and Sports Camp in Roxbury, Vermont.  The Marauders will play Stowe at 11:30, and Colchester at 2:30.  On Thursday, Hanover will play Rice at 10:00, and finish off with traditional rival Essex at 1:00.  The Marauders will return to Hanover at 5:00 Thursday.   They will train on Friday morning at 11:00 at the Pasture, and meet for a team dinner at the Kazal home at 6:00 Friday evening.

The schedule for all teams is posted here on the blog, and is still current.  We'll go into a bit more detail on practice details as the week continues.

Trainer Jeni Frechette will be available in the training room (or on the football field) on Monday from 7:00 - 11:30 a.m., and from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.  Please see Jeni for any pre- or post-training  needs.  We will have ice and first aid available at all training sessions.  Players are always responsible for drinking water. Mouthguards will be distributed at the end of the week, and will be required for all players, beginning with the JV and Varsity games at the Keene Jamboree on Saturday.

That's it for now!  You know where to find me.  Good work today.  Start learning the names of any player you do not know.

New Faces on the Hanover Coaching Staff

We're very fortunate to be adding several new faces to an already strong Hanover coaching staff for the fall. All three of our subvarsity Head Coaches are back:  Mike Callanan returns for his 10th year as JV Coach, after a season that saw his Marauders win the Division One JV Championship, and which saw him honored as Division One JV Coach of the Year.  Rob Edson will be in his third season as Freshman Coach, and Willie Johnson returns for a second year as Reserve Coach.

In addition to the above three mentors Hanover is fortunate to welcome three assistant coaches, all with Upper Valley roots.  Erik McEwen, an Hanover High graduate and current member of the HHS staff, will be an assistant for all three subvarsity teams after a successful summer helping with the Touchline Soccer Club.  Tommy Clark and Ben Snyder will both be assistants with the Varsity.

Dr. Tommy Clark needs little introduction to the Upper Valley soccer community.  He moved to Hanover as a sophomore, when his father, Bobby Clark, began his successful career as Dartmouth's Head Coach of men's soccer.  Tommy was Captain of the Hanover team that went 16-1-1 and won the Class I Championship in 1987.  TC was an All-American, and moved across the street to Dartmouth to play for his father.  He was a member of several Big Green teams to win the Ivy League title and participate in NCAA competition, and was an All-New England selection in 1991, the year he was Dartmouth's Captain.  After a year playing professional soccer for the Bulawayo Highlanders in Zimbabwe, Tommy returned to Hanover to attend Dartmouth Medical School, graduating in 2001.
After his graduation, he founded Grassroot Soccer, which in the intervening years has grown into a hugely successful and influential force in the worldwide effort to prevent HIV/AIDS.  As the current CEO of Grassroot, he supervises a far-flung army of staff members and volunteers, working in several African countries to raise awareness of the needs for AIDs testing and education.  Tommy remains one of the Upper Valley's best soccer players. Having played for semipro teams in New Mexico and Vermont (the Voltage), he continues to train hard and demand the best from everyone he plays with.  He'll be joining Marauder workouts as his schedule permits, and is eager to help push every player to reach his potential.

Ben Snyder will also be assisting with the boys varsity team this fall. Ben is the Head of Upper School at Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, MA and is on sabbatical for the 2014/15 school year.  During his playing career Ben played at Bowdoin College and has coached continuously since his playing days concluded. Ben has been the varsity boys (16 years) and girls (3 years) soccer coach at Nobles during the course of his twenty five year tenure at Nobles. During his coaching career Nobles won five Independent School League and five New England Prep Championships, had a fifteen year run of postseason play and accumulated over 200 wins and a winning percentage of over .800. Ben was the 1999 National Soccer Coaches Association's New England Coach of the Year and was recently inducted into the Nobles Athletics Hall of Fame along with his 2002 New England Championship team. Nobles soccer teams have won numerous NSCAA Academic Team Awards and close to one hundred former players for Coach Snyder have played at every Ivy League university and NESCAC college as well as Duke, Stanford, Boston College, Haverford, Johns Hopkins, Washington University, University of Chicago and University of Virginia. Coach Snyder also has sent four players to play in MLS and Europe and had multiple players participating in state, regional and national level programs.
At Nobles, Ben has overseen all aspects of the Nobles academic, afternoon and extracurricular high school programs for twenty years, taught history, coached hockey, advised students and has taken over 200 students on service, cycling and academic trips to Vietnam, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Africa and New Orleans. Prior to Nobles Ben was a college admissions director, consultant for a small software and consulting firm and development director for another independent school. Ben's wife Sarah Dickenson Snyder is a long time English teacher at Nobles (also on sabbatical and former director of three middle schools) whose family has been in and around the Upper Valley for over fifty years. Ben and Sarah's daughter Abby played soccer at Bowdoin and is currently teaching middle school English in inner city New Orleans. Their son David graduated from Hamilton College and is teaching math in Denver, Colorado.

As you can see, there is no shortage of coaching talent on hand for the Marauders this fall  (and we actually have several others who will also be assisting).