Merrimack's Kailey Blain surprised herself by winning the 100 at the Class L meet.

MERRIMACK – There was no one more surprised that Kailey Blain won the 100-meter dash at the Class L track and field championship Friday than Blain herself.

But there was the Merrimack High School senior, sprinting ahead of Manchester Central’s Meggie Donovan and Bishop Guertin Cecilia Barowski to win the 100 in 12.4 seconds.

Surprise was the first thing. Pride and satisfaction came next.

“Senior year, on my home track, I don’t think I could get a better situation than that,” Blain said. “I didn’t expect to win. Not at all. The whole field was really good.”

Blain entered the prelims seeded third and advanced to the final with the fastest time by more than two-tenths of a second. Thanks to an improved start to the race, she was able to win the Class L individual title by .34 seconds.

“The main difference was that I got out of my blocks quickly, which I’m usually bad at,” she said. “I think that was the difference. It depends on the day. Track is so unpredictable.

“I wanted top three or four. I was out there with some amazing runners and I’m just thrilled to say I did this.”

Technorati Tags: Class L, girls track, Merrimack

The Nashua High School South was down to her final attempt at 9-feet, 6-inches during Friday’s Class L track and field championship and the odds were stacked against her.

Although she’d cleared the height in practice, Rapsis had never cleared 9-6 in a meet. Add on that she was breaking in a new pole at a track that she didn’t usually perform well at and . . .

“I thought I was done,” she said. “It’s stressful coming down to that last jump. I was kind of bummed out, but then I listened to my coach, who told me to bring my hips up more and bring my head back. I went in and went over. I wanted to cry, it was so exciting.”

And just like that, Rapsis had reached a new height in the pole vault.

“I usually don’t do my best at Merrimack,” Rapsis said. “I was kind of nervous. I’m using a new pole. I was really bending my 120 pole, so I moved to a 130. I felt 10 times better after I did a couple of jumps.”

With a previous best of 9-1, which had her seeded second in the meet, had resigned herself to finishing in the same spot. Even without a win in the pole vault, she’d still make it to the Meet of Champions, and that was all right.

“If I got second again, I’m going to move on to the Meet of Champions, so I’m not really that worried,” she said. “When we hit nine feet, there were a bunch of us who were tied for first place. I had skimmed the bar when I went over 9-6, so I was shocked that I made it.”

And to make the win more meaningful, it came on her mother’s birthday.

“I didn’t even know what to expect and I was so excited,” Rapsis said. “It was pretty amazing.”

Technorati Tags: Class L, girls track, Nashua South

Nashua North's Eric Muite took first in the 110-meter hurdles at the Class L meet.

MERRIMACK – It was easy to spot Eric Muite during and after the finals of the 110-meter hurdles at the Class L track and field championship on Friday.

Throughout the race, the Nashua High School North junior was the lone participant not popping up every time he leapt over a hurdle.

After the race was a different story.

When he crossed the finish line first, Muite turned to look at his time on the giant digital clock. Seeing something that he liked, Muite began to celebrate, skipping and yelling as he raised a fist toward his North teammates who were watching.

“It’s a big day for our school and everyone out here,” Muite said when explaining his excitement. “This is what we work for all year. All the other meets throughout the year, all the times I’ve been cutting down, it was for this one meet.”

With perhaps one of the smoothest strides a high school hurdler can have, Muite was the only hurdler to break 15 seconds (14.83 in the final) on the day. In fact, his time of 15.23 in the prelims was topped only by Timberlane’s Jarret McKallagat, who was second overall and ran 15.02 in the final.

Being on the big stage made Muite a little more nervous than he might normally be, but he was able to keep it from getting to him

“I was just nervous in general, just being in these surroundings, this environment,” he said. “A little nervous, but I was pretty confident. I knew I was coming to win it. I put a lot of work into what I do. I worked pretty hard, I practice every day and I put a lot of work in in the weight room.”

Getting to the final was the first step, and Muite was able to do that without using up too much energy. Once he saw the rest of the field, Muite had an idea of what to expect. From there, it was time for him to go to work.

“I knew who I was expecting in the final,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen. I knew what I had to do.”

Muite also finished third in the 300 hurdles, and although he felt like he could have finished better in that race, getting points for the Titans was what was really important.

“Got us some points,” he said. “I was glad to help my team out, too.”

Technorati Tags: boys track, Class L, Nashua North

Alvirne and Nashua South will meet in the first round of the Class L baseball tournament.

The NHIAA released the first-round matchups for the high school baseball tournaments, which are scheduled to begin on Thursday.

Eight local teams will participate, and while there are some interesting first-round matchups, its the games that could be played in the later rounds that are most intriguing.

Class L

With Nashua North (16-3) and Nashua South (12-7) on opposite sides of the bracket, the possibility for an All-Gate City Class L championship game is there, but it’s a long way off.

North earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and will get to host No. 16 Manchester Central (7-12) at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The Titans clobbered the Little Green during the regular season, beating them 10-1 on April 28. The winner will get to face either No. 8 Trinity (10-9) or No. 9 Spaulding (10-9) in the quarterfinals.

Also in that half of the bracket, No. 4 Salem (12-7) will host No. 13 Exeter (9-10), while No. 5 Manchester Memorial (12-7) takes on No. 12 Timberlane (9-10) in the first round.

South is the sixth seed and will get to host No. 11 Alvirne (9-10) on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Panthers beat the Broncos earlier this season in Nashua, winning 6-5 on May 21. The winner will take on the winner of No. 3 Londonderry (14-5) or No. 14 Concord (8-11).

Finishing out the bracket, No. 2 Goffstown (16-4) will take on No. 15 Pinkerton Academy (8-11) and No. 7 Keene (12-8), the defending champion, will host No. 10 Dover (9-10).

Class I

Portsmouth (16-0) will carry its 59-game winning streak into the playoffs. The top-seeded Clippers take on No. 16 Oyster River  (7-9) in the first round.

The winner will face either No. 8 Hollis/Brookline (9-7) or No. 9 Kennett (9-7). Those two will meet for the first time this season at 4 p.m. on Thursday in Hollis.

If the Cavaliers and Clippers both advance, it will set up the same scenario from the 2007 Class I tournament, when the eighth-seeded Cavs knocked off the top-seeded Clippers on the way to the title. That was also the last time Portsmouth has lost a game.

Souhegan (13-3) is the fifth seed and will host No. 12 Merrimack Valley (8-8) at 4 p.m. on Thursday in Amherst. The winner there will advance to face either No. 4 Con-Val (12-4) or No. 13 Kearsarge (8-8).

No. 7 Bedford (10-6) will host its first tournament game, taking on No. 10 Bishop Brady at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Whoever wins that game will face either No. 2 St. Thomas (13-3) or No. 15 Bow (6-10) in the quarterfinals.

No. 3 Lebanon (15-1) takes on No. 14 Coe-Brown (8-8) while No. 6 Pembroke (9-7) hosts No. 11 Hanover (10-6) in the first round.

Class M

After finishing the regular season with an 11-5 record, Campbell will be the fifth seed when the tournament starts on Thursday. The Cougars will host No. 12 Sanborn (9-8) at 4 p.m. in Litchfield. The teams split two games this season, with Sanborn winning the season-opener on April 12, 5-4, and Campbell taking a 6-2 win on May 13.

The winner will face either No. 4 Fall Mountain (12-4) or No. 13 Belmont (8-8) in the quarterfinals.

Somersworth went 16-0 to earn the top seed, and it will host No. 16 Stevens (6-11). The winner will take on No. 8 Mascenic (11-6) or No. 9 Franklin (10-6).

On the bottom part of the bracket, No. 2 Winnisquam (15-2) host No. 15 Conant (6-10) while No. 7 Berlin (11-5) takes on No. 10 Inter-Lakes (10-6). Hopkinton (14-3) is the third seed and will face No. 14 Prospect Mountain (7-9) and No. 6 Farmington (11-5) will host No. 11 Mascoma Valley (9-7).

Class S

Despite winning just three games this year, Wilton-Lyndeborough is in the Class S tournament. The Warriors (3-12) are the No. 15 seed and will face No. 2 Pittsfield (13-3) at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The teams split two games this season, as Pittsfield won at WLC 8-3 on April 19, and the Warriors won on the road 5-2 on May 17.

The winner will face either No. 7 Sunapee (10-6) or No. 10 Woodsville (9-7) in the quarterfinals.

The rest of the bottom part of the bracket has No. 3 Lisbon (12-3) facing No. 14 Lin-Wood (4-12) and No. 6 Portsmouth Christian (9-5) hosting No. 11 Derryfield (8-8).

Pittsburg, last year’s champion, is the No. 1 seed after finishing with a 15-1 record, and will host No. 16 Moultonborough (3-13) in the first round. The winner will get either No. 8 Gorham (11-7) or No. 9 Littleton (9-7).

No. 4 Hinsdale (11-4) hosts No. 13 Profile (6-10) while No. 5 Newmarket (11-5) takes on No. 12 Colebrook (7-9).

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, baseball, Bedford, Brookline, Campbell, Class I, Class L, Class M, Class S, Hollis, Lyndeborough, Nashua North, Nashua South, Souhegan, Wilton

Taylor Carbone and the Alvirne softball team are the No. 3 seed in Class L.

High school softball fans will have plenty of local games to choose from when the tournaments begin on Wednesday.

The NHIAA released the pairings for all four classes of softball on Tuesday, and 11 local teams will be participating, with eight of them playing the first round at home.

Class L

After finishing the season with a 17-3 record, Alvirne enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed and will host No. 14 Pinkerton Academy (8-11) in the preliminary round at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Hudson. The Broncos won the lone regular-season meeting between the two teams 12-8 on May 26.

The winner will move on to the quarterfinals to face either No. 6 Spaulding (12-7) or No. 11 Nashua South (9-10). The Panthers defeated the Red Raiders 4-3 on April 14, in the first game of the season for both teams. The preliminary round game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Rochester.

On the other side of the bottom of the bracket, No. 2 Salem (17-2), which has won nine in a row, hosts No. 15 Timberlane (6-13) and No. 7 Dover (11-8) hosts No. 10 Manchester Central (10-9). The winners of those games will play in the quarterfinals.

Nashua North (14-5) earned the No. 5 seed and will host No. 12 Bishop Guertin (9-10) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Titans won the regular-season meeting on April 23, 4-3. The winner gets either No. 4 Londonderry (16-3), which is on an 11-game win streak, or No. 13 Manchester Memorial (8-11) in the quarterfinals.

Merrimack (10-9) earned the No. 9 seed, but stumbled into the playoffs having lost five of their final eight games. The Tomahawks will head to Hampton to face No. 8 Winnacunnet (10-9) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Warriors won the lone regular-season meeting on May 10, 4-3.

The winner will face either No. 1 Concord (18-1) or No. 16 Trinity (5-14) in the quarterfinals.

Class I

All four local participants will host first-round games on Wednesday.

Bedford (12-4) finished the season as the No. 3 team in the standings, according to the Heal Point System. After opening the season with 10 straight wins, the Bulldogs have lost four of their final six. They host No. 14 Merrimack Valley (9-7) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams didn’t meet in the regular season.

The winner will take on either No. 6 Hollis/Brookline (11-5) or No. 11 Coe-Brown Academy (10-6). The Cavs will host the first round game against the Black Bears at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Bears won the regular-season meeting 10-2 on May 12.

On the other side of the bottom of the bracket, No. 2 Bishop Brady (15-1) hosts No. 15 Con-Val (6-10) while No. 7 John Stark (11-5) hosts No. 10 Portsmouth (11-5).

Souhegan (11-5) is the No. 4 seed and will host No. 13 Monadnock (8-8) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Amherst. The Sabers won both games against the Huskies this season, winning 14-2 on April 29 and 8-7 on May 3. The winner will face either No. 5 Laconia (13-3) or No. 12 St. Thomas (8-8)

Milford (10-6) earned the No. 8 seed and will take on No. 9 Plymouth (10-6) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Keyes Field. The teams didn’t meet during the regular season. The winner will take on either No. 1 Kennett (14-2) or No. 16 Lebanon (8-8) in the quarterfinals.

Class M

Campbell (15-1), which finished the regular season without losing to a Class M opponent, is the No. 2 seed in the tournament, and will host No. 15 White Mountains Regional (6-10) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Litchfield. The teams didn’t play each other during the regular season.

The winner will take on either No. 7 Conant (11-5) or No. 10 Somersworth (9-7) in the quarterfinals.

Winnisquam (16-1) is the No. 1 seed and will host No. 16 Epping (5-11) in the first round, with the winner taking on either No. 8 Berlin (10-6) or No. 9 Gilford (10-6).

No. 4 Franklin (14-2) hosts No. 13 Mascoma Valley (8-8) in the first round, while No. 5 Stevens (14-3) hosts No. 12 Newfound (8-8). The winners will meet in the quarterfinals.

No. 3 Sanborn (15-2) will take on No. 14 Fall Mountain (7-11), with the winner facing either No. 6 Hopkinton (12-4) or No. 11 Farmington (8-8).

Class S

After another undefeated regular season, Wilton-Lyndeborough (15-0) is the top seed in the tournament. The Warriors will host No. 16 Derryfield (1-14) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. WLC won both regular season meetings, sweeping a doubleheader on May 12, 25-2 and 19-6. The winner will face either No. 8 Sunapee (9-7) or No. 9 Gorham (10-6).

Also on the top half of the bracket, No. 4 Pittsfield (13-3) will host No. 13 Moultonborough (6-10) and No. 5 Lin-Wood (10-6) hosts No. 12 Profile (6-10).

No. 2 Colebrook (15-1) takes on No. 15 Hinsdale (2-13), with the winner facing either No. 7 Littleton (9-7) or No. 10 Portsmouth Christian (7-7). No. 3 Woodsville (13-3) hosts No. 14 Groveton (6-10) and No. 6 Newmarket (10-6) faces No. 11 Pittsburg (7-9).

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Brookline, Campbell, Class I, Class L, Class M, Class S, Hollis, Lyndeborough, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua North, Nashua South, playoffs, softball, Souhegan, Wilton

Nashua South's Colin Quinn finished first in the javelin at the Class L championship

MERRIMACK – There was at least one athlete at the Class L track and field championship on Friday that was savoring the hot weather.

The hotter it is, the better it is for Nashua High School South junior Colin Quinn.

“I came into the meet really excited about the hot weather,” Quinn said. “I really like the hot weather.”

In between throws during the javelin competition, Quinn was wearing a jacket, despite temperature in the 80s.

But if it works, it works, and it certainly did for Quinn. The top seed in the javelin entering the meet, Quinn lived up to the billing and won the event with a throw of 174-4.

“I was shooting for 185, but I’m happy with it,” he said. “It feels really good.”

Quinn started the day by surprising himself in the shot put, throwing a personal-best 44-2½ and finishing fifth. The event also served as a nice warmup for his main event.

“It was like a little warmup,” Quinn said. “I threw shot put really well. I headed to jav feeling revved up.”

As the first flight of throwers went through, Quinn watched and saw some improvements the competition had made during the season.

“There were some throws out there that some people weren’t throwing before the season, but kind of warmed up to going into the meet,” he said. “There were a few worries, but I stayed confident.”

Once in the final of the event, Quinn got his winning toss on his first throw. He tried to improve on it in his final attempts, but couldn’t and had to hope it would hold up.

“I knew it was a good number to put up there, but I didn’t know if it was going to be the number,” he said. “I kept shooting for more. It stayed up there, so I’m happy.”

With the Meet of Champions up next on Saturday, Quinn feels he’s in a better shape than he was at this point last season.

“Last year, I kind of overtrained and at the end of the year, it went downhill,” he said. “I’m feeling the best all season right now. (Experience) helps so much. I knew exactly what not to do.”

Technorati Tags: boys track, Class L, Nashua South

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, Bishop Guertin, boys track, Class L, girls track, Merrimack, Nashua North, Nashua South

The top-seeded Cardinals (16-0) won four of six singles matches to return to the Class L final for the first time since 2007. BG will look for its first championship since 2005 when it faces No. 3 Manchester Central, which defeated No. 2 Exeter, in the final on June 2 at 4 p.m. at The Derryfield School.

In Class I, the Bedford girls team upset No. 1 Bishop Brady, 5-4, handing the Giants their first loss of the season in the semifinals on Friday.

The No. 4 Bulldogs will play in their first championship on June 2 at 4 p.m. at Memorial Field in Concord, where they will face No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, which defeated No. 3 Portsmouth.

Technorati Tags: Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Class I, Class L, girls tennis, playoffs

The Bishop Guertin boys track team poses with the Class L championship plaque. For more photos from the meet, go to the Photo Album.

MERRIMACK – The Bishop Guertin High School boys track team squeaked out a one-point win over Nashua North at the Class L boys track championship meet on Friday at Merrimack High School.

The Cardinals scored 95 points to win their first outdoor title since 1977, while the Titans had 94 and came up just short of winning the school’s first track championship.

“The guys were great,” North coach Nate Burns said. “We came up a little shore, but I’m proud of them. It’s great to see because they care so much about it and they’re a team. They put so much into it together.”

The Titans got individual wins from Kevin Rosenberg (shot put) and Eric Muite (110-meter hurdles) while Andre Williams, Jahmar Gathright and Myles Parker also stepped up to help lead North to second.

BG got first-place finishes from Francis Hernandez (1,600) and Jeff LaCoste (3,200), along with first in the 4×800 relay.

Nashua North's Jahmar Gathright, right, cheers on Andre Williams after passing on the baton during the 4x100 relay.

Merrimack, which finished third, was led by Devin Martin, who won the long jump; Tom Duda, who won the 300 hurdles; and Steve Harshman, who won the 400. The Tomahawks won the 4×400 relay.

Colin Quinn led South with a first-place finish in the javelin.

For more details, go here. For complete results, go here.

Girls

BG got solid performances, but it wasn’t enough to top Manchester Central. The Little Green won its second straight title, recording 82 points. The Cards were second with 76.

Arianna Vailas finished first in both the 800- and 1,600-meter runs to lead Central.

Cecilia Barowski came in first in the 400 to go with second in the 200 and third in the 100 for BG. Beth McKenna and Melissa LaCoste also did well for the Cards, who won the 4×800 relay.

Merrimack got a first-place finish in the 100 from Kailey Blain, while Ivy Muchuma won both the javelin and the shot put for North. Nashua South’s Victoria Rapsis cleared a personal-best of 9-feet, 6-inches to win the pole vault.

Merrimack's Kailey Blain competes in the long jump.

For more details, go here. For complete results, go here.

Editor’s note: For more highlights from the meet – including video of the boys and girls 100 and 200 and hurdle sprints – be sure to check back throughout the weekend.

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, Bishop Guertin, Class L, Merrimack, Nashua North, Nashua South, track

The top-seeded Cardinals, who improved to 15-0 with the win, took four of six singles matches to pull out the win.

BG will take on No. 5 Londonderry (11-4), which defeated No. 4 Manchester Memorial 7-2, in the Class L semifinals at 4 p.m. on Friday in Nashua.

Class I

The Hollis/Brookline girls saw their season come to an end on Wednesday in a 5-2 loss to No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas. The No. 7 Cavaliers (10-5) got two singles wins, while the Saints (14-1) advance to face No. 3 Portsmouth (14-1) in the semifinals.

No. 4 Bedford also advanced to the semifinals with an 8-1 win over Kearsarge. The Bulldogs will face top-seed Bishop Brady (15-0) on Friday.

Technorati Tags: Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Brookline, Class I, Class L, girls tennis, Hollis, playoffs