CONVAL HOOP HERITAGE

Senior guard Paul Boule set four scoring records in helping the Cougars to a surprising second season in 1971-72 Sitting with three friends amidst a mob of people at Bow High School last night while watching the D3 semifinal between Kearsarge and Mascoma, one of the friends commented: “Sure is good to enjoy a game with no vested interest.” The longtime parent of a basketball playing family knew the opposite feeling. Tonight, Conval kids weren’t playing. We could relax. Still, we could all relate to the tournament environment, and the tension, and the people who drove a long way from home to support their team. In the chaos, someone asked how the Conval boys made out the other night, and we said they won, and it looked like they might be in this sort of environment, too, in a couple of weeks. Barely alive, but alive nonetheless. Where have we seen this before? And in a moment, there was a flashback to another Conval team that barely got into the playoffs, and the great story they told… ...

The 2024 Conval Spirit Team is more than just cheerleaders—they’re athletic gymnasts and modern dancers. … Their 1956 predecessors at Peterborough High , however, boasted of something else... “The cheerleaders got busy early in the season and rehearsed old cheers as well as produced some peppy, new cheers. The mascot, Sherry Dube, is a cute little blonde girl of three years, who cheered at all the home games. Sherry had a white corduroy, princess style uniform with white accessories. The cheerleading squad had green corduroy uniforms with white accessories, which made for a very nice appearance.” Members of the '56 squad were: Peggy Shea, Pat smith, Gloria Lammi, Jean Simonetta, Joan Simonetta, Elaine Florre, Betsy Cummings, Joan Hofer and Anne Hill. #timeschange #gocougs

Fifty-three years ago, Conval High opened its doors for the first time, with two Antrim boys (Neal Wiggin and Chick Hamel) leading the way and the lead editorial in the Peterborough Transcript trumpeting the news. I t may seem strange that a high school basketball history blog should start with this: the story of the first day in Conval High's history, August 27, 1970. But in that first year alone, the local newspaper was alarmed that there was a drug problem, a few students in an anti-Vietnam War era refused to stand for the national anthem, and hundreds of orphaned seventh and eighth graders squeezed into the new high school when their school burned down on Christmas morning. Stress and strain were everywhere. But then, there was basketball! Amidst the chaos came a rallying cry for a student body and the community. In 1970, there was no hockey or wrestling or gymnastics to compete for attention. Only skiing (more a participant-oriented sport) and popular and excellent cheerleadin...

E ven the Cougar has a hoop heritage! … There was a sometimes mellow but loyal kitty of 1972-’73 (top left), and then there was an energetic floppy-eared pig pile coug of 1974-’75 (top right), followed by a tall, dark and handsome (and very friendly) cat of 1988-’89 (bottom left)… And of course, the most ferocious-looking, push-up fanatic and super-hyped Cougar of them all! (Pretty good dance moves, too.) The Cave has definitely done itself proud over the years!

The 1950 co-ed Peterborough High School cheering squad. A lthough last night’s (Jan. 10) outcome wasn’t what was desired, the volume of the Conval crowd of students and adults at Souhegan emerged victorious. As one Souhegan fan noted afterwards, “You bring a lot of fans.” Our hoop heritage is filled with both girls and guys enthusiastically cheering on the home team (and the home team when on the road!), including the 1950 co-ed Peterborough High cheerleading squad of (pictured above, from left) Wilfred Brassard, Diane Day, Betsey Marshall, Janet Wyman and George Loupa . The Peterborough Transcript reported, “On the basis of the close competition this year, this group has done a great job in keeping morale at a high level.” Some things, fortunately, never change. Seventy-three years later, guys in the stands at a recent Conval home game have been among those who are carrying on the inclusive tradition. (Photo courtesy of Mike Munhall @mikemunhallphotos.com) Keep it up, Conval Nation! ...

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 ...