Both Andrews and Vlachos had a goal and an assist, while goalie Alex Hiley stopped 11 shots. Rachel Gray, Cassie Sebas, Dina Pitsas and Brittney White played well and Amanda Clark, Brittney Cross, Ashley Federico and Jonna Gath also had solid games.

After a scoreless first half, Andrews put Milford on the board with 12 minutes left in the game. The Bobcats came right back two minutes later, and tied the game on a corner kick. But just a minute later, the Spartans (2-0) answered, as Vlachos sent a pass from Andrews into the top corner of the net.

Milford returns to the field on Tuesday to host Windham.

Technorati Tags: Division II, girls soccer, Milford

Welcome to the first edition of Pigskin Prophets. Each week, a group of high school football “experts” will try to successfully predict the outcome of handful of select games from around the state. Following are this week’s picks.

Home teams in ALL CAPS.

Mark Ouellette

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

Bishop Guertin over SALEM

Souhegan over LONDONDERRY Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

BEDFORD over Manchester West Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

Milford over MANCHESTER MEMORIAL

Portsmouth over NASHUA SOUTH

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE

CAMPBELL over St. Thomas

Mark Ouellette is the founder, co-owner, managing editor and web editor of NHReporter.com. His work has appeared in the New Hampshire Union Leader, Nashua Telegraph and The Cabinet Press’ four weekly newspapers.

George Scione

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

SALEM over Bishop Guertin

Souhegan over LONDONDERRY Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

BEDFORD over Manchester West Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

NASHUA SOUTH over Portsmouth

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL

George Scione is the assistant sports editor for the Nashua Telegraph.

Mike Zhe

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

Bishop Guertin over SALEM

Souhegan over LONDONDERRY Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

BEDFORD over Manchester West Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

MANCHESTER MEMORIAL over Milford

NASHUA SOUTH over Portsmouth

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL

Mike Zhe is a staff writer for the Portsmouth Herald and the editor of New England Hockey Journal.

Pete Tarrier

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

SALEM over Bishop Guertin

Souhegan over LONDONDERRY Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

Manchester West over BEDFORD Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

MANCHESTER MEMORIAL over Milford

NASHUA SOUTH over Portsmouth

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL

Pete Tarrier is the host of Friday Night Lights-NH High School Football and Basketball shows on Sports Radio WGAM The Game.

John Doyle

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

Bishop Guertin over SALEM

LONDONDERRY over Souhegan Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

Manchester West over BEDFORD Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

Milford over MANCHESTER MEMORIAL

Portsmouth over NASHUA SOUTH

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL

John Doyle is the Sunday sports editor and staff writer at Foster’s Daily Democrat and Laconia Citizen.

Joe Marchilena

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

SALEM over Bishop Guertin

LONDONDERRY over Souhegan Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

Manchester West over BEDFORD Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

Milford over MANCHESTER MEMORIAL

NASHUA SOUTH over Portsmouth

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL

Joe Marchilena is the editor of nh-highschoolsports.com. Reach him at nhhighschoolsports@gmail.com.

Technorati Tags: football, Pigskin Prophets

The Souhegan High School football coach can’t say the same about his team.

After going 23-1 and winning two Division III championships in the last two years, the Sabers have just five starters back on offense and defense.

“We graduated nine starters (on offense) and return two,” Beliveau said. “When the season ended, all five lineman, who played from Week 7 on, they’re gone. My quarterback is gone. My runner is gone. One of the split ends is gone and so is one of the slot (receivers).”

It’s not much different on the defensive side of the ball, where nose guard Ryan Bullard, strong safety Eric Dwinell and middle linebacker Colin Ginnard are the returning starters.

Heading into the season, the Sabers’ strength is in the skill positions. Senior Mike Luks will step in at quarterback for DJ Petropulos, while Dwinell and Nicholas Calvetti will take over at running back for Steven Jellison.

Split ends Brendan McKenna and Nick Hession are the two returning starters on offense, and they’ll be joined by fellow receivers Matt Schagrin, Chris Almeida, Tim Beliveau and Chris Chininis to give Souhegan a solid group at the position.

The new offensive line will consist of Zack Polio and Jake Kennedy at the tackles, and Kyle Beaulieu and Bullard stepping at guard with Ian Coulter between them at center.

“We have to play well along both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Beliveau said. “We have to be able to get the ball in space to some of our good athletes, and continue to be balanced on offense.

The Sabers will benefit from being in the same system for the fifth straight year.

On defense, Kennedy and Coulter will join Bullard up front, while Hession and McKenna step in at outside linebacker/defensive end. Jason Doheny and Alex Price should also be in the mix. Dwinell will be joined in the defensive secondary by Calvetti and Terry Dugdale, along with Chininis, Almeida and Taran Beebe.

“We’ve got to be fast and athletic on defense,” Beliveau said. “I want to see guys flying to the ball.”

The Sabers are one of two teams in Division III who will play two crossover games, starting with a game at Londonderry to open the season on Sept. 3. Souhegan will also host Manchester Central on Oct. 1.

While Souhegan has won the last two titles, and played in the championship game in seven of the last eight years, this year’s Division III could be wide open.

“The division is much more balanced,” Beliveau said. “We know week in and week out, we have a football game on our hands. That’s good. That’s the way it should be. We have high expectations, but we better be prepared every single week.”

Souhegan will head to Portsmouth on Sept. 10 for a rematch of the last two title games, while the Sabers will also host Hollis/Brookline (Sept. 24), Milford (Oct. 15) and Bedford (Nov. 5).

Technorati Tags: Division III, football, Souhegan

The Milford High School team that Jones coaches might have put together one of the most improbable seasons.

And it’s all to be forgotten.

The Spartans have always been a resilient bunch under Jones, and no season showed that more than last year.

Milford open the season with two straight losses in Division III, and compounded with the suspension of almost a dozen players for an off-the-field incident, the Spartans appeared to be a long shot to make it to the playoffs for the sixth straight year.

Instead, the Spartans dug deep and won their next five division games – including the program’s first win over Souhegan – to finish up 5-3 in the division and get to the postseason.

Heading into 2010, Jones and his players won’t mention it.

“That’s over with, done with and gone,” Milford coach Keith Jones said. “We don’t talk about it.”

What the Spartans are talking about is a group of seniors that is entering its third season as varsity players. That has Jones excited.

“We’ve got some good returning kids who have a lot of experience,” he said. “It has been nice this year because there is a little bit of certainty. Still, the best player plays. We don’t ever feel like we have to owe anybody anything. You’ve got to earn your spot every single season.

“If there was somebody who had been willing to take it from them, that’s how some of these kids started as sophomores. They took it from somebody else. They know, as far as I’m concerned, that nobody is safe.”

Leading the way for Milford is a solid group of skill players which includes seniors John Forte, Harry Wolcott, Max Goudreau and Matt Scott along with junior Kyle Higgins. Joining them are senior Matt Keefe and junior Andrew Bellantoni.

The Spartans’ offensive style will more than likely lack just that, according to Jones.

“We’ll be doing the same thing we always do: three yards and a cloud of dust with a lot of window dressing,” the coach said. “That’s what we’ve always been. People didn’t realize that even when we were in the shotgun, we were still running the football.”

Milford’s schedule remains the same, with the exception of a few teams. Pelham replaced John Stark in Division III this season, and for the first time since 2003, Milford won’t have a game against Plymouth.

Instead, the Spartans play two non-division games, opening the season against Division I Manchester Memorial on Friday, and hosting Tyngsboro (Mass.) on Sept. 17. Milford, along with Souhegan, is the only Division III team that doesn’t have a bye week during the regular season.

“Scheduling committee got together and they came up with the extra game and the bye weeks,” Jones said. “I went out on my own, because I don’t like open dates, and I picked up Tyngsboro.”

Other key games on the schedule include an Oct. 1 game at Portsmouth and an Oct. 15 game at Souhegan. Milford also hosts Hollis/Brookline on Oct. 29 before finishing the season at Pelham on Nov. 5.

Technorati Tags: Division III, football, Milford

Milford's Hannah Ladeau celebrates her game-winning goal in the Spartans' 3-2 win over Goffstown Tuesday.

MILFORD – The Milford High School girls field hockey team was having trouble finding confidence in its season-opener against Goffstown on Tuesday.

The result was falling into a 2-0 hole to the Grizzlies before Spartans coach Tracie Ibarra found a way to create some confidence for them.

After a few personnel moves, Milford scored two goals in the second half to tie Goffstown and then picked up the game-winner less than three minutes into overtime to give the Spartans a 3-2 win over the Grizzlies in the Division II opener for both teams.

“First half, I don’t think we were really ready,” Ibarra said. “We weren’t ready to play the type of ball game that we’re used to playing. It took me using both my timeouts in the first half, and it took me moving people into positions that they don’t normally play so we could have strengths in other areas of the field. With that, it gave us some confidence and that created offensive opportunities for us.”

Gillian Corcoran scored both Milford goals in regulation, while Hannah Ladeau picked up the winner and also assisted on the game-tying goal.

“Hannah Ladeau plays midfield and today I put her on defense,” Ibarra said of one of the changes. “What’s great about these girls is that they’ll play positions that aren’t their positions because they know it’s something that needs to be done.

“Gillian is a captain through and through. She will never give up on the ball. That’s why she hardly comes off the field. She stepped up and did what she had to do.”

[Go here to see more photos from this game.]

Milford controlled play to start out the game, but Goffstown recorded the first goal on its first opportunity at 19:09 of the first half. Momentum swung in the Grizzlies favor, and Goffstown made it 2-0 with 5:48 to go until halftime, prompting Ibarra to take her second timeout of the half and rearrange the lineup.

The Spartans opened the second half by pushing play into the Grizzlies’ end, and after a few scoring opportunities, Corcoran finally got Milford on the board with 12:02 left to play.

“At the beginning we had some butterflies,” Corcoran said. “After we got the first goal, it boosted our confidence. We know we can do it. It’s just getting to that point, to get our intensity up to that level to be able to get that goal. It becomes real after that.”

Overtime became a real possibility when Corcoran scored her second goal with 7:25 to go in regulation, deflecting a shot by Ladeau into the goal.

“We knew they were going to come out with fire and we just weren’t able to counteract,” Goffstown coach Jess Brown said. “I think we got caught off-guard and were more on our heels.”

Milford had a few chances to take the lead before the end of regulation, and the Spartans dominated play in the overtime before Ladeau scored at the 12:13 mark.

“I wasn’t too concerned when we went into overtime because these girls have some pretty good speed and they’ve been playing together for years,” Ibarra said. “They’re confident and they know how to push the ball up the field. You could see when I moved the midfielders back, we were able to push the ball and start scoring. I hope I don’t have to do that for the whole season, but it worked if I have to.”

Milford is back in action on Friday at Pelham.

Technorati Tags: Division II, field hockey, Milford

Mary Donovan had a goal and an assist to lead the Spartans (1-0) while Christina Vlachos had the other Milford goal. Kelsey Landry added an assist and Alex Hiley made 15 saves for her first shutout. Rachel Gray, Cassie Sebas, Dina Pitsas and Brittney White played well defensively.

Milford has a week off before it hosts Oyster River on Friday.

Technorati Tags: Division II, girls soccer, Milford

After battling through a tough regular-season schedule, the Spartans returned to the Class I playoffs, but were out after the first round.

This year, Milford head coach John Vlachos is looking to not only make it back to the postseason, but to host a playoff game and make it to the quarterfinals.

“I expect our team to take the next step,” Vlachos said. “Our goal is to get at least past the first round. We certainly have enough talent on offense, and if we can make the commitment to defense, we have a new goalie in Alex Hiley, and she did a tremendous job preparing in the offseason.”

Milford returns eight starters from a year ago, including sophomore Morgan Andrews. Joining her are seniors Mary Donavan, Rachel Gray, Kelsey Landry and Cassie Sebas; junior Christina Vlachos; and sophomores Kendra Bonczar and Dina Pitsas.

Also returning from last year’s team are senior Amanda Clark; juniors Hiley, Ashley Federico, and Britiney Cross; and sophomore Brittney White.

Although Milford won’t have to face Hollis/Brookline, which was runner-up in Class I the last three years before moving up to Division I this season, the Spartans again will have to go through a tough schedule in the new Division II.

Milford will face Hanover, which won the title two years ago, and Oyster River, which won it all in 2007, along with games against Bedford and newcomers Sanborn, Goffstown and Trinity. The Spartans will also play Con-Val, John Stark and Souhegan twice.

“I feel our schedule is more on the hard side, which is where we need to be,” Vlachos said. “In this league, you can’t take anyone lightly. The bottom line is you have to beat the top teams if you want to be the best.”

Milford starts its season at 4:15 p.m. on Friday at Con-Val.

Technorati Tags: Division II, girls soccer, Milford

Just a little more than 12 months ago, the Milford High School boys soccer team was on the verge of not having a 2009 season. Only six players were returning from the previous season, but before the year started, the Spartans were able to bring the number of players up to 15 – 12 of whom were freshmen or sophomores.

The season was saved, but it was a tough one, as Milford compiled a 1-15 record in 2009. The roster grew to 22 players by the end of the year, and only two graduated. This year, head coach Jim Tallarico hoped to get about 30 players out for the team.

Instead, he got 43. Not only are the Spartans able to field a varsity team this year, they’ll have a junior varsity squad for the first time since 2007. The only problem is 23 of those players have never played high school soccer before this year.

“Milford still fields a young team and is in the second year of a complete rebuilding program,” Tallarico said. “There has been noted improvement however there is still a long way to go.”

Tallarico believes that if the new players continue to develop and learn to play a “possession-oriented style of play,” the Spartans could return to where they were in 2007 and 2008, when they made the playoffs.

Milford will have to go through a tough Division II schedule to get there. The Spartans play defending-champion Hanover, Oyster River, Bedford and Hollis/Brookline, along with two games each against Souhegan and Con-Val. Milford will also take on division newcomers Windham, Sanborn, Goffstown and Trinity.

Fourteen players return for Milford, including seniors Mark Hamilton and Eric Neilson. Joining them are juniors Richie Moore, Wes Walker, Kevin Poulter, Kyle Joyce, Kyle Merrill, Dakota Richard, Hunter Philbrick and Jacob Kirby, along with sophomores Ben Lambert, Nick Smart, Nick Simo and Steven Tallarico.

Among the newcomers are seniors Mike Mitchell, Kyle Duball, Ryan Duball, Devin Wiig and Luke Rocknak.

Milford opens the season by hosting Con-Val at 4:15 p.m. on Friday.

Technorati Tags: boys soccer, Division II, Milford

But if the Sabers are to experience last year’s success in the new Division II, coach Dave Saxe knows they’ll have to put in a lot of work.

“To be a top four team we’ll have to ensure that everyone is willing and able to do the defensive work necessary to win games,” Saxe said. “That part will be part grit and determination, and significantly organization, sound defensive decision making, and rehearsal. Everyone has to execute well in their role on the field.”

Last year, Souhegan made its second semifinal appearance in three years, but the 2009 season was different. In 2007, the Sabers were the 11th seed and had to pull of two upsets to get to the final four. In 2009, Souhegan was the No. 4 seed and lost 1-0 to Hanover, which went on to win its fifth-straight title.

While Souhegan won’t face the defending champions in the regular season, it will take on runner-up Coe-Brown, Oyster River and Bedford, along with newcomers Goffstown, Trinity and Manchester West, which all moved down from Class L, and Windham, which is in its first year as a varsity team. The Sabers will also play Hollis/Brookline, Milford and Con-Val twice.

“We’ll need to focus on possession of the ball no matter where we go, and we’ll be dangerous,” Saxe said. “If we can produce a few killer passes in the final third that open up a defense for a second, we’ll be able to create chances. That is one area we are focusing on now.”

Other returning players include seniors Madison Bird and Kyle Robertson; juniors Lucas Aveling, Josh Norton and James Sheldon; and sophomore Willis Griffith.

Joining them are seniors Ben Brown, Erik Hayden, Stephen Roberge and Seth Cordts; juniors Peter Annunziata, Alfredo Chiappini and Jack Chapman; and sophomore Sam Leedy.

Souhegan opens its season Friday at 6 p.m. at Bedford.

Technorati Tags: boys soccer, Division II, Souhegan

Souhegan's Tyler Ford throws a pass during Tuesday's scrimmage against Manchester Central.

MANCHESTER – The Souhegan High School football team is almost done its gauntlet of preseason scrimmages against Manchester football teams.

The Sabers went up against Manchester Central Tuesday night at Gill Stadium, this after last Saturday’s scrimmage against Manchester Memorial. On Friday, Souhegan will face Manchester West in the Queen City Jamboree, also at Gill.

Souhegan also took on Nashua North and Timberlane in a three-team scrimmage on Aug. 18.

While playing against teams from Division I and II helps the Sabers prepare for their Division III schedule, coach Mike Beliveau admits it’s a tight rope his team walks.

“We do this purposefully,” he said of the preseason scheduling. “We’ve been punched in the mouth a little bit. In some cases, we’ve started to get off the ground and punch back physically. We have to be careful we’re not too aggressive in the preseason where we run ourselves into injury.

“It’s a fine line. We’re a little banged up, but I think we should make it back in a week or so.”

Beliveau was cautious Tuesday, holding out four starters, including quarter back Mike Luks. All four were rested with “bruises and aches and pulls,” and the first string on both sides of the ball only went for one series.

“We came over here with a plan,” Beliveau said. “We’re going to play our first string against Central for an offensive possession and a defensive possession and then get them out. We did that.”

Souhegan was also able to get a good look at players who will fill in the backup spots on the varsity roster. Among those players were quarterbacks Rob McCormick, Zadek Burstein and Tyler Ford.

“We were able to use this scrimmage to evaluate how our depth is at the second, third and fourth levels,” Beliveau said. “We played three quarterbacks today. They’re all kind of in a battle for the backup spot. I thought they were all pretty good.”

The Sabers will face West at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at Gill Stadium.

Technorati Tags: Division III, football, Souhegan