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Sorter, Marchand fuel Owls' emotions

Emotions were high, for a change, on the Timberlane side in yesterday afternoon's Class L championship game at Memorial Field.

Other than high-charged coach Mike Sorter, the Owls have been considered a low-key and business-like team this year. But they were far more vocal when the state title was on the line yesterday. More cheers, louder voices and fists pumping were more the norm than the exception in the 1-0 victory over Salem.

Lack of the big hit costs Blue Devils

At some point to win a championship, you just have to hit.

"We didn't," lamented Salem High baseball coach Dan Keleher after his club endured and rallied all afternoon, only to fall short in the Class L title game, 4-3, against Goffstown. "All day, it was like we were one hit away. And it just never came."

Blue Devils gladly sacrifice for the good of the team

When Salem's Brad White singled in an insurance run late in Wednesday night's Class L semifinals, the first Blue Devil out of the dugout to pat him on the back was Greg Gardner.

Coach Dan Keleher has come to expect that.

Gallant effort for Salem's seniors

There's no substitute for experience when you go deep into a tournament. The Salem softball team proved that again last night in its Class L semifinal matchup with Dover.

Although Salem is loaded with youngsters, veteran coach Harold Sachs knew that he'd need big efforts from his three senior starters if the No. 1-seed Blue Devils (now 20-3) wanted to advance to their third straight state championship game. In a tenuous 2-1 victory, that's exactly what he got.

Salem storms into title game

Last night in the Class L state semifinals, Salem High stormed into Holman Stadium and finished the Gate City daily double, vanquishing No. 5 Nashua North, 3-1.

Gunning for their first Class L state title since 2003, the top-seeded Blue Devils will switch venues to Manchester's Merchantsauto.com Stadium Saturday at 5 p.m. against No. 3 Goffstown.

Salem outlasts Alvirne in 13 innings

It took nearly two full games, but Salem advanced past Alvirne 1-0 in 13 innings in the quarterfinals of the Class L tournament last night.

The victory moves the No. 1 seed Blue Devils one step closer to earning a third straight Class L title and ninth in the last 11 years.

Lancers catch fire, KO Salem

For many of the Londonderry players, this was a new experience. The Lancers, who have only one senior, got their first taste of playoff lacrosse, and that inexperience showed as Salem led for most of the first half.

Coaches' Corner: Ben Adams

In 12 years at Salem High, Ben Adams has worn many hats.

 
During the day, he's a social studies teacher who has received statewide honors. In the afternoon, he's a golf coach and girls track coach.

Salem clinches regular-season crown

Larry Weymouth fired a one-hitter and Salem locked up the top seed in the upcoming Class L tournament with a 3-0 victory over Pinkerton.

Weymouth, now 5-0, struck out 10 and walked only one, outdueling Astro Doug Schultz, who was touched up for three runs in the first then slammed the door the rest of the way.

Salem falls to Exeter

Brett Miller scored three times but Salem fell to Exeter 17-7. Steve Delfosse scored twice for Salem (3-6).

Norris' flurry paces Pinkerton

Teagan Norris scored five times and Tom Auger notched a hat trick as Pinkerton crushed Salem, 20-5. Brian Estes and Steve Eurieck had two goals each.

Londonderry win over Salem no small matter

Even though it was a milestone for him, Londonderry coach Wayne MacDougall tried to downplay yesterday's 4-2 victory over two-time defending Class L champion Salem.

Although it was his first win over Salem in 12 years as head coach, MacDougall stressed that "it's only April," and that it'd be much more important later in the season.

Lyons, Bergeron rewarded for wait

Perhaps it wasn't too much of a sacrifice, but both Salem senior Erin Lyons and Methuen junior Sarra Bergeron have learned that patience can indeed be a virtue.

For different reasons, both have been more in the background the last two years, but they are now among the better pitchers in the region and vital members of two of the better teams.

Ottaviani Haverhill Invitational Meet

Lawrence's KB Oshodi has been one of Central Catholic's best and brightest track stars. And he has the Raider football program to thank for it.

"In my freshman year, the football coaches wanted to get us to do track," Oshodi explained. "They said it would be good to try and do a lot of different stuff. In the triple jump, in my first year, I was doing better than the varsity guys. I did well and I just continued to improve."

Milestone win for unbeaten Owls

It may be April, but you would have been hard-pressed to convince members of the undefeated Timberlane softball team of that yesterday afternoon.

And it wasn't because of the sunny 75-degree weather, either.

Sproul tallies 11 goals in Londonderry win over Salem

Justin Sproul notched a whopping 11 goals to lead Londonderry to a 13-6 win over Salem. Craig Enos added two goals for the Lancers. Patrick Allen, Steve Delfosse and Kyle Kenney each scored twice for the Blue Devils.

Londonderry downs Salem

Londonderry downed Salem, 91-54. D.J. Post took the shot put and javelin for the Lancers. Mike Marshall shined for the Blue Devils, winning the long jump, high jump, 110 hurdles, and 300 hurdles.

Pinkerton doubles up Salem

Nicole Curry found the net five times and keeper Kara Beaulieu made six saves as Pinkerton doubled up Salem, 12-6. Heather Carr and Sammi Benson each scored twice for the Astros while Kacie Connal had a goal and two assists. Salem received single goals from six different players | Laura Santos, Aly Higgins, Sara Halbich, Kyleigh Keating, Tatum Dyer and Taylor Dyer.

Salem Girls Lacrosse Preview

2007 record: 8-7, lost Division 1 first round

Returning starters/lettermen (8): Taylor Dyer, Sr., defense; Tatum Dyer, Sr., midfield; Sara Halbich, Sr., midfield; Sarah Cino, Sr., goalie; Kyleigh Keating, Jr., midfield; Sara Viehl, Jr., midfield; Aly Higgins, Sr., midfield; Nicole Rozumek, Jr., defense

Salem Boys Lacrosse Preview

2007 record: 6-9, didn't make tourney

Returning starters (6): Steve Delfosse, Sr., midfield; Alex Pittera, Sr., midfield; Brett Miller, Soph., attack; Ryan Shelley, Sr., attack; Eric Jablonski, Sr., midfield; Chris Frediani, Sr., goalie

Salem Baseball Preview

2007 record: 17-4, lost in Class L first round

Returning starters (9): Hal Landers, Sr., OF/P; Matt Hardy, Sr., OF/P; Peter Allain, Sr., 2B; Joe O'Dell, Sr., 1B/P; Brad White, Sr., 3B/P/C; Larry Weymouth, Sr., OF/P; Greg Gardner, Sr., C; Eric Perrault, Sr., P/OF; Josh Jones, Jr., OF

Salem Softball Preview

2007 record: 23-1, Class L champs

Returning starters (7): Alex Gallant, Sr., P/OF; Katie Bettencourt, Sr., C; Danielle Stoodley, Sr., 1B/OF; Erin Lyons, Sr., P; Erica DePinto, Jr., OF; Jen Cabral, Jr., P/INF; Julia Gray, Soph., OF

Salem repeats in a rout

DURHAM | The Salem crowd's victory chants at UNH's packed Lundholm Gym started with more than two minutes still remaining in yesterday's Class L championship game.
 
"Undefeated, undefeated!" was followed by "Worse than last year!"

That pretty much summed up Salem's resounding 66-45 romp over Trinity that gave the Blue Devils (22-0, 24-1 overall) their second straight Class L crown and marked their 32nd straight victory in Class L.

In contrast to last year's nail-biting, buzzer-beating 54-51 title victory, this was all but over midway through the third quarter and, partly for that reason, was even more rewarding for head coach E.J. Perry, who has now won six state titles (four in volleyball) in the last four years at Salem.

"This is twice as nice," said Perry. "Last year, at least the prognosticators gave us a chance, but everyone was picking us as the fifth to eighth best team this year. We weren't considered very good.

"I think our players will have to get a little respect now. I was on the radio the other day and someone was asking me about winning without a marquee player. But I feel we have at least two marquee players with Josh (Jones) and (Mike) Kimball and we've got some awfully good role players."

After a shaky first quarter, in which Trinity (19-3 in Class L) took a 16-11 lead, led by eight points from senior guard Ryan Bourgeois, that was only too evident.

Trailing 16-8, Jones buried a 3-pointer to close the first quarter and then scored eight more points to start the second quarter, giving Salem a lead it would never give up. After scoring just two points in the Class L semifinal win over Manchester Central, Jones finished with a game-high 19 points.

"As far as I'm concerned, Josh Jones is the best player in the state and I've been saying that all along," said Perry. "We needed a lift and he came through when we needed it."

Yet Jones, a 6-foot-3 junior, wasn't any more impressive than Kimball, who followed his 23-point semifinal effort with a superb all-around game, finishing with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. His 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Salem a 30-25 halftime lead and he was at his best in the decisive third quarter.

Ahead 32-28 early in the second half, Kimball sparked a 20-6 run that put the game away. In that span, he had two 3-pointers, eight points overall and three assists, two of them on beautiful pick-and-rolls to Shawn Stoodley (13 points, 14 rebounds).

"I've been doing that (pick-and-roll) with Shawn and (Dan) Kinney for four years," said Kimball. "We've perfected it. It worked the first time we tried it so we kept doing it."

Stoodley, who was huge on the boards in the second half, played a significant role in what became a blowout. But so did the other members of Salem's "Solid Six," a rotation made possible by versatile sixth man Kevin Sledge. No other Blue Devil played until the waning minutes.

In addition to Stoodley's blue-collar work underneath, senior classmate Kinney contributed eight points, 12 rebounds and some wicked screens, Sledge had four points and was a demon on defense and point guard Josh Frederico added four points and some fine defense on Bourgeois, who led Trinity with 18 points but only had one field goal in the second half.

"Our motto has always been 'we before me,' and I think you saw that today," said Perry. "I don't know if that was the best game we played all year, but it was the best (second) half. Everyone was contributing."

Trinity coach Dave Keefe could only credit the Blue Devils for a game that got out of hand in the second half.

"They did a real nice job on the boards and that really hurt us," said Keefe, who played his college ball at Merrimack. "They did a lot of nice things and we didn't handle it very well."

Kinney, Perry aim to win their sixth state title together today

With a file full of memories, Salem boys basketball coach E.J. Perry may very well have said farewell to senior forward Dan Kinney after practice yesterday.

  And then he'll probably do it again today after the Blue Devils face Trinity in the Class L championship game, which gets underway at 3 p.m. at UNH's Lundholm Gym.

Final rematch on tap for Devils

When Salem boys basketball coach E.J. Perry thinks back to the outcome of last year's Class L final, he smiles. The game itself, however, was absolutely draining.

"I really have one fond memory of it," he said.

Final rematch on tap

When Salem boys basketball coach E.J. Perry thinks back to the outcome of last year's Class L final, he smiles. The game itself, however, was absolutely draining.

"I really have one fond memory of it," he said.

Kimball carries Salem into final

DURHAM, N.H. | Mike Kimball had a premonition.

It was time to break out, to bounce back.

"I was in a slump," he said. "I knew I was going to have a big game."

Wake-up Call : Salem erases 12-point deficit and moves on to title game

DURHAM, N.H. | Josh Jones has rehearsed the situation hundreds of times.

It's late, the score is close, he's at the line for a one-and-one.

"I practice those free throws every day with my dad (Jeff)," he said. "It's natural."

Salem in good hands with ‘Steady Freddie’

Salem High point guard Josh Frederico won't say he has the "green light" to shoot from coach E.J. Perry.

The top-seeded Blue Devils can be thankful that the gritty senior blew through a flashing yellow yesterday in the Class L quarterfinals against Pinkerton.

No. 1 Salem finds some energy, staves off Astros

Salem sharpshooter Josh Jones wasn't expecting a cakewalk yesterday afternoon and Pinkerton made sure the Blue Devils didn't get one.

The No. 1-seed Blue Devils (22-1, 20-0 in Class L) struggled until the final two minutes before pulling away for a 56-47 victory over the stubborn No. 8-seed Astros. They'll face No. 4 Manchester Central in the Class L semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at UNH's Lundholm Gym.

Salem in good hands with ‘Steady Freddie’

DURHAM, N.H. | Salem High point guard Josh Frederico won't say he has the "green light" to shoot from coach E.J. Perry. The top-seeded Blue Devils can be thankful that the gritty senior blew through a flashing yellow yesterday in the Class L quarterfinals against Pinkerton.

Halfway Home: No. 1 Salem finds some energy, staves off Astros

DURHAM, N.H. | Salem sharpshooter Josh Jones wasn't expecting a cakewalk yesterday afternoon and Pinkerton made sure the Blue Devils didn't get one.

The No. 1-seed Blue Devils (22-1, 20-0 in Class L) struggled until the final two minutes before pulling away for a 56-47 victory over the stubborn No. 8-seed Astros. They'll face No. 4 Manchester Central in the Class L semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at UNH's Lundholm Gym.

Salem beats Memorial, advances to quarterfinals

Salem easily passed its first test on the road to repeating at New Hampshire Class L champions, dropping Manchester Memorial 60-42 last night.

"We got out to an excellent start and then made sure we took care of business," said Salem coach E.J. Perry, whose team is now 40-1 in the last two years of Class L action.

Fagula's condition chief concern after Londonderry victory

HOOKSETT, N.H. | Minutes after collapsing on the court last night, Londonderry girls basketball coach John Fagula was cracking jokes.

The situation, however, was no laughing matter.

At 7:15 p.m., with 1:16 remaining in his team's 37-35 Class L quarterfinal win over Salem, the 60-year-old Fagula crumpled face-first in front of the Lancer bench. He lie motionless for less than a minute as emergency personnel attended to him, but he quickly sat up and appeared to be alert.

New England Tournament

Timberlane's young wrestling team matured quickly during the season and | paced by heavyweight champion Brian Nicoll and 103-pound runner-up Cam Sullivan, both juniors | it grew up completely yesterday at the New England Tournament.

Saab, Stoodley power Blue Devils

If there were any nerves in the Salem locker room before its first-round Class L tourney game with Alvirne, they were extinguished right after tip-off.

The Blue Devils (14-5 Class L) showed Alvirne the door, 54-40. Starting the game on a 12-0 run, Salem sent a strong message to the rest of Class L. Salem limited the Broncos to just two points in the first period.

Henderson the unlikely hero as Salem advances

With the second highest-scoring offense in the area, Salem knew it could score. But Jared Henderson waited until the tournament to make an impact.

"I was just trying to keep the puck low and hard and get it on net," said the junior defenseman. "I saw a lot of bodies in front and I just hoped it would go in."

Stoodley, Salem roll

SALEM, N.H. | When the dirty work needs to get done, Salem head basketball coach E.J. Perry turns to Shawn Stoodley to take care of business. And, that's just how the 6-foot-2 center likes it.

Pulling down a game-high 19 rebounds to go along with his team-high 18 points, Stoodley powered Salem to a 72-59 victory over Winnacunnet to bring the Blue Devils to a perfect 16-0 Class L record, and their 26th straight Class L win.

Londonderry steals one from Salem

The cheering that could heard after the game from the Londonderry locker room set the scene of the night. It was small but significant enough as Londonderry had just upset a Salem team that was favored from the beginning.

NH Division 1 state meet

The dice came up with a pair of nines for the Timberlane wrestling team at the Division 1 state meet yesterday, and they were big winners.

The Owls, thanks to a shocking 9-for-9 performance in the semifinals earlier in the day, cruised to their ninth straight Division 1 crown in resounding fashion.

Kimball come alive, Salem rolls

Salem breezed past Merrimack 70-50. Mike Kimball had a big night, scoring 16 of his 23 points in the second half. Josh Frederico scored seven points and dished out nine assists and Alex LaRosa added eight points.

Salem's Saab learned dedication, hoops from her grandfather

Amanda Saab's visits to her grandfather always began with the same question.

"How's basketball?"

Even in his 80s, Bill Winn was sharp. He constantly talked hoops.

"He always said, 'Stick with it,'" Saab said. "I'll never forget that."

Salem's 23-0 run devastates Pinkerton

Beau Cassidy knocked home a short baseline jumper to give Pinkerton a 12-10 lead after a quarter.

The junior marksman's next hoop was a 20-foot, 3-point bomb. In between, defending Class L champion Salem High rolled off your text-book 23-0 barrage, covering nearly 11 minutes, including a scoreless second quarter. The Blue Devils weren't tested again, solidifying their spot at the top of the standings (12-0 in Class L) with an impressive, 69-48, romp over the Astros before about 500 fans at the Hackler Gymnasium.

Pinkerton defense stymies Salem

Pinkerton Academy edged Salem 50-47 last night in a scrappy game to earn an important late-season win in the race for Class L playoff position.

"We've played the same kind of game all year," said coach John Barry, whose Astros are now 10-4 in Class L. "I call it ugly ball. We have turnovers, we throw the ball all over the place, we just try to create as much pressure as humanly possible on the other team and you could see the effects tonight."

Focus no problem for Dearden

With an almost mundane regularity, the wins keep piling up for Salem senior 125-pounder Trevor Dearden.

A two-time New England champion, Dearden hasn't lost a match in New England in two years. He's currently 34-2 on the year, with both losses coming at the rugged Beast of the East tournament in Delaware. In New Hampshire and neighboring states, he's had very few competitive matches since his sophomore year. His career mark is a glittering 171-13.

Penalty kill dooms Salem

Salem coach Mark McGinn quickly picked out his team's weakness on the day.

"The penalty kill," he said. "We are usually pretty good. But we didn't do it today. They were pushing us pretty hard and we didn't handle their pressure very well on the power play."

Methuen Invitational

Methuen senior John Sughrue didn't get the match he would have preferred, but he had plenty of consolation yesterday at the Methuen Invitational.

Because he moved up a weight class to 130 pounds this year, there was no showdown with Salem star Trevor Dearden, but both Sughrue and Dearden came away big winners.

No upset this time for Salem vs. unbeaten Owls

This was not, said Timberlane coach Barry Chooljian, your typical Timberlane-Salem dual meet.

In a rivalry that witnessed two of the greatest dual meets in area history, a 31-30 Salem win in 2000 that broke a 103-meet Timberlane winning streak in New Hampshire and a 34-33 barnburner in 2003 that snapped a 49-meet Owls' winning streak, you come to expect great meets.

Salem's Sledge the super sub

Silence the rumor now, Kevin Sledge's favorite comedian is not Richard Pryor. It's Dave Chappelle.

It's an easy misunderstanding. Everything about Sledge's game on the basketball court is old-school | the quirky no-look passes, the menacing defense and especially that tired, vintage 1987 fake-the-pass-over the-defender's-head-and-pull-it-back play that amazingly works every time.

Salem whips Nashua North

Exploding to a 17-point advantage after one quarter, Salem (5-0) glided to a 64-45 triumph over Nashua South. Josh Jones (game-high 21 points) provided the offense, Shawn Stoodley (eight rebounds) and Dan Kinney (10 boards) cleaned the glass, and Josh Federico (four steals) and Mike Kimball (five swipes) provided the defense.

Morissette's buzzer-beater lifts Londonderry

SALEM | As the ball bounced around the rim, Courtney Morissette held her breath.

"I was begging it would go in," she said. "I prayed." Her shot, a soft jumper from the elbow of the lane, dropped in at the buzzer, giving Londonderry a 59-58 win over Salem last night.

Salem gets early test from Londonderry tonight

It hasn't taken long for Friday nights to simmer on the local hoop scene.

A couple gigantic matchups in the region kick off the 2008 action tonight.

In New Hampshire, you won't find a bigger one that tonight's Londonderry at Salem collision, slated for 7 p.m.

Impressive win for Blue Devils

Salem opened some eyes with a 59-45 victory over Central Catholic in the fifth-place game.

Senior guard Danielle Stoodley led all scorers with 16 points and junior guard Caitlin Peters (8 points) was immense on defense for the Blue Devils (5-1).

Maturing Owls back on top at Lowell

Heavyweight Brian Nicoll put an exclamation point on an impressive statement made by the Timberlane wrestling team yesterday at the 54-team Lowell Holiday Tournament.

The Owls, who finished second last year by a point and a half, came back with a vengence to claim their third team crown in four years with 241 points, comfortably ahead of runners-up Concord, N.H., and Winchester, who tied with 210. Pinkerton (120) was sixth, Central Catholic (111) came in eighth and Salem, N.H. (102<1/2>) tied for 10th.

Liberatore steps in, leads Salem to championship

SALEM, N.H. | As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Salem's Robbie Liberatore looked up at the impressive crowd that filled the Salem Icenter and absorbed the moment.

"It was really different playing in front of a crowd like this," said the Blue netminder. "I have never played in front of a crowd this big."

Desroches' hat trick pushes Salem to Classic final

Salem coach Mark McGinn estimates that last year, Josh Frahm and Ryan Desroches combined for 10 shorthanded goals. So far this season, they weren't even a threat for any.

"This year they haven't been getting on the puck," said McGinn.

Salem's Stoodley dominates

Shawn Stoodley hauled in a whopping 20 rebounds to lead Salem over North Andover 59-46 in Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney consolation play.

The 6-3 senior, a second-team New Hampshire All-Division 1 defensive end in football, outmuscled and outhustled everybody on the glass. The Blue Devils needed his yeoman play as the Scarlet Knights, who had trailed by 17 early in the fourth, made a late run.

Vigue, Salem strike late

Tyler Vigue of Salem easily summed up his team's play over the first 30 minutes.

"We were just awful in the first two periods," said the senior. "We came out not skating and the loss to Exeter (on Saturday) was still in our heads. We thought we couldn't win and we couldn't score. But then we switched."

Salem shows it can hang with Lowell

Salem gave undefeated Lowell its best shot in the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament | but for only a little more than a quarter in a 60-43 Red Raiders win.

The Blue Devils, behind senior guard Danielle Stoodley (team-high 15 points) and junior forward Amanda Saab (14 points, 16 rebounds) led 8-7 after a drive down the lane for a basket by sophomore forward Olivia Connors. That came just moments after talented Lowell center Whitney Wilson went down with an ankle injury and left the game for good.

Brothers in Blue

Chuck Tomes admits that, in his family, hockey isn't always left at the rink.

"If one of our brothers makes a mistake in practice we definitely give him trouble about it," he said. "We joke around a lot, and sometimes we get a little carried away. When it's three guys, it'll get a little rough."

Coaches' Corner: Salem N.H.'s Mark McGinn

Salem High hockey coach Mark McGinn wishes he had a tournament like this to play in as a kid.

The annual Blue Devil Classic features some of the region's top teams, including Oyster River and Pinkerton Academy. The event, which begins Dec. 26, will be held at the ICenter in Salem.

Astros crush Salem for historic win

SALEM | Pinkerton sophomore Ian Beck has probably never felt less upset after a loss then he did last night.

A New England qualifier at 140 pounds last year, Beck fell to Salem senior Corbin Decker at 160 pounds for the second time in two weeks, this time by a 4-1 decision. Disappointing, yes, but Beck couldn't help but look at how the rest of the team fared, and that was outstanding.

Youngest Jones brother may be the best of a talented bunch

"The Gambler" and "Lucille" were officially deleted from Jason Jones' IPod.

Jones isn't too high on Kenny Rogers these days. Not after the aging crooner's rescheduled concert forced the Lowell Devils AHL hockey team to move their game from last night to tonight. That meant Jones couldn't watch his brother, Salem High basketball star Josh, play Trinity High last night in the rematch of last year's Class L championship game. "I've been mad all day," stewed Jason, a senior account executive for the Devils. "It's one of the biggest games of the season. That's tough for me."

Pittera's pin in 15 seconds lead Salem

Salem overpowered Nashua North 48-35 by recording six pins and gaining two forfeits. Alex Pittera had the fastest pin of the day, in 15 seconds at 135 pounds, and freshman Devin Dearden looked sharp with a first-period pin at 112.

Salem downs Pinkerton

HOOKSETT, N.H. | Pinkerton coach Casey Kesselring had one complaint about his team's tough, physical performance in a 4-1 loss to Salem: lack of discipline.

Salem's gifted goalscorers were given ample opportunity to show off their skill thanks to Pinkerton's 46 penalty minutes. The Blue Devils, who scored the first three goals of the game with a man advantage, had "just" 18 minutes shorthanded.

Salem downs Alvrine

Amanda Saab erupted for a team-high 17 points and Salem turned on the defensive heat, dousing Alvirne, 50-34.

Michaela Galvin and Danielle Stoodley chipped in 11 apiece for the Blue Devils.

Salem wrestling preview

2006-07: 10-6, runner-up at New England Tournament

Returning starters (6): Trevor Dearden, Sr., 125; Joe Herrick, Sr., 130; Alex Pittera, Sr., 135; Corbin Decker, Sr., 160; Ryan Stanton??, Sr., 275; David Welch, Soph., 140

Blue Devil Classic

The names change, but the script remains the same at the Blue Devil Classic, the traditional season-opening local wrestling tournament.

Once again, Concord, N.H., rolled to the team title yesterday, its sixth straight, while local teams Pinkerton, Central Catholic and Salem showed some superb individual talent and projected promise of better days ahead.

Salem, NH Boys Basketball Preview

2006-07 record: 23-2, Class L State Champion

Returning starters (1): Josh Jones, 6-3, Jr., guard

Returning lettermen: Dan Kinney, 6-4, Sr., center; Shawn Stoodley, 6-2, Sr., forward; Josh Frederico, 5-10, Sr., guard; Kevin Sledge, 6-0, Sr., guard; Mike Ki