Familiar faces look to stay atop D1 field hockey

The Winnacunnet High School and Pinkerton Academy field hockey teams have made a combined 13 appearances in the Division I championship game over the last 10 years, including four head-to-head matchups.

In fact, in nine of those 10 finals, at least one of them has participated – including the Warriors’ championship win over Windham in 2018 – and the consensus among division coaches is both will be in the mix to be there again this year.

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The Warriors will be young, but return a talented cast, including juniors Sam Crochitierre, Grace Michael and Carolyn Thompson, while the Astros have a trio of outstanding seniors in Sarah Collins, Marley Mailloux and Mari Shea.

But don’t count out Windham.

Despite losing Kate Blaisdell, the division’s top scorer from a year ago who transferred to Hanover, the Jaguars appear to have enough returning to make another run to the title game in their second year in D1.

After reaching the title game two years ago, Londonderry looks like it could have a shot at making another deep playoff run, while Timberlane, a year removed from back-to-back titles, could also be in the mix. Bishop Guertin returns a strong core from last year’s quarterfinal team and Concord is a team on the rise.

Here’s a look at each team in Division I.

• Bedford (3-11 in 2018): The Bulldogs lost a pair of all-state players from a year ago in Grace Rooney and Hannah McCarthy, but return one in senior Chamberlain Bell.
• Bishop Guertin (10-5-1): Sarah Coyle, senior and first-team all-state last year, returns to lead the Cardinals. Also back for Bishop Guertin are senior midfielder Britney Pearson and senior defender Athanasia Theofilopoulos, along with junior forward Brooke Yabroudy and junior midfielder Lindsay Hult.
• Concord (8-7-1): The Crimson Tide return six starters from last year’s team, including first-team all-state midfielder Ella Doherty. Joining Doherty in the midfield is Maria Armaganian while forwards Erin Doherty, Kait McKinnon and Alice Rosenberg also return. On defense, Sam Ossoff is back while Julie Auld, Andie Reed and Rhyden Wheldon will be in the mix, as will freshman Emma Beaujouan.
• Dover (7-7-1): The Green Wave have junior Jeannine Turgeon, a first-team all-state player, returning, along with seniors Kylie Nelson-Marois (goalie) and Maria Jacques; the trio will be captains this season for Dover. Also back are senior Maddie Goud, juniors Jess Couture and Charlotte Morin and sophomore Meghan Fitzgerald. Newcomers Savanah Connor (senior) and Molly Goodridge (freshman) should also give Dover a boost.
• Exeter (2-11-1): The Blue Hawks lost a trio of all-state performers from a year ago, but return four seniors with plenty of experience in Maddie Gilmartin, Maddie Davis, Mae Kunysz and Audrey Farrar, all of whom are captains. Exeter also has two freshmen who will get some varsity time in Ainsley Grant and Addison MacNeil.
• Keene (5-9): The Blackbirds had a handful of one-goal losses a year ago and hope that experience leads to a return to the playoffs. Keene returns two all-state performers in junior forward Jaden Greenwald and sophomore forward Eliza Ballaro, who was the team’s leading scorer as a freshman. Also back are senior goalie Livy Auger and senior defender Aubrey Mitchell. Sophomore Claire Stoshine moves from midfield to defense as well.
• Londonderry (10-5): The Lancers graduated a dozen seniors from last year’s playoff team, but Londonderry returns a strong core that includes first-team all-state performer Courtney Shay.
• Manchester Central (9-6): Gone are seven seniors from a year ago, including first-team all-state forward Katelyn Parker. Junior Grace Mayhew, who also received all-state honors last year, is back for the Little Green.
• Manchester Memorial (5-10): The Crusaders will look to replace 10 seniors from last year, including goalie Stephanie Millios. Returning for Memorial is first-team all-state forward Sydney Spenard.
• Merrimack (11-4-1): The Tomahawks will look to replace eight seniors from last year’s final four team, but return senior goalie Heather Rohr and junior Erin Knauer, who both received all-state honors. Also back are seniors Demetria Gonzalez, Ellie Boucher, Megan Dinsmore and Kaitlyn Costa and juniors Chloe Kapsambelis and Theresa Twardosky. Merrimack also has a big group of sophomores coming up to varsity, including Kailey Daddona, Elise Fasano, Jordan Jacoby, Paige Rivet, Morgan Flett and Julia Bell.
• Nashua North (0-14): The Titans will look to their four captains to lead the way, as seniors Theresa Ellison, Lizzie Deck and Emma Tomasetti and junior Lauren Shaw return. Also back are senior Emily Closson and junior Kenzie Smith. Sophomore Maddie Goulet steps in at goalie for North while senior Gabi Laferriere, junior Kailey Whitecomb and sophomores Claire Desrosiers and Madlyn Phillips will be new to the defense.
• Nashua South (2-12): The Panthers have a strong core returning, led by junior goalie Courtney Tello, who was second-team all-state last year. Also back are senior forward Kirsten McIntire and sophomore forward Kaitlyn West along with senior defender Madison Sewade.
• Pinkerton (14-2): After graduating just four players from last year, the Astros look poised for another deep playoff run behind seniors Sarah Collins, Marley Mailloux and Mari Shea. Pinkerton also returns goalie Khaliyah Ellis.
• Windham (15-2): The Jaguars made it to the title game in their first season in D1, returning seniors Olivia Manchester, Ryane Farrell and Mary Johnson look to get Windham back there. Also returning are juniors Maddie O’Hare, Sabrina Lippold and Livi Tsetslias along with sophomore Amy Lanouette. Freshman Kenzi Suech is also expected to contribute right away for the Jaguars.
• Winnacunnet (14-3): The defending champs graduated 11 seniors from a year ago, including all-state performers Nikki Tredwell, Dailyn Annis and Lauren Alkire. The Warriors will be a young team in 2019, led by juniors Sam Crochitierre, Grace Michael and Carolyn Thompson. Varsity newcomers Hannah Ritchie and Abby Wilbur will also contribute.
• Salem (3-10-1): The Blue Devils lost first-team all-state players Mackenzie Svenson and Emma Bailey to graduation. Cailey Sapienza returns to lead the Salem defense.
• Timberlane (7-8): The Owls took a step back after winning back-to-back titles and they lost six seniors, including Player of the Year Sarah Padellaro. Junior midfielder Lily Fay leads a good mix of returning seniors and juniors that should keep Timberlane in the mix.

Playoff Schedule

• Preliminary round: Tuesday, Oct. 22 at home of higher seed.
• Quarterfinals: Friday, Oct. 25 at home of higher seed.
• Semifinals: Tuesday, Oct. 29 at Bill Ball Stadium, Exeter.
• Championship: Sunday, Nov. 3, 4 p.m. at Bedford High School.