Eric Ramage knows he set the bar high in year one.
The Mascoma High volleyball coach knows that the Royals trip to the NHIAA Division III playoffs last season wasn’t something many expected.
But the goal now for the second-year coach is making sure his players are growing on a consistent basis and making sure last year’s campaign isn’t a fluke.
“Year two is good,” Ramage said over the phone on Thursday. “We have some returning seniors. We play 16 games, so I’m breaking it up into four groups of four. The first group went really well. The team is figuring each other out with a lot of returning players but some new players.
“We’re in a big learning curve, trying to pursue excellence; we’ll be in a learning curve all season. Sometimes we’ll win, and sometimes we’ll learn. They really want to (get back to the playoffs), so I don’t have to try to motivate them to want to get back there.”
The Royals are off to a 5-1 start and things seem to be clicking. On Saturday, they defeated Trinity 3-1.
But Ramage knows things really haven’t got difficult yet.
Over the next three weeks, Mascoma will play five-straight matches on the road with a start time of 6:15 p.m. or later. The Royals also will face unbeaten Inter Lakes and a strong 5-2 Epping team.
One of the ways they’re are preparing for the tough tests ahead are through Ramage’s Navy SEAL language. While he never served in the military — he played college volleyball at Messiah College in Pennsylvania — he thinks the terminology can be effective in preparing his team.
“I think those are valuable life lessons to figure out how to pull together as a team,” he said. “They (Navy Seals) talked about being in the fog, and you lose a connection to your teammates. Then you’re under pressure, you forget really basic simple things. They call it finding the door out of the fog. You have to huddle together and stay positive, and then you gotta focus on the little details and work your way out of it.”
Ramage’s assistant coach is his wife, one of the many things that helps make the program a family atmosphere. The middle school program has seen a surge in numbers, and the junior varsity program is well on its way to learning the same system that’s used at the varsity level.
Last year with some recommendations from areal college coaches, Ramage was able to purchase some training equipment, such as a high-quality shooting target. His end goal is the quality of play, not championships.
He knows that goes hand-in-hand, though.
“My approach is, I call it the joyful pursuit of excellence that, we just learn, and I brand it everywhere,” Ramage said. “I did skills nights in the spring and summer and just tried to help them enjoy what they’re doing, but chase to get better. It’s kind of my fault if there not doing well because I didn’t teach them what they’re supposed to be doing.”
Patriot Game: Hartford High football held its annual Patriot Game on Friday, Sept. 20, against Middlebury. Despite the Hurricanes 31-17 loss to the Division I Tigers, it was a positive night for the Hartford community.
Players wore special game jerseys to honor U.S. military serviceman. A $500 donation from Middlebury, partnered with collections made throughout the game, resulted in $1,750 raised for The Veterans Place. An entire van load of bedding — sheets, towels, blankets, mattress covers — also was donated. When a veteran enters the shelter, they’re given a full set of bedding.
Raising awareness: On Monday, the Hanover High field hockey team will host Lebanon under the lights at 6:30 p.m.
Both teams are dedicating the game to the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD), in part because of the Marauders’ player Emma Marks. She was a patient of CHaD 15 years ago and went through eight surgeries for severe bilateral hip dysplasia.
Marks was forced to spend much of her time in a full-body cast, and there was serious concern if she’d ever walk again. Now, she’s a healthy senior playing a varsity sport, and she’s making sure to give back by partnering with Positive Tracks.
During the game a 50-50 raffle will be held and a table at the entrance will have a donation basket. All middle school and elementary school players are invited to the game to help celebrate Upper Valley field hockey.
Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.