Fall Notebook: Messmore keeping on his toes for Bishop Brady boys soccer, football
Chris Messmore hadn’t attempted an in-game field goal in two seasons as a part-time place kicker/punter on the football team at his previous high school in North Carolina.
A full-time soccer player, Messmore, who was dabbling in football, was champing at the bit for the opportunity to kick on the gridiron. All it took was his dad accepting a new job and the family moving to New Hampshire for that opportunity to become a reality.
Not only did the Bishop Brady junior set up for his first high school field goal attempt this fall, but he nailed it from 50 yards out.
“The main thing going through my mind when I was lining it up was ‘Don’t shank this!’,” Messmore said of his kick in a 40-10 loss at Epping-Newmarket on opening night. “It felt really good when I connected with the ball. I think distance wise it had another four yards or so, but for a second I was thinking it might be too off center to the right. It’s always weird watching it go through the air. You feel good about how you struck the ball off the ground, but crazy things can happen when it’s up there.”
The Warner resident, who moved to the Granite State in June and transferred to Bishop Brady this fall, had been playing varsity soccer and football as a freshman and sophomore at St. David’s School in Raleigh, N.C.
Messmore just never had the chance to kick a field goal playing in the eight-man football league St. David’s competed in. The most he did was kickoffs, and his team did a lot of onside kicks. Even PATs were limited as his coaches went for two most times. At Brady, he’s been able to kick whenever possible.
He had two field goals, connecting on a 30-yarder to go with his big first boot, and five successful PAT kicks – including three in Brady’s 21-14 win over Newfound on Sept. 18.
Plucking a kicker off the soccer roster is nothing new for Giants coach Tony Johnson. He’s done it plenty in his 20-plus year coaching career, including stints at Bishop Guertin and Worcester Academy.
“He’s got a great leg,” Johnson said of Messmore. “It’s been a common theme of mine over the years to find somebody on the soccer team that can kick a football. Well, this kid can kick a football.
“He’s been schooled very well. He kicks off the ground. He doesn’t kick off a tee. He hit a 50-yarder against Epping off the ground – on grass. Yeah, he can kick it, and he’s hitting it from the ground.”
Messmore is consistent from 45 yards and in, according to what Johnson has seen at practice, but there is definitely the capability to stretch out the distance as is evident from the successful 50-yarder in the season opener and a 57-yarder he drilled at a football showcase event in Gatlinburg, Tenn., this June.
The big leg aside, Johnson is happy to see how well Messmore has made the transition to his new school.
“He’s done a great job not only in soccer, but in football and school in general,” Johnson said. “The kids have all gravitated to him. He really has settled in. He’s one of the leaders on the soccer team. He comes to practice maybe a couple of days a week for football because soccer is his priority, and they’ve done a really good job this fall.”
Under first-year head coach Jordan Misiri, Bishop Brady’s boys soccer team sits at 7-4 heading into a 4 p.m. home game Friday with undefeated Gilford (11-0).
According to Misiri, Messmore, who takes charge at his center defensive midfielder position on the pitch, is a big part of that success.
Defensive midfielders act as a shield to the defense and goalkeeper, providing a link between the defense and midfield. Most attacks tend to stem from their feet. Messmore has proven to fill that role perfectly.
“He’s poised, calm and always in control of the game,” Misiri said. “That’s why I have him playing where he is. He never seems like he’s being rushed. He’s always focused and knows where he’s going with the ball in transition. I think all these qualities translate well to his job as kicker on the football team as well.”
Misiri, a former professional soccer player in Portugal, has no problem with Messmore missing the second half of soccer practice a couple times a week to work on his place kicking. He trusts the high school junior to know his limits and keep a good balance in both sports and life. It’s been a busy schedule this fall: soccer practice Monday followed by field goal footwork without a football that night at home; Tuesday soccer games; Wednesday football practice; a split of practice with both teams on Thursdays; soccer games on Fridays; and football games on Saturdays.
It appears to be working out just fine for the player, both coaches and his teammates.
“I’m loving it,” Messmore said. “I can’t say enough about how great all my teammates are on both teams. It’s made playing two sports easier and fun.”
While the football team is still trying to find its footing in Division IV action, the soccer team is growing into a Division III title contender.
Following their game with Gilford, the Giants soccer team has a pair of home games with Belmont (Oct. 12) and Monadnock (Oct. 14), a road trip to Hopkinton (Oct. 18) and closes at home with Hillsboro-Deering (Oct. 22).
The Bishop Brady football team (1-4) has three regular season games remaining, at Franklin (0-5) on Saturday at 7 p.m., then a pair of Thursday night home games with Fall Mountain (2-2) and Raymond (2-1) that will start at 6:30 on Oct. 14 and 28.
Golf
Fennessy wins girls title in record fashion
Dover High School freshman Carys Fennessy shot a 3-under par 68 to win the NHIAA girls golf individual championship at Campbell’s Scottish Highlands Golf Course in Salem on Oct. 2.
Not only was Fennessy’s round of 68 five strokes better than Nashua North’s Eva Gonzales, who shot a 2-over par 73, it also was the lowest state title-winning score ever.
Former Pinkerton Academy star Lauren Thibodeau held the previous record of 70, which she bookended her stellar high school career with. From 2014 to 2017, Thibodeau won the girls individual title all four years – registering a 70 as a freshman and senior.
On Saturday, Fennessy shot a 2-under par on the front nine to pull away from the field and never looked back.
Pinkerton’s Juliana Megan rounded out the top three with a 3-over 74.
Winnacunnet sophomore June Doerr shot a 78 and placed fourth, Pinkerton’s Lydia Tufts and Oyster River’s Delaney Nadeau tied for fifth at 79.
Complete results can be found at http://nhiaa.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/2021GirlsIndividualChampionshipResults.pdf.
Girls Soccer
Somersworth scores big OT win
For a team beginning the season with five players who have never played soccer, the Somersworth girls soccer team may finally be putting it all together.
On Friday, Oct. 1, The Hilltoppers recorded their first win of the season – a 2-1 double-overtime victory against a Prospect Mountain team that had previously scored a 6-0 win over Somersworth in the Division III season opener.
Somersworth has been outscored 40-4 through 10 games this season, but that one win will be hard to forget.
Gabby Oliveria scored the game winner four minutes into the second extra session, collecting the ball 18 yards out and chipping a floater into the upper left corner of the net.
The Hilltoppers opened the scoring on a Gabby Lensky rebound putback off a Harper Blank shot in the 14th minute. Prospect Mountain tied it up two minutes later. The teams went scoreless the entire second half and one overtime, thanks in large part to Somersworth keeper Grace Bronkema, who recorded 21 saves.
Somersworth (1-9) has six games remaining in the regular season, including Friday’s match at Gilford (9-2).
Wrestling
Bow names new wrestling coach
Chris Thomas, who spent the last 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Pelham High School, has been named the new wrestling coach at Bow High School.
He’s taking over a strong program. The Falcons won the Division III team title in 2019 and have been state runners-up in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
George Scione writes for NH-HighSchoolSports.com and has covered high school sports in New Hampshire since 1995. To report standout performances or offer ideas for the high school notebook send an email to scioneg@gmail.com.
