Girls soccer

Stevens 3, Fall Mountain 0

The Stevens girls soccer team will make their fourth straight trip to the NHIAA Division III playoffs after Saturday’s 3-0 win over Fall Mountain in the quarterfinals.

Payton Ferland had two goals and  Liza McManus one for the undefeated and top-seeded Cardinals (18-0). Jillian Castenada, Zoey Friesen and Alexis Castenada had assists and Audrina Pelton registered her 15th shutout of the year.

The Cardinals will face the fourth seed, St. Thomas Aquinas (13-2-1), in Tuesday’s semifinal in Bedford.

Stevens beat St. Thomas during the regular season, 3-1, in an away game on Oct. 6.

Cross Country

Hanover girls win DII Meet of Champions

A week after winning the NHIAA Division II cross country championship last week, the Hanover girls had another dominating performance, winning the New Hampshire Meet of Champions at the Hills House course in Hudson, N.H. by 60 points.

The Bears placed four runners in the top 10, led by Megan Faris (third),  Aria Deeb (seventh),Millie Larrick (eighth) and Lila Muirhead (ninth). Hanover’s Alice Bell was14th among 144 runners with Lila Marchetti 26th and Grace Stewart 28th.

The Hanover boys, who also won the Division II title last week, finished second in the Meet of Champions behind the Division I champion, Pinkerton. The Bears’ Ben Groves was fifth and teammate Isaac McNaughton 10th. Alexander Collins and Dylan Faris were 27th and 28th respectively and Oliver Collins was 51st in the field of 140 runners. 

“The girls finalized their dominance,” Hanover coach Eric Piconni said. “They did not lose to any New Hampshire teams all season. It is a remarkable feat when one sees what great competition there is among all of the New Hampshire divisions.”

After a one-point win over Coe-Brown for the Division II crown last week, the Hanover boys took second by a comfortable margin over the Black Bears at the MOC with Division I powerhouse Pinkerton capturing the title. 

“The boys remain the best D2 team of the year and the second best in the state overall,” Picconi said.

Carl Russell of Mascoma was 39th and Lebanon’s Annie Hanna was 74th in the girls race.

Next up are the New England Championships, the final race of the season.

Results: Girls – Hanover 40, Oyster River 100, Exeter 101, Pinkerton 102, Bedford 190, Hopkinton 209, Bishop Guertin 217, Windham 241, Concord 246, Keene 261. Boys – Pinkerton 49, Hanover 105, Coe-Brown 129, Keene 161, Oyster River 206, Londonderry 220, Monadnock 239, Bishop Guertin 256, Nashua South 262, Salem 275.

Upper Valley runners compete at Vt. Meet of Champions

Hartford High’s Sylvia Johnson finished 13th in a field of 101 runners at Saturday’s Vermont Meet of Champions cross country race in St. Albans.

White River Valley’s Anya Young was 18th and Windsor freshman Natalie Ranney was 25th.

The top finish for the Hartford boys in the 5,000 meter race was Scott McSherry (33rd) in a field of 161 runners with teammates Elliot Brooks 74th, Elijah Ofstad 77th, and Leo Snyder-Hamalainen 89th.

Also for Hartford girls was Kira White 55th and Scarlett Brooks 68th.

Hartford boys were the only area school with a team score, finishing 11th among 18 teams.

Football

Manchester West 6, Hanover 3

Key athletes: Roy Lucas: 6 Reception for 47 yards; John Taylor: 4 receptions for 84 yards and 4 carries for 25 yards; Dima Petrov: 49-yard FG

Coach’s quote: “The team played with heart for 4 quarters, but it did not go our way in the end. We’re going to take the loss as motivation going into the playoffs.” – Jon Gentine, Hanover

Epping 27, Lebanon 0

Key athletes: Patrick O’Neil, Lebanon, 78 yds rushing on 14 attempts, 5 passes on 9 attempts for 47 yds