The first full week of the Fall 2017 NHIAA season is complete, here are some highlights from Manchester’s high school athletic programs.
Football
It was a difficult opening week for teams from the Queen City, with all three varsity teams falling over the weekend.
West came closest to a victory, losing 35-30 on the road to Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton in a contest that saw four lead changes in the second half.
Central couldn’t stop the rampant Blue Hawk offense, falling 48-20 in Exeter with Memorial losing to reigning Division I State Champion Bedford, 48-6.
Perhaps the biggest news coming into the week was Trinity’s decision to compete only at a junior varsity level.
Trinity head coach Rob Cathcart indicated that the decision came in part to a roster heavy on underclassmen, with the squad unable to replace the 15 outgoing seniors from last year.
Cathcart stresses that the decision is temporary, and that the decision was made to help his player develop their confidence as well as ensure their safety against opponents at a comparable experience level.
“My view of Trinity football for the future is bullish,” said Cathcart. “We are going to get stronger each year. When the current sophomores are seniors, we will be back!”
Soccer
Central boys’ squad jumped off to a quick start, outscoring Bedford, Alvirne and Dover by a combined 14-5 in to remain as one of five perfect teams within Division I as of Labor Day.
Derryfield also stayed perfect in Division III action, thanks in large part to a hat trick from Jeff Pratt in their 4-2 victory against Derryfield on Wednesday.
On the other side of the coin, Memorial remains winless after a 2-3 defeat to Nashua South and 2-0 defeats to Salem and Timberlane. Trinity also remains winless following a 3-4 loss to Goffstown, a 7-1 defeat to Windham and a 1-1 draw to Pelham.
On the girls’ side, Central also has the best team so far in the Queen City, notching consecutive 4-0 victories against Alvirne and Dover following a 2-1 loss to Bedford where they were leading at halftime.
