Hanover Varsity / JV Schedule 2015

HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER

SCHEDULE 2015

Regular Season

Fri.      Aug.   28      at                Bishop Guertin                  4:30 p.m.

Tue.    Sept.    1      at                Concord                             4:30 p.m.

Thu.    Sept.   3      vs.               Exeter                                 6:30 p.m.

Tue.    Sept.    8      at                Londonderry                     4:30 p.m.        

Fri.      Sept.  11      vs.               Nashua South                    6:00 p.m.

Thu.   Sept.  24       vs.               Salem                               4:00 p.m.

Sat.     Sept. 26       at                Bedford                            12:00 p.m.

Tue.    Sept. 29       vs.               Central                              6:00 p.m.       

Fri.      Oct.   2       vs.               Keene                                4:00 p.m.       

Mon.  Oct.  5         vs.               Memorial                          4:30 p.m.       

Wed.  Oct.   7         at                Nashua North (Stellos)     4:30 p.m.       

Fri.      Oct.  9        vs.               Pinkerton                          5:00 p.m.

Tue.    Oct.  13       at                Winnacunnet                     4:30 p.m.       

Fri.      Oct.  16       at                Timberlane                        4:00 p.m.       

Tue.    Oct.  20       vs.               Alvirne                               4:00 p.m.       

Fri.      Oct.  23       at                Dover                                4:00 p.m.

NHIAA Division 1 Tournament

Wed.   Oct.   28      Preliminary Round                                 3:00 p.m. 

Sat.     Oct.   31      Quarterfinals                                           2:00 p.m.                                           

Wed.   Nov.     4     Semifinals  (Stellos Stadium)  4:00 p.m. /6:00 p.m.

Sat.      Nov.    7    Finals  (So. NH University)                       6:15  p.m.                         

Head Coach:  Rob Grabill

Assistant Coach:  Brett Wanner

Assistant Coach:  Jared Walker

JV Coach:  Yosef Osheyack

Reserve Coach:  Erik McEwen

Freshman Coach:  Willie Johnson

Varsity and JV Hit The Road to Concord As Summer Ends

School starts Wednesday, and the calendar page has turned to September, and the soccer season at HHS is accelerating on all fronts.  The Varsity and Junior Varsity will take to the road on Tuesday for challenging matches against Concord at 4:30, departing at 2:00.

The Reserve team will train at Dresden at 4:00 on Tuesday, connecting with Coach Erik McEwen to prepare for Wednesday's 3:00 scrimmage with the Girls' JV team at 3:00 on the HHS grass field.

The Freshman team will also train at Dresden at 4:00, following a busy day of Orientation.  There will be no bus to practice, so parents will need to provide transportation.  The Freshmen are basking in the glow of an exciting 1-0 victory over the Girls' Varsity on the turf under the lights.  That will be great preparation for their Saturday match against Central at Merriman-Branch Field.  There's a lot happening between now and then for the Freshmen.  They will receive their uniforms on Tuesday at practice, and then open their regular season on Wednesday with a 4:30 game at Portsmouth.  They will depart at 2:00, immediately after school.  After training Thursday at Dresden, and getting used to taking to bus to practice after school, they'll hit the road again on Friday for a game at Bedford, leaving school after sixth period, but only after securing permission to do so from their 7th period teachers the day before.

We are grateful that several parents have stepped up to volunteer as Team Parents for the JV, Reserve and Freshman teams.  One of their main responsibilities will be to coordinate snacks for the teams on their bus trips to away games. The Team Parents will be contacting the parents of players on their respective teams, asking for help with this. Thanks for providing healthy, nutritious food for our athletes.  HHS soccer teams do not eat fast food on the road.

Thanks to the many, many parents who joined us for the Monday night Parent/Player meeting.  We accomplished a lot as we strive to create a supportive atmosphere for the players, working together to understand and follow the Cod of Conduct, and help provide safe, supervised transportation to practices.  Parents of players who wish to drive to practice and/or transport other papers and who missed the meeting can get the permission forms for this in the HHS athletic office.

Stay tuned for game results tomorrow from the Varsity and JV games at Concord.  These are challenging games against strong opposition.

HHS Boys Soccer Schedule August 31 - Sept. 5

HHS Boys Soccer Schedule August 31 - September 9

Mon.    Aug. 31        
                                   Reserves Train at Dresden               10:30 - Noon
                                   Varsity/JV Train at Dresden                   4:00 p.m.

                                   Freshmen vs. Girl's Varsity - Turf          5:45 p.m.
                                  Parent/Player Meeting -  HHS Gym       7:30 p.m.

Tue.      Sept. 1        Frosh/Reserves Train at Dresden             4:00 p.m.

                                Varsity/JV at Concord                                4:30 p.m.

                                 Bus Departs                                                2:00 p.m.

Wed.     Sept. 2        School Starts

                                 JV Train at Dresden                                   3:30 p.m.
                                 Reserves vs.JV Girls at HHS Grass          3:00 p.m.

                                  Freshmen at Portsmouth                          4:30 p.m.

                                  Bus Departs                                                1:30 p.m.

                                  Varsity Train at HHS Turf                        4:00 p.m.

Thu.   Sept. 3          Freshmen/Reserves Train at Dresden        4:00 p.m.
                                 JV Game vs. Exeter at Dresden                 5:00 p.m.
                                 Varsity Game vs. Exeter at HHS turf        6:30 p.m.

Fri.   Sept. 4            Varsity/JV/Reserves Train at Dresden      4:00 p.m.
                                 Freshmen at Bedford                                  4:30 p.m.

                                 Bus Departs                                                 2:00 p.m.     

Sat.   Sept 5             Freshmen vs. Central HHS Turf              10:00 a.m.
                                 Varsity Training at Dresden                       1:00 p.m.

Sun.  Sept. 6            All Teams Off

Mon.  Sept. 7           Varsity Training at Dresden                    4:00 p.m.

Tue.   Sept.  8            Freshman Training at Dresden               4:00 p.m.
                                   Varsity/JV at Londonderry                     4:30 p.m.
                                   Bus Departs                                               2:00 p.m.
                                   Reserves at Mount Royal Academy        4:30 p.m.
                                   Bus Departs                                               2:30 p.m.

Wed.  Sept. 9            All Train at Dresden                                  3:00 p.m.



                          

Freshman Team Named

The following 24 players will be this year's HHS freshman team.  The remaining eight players will play on the Reserve team, and begin training with the Reserves on Monday from 10:30 - Noon at the Rt. 5 fields.  The Freshman team will report to the HHS turf field at 5:15 on Monday and scrimmage the Varsity Girls at 5:45.  All players and parents are asked to attend the Player-Parent meeting in the HHS gym at 7:30 on Monday evening.

Freshmen playing for the Reserves who participated in the Bethel scrimmages should bring their gold practice jersey to practice on Monday morning.  All players who participated in the Lebanon and Keene scrimmages should return their gold and maroon uniforms at practice on Monday if they have not done so.

The Freshman Roster:

Matt Alibozek

Caleb Benjamin

Adam Blackburn

Dillon Bradley

Liam Collins

Christo Dragnev

Matt Fenner

Sam Gallimore

Bauti Gallino

Will Laycock

Gary Li

Tommy Madden

Nico Mayo-Pushee

Charlie Plottner

Alex Purcell

Mark Ralston-Daniel

Andy Rightmire

Aidan Rowley

Colm Seigne

Eli Silovich

Brian Turkington

Hans Williams

Tyler Wittman

Elias Zinman

Coach:  Willie Johnson

Marauders Open by Beating Bishop Guertin 9-1

Hanover scored early and often in their opening game of the season at Bishop Guertin, racing to a 6-0 halftime lead and beating the Cardinals 9-1.  The result was in sharp contrast to last year's opener with BG, when the Marauders escaped with a 1-0 win over a BG team that would go 0-16. Sam Strohbehn was the savior last year, and it took Strohbehn less than two minutes this time around to record his second straight game-winning goal.  Hanover's first tally of the season came off a set play, with Will Smith launching a long throw-in from the left touchline towards Tim Alibozek, perched on the end line to the side of the goal.  Aliboizek headed the ball across the face of the goal, and Strohbehn was there at the far post to bundle the ball home.

The goals kept coming for Hanover, who used the spacious turf at Stellos Stadium, winning every ball at midfield and spreading the field with pinpoint passes.  Nine minutes into the match, Jamie Dinulos beat his defender on the baseline and raced toward the goal, sending the ball in front to Jake Acker, who rammed it home for a 2-0 lead.  Things got much worse for BG a minute later, when Asa Berolzheimer's corner kick was knocked into the net by a BG defender for an own goal.

After an eight-minute respite, the Hanover lead would balloon to 5-0 on a pair of Jamie Dinulos goals.  The first came when Sam Strohbehn penetrated on the baseline and shot from a bad angle.  The ball bounded in front and Dinulos was there to net the rebound.  Two minutes Tim Alibozek used his feet to create a goal, sending Dinulos in alone on goal for a cold-hearted finish.

Dan Healy who scored consistently during the preseason, demonstrated that he was ready to continue his artistry on the flanks with his first career Varsity goal.  Adam Pikelny ripped a long, hard shot from the right side, and Healy was there at the left post to slot the rebound for a 6-0 lead.

Many of the Marauder starters got a rest during the first half, and some of them returned for a brief curtain call in the second half.  Asa Berolzheimer took advantage of the opportunity, scoring one goal and setting up another.  He converted a centering pass from Pikelny five minutes after the interval, and then performing some baseline magic of his own from the left side, slipping a pass to a charging Acker for his second goal of the game.

Bishop Guertin had very little to offer offensively, but the Cardinals took advantage of one of their few trips in to the Hanover end, and were gifted a goal scoring chance on a foul just outside the penalty area.  The ensuing free kick slammed off the crossbar, and three hungry BG players pushed past a stunned Hanover defense, with Matt Nigro converting the rebound to narrow the score to 8-1.
It was a frustrating interlude on an otherwise positive afternoon, but it demonstrated that the Marauder reserve defenders have some growing to do.

The Marauuders responded with some excellent team play.  Even though he didn't make an appearance on the score sheet, Seth Stadheim worked hard on behalf of his teammates.  Hanover's final goal demonstrated this unselfishness.  Griffin Johnson sent Sam Pych in on goal with a nice lead pass, and Pych passed up a chance to score, sliding a square pass across the face of the goal to an uncovered Robbie Murdza for his first career goal.

Hanover's fun in the sun was a nice way to start the season, but the bar will be set much higher for the Marauders next Tuesday, when they take to the road again to face a very strong Concord team. The Crimson Tide opened their season by hammering Winacunnet 5-0, and they are very eager to prove that they belong in the top echelon of Division One soccer.  "These next two games will let us know where we stand," commented Coach Grabill, referring to both the Concord match and the home opener with Exeter two days later. "We've worked hard to be ready for these early tests.  Now it's time for us to show up."

Junior Varsity Opens With a 6-0 Win at BG

The Marauder Junior Varsity opened the season with a dominant 6-0 win at Bishop Guertin, giving rookie Coach Yosef Osheyack his first career victory.  Hanover took a 4-0 lead at halftime, and cruised to the victory with every player getting ample playing time.  Sander Macaulay continued his torrid scoring, netting three goals for the Marauders.  David Seigne added two, along with an assist.  Brook Leigh tallied his first career goal in the second half.  Lincoln Adam had a pair of assists, with an especially nice cross on one of Seigne's goals.  Ben Sobel, Benny Gantrish and Harry Olszewski also had helpers.  Owen Brooks and Harris LaRock shared the rocking chair shutout in the Hanover goal.  The Marauders will have a tougher test on Tuesday when they head to Concord to play the Crimson Tide.

Marauders Ready to Open the Season at Bishop Guertin

Months of hard work in the offseason and nearly two weeks of intense preseason preparation have brought the Hanover Varsity and JV to the start of a new NHIAA season.  Both squads will travel to Nashua Friday to take on Bishop Guertin High School in their season openers.  The Varsity will play at 3:30 at Stellos Stadium, and the JV will play at the BG campus on Lund Road in Nashua.

The Junior Varsity should report to HHS at 11:30 ready to leave on the trio an hour later.  First, they will receive their uniforms and get team and individual photos taken .  Both JV and Varsity should be ready to leave at 12:30.

The Varsity only will train at the Pasture on Saturday for 11:00 - 12:30.  All players are invited to watch Dartmouth College  (featuring HHS grads Eric Jayne, the Big Green Captain, and Brendan Barth in action) scrimmage at 3:00 on Saturday.  Sunday is a day off for everyone in the program.

Monday is a busy day.  Freshman, Reserves and JV teams will train at the Pasture from 10:00 - 11:30.  The Varsity will train at the Pasture at 4:00.  The Freshmen will then report to the HHS turf at 5:15 on Monday to prepare for a scrimmage with the Varsity girls.  ALL Players and parents will attend the player-parent meeting in the HHS gym at 7:30 p.m. Athletic Director Mike Jackson will speak, and there will be door prizes.

Stay tuned to tomorrow's blog for game results from Bishop Guertin!

Junior Varsity Team Named

The HHS Junior Team is listed below.  The JV and Freshman teams will practice from 11:30 - 1:00 at the Pasture on Thursday.  All upperclass players not on the JV roster will train with the Reserves beginning Monday.  The Varsity will train Thursday on the turf field at 6:00.  JV and Varsity will leave for Bishop Guertin on Friday at 12:30 from the high school.

HHS JV 2015

Lincoln Adam
Owen Brooks
Ethan Cobb
Alvaro Cooper
Roger Danilek
Daniel Felde
Benny Gantrish
Sawyer Hanlon
Sam Ives
Harris LaRock
Brook Leigh
Gabe Loud
Sander Macaulay
Sam Maynes
Adam Mendelsohn
Harry Olszewski
Daniel Pinigin
Ben Ralston-Daniel
David Seigne
Ben Sobel
Dimitri Somoff
Vincent Versteeg
Daniel Wilson
David Wilson

Marauders Shine in Monsoon Conditions

Hanover's long-awaited match with the Royal Grammar School visitors produced some scintillating soccer, which is all the more amazing considering the amazing, copious, tropical, gutter-washing rains which fell during most of the contest.  The Marauders nevertheless continued their run of  big-boy football, dictating the pace of the game and dumping their visitors 2-0.  After a scoreless first 30 minutes which saw Hanover start slowly but pick up steam, Jamie Dinulos tucked home a breakaway goal on a sweet lead pass from Tim Alibozek.

Ten minutes into the second half the Marauders went to the bench, and two of the subs paid dividends immediately, combining for a beautiful second goal.  Adam Pikelny started the play with a pass up the right flank for Henry Kahl, just into the game.  Kahl one-timed the ball to Jake Acker, who lofted a superb ball to Luke Messersmith, also fresh off the bench.  Messersmithbeat his defender and ripped a great shot into the corner for his second goal in two nights. 

Although Hanover continued to substitute, the quality of the match remained high, and every sub maintained the excellent two-way play that contributed to the second shutout in a row, erasing the memory of some shabby defense on the weekend.

The Varsity will train on the HHS turf for the next two nights from 6:00 - 7:30 in preparation for Friday's match with Bishop Guertin at 3:30 at Stellos Stadium.  All other players will practice at the Pasture on Wednesday from 10:00 - 11:30. 

Rosters for all four team will be published on Wedensday night.  The Freshmen and Junior Varsity will practice on Thursday from 11:30 - 1:00 at the Pasture, and the Varsity, as previously mentioned, will train on the turf at 6:00.  The Reserves, who start the season a bit later, will get Thursday and Friday off.

Morning Practice Cancelled Tuesday

Because of the weather conditions and the threat of thunder, we are cancelling all underclass practices Tuesday morning.  We will resume Wednesday at 10:00 at the Dresden Fields.

Soccer Guests Get a Warm Welcome

Monday saw a full morning of practice for 89 members of the program, and a great afternoon/evening of quality soccer with two visiting teams.  Our guests from the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle, England arrived in the Upper Valley at mid-afternoon, and made their way to the Pasture for a reserve match with the HHS JV pool.  The Marauders had a lot of chances, but in the end the visitors came out ahead 3-2 on a sweltering afternoon.  The RGS first team will have a crack at the Marauder Varsity on Tuesday at 7:00 at Merriman-Branch Field.

Monday evening on the turf, longtime opponent Oyster River checked in for a friendly.  Hanover and Oyster River have the two longest and proudest histories of success in all of New Hampshire Soccer.  Only Hanover has more state titles in than Oyster River  (in large school soccer).  Before Hanover won six straight Division II titles in 2005-2010, Oyster River ran off three on the trot in 2002-2004, including one at Hanover's expense in 2004.  Coach Grabill was an assistant back in those days.  OR was a finalist last year in Division II, and knows how to play good soccer.  On Monday, Hanover was just a bit too strong.  The Marauders scored twice in the final five minutes of the first half  (nice strikes by Captains Ian Caldwell and Jamie Dinulos), and twice in the second half  (Luke Messersmith on a screamer from outside the box and Asa Berolzheimer on a PK). Once again, the last of officials made for a great match. Both teams played hard but very fairly.

After the match the Hanover parents put on an amazing potluck dinner for all three teams, who happily refueled after an eventful day.  All 26 players from RGS were sent off to spend the night with their American hosts.  They will all gather back at the high school at 9:15, and will spend the day seeing the sights in Hanover and Norwich before Tuesday evening's game.

The HHS Varsity will get a well-deserved morning off before reporting for the game at 5:45 on Tuesday.  All of the other players will report back to the Pasture at 10:00 for a morning workout that ends at 11:30.

Schedule Notes:  The Freshman scrimmage against the HHS Girls' varsity will be on Wednesday, Sept 2, and not this Wednesday.  The Freshman team will practice from 11:00 - 12:30 on Wednesday.

The Varsity game Friday against Bishop Guertin is at 3:30 on Friday at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.  Directions will be posted.  The JV plays at 3:30 at BG.  The Bus will depart at 12:30 from HHS.

Hanover Boys' Soccer Schedule August 24- Sept. 3

Dear Friends -

Every Sunday night during the season we will publish an updated weekly schedule for the soccer program.  Here is the schedule for August 24 - Sept. 3

Mon.  Aug. 24        Everyone at Dresden                           10:00 a.m.

                                 JV Scrimmage vs. RGS - Dresden      4:00 p.m.

                                Varsity vs. Oyster River – Turf            6:00 p.m.

                                Three-Team Barbeque – HHS              7:30 p.m.

Tue.    Aug. 25        Everyone at Dresden                            10:00 a.m.

                                Varsity vs. Royal Grammar – Turf       7:00 p.m.

Wed.  Aug. 26        All Non-Varsity  at Dresden                 10:00 a.m.
                                 Varsity at HHS turf                     6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

                                                   

Thu.    Aug. 27      Freshmen/JV at Dresden              11:30 - 1:00 p.m.

                                Varsity at HHS Turf                     6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Fri.      Aug. 28        Varsity/JV at Bishop Guertin                3:30 p.m.
                                  Varsity at Stellos/JV at BG

                                  Bus departs                                             12:30 p.m.

Sat.      Aug. 29        Dartmouth Scrimmage (Optional)       3:00 p.m.

Sun.     Aug. 30        Day off for everyone

Mon.    Aug. 31        
                                   Reserves Train at Dresden               10:30 - Noon
                                   Varsity/JV Train at Dresden                   4:00 p.m.

                                   Freshmen vs Girl's Varsity - Turf          5:45 p.m.
                                  Parent/Player Meeting -  HHS Gym       7:30 p.m.

Tue.      Sept. 1        Frosh/Reserves Train at Dresden             4:00 p.m.

                                Varsity/JV at Concord                                4:30 p.m.

                                 Bus Departs                                                2:00 p.m.

Wed.     Sept. 2        School Starts

                                 All Train at Dresden                                   3:00 p.m.

                                  Freshmen at Portsmouth                          4:30 p.m.

                                  Bus Departs                                                2:00 p.m.

The British Are Coming!

As we prepare to dive into our second week of preseason soccer, there are a number of highlights ahead.  Every player in the program should report to The Pasture  (The Dresden Fields on Rt.5) for an 10:00 - 11:30 session on Monday.  The Varsity will report to Hanover High at 5:00 to prepare for their game with Oyster River on the turf at 6:00.  We have also just added a JV scrimmage with the Newcastle second team on Monday at 4:00 at the Pasture.  Please report at 3:30 and wear the yellow uniforms.  Sorry for the late notice on that one.  Contact me if it's a problem.

The Varsity will have Tuesday morning off, and everyone else will return to The Pasture for a 10:00 - 11:30 session.  The Varsity should report to the turf field at 6:00 for the Newcastle game at 7:00.  Please join us for that one!

Our Newcastle visitors are expected at the high school at 2:30 on Monday.  I'll take them to the Pasture for training and the JV scrimmage at 4:00.  They will come back to watch the Oyster River game at 6:00, and then we will feed all three teams with the amazing loaves and fishes potluck that is shaping up well.  After supper, the host families will meet their charges, take them home, and tuck them in. After breakfast Tuesday, the lads can be dropped back at HHS, and we'll entertain them all day in Hanover and Norwich  (maybe the Dartmouth tour/Montshire parlay).  Then back to HHS at 5:30 for our match at 7:00.  Host families will be asked to feed their lads supper postgame, and than after another B&B  (overnight and breakfast), we'll send them on their way Wednesday morning.

More later on our plans for the end of the week.  We'll be ready to name the final rosters on Wednesday, and distribute uniforms and take team pictures at the end of the week!

Week One of Preseason Closes; Week Two Looms

The Marauders closed the first week of preseason in appropriate fashion, with three teams playing ten  scrimmage games.  It was a busy and productive day!  The Freshman group gets top billing, opening their season with a pair of wins at the Whitchester Jamboree in Bethel.  The frosh beat the Hartford JVs 3-1, and then blanked the Whitchester JVs 3-0.  Bauti Gallino, Matt Alibozek and Eli Silovich scored for Hanover in the first game, and Christo Dragnev, Nicolas Mayo-Pushee and Silovich tallied goals in the second.  Andy Rightmire came close, banging a header off the bar from a Bauti corner kick.  Coach Willie Johnson praised the effort and attitude of his troops, many of whom celebrated that day with the now-obligatory stop at Worthy Burger.  The Freshmen will gather on Monday at the Pasture at 10:00  (actually, everyone in the program will gather at the Pasture at 10:00, and we are expecting a lot of new faces!).

The Varsity and JV squads traveled to Keene to participate in the Keene Jamboree.  East team played four 30-minute  games.  The JVs, eager to continue to develop some chemistry with Coach Yo-Yo, beat one overmatched JV team, tied the Brattleboro varsity 1-1, and earned victories over varsities from Newfound and Hinsdale.  Benny Gantrish had a hat trick against Hinsdale.  Everyone scored against Kingswood, but Sander Macaulay's bar-down drive was notable.  Sander also tallies the key goals in the other two matches.  The Marauder Varsity was due for a letdown after Friday's high-level match against Lebanon and actually lost two of four matches.  Preaseason is about playing everyone and learning lessons, and lessons were learned.

Next week's agenda includes evening scrimmages on the HHS turf for the varsity on Monday and Tuesday.  On Monday, the Marauders host longtime rival Oyster River at 6:00, and on Tuesday they renew their cross-Atlantic relationship with the Royal Grammar School from Newcastle, England at 7:00.  We're hoping for a little help with the hosting for RGS, who will arrive Monday and stay for two nights.  We need two more host families who are willing to take a pair of Newcastle lads.  Sofas and air mattresses are fine.  We also need some help from the Varsity and host families for Monday night's potluck supper after the Oyster River game:  A through F bring main dishes, G though P bring salads and sides, and Q through Z bring desserts and drinks.

Every player interested in soccer at HHS this year is invited to the Dresden Fields on Monday and Tuesday form 10:00- 11:30.  We'll be finalizing the rosters for all four teams by the end of the day on Tuesday, and we need to see every candidate.  Please be on time, and be in touch if you can't make it.  Enjoy your weekend!

Turf Tale: Marauders Light Up Friday Night

Departure time for the Jamboree at Keene is about seven hours away as these words flash by on my laptop, but it's important to chronicle every step in this special season, even if only briefly.  The Hanover Varsity and Junior Varsity working groups stepped onto the turf at Merriman-Branch Field for the first time against out-of-town opposition, and put together solid efforts against our very familiar friends from Lebanon.  The Raiders and Marauders have spent the entire summer playing each other.  They played five matches during summer league regular season play, faced off in the league playoffs, with the Marauders sweeping the two semifinals, and already have a post-season scrimmage in the books.  Many of the players have played with each other for years on various Lightning teams.  In this case, familiarity bred the exact opposite of contempt.  Both games were well-played and fiercely contested.  Oh, and they managed to do this without referees.  This is harder than it sounds, and it is a great reflection of the maturity and commitment of the players.

The most significant event of the evening?  No question about that.  In his first game at the helm of the Hanover Junior Varsity, Yosef Oshayack, not yet confirmed as the JV mentor but the leader in the clubhouse, steered his charges to an efficient, satisfying 2-1 victory over Lebanon.  We'll give Yosef a full, proper introduction when his appointment is official, but it's clear that this longstanding member of the Marauder soccer family is the right man for the job.  A 2009 graduate of Hanover, Yo-Yo (yeah, that's his nickname.  His friends call him "Yo".  Honest.) was a standout for the undefeated (19-0-1) 2008 Class I Championship team, scoring the winning goal in the title game in double overtime.  He was First Team All-State, named to the Lions Twin State Team, and has been a member of the U.S. National Deaf Soccer Team.  A 2015 graduate of Castleton State College, he has a pretty impressive coaching resume, including several years on the Dartmouth Academy staff.  So, Yo knows.  In less that a week he has helped guide team selection, learned his lads well enough to singlehandedly organize a satisfying win over a longtime rival, and served notice that the JV program is on good hands.  Decent first week.

The second half of the doubleheader wasn't half bad.  The Marauders scored twice in each half, flaunted their depth, skill and conditioning, and beat an outstanding Lebanon team 4-1.  Trust us, the Lebanon team will be one of the top squads in Division II.  On this evening, though, Hanover had a nice edge in play, taking  2-0 lead on goals by Jamie Dinulos and Jake Acker before the Raiders pulled one back with an excellent finish by Graham Chickering, orchestrated by Bennett Newlove.

The second half featured some superb play by the younger Hanover players.  Seth Stadheim scored twice, heading home one of them on a sweet serve from Will "Ironman" Smith.  Center back Sam Pych, liberated from his defensive responsibilities, was a force of nature marauding into the heart of the Lebanon defense. More where this came from, perhaps.

Stay tuned soon for highlights from all of Saturday's action.  Also, taking a peek further ahead, be ready for our call for assistance for Monday night's postgame potluck dinner at the high school.  We'll be feeding the Hanover and Oyster River teams and also our British friends from Royal Grammar School, who check into Hanover that afternoon.  We're asking the Varsity families and RGS host families to pitch in thusly: A through F bring main dishes, G though P bring salads and sides, and Q through Z bring desserts and drinks.  As is usually the case with Hanover soccer events, Monday night will be chaotic, fun, vaguely educational and rated G.  On we go!

Marauder Squads Ready For Weekend Action

Although it will be several more days before the final squads are announced, three Hanover soccer squads will see action this weekend in preparation for the season ahead.  The Varsity and JV squads will host Lebanon tonight at the turf field.  JV is at 5:00, Varsity is at 7:00.  Saturday morning, both teams will head to Keene for a jamboree, playing four games each.  The bus and parent drivers will leave HHS at 6:45.

Directions for drivers:  91 South to Exit 5, and cross the river to Walpole, NH.  South on Rt. 12 to
Keene.  When Rt 12 meets Rt. 101, turn left (East onto 101), and shortly at the traffic circle go left (North, 3/4 way around) onto Winchester.  Turn into the parking lot opposite MacDonald's on Winchester Street, 1/4 mile north of 101.  At the end of the parking lot, players and fans walk over the bridge to the Keene fields.

The first games are at 9:05.  Last game for the JV is 12:30.  Last game for the Varsity is at 1:05.  We'll wait until after the Varsity game to leave together, except perhaps one JV car with Norwich folks to get Roger Danilek on his way north.  There are no concessions.  Everyone should bring their own snacks and lunch for the bus.

The Freshman squad will leave HHS at 10:30 for the Recreation Fields in Bethel.  First game is at 11:50 against Hartford JVs.   Players should being lunch for after the game.  Second game is at 4:00.

Directions:  Rt. 89 North to Exit 3, and take 107 to Bethel.  Go into downtown Bethel, and turn left over the River onto Rt. 12 NORTH.  After the road doglegs right, look for the entrance to the fields on the right, just after Whitcomb High School on the left.  If you want to GPS it, enter Whitcomb High School, 273 Pleasant St, Bethel, VT 05032.  Note, be careful not to turn left onto Rt. 12 South, which also crosses the river.  Go into downtown Bethel before you go left on Rt. 12 North.

Saturday should be fun:  70 HHS players in action all at once.  Players, be sure to honor the game in every way.  Parents, nice and chill on the sidelines, please.  Referees are human and fallible. Don;t be those parents.

Freshman Practice On as Scheduled

The Freshman team will practice as scheduled from 10:00 - 11:30 this morning.  Helpful hint:  always, always carry a garbage bag (kitchen size is fine) in your soccer bag.  If the grass is wet or the weather is rainy, tuck your gear into the garbage bag and it stays dry.  And in dry weather, you never know when you might encounter some trash that needs to be picked up!

Weather Alert: Friday Freshman Practice Status

Stay tuned for a final call on the status of Freshman practice Friday morning.  We will post no later than 8:00 this morning.  If the appears to be ending, we'll go forward as planned for practice at 10:00, with the possibility that we'll shorten practice and train from 10:30 - 11:30.

JV and Freshman Rosters Set For Weekend Games

These are the rosters for the Junior Varsity and Freshman groups that will be playing this weekend.  These are not the final rosters, which will be announced next week.  The JV will scrimmage Lebanon at the HHS turf field on Friday at 5:00.  They should report no later than 4:00.  They will play in the Keene Jamboree on Saturday, leaving at 6:45 a.m. and returning by 3:30.  The Freshmen will practice on Friday at 10:00 and plat at Bethel, VT on Saturday, leaving HHS at 10:30.  They will return by 6:15.

Junior Varsity

Lincoln Adam
Owen Brooks
Ethan Cobb
Alvaro Cooper
Roger Danilek
Daniel Felde
Benny Gantrish
Sawyer Hanlon
Sam Ives
Harris LaRock
Gabe Loud
Sam Lutz
Sander Macaulay
Sam Maynes
Adam Mendelsohn
Harry Olszewski
Daniel Pinigin
Ben Ralston-Daniel
David Seigne
Ben Sobel
Dimitri Somoff
Vincent Versteeg
Daniel Wilson
David Wilson

Freshmen

Matt Alibozek
Adam Blackburn
Dillon Bradley
Caleb Calloway
Liam Collins
Christo Dragnev
Matt Fenner
Sam Gallimore
Bauti Gallino
Morgan Gardner
Joseph Goff
Ben Hoffer
Will Laycock
Gary Li
Mason Mallett
Pierre Mayo
Nicolas Mayo-Pushee
Charlie Plottner
Alexander Purcell
Mark Ralston-Daniel
Andy Rightmire
Aidan Rowley
Eli Silovich
Brian Turkington
Hans Williams
Tyler Wittmann
 Elias Zinman

We are depending on parent drivers for the trip to and from Bethel, and still are looking for two more.  Please e-mail me if you help.  We will leave at 10:30 and return after our 4:00 game.  Players will need to provide their own lunch, which they will eat between games.  (Do the South Strafford guys want to go directly to and from the games?).

Please be in touch with questions about the rosters or the games.  Freshman players are cordially to the Lebanon scrimmage Friday night at 7:00 on the HHS turf.

More Heat, More Fire: Marauders Dominate at Camp

Remember these dog days of August next November, when you are shivering in the stands and watching the Marauders play on some patch of frozen field turf.  No doubt the Marauders will be well prepared for the cold and the artificial surface, but it will be worth remembering that their steel was forged and tempered in the blast ovens at Windridge.  Playing their fourth and fifth games in a 48-hour stretch,  Hanover dominated two more opponents and emerged from their camp sojourn with a 4-0 record against some of the better teams in Vermont.

Hanover had several advantages in today's games against Montpelier and Essex:  they had a deeper roster, the were more skillful, and they were fitter.  The Marauders employed all of these in blanking Montpelier 4-0 and then defeating a highly-regarded Essex team 3-0.    The morning match against Montpelier was methodical and one-sided, featuring a highlight goal by Tim Alibozek, who went upper ninety with a left footed drive from the top of the box.  Patrick Logan earned the clean sheet in goal.  The afternoon match was played in searing heat.  With several senior starters sidelined with minor injuries, it was Hanover's newly-promoted players who did the damage.  After a scoreless first half, Dan "D1" Healy ghosted in at the back post to give Hanover a 1-0 lead.  Robbie Murdza culminated his best two days of soccer ever by being in the right place at the right time to double Hanover's advantage.  Sam Strohbehn then put the icing on the cake with an absolutely filthy free kick, bending his delivery from 25 meters around the wall, off the back post, and in. 

Hanover and Essex typified the sort of camaraderie that is possible at Windridge.  The two teams sat together on the steep steps of the Soccer Mansion overlooking the field, coaches constantly chatting and players renewing old Super Y friendships and forming new ones.  In the meantime, they played a hard-fought game without referees, making all of their own calls and honoring the game in every way.

After the game, Coach Grabill observed that there were ten players from last year's JV team who contributed significantly to the victory.  He noted that Coach Callanan would have been amazingly proud of these young men, who certainly honored his memory.

It's back to business tomorrow for all Hanover players. The Varsity group that was at Windridge will train at the turf from 2:30 - 4:00. All other players will train at the Pasture from 10:00 - 11:30.  The JV and Freshman rosters for the weekend games will be announced on the Blog Thursday evening.

Marauders Catch Fire in the August Heat

The annual Marauder trip to the Windridge Tennis Camp in pastoral Roxbury, VT is off to a rousing start.  The Hanover lads bussed up 89 to camp on Tuesday afternoon and arrived in time to move into their rustic cabins and then take the field against Mount Anthony Union High School from Bennington, VT.  The Marauders cruised to a 6-0 victory, with Casey Starr's two goal leading the way.  Patrick Logan got the win and the shutout, and every player saw some significant playing time.
After a lifesaving dip in the pool to cool off, the Marauders had a quick snack at the salad bar and hustled down to the pitch to play Rice Memorial High School from South Burlington, the defending Division 2 state champs, who swaggered onto the pitch on their all-black attire, looking like the Cobra Kai dojo crew from "The Karate Kid".    Hanover scored first and Rice tied it up.  Hanover went ahead and Rice tied it up on a second half penalty kick.  The Marauders switched into high gear and took the lead for good on a goal by Henry Kahl, assisted by Luke Messersmith. Daniel Healy's goal made it 4-2, and Luke Messersmith put the icing on the cake with a long drive that went bar-down.  It was an emphatic win over an aggressive, confident team.

After an amazing supper of lasagna, salad and cheesecake for dessert, the Marauders headed to the campfire circle for s'mores and team bonding.  Even as this is being written, they are holding hands and singing "Kuybayah".

Tomorrow morning they will awaken grudgingly at 7:30 for a quick breakfast before their 8:30 kickoff against Montpelier.  Then it's back to the pool, lunch, and a 2:00 match with a very strong Essex High team.  They plan to arrive back in Hanover between 5:30 and 6:00.

Meanwhile, back at the Pasture this morning, the Freshman and Upperclass groups got some good training with coaches Grabill, Edson, Johnson, Osheyack and Walker in preparation for Wednesday's epic scrimmage.  All players will train on Thursday morning at 10:00  (slight schedule change), expect for the Varsity group,which will practice on the turf at 4:00. So long from camp!

2015 Marauder Season is Underway

The 2015 Hanover High School boys' soccer season got underway on Monday, with two sessions of tryouts at the Pasture and the annual Alumni Game at the HHS turf in the evening.  More than 85 candidates showed up for training and team placement, guided by Coach Grabill and a bevy of assistants, including newly-named Assistant Coaches Brett Wanner, Jared Walker,  and Yosef Oshayack,  former assistant Ben Synder, former Freshman Coach Rob Edson, current Freshman Coach Willie Johnson, and volunteer Freshman assistant Steve Kahl.  After two sessions which included some quality 11 v. 11 scrimmaging, Coach Grabill tapped 27 players to face the Alumni.

A star-studded bunch of HHS grads, including current Dartmouth players Eric Jayne (this year's Big Green Captain) and Brendan Barth, and a bevy for former college players, emerged victorious over the current Marauder crew, but as usual the new HHS lads vowed revenge in November.

Coach Grabill will take 25 candidate from the Varsity pool  (the final team won't be named until after weekend scrimmages) to the Windridge Tennis and Sports Camp in Roxbury, Vermont on Tuesday for an overnight stay and a series of scrimmages against some top Green Mountain teams, including Essex and the Defending State Champions from Rice.  The team will depart from HHS at 12:30, and return Wednesday at 6:00.

Training sessions will continue at the Dresden Fields  (aka The Pasture) every day this week from 10:00 - 11:30, to prepare JV and Freshman squads for weekend action.  All candidates, including those who want to play for the Reserve squad, are welcome at these sessions.  Candidates for Freshman and Reserve teams also have the option of waiting until Monday, August 24 to start training.  A JV squad will play Lebanon High School on Friday,  August 21 at 5:00 on the HHS turf, followed by the Varsity at 7:00.  Those two squads will travel to Keene on Saturday for a Jamboree  (departing at 6:30 a.m.).  A freshman squad will travel to Bethel on Saturday for two scrimmages, leaving at 10:30 a.m.

Although there will be updates via Facebook and e-mail regularly, this daily blog is the best way to receive schedule updates, game information and results, and late-breaking news about all four HHS teams.  Please bookmark the address and check us daily.  Thank you for your support!