The winter sports season always seems to be the wildest. Maybe it’s the cabin fever, maybe it’s the town meeting season, but no matter how cold it may be outside, there is no chill when you get inside one of those packed gyms for a playoff basketball game or wrestling tournament.
This year was a little bit unusual. 2015-16 was the first winter season since I’ve been sports editor that didn’t contain at least one basketball championship. But, cheerleading, wrestling and skiing all forced their way into the conversation, as the Mascenic cheer team won the state title and ConVal sent a skier — Eli Tamok — and a wrestler — Daniel Curran — to the biggest stages.
We got a chance to watch Maddy Springfield, one of the best athletes to suit up in our region, ever. We saw grit and determination from every team in every sport. From the juggernauts to the winless, every team from every school had its moments, and we were lucky enough to be there for a lot of them.
It’s warm out now, the remnants of winter out of sight, melting away under the Monadnock treeline, the last vestiges of snow nothing but a trickle.
But before we turn to spring and summer, lazy pop flies winding their way to the outfield, sunflower seeds littering dugouts, let’s take one last look back at the year and honor the athletes of winter.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WINTER
MADISON SPRINGFIELD
Conant girls’ basketball
Once again, there simply wasn’t a better girls’ basketball player in the state this season than Maddy Springfield. Every team threw everything they had at her, every game, and she still propelled Conant to a 48-game win streak and a second-straight trip to the Final Four.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE WINTER
DANIEL CURRAN
ConVal wrestling
Wrestlers around New England learned a lesson this winter: don’t tangle with Daniel Curran. The latest in a family of talented grapplers, Curran made it all the way to the New England championships through a combination of strength, smarts and work ethic.
HEART OF A CHAMPION
SARAH LETOURNEAU
ConVal girls’ hockey
Sarah Letourneau faced a steady barrage of shots since taking over in net for ConVal. Through tough times, Letourneau never blinked, and she’d set the CV record for saves in a game. Her last game, a 1-0 loss, was the closest the Cougars have ever come to putting up a win.
ROOKIE OF THE WINTER
JACLYN CLARK
ConVal Alpine skiing
Jaclyn Clark had never raced competitively coming into this high school season. By the end of the year, she’d rack up a slew of nice finishes and build a foundation for the future of ConVal’s Alpine team. Watch out for Clark on the slopes next winter.
BEST TEAM
MASCENIC VIKINGS CHEERLEADING
You can’t pick against the state champions! The only championship in the region this season belongs to Mascenic, after the cheerleaders went the distance and won the Division IV title, their first since 2007. In the process, they proved that cheerleaders shouldn’t be relegated to the sidelines – they should be the center of attention! The best part? Nine of the girls are freshmen, which means they should be back at the top of the pyramid for years to come.
DOING WORK AWARD
MEGAN WHEELER / CRAIG BILODEAU
Conant basketball
Talk about a pair that would run through a brick wall if their coaches or teammates needed them to! Wheeler and Bilodeau never give less than their all, picking up the whole team with their hustle and energy.
BEST DUO
TY & TREY CARRIER
WLC boys’ basketball
It’s nice to have a two-headed attack. The Carrier brothers gave
Division IV fits this year. When Ty had an off day, Trey would pick up the scoring, and when Trey was off, Ty stepped up. And when they were both on? Look out!
COACH OF THE WINTER
AMY BILLINGS
Mascenic cheerleading
Billings moved up with her championship-winning Boynton squad and returned to coach the Mascenic team, leading them to a state championship.