CONVAL HOOP HERITAGE

Mighty Warriors from Antrim, 1967-68 (front, from left): Dennis Huntington, Richard Brzozowski, Gary Cole and Bruce Davies. Standing (from left): Coach Chick Hamel, Fred Doleac, Jeff Barsanti, John Doleac, Robin Rockwell, Dave Jones and Bill Davies. Missing from photo: Steve Brzozowski and Bruce Chesson. W hen Antrim High School joined Peterborough High School to form Conval Regional High School in 1970, it’s not surprising that two winning basketball traditions helped to immediately put the Cougars on the map. While Peterborough was the team of the decade in the 1930s and produced champions in the late 1920s and early 1940s, Antrim High was among the cream of the crop throughout the 1960s. From 1962 to its final season of 1970, Antrim was a perennial participant in the Class S (D4) state tournament and among the best in the state near the end of the decade. But the season everyone in Antrim will long remember is 1967-68 when the Warriors were on the edge of reaching the pinnacle of hi

S ince the earliest days of high school basketball in our towns, when hundreds of fans thought nothing of traveling great distances over not very good roads to watch their teams play, Conval Nation has had a history of “traveling well” to away games. In one late 1920s season, Peterborough High fans reportedly outnumbered Keene High fans in their own gym! The same thing happened during a pivotal game at Goffstown in 1971. Pictured are enthusiastic fans who made the trek to the Class I (D2) state tournament in Durham in 1993. That heritage will be greatly needed in January with a revised boys’ schedule that has the Cougars on the road for five straight games: Tuesday, Jan. 3 at Hollis-Brookline Friday, Jan. 6 at Plymouth Tuesday, Jan. 10 at Souhegan (the Sabers will be here on Wednesday, Feb. 15) Friday, Jan. 13 at Merrimack Valley Saturday, Jan. 14 at Manchester West All varsity games at 6:30, except for Hollis-Brookline at 6 p.m. #makeanoteofit #roadwarriors #historyreallymatters #roll

Joe Reilly and John Davies receive the 1973 Cougar Christmas Classic team trophy from Principal Byron Niederhelman . C onval High hosted what was known as the Cougar Christmas Classic boys’ basketball tournament for four seasons, beginning in December 1973. The event had been in the works since that January when Athletic Director John Fessenden and Coach Ray Richard wanted to do something about the fact that 59 of 81 teams in the state were in a holiday tournament to help stay sharp, and Conval was one of those on the outside looking in. The first year was most memorable as the Classic was one of only three in the state that were held during a nationwide energy crisis.  Participants were four of that year’s top Class I (D2) contenders: Conval, Goffstown, Pinkerton and Timberlane. Despite the gym thermostat being lowered to save on energy costs, more than 1,500 enthusiastic fans warmed it up for the opening round. The Cougars proved to be poor hosts, defeating Timberlane 76-68 and the

The 1934 Peterborough High girls’ team (front, from left): Gertrude Clukay, Elizabeth Brown, Pearl Brenner, Lillian Debonville, Christine Brenner and Norma Wood. Back row (from left): manager Charlotte Ehrler, Irene Bishop, Arlene Mercer, Pauline Carll, Madeleine Cummings, Gail Wood, Ruth Cutter and Coach Dorothy Holman. W ednesday, the Cougar girls’ basketball team will tap off against Alvirne High of Hudson in the first round of the Salem Holiday Tournament. It’s easy in our day to take girls’ basketball tournaments of any kind for granted, but before the NHIAA sponsored girls’ basketball tournaments for large schools in 1970 and smaller schools in 1972, Peterborough was the first epicenter of invitational state tournaments for girls' basketball in the 1930s. Spanning several years in that decade, the Peterborough Rotary Club and Peterborough Boys’ Club (under the leadership of founder and PHS boys’ coach John Clark ) hosted the finest girls’ basketball teams from around New Hamp

Pictured (from left) during a time out in a December 1972 game are Coach Ray Richard, John Cuddihee, Bruce Richardson and John Davies.   A bit more about the team from 50 years ago …The 1972-’73 Cougars were a classic example of what perseverance can do over the long haul of a basketball season. It was said of this team, “they had more ups and downs than a yo-yo.” Conval struggled in losses in the first two games of the season but then turned on the defense to break through in the win column in late December against Merrimack (now a D1 school), 43-41. “I wish it was more convincing,” said Coach Ray Richard at the time, “but we’ll take it any way it comes.” Throughout the season, the young Cougars never gave up and did whatever it took to find a winning combination, mixing and matching lineups between big on the boards and quick in transition. In a chaotic final week of the regular season, with four teams vying for the final tournament slot, Conval ran off three straight clutch victori

The Peterborough Transcript captures Munchkin Fever in the 1974-75 season. I n 1973, Dunkin Donuts' donut holes became known as Munchkins. The little version of the big thing is also what Conval boys’ basketball teams were like in the 1973-74, and 1974-75 seasons. Outsized by nearly every opponent, the Cougars were affectionately nicknamed the Munchkins for their speed, defense, and hustle that often conquered much bigger teams.   Typical of the success enjoyed during the Munchkin era was a December 1974 home game (pictured above) when a much taller and undefeated Milford club came to town to meet the 4-1 little guys. The Peterborough Transcript captured the scene at the beginning of the game: “It’s always nice to make the opposition bow down to shake hands, which is just about what Milford had to do.”  The Cougars’ starting lineup and bench were dominated by players under six feet tall. After trailing by four after the first period, the Munchkins employed a stifling and electrifyi

Class S cheerleading state champs in 1968, Antrim High Schoo l F rom the very beginning, Conval High was known around New Hampshire for cheerleading excellence.  The first year (1970-71), the squad was so popular, two spectator buses that included the boys’ varsity basketball team went to Inter-Lakes High School in Meredith to root them on to the de-facto state championship. A big reason for the early success was the excellence in tradition that came from both Antrim and Peterborough high schools. The photo about shows the 1967 Class S cheerleading champs from Antrim High (from left): Cheryl Lamonda, Linda Ashford, Pat Hammond, Janet Patterson, Joy Craig, manager Linda Stacey, Betty Hammond, Sandy Putnam, Suzie Keating, Eileen Magoon and Regina Lemire. In the photo above are members of the ’67 cheering squad from PHS, known for their athleticism and deep voices (from left): Sue Koehler, Marsha Harris, Nancy Fetzer, Sandy Trufant, Debbie Ames, Debby Bowen and Nancy Wheeler; missing from

  Legendary hoop coach and educator John Clark, in front of the old Peterborough High School C onval High’s outstanding hoop heritage has been sustained through the decades thanks in large part to several outstanding coaches who have made their mark on teams, players, and the game they love. Perhaps the most noteworthy of them all has been John Clark, who led Peterborough High School to four state titles in 1931, 1932, 1936 and 1941. But “Mr. Clark,” as he was respectfully known by many students and players, was more than a great coach. He invested in students’ education by serving in the classroom and later as principal, and was invested in the game of basketball by being a leader in promoting girls’ and boys’ basketball in New Hampshire, and was a pioneer in developing quality officiating. Born in Scotland, Mr. Clark starred at Manchester Central where he set an early state tournament record with 44 points in three games. Later, he was a three-sport standout at UNH before coming to P

  The '71-'72 Cougars feature 6'4" Scott Balfour (left) and 6'6" Bruce Richardson (right). I n the middle 1970s, Conval’s smallish lineups earned them the nickname of “Munchkins.” Not so in the high school’s first two years when the Cougars were led first by 6’4” center Dick Blood , and in the 1971-72 season when Scott Balfour (left) at 6’4”and Bruce Richardson (right) at 6’6” towered over Coach Ray Richard . After graduating most of the starters from the previous year’s 16-4 team, little was expected of the second-year Cougars. Even Coach Richard, when asked if he was optimistic, quipped: “Not too. I’m a natural pessimist. I don’t get disappointed that way. It takes time to learn my system.” But learn it they did, starting the season with a stunning road win over a powerful Somersworth squad, followed by an equally shocking home-opening win against highly-rated Monadnock. Playing a schedule of Class I (D2) heavyweights, the young Cougars surprised everyone

Photo: New York Times E ver wonder why a basketball hoop is shaped like a cone? When 30-year-old James Naismith (pictured) invented the game in 1891 while a phys ed instructor in Springfield, Massachusetts, he used a cone-shaped peach basket to serve as a well, yeah, a basket. The beautiful game had its own memorable early days in the historic roots of Conval Nation. In the 1931 Class B state tournament semi-finals at UNH, Peterborough High and Lebanon were locked in a tense, down-to-the-wire battle that went to two overtimes. The Transcript noted, “The Peterborough crowd was gasping for breath at the finish, and that truth compels the assertion that the majority thought the Peterborough cause was lost when Lebanon put in two baskets to tie up the contest in the last 45 seconds of play. But Phil Cutter pulled the chestnuts from the fire in the second overtime period.” Back then, there was no modern electronic scoreboard with a built-in horn to signal the end of the game, so in those

The 1991-92 team was a force to be reckoned with . T he 1992 Cougars began a remarkable run of hoop excellence in the 1990s when Conval qualified for four consecutive Final Four tournament appearances. Coach Frank Davidson’s underclassmen-dominated team went 17-1 during the ’91-’92 regular season and rolled to the Class I (D2) championship game before being upset 58-51 in OT by Oyster River. The ’93 team also made it to the championship, the ’94 Cougars finally broke through and won it all, and the ’95 team lost a nail-biter in the semifinals to Oyster River. In Conval’s great hoop history, 12 boys’ teams from 1974 to 2022 have reached the Final Four. Pictured in front row from left: Manager Chris Goodwin, Ben Conroy, Scott Johnson, Michael Boothby, Brian DeKoning, Brandon LeFlem, Mike McCluskey , and Assistant Coach Dick Ellingwood . Back row from left: Manager Joe Rouleau, Jaime LeFlem, Jeff Oja, Chad Butson, Eric Horne, Steve Riley, Adam Homicz, Aaron Zwirner, Jon Hartzband, and Co

Coach Red Auerbach and the Celtics at what is now the PES gym, 1956 . T he very first basketball game played in the Conval High gym was on October 12, 1970 when the Boston Celtics came for a pre-season intrasquad exhibition. It proved to be a highly successful pep club fundraiser for spectator buses to away games. What is often forgotten, however, is that the 1970 visit repeated an historic event that occurred on October 5, 1956 when the Celtics also played the very first basketball game in the "new" Peterborough High (now PES) gymnasium. It was a beautiful facility for its day, but it had no bleachers. So, as in 1970, the 1956 visit by the Celtics was a fundraiser to purchase bleachers. The Celtics, led by Coach Red Auerbach, came to town thanks to the efforts of PHS Coach Dick Dart. Tickets were $1.50 and $1 for students.  Most of the team arrived that Friday afternoon. The Peterborough Transcript reported,  “ Some local boys were eating at the Diner before the game when se

I t is hard to believe now but quaint little Hancock had two high schools in the earliest days of the town. Perhaps even more eye-opening is that in the 1940s and early 1950s, a singular and very tiny Hancock High (pictured, on what is now the elementary school grounds) was known for remarkable basketball excellence. The girls’ teams had a winning streak that extended more than 30 in a row at one time, and in 1948-49, the boys were the “Hoosiers” of our region. With only 16 boys in the school—believed to be the smallest enrollment of any high school in the state—seven Hancock boys were on the basketball team that finished the regular season 9-3. Its tiny sunken court was about the size of a large swimming pool. Substitute players came from the junior high. They became the first-ever Hancock team to qualify for the state Class C (small school) tournament, but according to local reports, “they were almost forced to pass up the tourney as mumps spread throughout the school. Practically th