The Winter in Review
Several of our teams had fantastic seasons, highlighted by our most recent State Champions the Girls Nordic team. Other extraordinary performances were turned in by our State Runners-up Boys Nordic and Alpine teams, and the Varsity Girls Basketball team defended their crown in the Hawk Holiday Classic. While our other teams did not bring back hardware, there were many memorable and successful moments this past winter. Thank you all for helping make it so enjoyable.
Academically, I would like to highlight the seventeen seniors, roughly 25% of the entire class, who yesterday were honored as recipients of the Scholar-Athlete Award. That means that each of these student-athletes participate in community service, played in at least two varsity sports this year, and have maintained a cumulative GPA of a B+ or better. The recipients of this outstanding achievement are: Erin Bostic, Gabby Forrester, Billy French, Cameron Givens, Rachel Grady, Ben Harrington, Sam Helrich, Rachel LeGros, Hallie Loft, Abbey Luneau, Becca MacKenzie, Kara McCluskey, Sarah Metcalf, Brian Scala, Harley Smith, Libby Wetterer, and Brooks Wood.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who donated money to the “Hoops for Hunger” program this winter. We raised a school-record $767 for the Hopkinton Food Pantry and it appears that we raised the most in all of Division III.
Dan Meserve
Athletic Director
JV Girls Basketball
Captains: Taylor Cloutier, Claire Herrmann and Jess Marston
We had a team of eight, with four returning sophomores, three freshmen and Coco, our exchange student to start the JV season. This meant we needed to have some “swing” players and the varsity team supplemented the JV eight with three freshmen and exchange student, Berthelyn for the games. This enabled us to mix and match players to take some of the pressure off and help everyone to get into the offense and improve.
We finished our season 9 -9. Although there were lopsided games, both for and against us, we had our tight ones too. Five games were decided by 6 points or less, and one in overtime. After losing to Bow in mid-season by seven points, we faced them as our final regular season opponent. We were down 24 – 18 going into the last quarter when we outscored them 11 – 5 to send the game into overtime. We then proceeded to open up the game and pulled off the victory 38 - 31.
Coach Steve Babson
JV Boys Basketball
Captains: None
The boys were committed to developing their skills all season long. To their credit each day at practices team members really focused on bringing the best of what they had to contribute.
The season began with high expectations for competing against some of the best programs in our class. Some of the season highlights were upset wins over Fall Mountain and Hillsborough. During both games the key factor to success was an overall team effort.
Thanks guys for all your hard work.
Coach Todd Clark
Indoor Track
This was Hopkinton's 2nd year participating in Division II Indoor Track. The primary objectives of those athletes was to maintain and/or develop the base of fitness/skills needed for their chosen Spring Sport at Hopkinton. A group of 11 athletes competed in 7 meets at UNH, Dartmouth College and University of Southern Maine.
Individually, Sam Hill (55 Hurdles, 300M) and Libby Wetterer (55 Hurdles, 600M) qualified for the Division 2 State Championships which were held at Dartmouth College.
Coach Jeff Litchfield
Ski Jumping
Captains: Griffin Yianakopolos, Ned Metcalf
The Hopkinton Hawks ski jumping team finished their season with their spirits flying high. The Hawks were led by veterans Ned Metcalf, Griffin Yianakopolos, and Killian Miller. Newcomer Bennett Mosseau found his groove throughout the year and solidified himself as a competitor. Hopkinton's other rookie, Joe Montore, injured his ankle part way through the season and was unable to compete in the State Meet.
Mother Nature put a damper on the already short ski jumping season this year, canceling meets and practices but the team persevered and did the best they could with what they had. Looking forward to next year, the Hawks hope to increase their numbers and continue to grow into a force within the New Hampshire High School Ski Jumping Community.
Coach Tom Warner
Alpine Skiing
Captains: None
The 2011 alpine teams both had successful seasons, especially considering the overall youth of the team. The boy’s team skied to an impressive second place finish in the state championships, finishing only twelve points behind the leaders. The girl’s earned a respectful eighth place within our division.
Cameron DeBrusk continues to lead the team and qualified for the Meet of Champions with a third place finish in slalom at the state championship. Fellow qualifier Austin Cowan provided valuable points with a 7th place finish in slalom at the state meet. Ned Metcalf and Jack Hastings also had strong seasons for the Hawks.
Seniors Rachel Grady and TylerAnn Mack each culminated their seasons by strong skiing at the state meet. Freshman Meg Hemmerlein led the team all season with a fourth place finish in giant slalom and eighth in slalom at the state race.
The girls will continue to train and improve as they look forward to a successful season next winter. As the boys are graduating only one senior, they are in position to be in the running for the state title next season.
Coach Kate Backman
Varsity Cheerleading
Captains: Abbey Luneau and Karissa Hazen
This year when sign ups came around there were about 22 names on the list... more than cheerleading had ever seen. After tryouts were done we had 14 girls. I soon learned these 14 girls were driven and excited to learn. Most of the girls had never cheered before, in fact only 5 had been on the team previously, and 3 of them - "the Seniors" - were the only ones who had ever competed. The girls soon excelled to great heights and so we registered for competition. We made it to competition, with the same 14 girls we had at the beginning, a feat all in itself. We had some minor injuries but overall this season was great!
Coach Sarah Wicksman
Varsity Girls Basketball
Captains: Gabby Forrester and Harley Smith
The Varsity Girl’s basketball team had a great season this year. We finished the regular season with a record of 9-9. The Lady Hawks where led by three seniors, Harley Smith, Gabby Forrester and Ali Campbell. We won our first three regular season games and were off and running from there. I think we surprised many of our opponents who saw us as a young team with only three seniors. For the second year in a row we won the Hawk Holiday Classic. All of the girls played very hard this season. Despite our loss in the first tournament game to 4th place Somersworth, I think the girls gave it their all.
We are sad to say goodbye to our three seniors but are looking forward next year.
Coach Dave Hughes, Asst. Dan Forrester
Varsity Boys Basketball
Captains: Frankie Beane and Billy French
The boy’s varsity basketball team had another successful season (Record 10-9) making the NHIAA tournament for the ninth year in a row and had the opportunity to host a play in game vs Farmington. Beating the Tigers 72-55 the Hawks advanced once again to play their tournament rival Conant Orioles. In one of the better performances against Conant, the Hawks led early in the fourth quarter before running out of gas and losing 52-38. The season saw many success stories as the team bonded well and played some very inspired basketball. Led by 1st team all-state junior guard Frankie Beane, the Hawks beat Raymond in double overtime on Biddy Ball night in the gym, two days later they pulled off another upset win over highly ranked Stevens. Senior Jimmy Angell put on some great shooting displays over the season hitting a school record 59 three-point shots. Billy French showed his competitiveness night in and night out playing hard nose defense that helped the Hawks finish 10th in Division III in points allowed per game. Finally, Cameron Givens brought true leadership and character to the program, a trait every coach looks for in his/her players. Class of 2011 job well done.
Coach Dave Chase, asst Ryan Callahan
Nordic Skiing
Captains: Ben Dalzell, Tess Hamilton, Sam Helrich, Kara McCluskey
The season got off to a slow start with no snow until the 1st week of January, but when it came it came with gusto. The team quickly became acquainted with its new location at Gould Hill Farm, taking full advantage of its twists and turns to develop a full quiver of skills. A 12-hour Skiathon was held in mid-January, with some skiers racking up as many as 50 miles while raising funds to support “Hands to Honduras”. Friday afternoons were full of activity as the athletes continued to mentor young hawks in the Bill Koch program!
The race season was highlighted by the Hawk girl’s, who extended their championship run to seven years while the boy’s reign ended at seven, finishing 2nd to Interlakes in a closely contested state championship. The girl’s state championship team was lead by veteran skiers: Tess Hamilton, Shannon Nadeau, Sophie Kupper and Elizabeth Chesley with strong support from Emma Geiger and Judith Marklin. Freshmen Caroline Sweny was top the newcomer finishing 4th in the state meet. The girls have a strong cadre of new skiers coming up and look forward to more success in the future.
Seniors, Ben Dalzell and Sam Helrich led the boy’s team while Fabian Stocek added an international flare. Rounding out the state championship team were Ben Spalding, Tom Echelberger, Matt Angel, Carter Eitreim and skimeister, Cam Debrusk. The boys will look to the latter four skiers to lead the charge in 2012.
Coach Rob Nadeau, Asst. Larry Nice
Several of our teams had fantastic seasons, highlighted by our most recent State Champions the Girls Nordic team. Other extraordinary performances were turned in by our State Runners-up Boys Nordic and Alpine teams, and the Varsity Girls Basketball team defended their crown in the Hawk Holiday Classic. While our other teams did not bring back hardware, there were many memorable and successful moments this past winter. Thank you all for helping make it so enjoyable.
Academically, I would like to highlight the seventeen seniors, roughly 25% of the entire class, who yesterday were honored as recipients of the Scholar-Athlete Award. That means that each of these student-athletes participate in community service, played in at least two varsity sports this year, and have maintained a cumulative GPA of a B+ or better. The recipients of this outstanding achievement are: Erin Bostic, Gabby Forrester, Billy French, Cameron Givens, Rachel Grady, Ben Harrington, Sam Helrich, Rachel LeGros, Hallie Loft, Abbey Luneau, Becca MacKenzie, Kara McCluskey, Sarah Metcalf, Brian Scala, Harley Smith, Libby Wetterer, and Brooks Wood.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who donated money to the “Hoops for Hunger” program this winter. We raised a school-record $767 for the Hopkinton Food Pantry and it appears that we raised the most in all of Division III.
Dan Meserve
Athletic Director
JV Girls Basketball
Captains: Taylor Cloutier, Claire Herrmann and Jess Marston
We had a team of eight, with four returning sophomores, three freshmen and Coco, our exchange student to start the JV season. This meant we needed to have some “swing” players and the varsity team supplemented the JV eight with three freshmen and exchange student, Berthelyn for the games. This enabled us to mix and match players to take some of the pressure off and help everyone to get into the offense and improve.
We finished our season 9 -9. Although there were lopsided games, both for and against us, we had our tight ones too. Five games were decided by 6 points or less, and one in overtime. After losing to Bow in mid-season by seven points, we faced them as our final regular season opponent. We were down 24 – 18 going into the last quarter when we outscored them 11 – 5 to send the game into overtime. We then proceeded to open up the game and pulled off the victory 38 - 31.
Coach Steve Babson
JV Boys Basketball
Captains: None
The boys were committed to developing their skills all season long. To their credit each day at practices team members really focused on bringing the best of what they had to contribute.
The season began with high expectations for competing against some of the best programs in our class. Some of the season highlights were upset wins over Fall Mountain and Hillsborough. During both games the key factor to success was an overall team effort.
Thanks guys for all your hard work.
Coach Todd Clark
Indoor Track
This was Hopkinton's 2nd year participating in Division II Indoor Track. The primary objectives of those athletes was to maintain and/or develop the base of fitness/skills needed for their chosen Spring Sport at Hopkinton. A group of 11 athletes competed in 7 meets at UNH, Dartmouth College and University of Southern Maine.
Individually, Sam Hill (55 Hurdles, 300M) and Libby Wetterer (55 Hurdles, 600M) qualified for the Division 2 State Championships which were held at Dartmouth College.
Coach Jeff Litchfield
Ski Jumping
Captains: Griffin Yianakopolos, Ned Metcalf
The Hopkinton Hawks ski jumping team finished their season with their spirits flying high. The Hawks were led by veterans Ned Metcalf, Griffin Yianakopolos, and Killian Miller. Newcomer Bennett Mosseau found his groove throughout the year and solidified himself as a competitor. Hopkinton's other rookie, Joe Montore, injured his ankle part way through the season and was unable to compete in the State Meet.
Mother Nature put a damper on the already short ski jumping season this year, canceling meets and practices but the team persevered and did the best they could with what they had. Looking forward to next year, the Hawks hope to increase their numbers and continue to grow into a force within the New Hampshire High School Ski Jumping Community.
Coach Tom Warner
Alpine Skiing
Captains: None
The 2011 alpine teams both had successful seasons, especially considering the overall youth of the team. The boy’s team skied to an impressive second place finish in the state championships, finishing only twelve points behind the leaders. The girl’s earned a respectful eighth place within our division.
Cameron DeBrusk continues to lead the team and qualified for the Meet of Champions with a third place finish in slalom at the state championship. Fellow qualifier Austin Cowan provided valuable points with a 7th place finish in slalom at the state meet. Ned Metcalf and Jack Hastings also had strong seasons for the Hawks.
Seniors Rachel Grady and TylerAnn Mack each culminated their seasons by strong skiing at the state meet. Freshman Meg Hemmerlein led the team all season with a fourth place finish in giant slalom and eighth in slalom at the state race.
The girls will continue to train and improve as they look forward to a successful season next winter. As the boys are graduating only one senior, they are in position to be in the running for the state title next season.
Coach Kate Backman
Varsity Cheerleading
Captains: Abbey Luneau and Karissa Hazen
This year when sign ups came around there were about 22 names on the list... more than cheerleading had ever seen. After tryouts were done we had 14 girls. I soon learned these 14 girls were driven and excited to learn. Most of the girls had never cheered before, in fact only 5 had been on the team previously, and 3 of them - "the Seniors" - were the only ones who had ever competed. The girls soon excelled to great heights and so we registered for competition. We made it to competition, with the same 14 girls we had at the beginning, a feat all in itself. We had some minor injuries but overall this season was great!
Coach Sarah Wicksman
Varsity Girls Basketball
Captains: Gabby Forrester and Harley Smith
The Varsity Girl’s basketball team had a great season this year. We finished the regular season with a record of 9-9. The Lady Hawks where led by three seniors, Harley Smith, Gabby Forrester and Ali Campbell. We won our first three regular season games and were off and running from there. I think we surprised many of our opponents who saw us as a young team with only three seniors. For the second year in a row we won the Hawk Holiday Classic. All of the girls played very hard this season. Despite our loss in the first tournament game to 4th place Somersworth, I think the girls gave it their all.
We are sad to say goodbye to our three seniors but are looking forward next year.
Coach Dave Hughes, Asst. Dan Forrester
Varsity Boys Basketball
Captains: Frankie Beane and Billy French
The boy’s varsity basketball team had another successful season (Record 10-9) making the NHIAA tournament for the ninth year in a row and had the opportunity to host a play in game vs Farmington. Beating the Tigers 72-55 the Hawks advanced once again to play their tournament rival Conant Orioles. In one of the better performances against Conant, the Hawks led early in the fourth quarter before running out of gas and losing 52-38. The season saw many success stories as the team bonded well and played some very inspired basketball. Led by 1st team all-state junior guard Frankie Beane, the Hawks beat Raymond in double overtime on Biddy Ball night in the gym, two days later they pulled off another upset win over highly ranked Stevens. Senior Jimmy Angell put on some great shooting displays over the season hitting a school record 59 three-point shots. Billy French showed his competitiveness night in and night out playing hard nose defense that helped the Hawks finish 10th in Division III in points allowed per game. Finally, Cameron Givens brought true leadership and character to the program, a trait every coach looks for in his/her players. Class of 2011 job well done.
Coach Dave Chase, asst Ryan Callahan
Nordic Skiing
Captains: Ben Dalzell, Tess Hamilton, Sam Helrich, Kara McCluskey
The season got off to a slow start with no snow until the 1st week of January, but when it came it came with gusto. The team quickly became acquainted with its new location at Gould Hill Farm, taking full advantage of its twists and turns to develop a full quiver of skills. A 12-hour Skiathon was held in mid-January, with some skiers racking up as many as 50 miles while raising funds to support “Hands to Honduras”. Friday afternoons were full of activity as the athletes continued to mentor young hawks in the Bill Koch program!
The race season was highlighted by the Hawk girl’s, who extended their championship run to seven years while the boy’s reign ended at seven, finishing 2nd to Interlakes in a closely contested state championship. The girl’s state championship team was lead by veteran skiers: Tess Hamilton, Shannon Nadeau, Sophie Kupper and Elizabeth Chesley with strong support from Emma Geiger and Judith Marklin. Freshmen Caroline Sweny was top the newcomer finishing 4th in the state meet. The girls have a strong cadre of new skiers coming up and look forward to more success in the future.
Seniors, Ben Dalzell and Sam Helrich led the boy’s team while Fabian Stocek added an international flare. Rounding out the state championship team were Ben Spalding, Tom Echelberger, Matt Angel, Carter Eitreim and skimeister, Cam Debrusk. The boys will look to the latter four skiers to lead the charge in 2012.
Coach Rob Nadeau, Asst. Larry Nice