A second time around in the finals for Pittsfield and Woodsville boys, same results except Woodsville did not jump out to a big lead early this year. They battled and their dedication to the sport paid off. They're speedy and relentless and entertaining.

Collectively, the Engineers outscored their opponents, 86-17 during the 14-2-0 season and 15-4 in the four playoff games. No one beat them twice. Sunapee hammered on them the first time around, but not the second and Littleton got them in a one-shot deal.

A tip of the hat to the Woodsville boys, champions again. Class S hasn't seen the last of the Engineers either. The top scorer is back and the stopper.

Pittsfield boys provided a perfect lesson on the high price of third party interference. Both the Panther and the Engineer went after the ball and following a hard tackle, the Woodsville player fell to the ground and the Pittsfield player landed on top of him. The Engineer came up pushing and was red carded from the game (took away midfield play that makes a lot happen for the Engineers). The Pittsfield player directly involved did not get carded; however, his teammate (and the Panthers top scorer) rushed in yapping his complaints in the officials face and earned himself a red card in the process. Took a lot of Pittsfield's offensive punch with him to the bench for the duration. Not a wise move at all. He'd already caused a Pittsfield goal to be called back for offsides by a touch on a shot by his brother that seemed to be going in anyway.

The Pittsfield fan who decided to single-handedly take on practically the whole Woodsville cheering section and got a police escort off the premises instead was foolhardy indeed. Riots are created on less.

The other North Country champions are the Berlin field hockey team and the Mounties have a 34 game unbeaten streak (one tie in there) going including two M/S titles.

That artificial turf was very much to the liking of the Berlin stickers with their short, quick passing. Profile coach Rick Simmons explained that it's a longer turf that almost lays over at Memorial than at Keene so there are some twists and turns more like a real field. He would have liked to have his team there to try it out, but the luck of the draw was not with the Patriots, and they faced the champs in the second round.

To be honest, after Derryfield could only tie Gorham during the season and Berlin whomped the Huskies, the field hockey finals didn't look like it would be much of a game, but 1-0 is a game. The Cougars actually had a first half goal called back for a foul.

After the Class S girls soccer finals, the downstate paper called eighth ranked and now champion Derryfield, a giant killer. Huh? When Class S broke off from M in 1998, the Cougars ripped off five straight championships, then made the finals once more over the next three years before winning again this year. That's six out of eight years in the finals - so Derryfield isn't a giant killer, they're the giant. No matter the seeding.

After the girls semi-finals, I'd have to give the Cougar coach a big black mark for his unsportsmanlike behavior. Using an injury timeout when he was summoned to the field to then circle back by the Colebrook bench and make accusatory and demeaning remarks in a sly way was over the line. He needed to worry about his team instead of spreading discontent, and if they had not given up on the game after the fourth goal, then the Mohawks couldn't have found the route back into that game. The comeback rally gave the Colebrook bench something to cheer about after that humiliating first half.

The Mohawks started challenging for the ball, and soccer is, after all, a contact sport played with officials to insure it's fair. There are proper channels to work through in any sporting event for problems perceived or otherwise, but that opposing coach had absolutely no business whatsoever anywhere near that other team bench.

In case you're wondering, the Meet of Champions kicks off today, the fifth at Nashua South at 2:30 for the girls and 3:10 for the boys. The top five teams and 20 individuals from Class S/M along with the top seven teams and 30 runners from L and the top six teams and top 25 from Class I will compete. The M/S girls winner, Emma Lundberg from Newfound, had three girls from L with better times and five from I so she'd have tied for ninth basically. Just a benchmark.

Among the best harriers from the state will be Littleton's Meaghan Champagne, White Mountains' Tim Foley and Stratford's TJ Ramsay and we wish them extra good speed. The Berlin girls in fourth made it as a team.

Can't help but keep a good thought for the Hopkinton girls too in their pursuit of a goal to be the first-ever M girls team to qualify for the New Englands. If anyone can get them there, it's their coach Rick Welch. I've seen him make champions of athletes only vaguely interested in being one while at the Regional and these girls really want to go on. They pack in five within 17 seconds and two more within 40 seconds, all in the 21s or less. Anyone (or seven) who can get Rick to wear a bright pink shirt in public that they made for him, has plenty of inner fortitude going for them.

Let the post season honors begin. Good for the North Country field hockey coaches for sticking together to get that Senior Classic game in Littleton this year instead of a drive to Somersworth. Next are the All State list to be finalized after the Twin State tryouts with the 20 best from all three divisions plus nine goalies this Sunday, Nov. 6, at Merrimack Valley in Penacook.

The Twin State tryouts for soccer are Saturday, Nov. 12, at N.H. Tech in Concord beginning with registration at 8:30 for the boys with the game to follow and the girls register at 10:30 for the 11 a.m. game. To qualify, a player must be a senior and have made the All State first or second team voted on by coaches at the annual Soccer Coaches Association meeting on Nov. 10 at Pittsfield.

By vote of the Class S coaches, the Granite State All Conference teams have been selected. Players of the Year in the North must receive at least 40 percent of the coaches votes and everybody voted this time.

The Class S Player of the Year for North girls soccer is Groveton senior Amanda Craggy. South chose Amy Tuttle of Pittsfield. The North team also includes Katelyn Cloutier and Mary Nolin (Groveton), Kayla Soucy and Lenaya Lemoine (Colebrook), Stephanie Cataldo (Woodsville), Jenna Serino (Profile), Diana Ruppel (Gorham), Kelsee Beaudin (Lin-Wood).

Honorable mentions: Kelly Whelan (Groveton); Catrina Howland (Colebrook); Janet Bazzell (Woodsville) Emily Locke, Kristyna Champagne and Amy Johnson (Lisbon); Christa Ramsey and Alati Gagne (Gorham); Kelly Murphy and Alexis Page (Moultonborough); Gaylan Kelley and Ashley Bossie (Lin-Wood).

Honorable Mentions: Ryan Call, Reno Gilbert and Greg Raymond; (Colebrook) Brian Dixon (Pittsburg); Jeremy Bullus (Lisbon); Derek Graham and Dimitri Kapotis (Woodsville); Will Desjardins (Lin-Wood) Chris Eisenbeerg (Moultonborough).

Cross Country (Boys): Runner of the Year Dylan McGuffin (Sant Bani); T.J. Ramsay (Stratford), Miles Dixon and Chris Normandin (Moultonborough); Glenn Frieden (Derrryfield).

Girls: Runner of the Year Claudia Severance (Moultonborough); Amy Shevenell (Portsmouth Christian); Lydra MacKenzie and Leah Burke (Derryfield); Marie Costanza (Moultonborough).

Field Hockey: Player of the Year Kelly Griffin (Gorham); Hillary Andross, Anne Cowles and Kara Foley (Profile); Kim Cloutier and Colleen Weathers (Gorham); Laura Gelinas, Molly Lyford and Sarah Umberger (Derryfield); Whitney Rebando and Jeannette Leclaire (Hinsdale).

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