Since the Hanover High boys soccer team departed NHIAA Division II for D-I prior to the 2012 season, the Marauders and former neighboring D-II rival Lebanon have conducted preparatory scrimmages before every regular season and postseason in order to stay acquainted. This week, select members of the Raiders and Marauders are being united as teammates, as well.
The second annual Granite State Games — pitting teams from four New Hampshire regions in an Olympic-style tournament at Southern New Hampshire University — includes nine Lebanon players and eight from Hanover on team Monadnock.
The team also includes two players from Stevens and one each from Mascoma and Fall Mountain. The Raiders’ Rob Johnstone is Monadnock’s head coach for the second straight year, with Hanover coach Rob Grabill and the Cardinals’ Jason Stone as his assistants.
Johnstone is quite familiar with both — Stone previously spent six years as the Raiders’ junior varsity coach, while the relationship between Johnstone and Grabill goes back to the mid-1980s.
“I actually painted his house in 1985, when he was coaching New Hampshire College (now SNHU),” Johnstone said. “He turned that program into a national power and has been very successful everywhere he’s gone, whether it’s Hanover High or, just as importantly, working with young kids in the area.”
Many of Monadnock’s players from both Hanover and Lebanon were at one time mentored by Grabill, including Johnstone’s son, Owen, who received goalkeeping tutelage from Grabill as a pre-teen.
Familiarity also persists among the Hanover and Lebanon players, and not only from their autumn scrimmages. Both sides of Sunday’s 3-3 New Hampshire Soccer Conference summer league draw between Norwich-based Touchline and Plainfield-based Central Supply included a handful of Monadnock’s players.
Two days before squaring off at Norwich’s Huntley Meadows, they’d held the first of two practices at Hanover High as Monadnock teammates. The second practice session came Tuesday.
“It was a really good game, an intense game, and then it was, like, ‘OK, see you guys Tuesday,’ ” Johnstone said of Sunday’s NHSC battle. “It’s actually pretty cool the way it’s set up, because both programs have a lot of respect for one another.”
Especially with limited practice time, it also helps that Hanover’s and Lebanon’s players tend to approach the game similarly.
“With two practices, you don’t really have time to put a system in place; it’s more about going over the principles of the way you play,” Johnstone said. “We as coaches and really all of the players are very much in agreement on the way the game should be played, so that part of it has been great.”
Thursday’s 9-1 win over Lakes Region included one player from Hanover and one from Lebanon at center defensive back (Sam Pych and Carter Adams), wide defensive back (Henry Kahl and Noah Didehbani), central midfield (Jake Acker and Graham Chickering) and wide midfield (Sam Strohbehn and Julian Stott).
Monadnock has also made teammates of NHIAA Division III rivals Tucker Stegner, of Mascoma, and Stevens’ Noah Spaulding, both starting forwards.
Lebanon’s Davis Cole was the starting goalie for the opener Thursday, while Hanover’s Patrick Logan started in net for Friday’s game against Southern.
“They’ve all done a really good job bouncing ideas off of each other, and all have the same goals in mind,” Johnstone said. “We talked about playing time and everyone agreed that we’ll have our first unit out there, and after 20 minutes have the second unit go out en masse. We want to take advantage of our depth.”
Monadnock, which won the inaugural Granite State Games a year ago, looks to defend its title while wrapping up the tournament with two games today.
Van Orman, Alden Move On: Oxbow High athletic director Hank Van Orman and Mid Vermont Christian School AD Tom Alden are both departing. Neither school has named a replacement.
The move was geographically motivated for Van Orman, a Barre, Vt., resident who is becoming athletic director at U-32 in East Montpelier.
A former Mount Anthony Union High and Norwich University offensive lineman, Van Orman was later an assistant recruiting coordinator at Norwich and offensive line coach at St. Johnsbury Academy before coming to Oxbow in 2013 to replace Rich Thornton.
Van Orman called the move “unanticipated.”
“I felt very much at home at Oxbow and in the greater Bradford community,” Van Orman said. “When (U-32’s) opening came up, I put a lot of thought and consideration into it before deciding to pursue it.”
U-32 is seven minutes from his home, Van Orman said. Getting to Bradford in the morning could take up to 45.
Van Orman oversaw improvements to Oxbow’s cross country and track & field facilities, including a revamped running trail for the cross country team and a pole vaulting pit for track. He also hired Olympians football coach Sean Murphy, who led them to a Vermont Division III postseason berth a year ago before a narrow loss to Woodstock.
“I’m going to miss the people and kids at Oxbow. There has been a lot of support and a lot of positive developments in the last three years,” Van Orman said. “We’ve gotten a lot of compliments from officials, spectators and opposing teams about sportsmanship and things like that. Working with those people is what I’ll miss most.”
Applications for Van Orman’s replacement are due June 30 and interviews will likely begin the week of July 11, according to Oxbow Principal Doug Harris.
Alden is moving back to his native Texas and is planning to pursue a career in sales after a single year as Mid Vermont’s athletic director and physical education teacher.
The Tyler, Texas, native is relocating to the Dallas area, where his wife is becoming a fifth-grade literature and language teacher at Heritage Christian Academy, he said.
Alden’s replacement will be MVCS’ third physical education teacher and athletic director in three years. Headmaster Bob Bracy hopes he or she will begin before July 31.
James Recognized: Outgoing Hartford High athletic director Joe James was presented a blue sport coat for his abbreviated tenure as Vermont State Athletic Directors Association President, and received the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Award of Merit last month at the VSADA’s final meeting of the school year.
A VSADA officer for the last five years, James had been slated to serve as president for one more year, but his Hartford AD job was eliminated along with four non-administrative Hartford High jobs in March to help close a $1.1 million budget deficit. James is becoming the Hartford Memorial Middle School athletic director and a Hartford High math teacher.
All outgoing VSADA presidents receive the navy blue coat, which James wore to Hartford High’s senior awards night while presenting the school’s athletics awards.
James was presented the NIAAA Award of Merit based on his seven years of service as Hartford High A.D., VSADA treasurer and membership chair Bob Hingston said.
“Joe did a great job conducting meetings and getting people together for us at VSADA, and he did a great job at Hartford,” said Hingston. “One of the things he’ll be remembered for most is all he did to get bowling off the ground and helping to get that to be a varsity sport. He’s very deserving of the award.”
Boisvert Resigns: According to a source familiar with the developments, Shannon Boisvert has resigned after 11 years coaching Lebanon High’s girls soccer team.
Attempts to reach Boisvert and outgoing Lebanon athletic director Zac Stevenson for confirmation were not immediately successful.
Boisvert’s teams were 110-71-17 (.800), including 11-8 in postseason play. The Raiders reached the NHIAA Division II quarterfinals on five occasions, with a pair of semifinal berths and the 2010 state championship.
They reached the quarters or farther seven times in eight seasons from 2006-13, going 10-4-5 and reaching the semis three years ago.
Lebanon went 4-12-0 and 3-11-2 during the last two seasons, respectively, missing the playoffs both years.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.