Nashua South Notebook: South-Pelham hockey looking to change its luck

Editor’s Note: This is a new weekly feature that will be posted every Friday through the end of the school year. South coaches can submit info to nhhighschoolsports@gmail.com. 

NASHUA – It started with a couple of bad bounces Wednesday night, and just as it seemed the Nashua South-Pelham boys hockey team might settle in, the Kings were starring down a deficit they couldn’t make up.

Nashua North-Souhegan’s Chase McBride scored two goals in the game’s first 10 minutes that many watching weren’t entirely sure how they went. That cushion gave the SaberTitans plenty of room to work with in what ended up a 4-1 win at Conway Arena.

“North has some real fire power on offense,” South-Pelham coach Jordan Sarracco said. “We came out a little flat. They came out and were hungry and skated hard right from the first puck drop.

“Two of those goals, I don’t know what happened. That’s also part of it, sometimes, you take them when you can get it. That’s part of hockey.”

Brendon Doughty had the lone goal for the Kings (1-4) at 1:55 of the third period to give his team a spark, but South-Pelham wasn’t able to capitalize on those opportunities.

“We hit some posts, we had a lot of opportunities that just didn’t go our way and that’s what lost us the game,” Sarracco said.

Those chances also including the Kings’ power play, which was 0 for 5 on the night.

“We’re getting a lot of possession on the power play,” Sarracco said. “We’re getting the puck in the zone, we’re getting them pined, but we need more shots and we need more shots that hit the net.

“We’ll see them toward the end of the season and see if we can get some payback.”

Up next: The Kings have back-to-back home games, starting at 4:30 p.m. Saturday against Trinity. South-Pelham then hosts Bow at 6:10 p.m. Jan. 17.

Track

South boys win at UNH

The Panthers recorded 78 points to tie Pinkerton for first place at a meet at the University of New Hampshire last Saturday.

South was first in four events, getting two wins from Dante Castellano, as he was first in the 1,500-meter run (4 minutes, 25.32 seconds) and the 3,200 (9:04.07).

Camdon Brien was first in the 600, finishing in 1:33.34, and Ethan Schnyer came in first in the 300 in 37.32. Ryan Jansen also took second in the 300 (38.6) and Michael Menezes was fifth in the 300 (39.22) while Schnyer also tied for third in the high jump (5-8).

Ryan DuVarney took third in the 1,500 (4:29.81) while Matthew Mortherway (1,000, 2:52.16) and Aidan Bessada (3,000, 10:05.56) both came in fifth in their respective events. Elyza Mercado took sixth in the shot put (39-11.75).

Menezes, Jansen, Schnyer and Raymond Karuru took second in the 640-meter relay, finishing in 1:17.94, while Brien, DuVarney, Micah Allard and Rishi Keeshakada came in fourth in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:58.02.

South girls take fourth

The Panthers came in fourth at a meet at the University of New Hampshire last Saturday, finishing with 45 points. Pinkerton was first with 79.

Nyah Musa turned in a big day for South, winning the 55-meter dash in 7.45 and then taking fifth in the 300 (44.22). Mimi Ortiz had a pair of fourth-place finishes in the 55 (7.69) and the 55 hurdles (9.71).

Nora Gautieri came in third in the shot put (30-5) and Nevaeh Eppolito was fourth in the 600 (1:50.67). Sarah Witta finished fifth in the 55 hurdles (9.74) and Emily Melendez was sixth in the 3,000 (11:54.28).

Musa, Ortiz, Witta and Alejandra Chavarin came in second in the 640-meter relay, finishing in 1:29.45, while Witta, Eppolito, Melendez and Pearl Nelson were fourth in the 1,600-meter relay in 4:35.99.

Up next: The Panthers will be competing Saturday in the East Coast Invitational in Providence.

Boys Basketball

Panthers keep rolling

South picked up a pair of wins, extending its winning streak to four games (six including the holiday tournament) with victories over Trinity (66-59) and Manchester Central (68-63).

Josh Caruso led the way in both wins, scoring 35 points against the Pioneers and 32 in the win over the Little Green. Zac Castonguay was also in double figures in both games, scoring 10 and 28 points, respectively.

Up next: The Panthers go back on the road for a 6:30 start Friday at Timberlane and then are off until Jan. 19 at North.

Girls Basketball

Panthers pick up momentum

South came out of the break riding some momentum after winning the Nashua Holiday Tournament, picking up a pair of wins before falling to Pinkerton on Thursday.

The Panthers went on the road for back-to-back games, getting a 58-39 win over Trinity last Friday and a 45-35 win over Manchester Central-West on Tuesday. Pinkerton snapped that streak for South, handing the Panthers a 62-44 defeat.

Morgan Gillis has been leading the way for South, as the senior had 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the win over Trinity. Against Pinkerton, she had a team-high 17 points to go with five rebounds and three steals.

Up next: The Panthers are scheduled to host Salem at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 before playing at North on Jan. 19.

Gymnastics

Panthers take second

South competed in a three-team meet on Dec. 30 against Salem and Goffstown and finished second with a score of 108.

Abby Herlihy and Binita Rana competed in the all-around for the first time this season while Renee Glidden and Abbey Herbert were both on the vault, bars and beam. Nine Somorrostro competed on the bars, beam and floor and Sophia Collins did well on the floor.

Up next: The Panthers will participate in a meet hosted by Pelham at 11 a.m. on Jan. 21 at A2 Gym & Cheer.

Wrestling

South hosts tourney

The Panthers hosted the Paul Bellavance Hall of Fame Tournament last Saturday and finished ninth overall with 91 points. Salem was first with 265.5.

Connor Whitman and Ian McCubrey were the top finishers for South, as each placed second in their respective weight class.

Whitman reached the 165-pound final, as he lost 10-4 in the final to Jystin Murphy from Pilgrim High School in Warwick, R.I. McCubrey was in the final at 285, where he was pinned by Hollis Brookline’s John McCole.

Robert Perez finished fourth at 150 as did Landon Levesque at 215.

South fell on Wednesday in a dual meet against Bedford, 75-6.

Up next: The Panthers will compete at quad meet at Concord along with Alvirne, ConVal and Portsmouth starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. They’ll then host Concord in a dual meet on Jan. 17.

Upcoming Schedule

• Alpine Skiing: The Panthers were off this past week and return to action on Jan. 15 against Nashua North at Pat’s Peak, and then will compete in a meet on Jan. 18, also at Pat’s Peak.
• Swimming: The Panthers had their meet on Jan. 7 cancelled but will return to the pool Jan. 20-21 for a meet against North and Bishop Guertin. The dive portion of the meet will be held the 20th at the Boys & Girls Club while the swim portion will be the 21st at the Nashua YMCA.
• Unified Basketball: The Panthers play back-to-back games on the road Wednesday and Thursday, going to Keene and North, respectively.