Winter sports previews: Manchester Central

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Teams have been selected, practices have begun, and student athletes at Manchester Central High School are ready to begin their respective winter sports seasons. Here’s a glimpse of what to expect from many of the Little Green teams this year:

Girls Ice Hockey (Co-Op with Memorial/West)

Head Coach:

• Cassidy Lavigne (4th season)

Last Season:

“Last year, our team performed well, with it being one of our best years in program history. We had some great wins and were able to put a score on the board every game.” – Head Coach Cassidy Lavigne

Returning athletes:

• Jamie Webster (Memorial)
• Ryleigh McNelly (Memorial)
• Nevaeh Marineau (Central)

Promising Newcomers:

• Rylee Page (West)

“Her knowledge of the game will be key to our team this year.” – Head Coach Cassidy Lavigne

Expectations this Season:

“I am very excited for the season. The past two weeks of practices have been busy getting ready for the season. We have for players that have never touched the ice before and are improving everyday in the last two weeks. Over last weekend, the team went 3-0 in a tournament versus teams in the Lakes Region. They are ready for the season to start!” – Head Coach Cassidy Lavigne

Wrestling

Head Coach:

• Jarod Mills (5th season)

Last Season:

• No state placers

Returning athletes:

• Ian Maguire (Captain)
• Demetrio Cortez (Captain)
• Alan DeLeon (Senior)
• Jayden Lesko (Senior)
• Mike Lafond (Sophomore)
• Desmond Hossfeld (Sophomore)
• Izzy Bachhuber (Sophomore)

Promising newcomers:

• Julian Rentas-Ubeda (Freshman)
• Gannon Williford (Freshman)
• Gibril Djuma (Sophomore)
• JJ Ucello (Sophomore)
• Isaiyah Dupuis (Sophomore)
• Jaysuel Mercado-Badillo (Sophomore)
• Alfredo Rentas-Ubeda (Sophomore)
• Samuel Tuyishime (Junior)

Expectations for this season:

“We are still in rebuilding mode but we have the potential to score more points at the state meet than in the past few years. Numbers are growing, but most of them have limited experience.  Fortunately, the newcomers are athletic and are picking things up quickly. If we can stay healthy, we will keep getting better as the season progresses. We will be in a better position to win dual meets this year and hopefully have a bigger impact at the state meet. We have the potential for several wrestlers to place well in Division-I and move on to the Meet of Champions and possibly New Englands.” – Head coach Jarod Mills

Potential challenges:

“The wrestling season is long. As I always tell my wrestlers, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint,’ so especially for athletes new to the sport the end of the season should look a lot different than the beginning and it is the end product that matters. We will work hard everyday to get a little bit better and eliminate our mistakes.  If we can do that we will have kids winning matches and finish on the podium in February.”

Swimming:

Longtime Head Coach:

• Steve VanDerBeken

Returning Athletes:

• Abby Gowern, Junior (won the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle at the Division I meet as a freshman and sophomore)
• Natalia Ashton, Sophomore
• Alexei Avakov, Senior (won the 100 breaststroke and 50 freestyle as a freshman, sophomore and junior) – Committed to swim for D-I Indiana University
• Noah Eckman, Sophomore

“The team has had one swim meet on Dec. 4 and we were very happy to see the Central swimmerswere back swimming very close to their best times from last year … I expect the Central swimmers will be in the top six or so schools at the D-I NHIAA Championship meet in February.” – Head Coach Steve VanDerBeken

Promising Newcomers:

• Brandon Tobin, Sophomore
• Farris Kruscica, Freshman

“Both proved to be great additions in the Dec. 4 meet.” – Head Coach Steve VanDerBeken

Expectations this Season:

“The Central High (and other city high school) swimmers come with varying backgrounds as some swim year round and others compete (only) for the NHIAA winter season … All these swimmers are a very dedicated group and I enjoy working with them.  They all bring a very energetic vibe to practices and meet. I am always very proud of these kids and how they interact and become friends. In all reality that is the big picture sports brings to all of us.” – Head Coach Steve VanDerBeken

Additional notes:

• The Central High swim team started practice on Nov.14 and holds its practices at the Downtown YMCA where it practiced and competed in the 1960s.
• The Manchester swim teams had been practicing and competing at Southern New Hampshire University’s aquatic facility for more than 30 years, but SNHU closed the pool in the fall of 2021.
• The season culminates with an NHIAA State Championship meet held at UNH in the Swazey Pool on Feb. 10, 2024.

Alpine Skiing:

Head Coach:

• Ryan Burgess (17th season)

“It does not seem that long, there have been many great racers who have come through our program and many who still keep in touch that I look forward to catching up with over the years.  John Rist will be returning this year to help out and the racers are excited to have him back.” – Head Coach Ryan Burgess

Last Season:

“Last year, our two teams outperformed expectations. The girls team did not have a full team to compete at States but they outperformed all other team’s with similar numbers. The boys team put in a solid performance and showed a lot of improvement. Last year, we had a few boys come out in their senior year, who learned a lot at ski racing.  They showed that with dedication and determination they could make some real progress and learn how to compete against some veteran racers. These seniors proved it is never too late to try to learn how to race, if you bring the willingness, we can teach you the way.” – Head Coach Ryan Burgess

Captains:

• Owen Kizack (Boys captain)
• Emily Leclerc (Girls captain)

“Owen has shown a great dedication to the sport and has worked hard to strengthen his technical ability. Emily Leclerc is an excellent athlete who leads the Central tennis team and has developed into an excellent skier as well. I am excited to see them both compete in their senior year, they are both ready to create some great memories. – Head Coach Ryan Burgess

Additional Returning Athletes:

“This year we have some great racers returning and some new faces to welcome to the team …  Some of our returning standout juniors are also ready to produce great results for the team. Noah Turner is a Junior who will be competing for the top spot in the running order on the boys, and Madelyn Diers has been the girls team top points scorer every year she has competed she is coming off a great season and I am looking forward to seeing her lead the team in points again. Hopefully she will qualify for The Meet of Champions this Year. Thomas Matineau is ready to bounce back from an injury-plagued season last year, we are hoping to get him through this season healthy and help him regain his confidence. Brady Merrow is ready to step up and has the skills he needs to start racing more aggressively.” – Head Coach Ryan Burgess

Promising Newcomers:

• Alannah Leclerc (Freshman)
• Sophia Sarai (Freshman)
• Quinn Turner (Freshman)
• Elizabeth McBride (Freshman)
• Dylan Cutting (Freshman)
• Neo Eckman (Freshman)
• Declan Manning (Freshman)
• Jonah Therrien (Sophomore)
• Ismail Ndikuriyo (Junior)

“This year we also have a transfer student competing on the boys team from Italy, Mattia Riccarddelli. He is a junior and I am very excited to see how he does this season.” – Head Coach Ryan Burgess

Potential Challenges:

“Transportation is going to be a big challenge this year.  We may need help from parents to get our racers to and from the races this year.  The Bus driver shortage is having a big impact on the bus schedules.” – Head Coach Ryan Burgess

Spirit

Head Co-Coaches:

• Samantha Margolis (6th season)
• Amy O’Brien (7th season)

Last Season:

“Our goal going into every season is to perform our best. We succeeded in our goals last season and are excited to see what the team accomplishes this season!” – Co-Coach Samantha Margolis

Captains:

• Rylee Berteau
• Janelly Pierre
• Emilia Shaw
• Maya Pockett

Promising Newcomers:

• Alyssa Miller
• Tuan Nguyen

Expectations for this season:

“We are really excited about our underclassmen who have joined this year. We are definitely getting better with our stunting and hope to add more difficulty in the routine this season … We are in a very difficult division when it comes to competitions. We always set out to have fun and hit a clean, safe routine. That is our biggest goal each and every season.  – Co-Coach Samantha Margolis

Potential challenges:

“Our biggest challenge for Winter season is always the weather. The amount of snow days that we have always seems to fall on our practice days. Hoping mother nature will give us a break this year.” – Co-Coach Samantha Margolis

Boys Basketball

Head Coach:

• Sudi Lett (6th season)

Last Season:

“Last year’s team did as well as they could. Only having two seniors and a number of underclassmen was tough. We are hoping that experience pays off.” – Head Coach Sudi Lett

Returning Players:

• Mohammed Mohammed (varsity athlete since his sophomore year)
• Asher Zegno (Captain)
• Wesley Olmeda (Captain)

Promising Newcomers:

• Myles Mara
• Katuro Bama
• Glodie Hamsel.

Expectations for this Season:

“We have a one day at a time approach to dealing with expectations. We expect to make the playoffs this year, however our focus is to get better every practice and every game.” – Head Coach Sudi Lett

Potential Challenges

“Welcome to the NHIAA D-I level. There are a number of really good teams that all have a legitimate chance to make the final four.” – Head Coach Sudi Lett

First five games:

• Tuesday, Dec. 12 – Lost, 85-59 vs. Bedford
• Friday, Dec. 15, 6:30 p.m. – Road game at Keene
• Tuesday, Dec. 19, 6:30 p.m. – Road game at Goffstown
• Thursday, Dec. 21, 6:30 p.m. – Home game vs. Winnacunnet
• Tuesday, Jan. 2, 7 p.m. – Road game at PortsmouthNordic Skiing

Nordic Skiing

Head Coach:

• Peter Goedecke (25 years)

“This is probably my last year coaching. The city has been looking for a new coach. If the coach was from the school, like a teacher, that would likely help with recruiting.” – Head Coach Peter Goedecke

Expectations for this Season:

“Our main focus is to teach the team members to be proficient on the sport and enjoy the fun of racing. Some skiers have never skied before and we teach them. We also supply ski gear so the cost to participate in this sport is not a factor. Our partner and sponsor the Bedford Ski Club has thousands of dollars of ski gear available to borrow as well as a ski lodge that is our meeting place. The ski lodge abuts a beautiful trail system in Bedford. The trails are groomed by volunteers and shared by Bedford High School, Souhegan and Winnacunnet.” – Head Coach Peter Goedecke

Potential Challenges:

“This year, we only have two skiers from Central.  It would be nice if the school would promote the sport, I feel like most students do not know that they could join a ski team with no prior experience and the access to ski gear.” – Head Coach Peter Goedecke

Note: We have reached out to all varsity head coaches. The teams of those who have responded are featured here. Please check back as additional teams may be added in the days to come.