By JOE DUBALL
New Hampshire Union Leader

It's no surprise that Hanover is once again in the contention for a state title this season, but the fact that freshman Charlie Adams is a driving force behind those aspirations is a revelation. Adams has collected seven goals to go along with nine assists, but the timeliness of his contributions and ability to take over a game are what set him apart.

Adams has game-winning goals against Exeter and Manchester Memorial, two playoff-bound clubs, while posting two games with a goal and three assists. While he never knew Adams’ presence would come with such positive results, Hanover coach Rob Grabill’s decision to make Adams the only freshman on the Hanover’s squad was not difficult.

“I had the advantage of seeing him all summer long,” said Grabill following Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Timberlane. “I knew in June that he’d be playing varsity and then knew by August that’d he’d be getting a lot of time for us. I’m thrilled with how it’s worked out.”

No coach or opposing player would peg Adams to be the player he is by looking at him. He is one of the shortest players on the Marauders’ roster and lacks the physical attributes of his older teammates as he is still growing. What Adams does have going for him, though, are a constant motor and poise. 

Grabill credits those attributes not only to Adams’ work ethic, but to the role models he has around him. 

“The older guys are so protective of him,” said Grabill, who has senior captains Jake Acker and Sam Strohbehn playing an active role in bringing Adams along. “It had to be there socially for him, too, because you can’t just put a kid on a team and hope for the best. They’ve just become very devoted to him.”

When it comes to continuing that development beyond this season, Grabill realizes there is still more to be had.

“We’ve had four or five freshmen on the varsity before and three of them became All-Americans,” Grabill said. “None of them have done what Charlie is doing. I’m impressed, but I have to realize I need to do my part to help him.

“He’s really good and I’m going to help him be as good as he can be. The upside is certainly there, but it comes with a challenge for both of us.”

OVERSHADOWED BY Kenny Thurston’s game-winning goal for the Timberlane boys over Hanover on Tuesday was another stout defensive effort by the Owls. It isn’t the first time Timberlane’s offense has taken the spotlight from its back line, and likely won’t be the last, but the defense deserves its share of love.

Aside from the two goals allowed during a five-minute flurry, Timberlane’s back line stymied Hanover. Whether it was foiling the Marauders’ set pieces, which included 10 corner kicks, or going to the ball, the Owls seemed to always have an answer.

“They’re a veteran crew that knows what their linemates are going to do before it’s even done,” Timberlane coach Mitch Mencis said. “They’ve got that down after knowing each other for so long, which allows them to just back each other up.”

Al Barney was particularly effective at center back against Hanover, as he kept in constant communication with his defenders while coming through with booming clears. The scariest part of Barney’s emergence is that he isn’t even the full-time center back, according to Mencis. The junior is filling the void of senior captain Josh Richardson, who played sparingly on Tuesday while being eased back into the rotation following injury.

Upon Richardson’s return, the back line will feature him in middle and Barney, Noah D’Arcangelo and Dan Jordan on the outsides while midfielder Nick Skinner offers defensive-minded play as well. The full complement of the back line, along with goalie Matt Salois, has allowed three goals or more in two of 14 games while posting four shutouts.

AS THE regular season winds down in Division II girls’ soccer, the standings are providing déjà vu for many teams. John Stark of Weare, Windham, Hollis/Brookline and Hanover are all inside the top six in D-II as of Wednesday, and each of those teams has finished in one of those six spots in the previous seasons.

The list of title contenders this season features as many as 10 teams, which is how many clubs carry at least eight victories heading into the final week-and-a-half of the regular-season slate. Eight of those clubs are a good bet to get at least one playoff win, meaning they will be pitted against one another in the always-interesting second round matchups D-II has become known for.

“The second games are the weird ones,” Hollis/Brookline coach Peter Clarke said. “Last year we were evenly matched with Windham and they found their moment, but on the same day John Stark was eliminated by Portsmouth.

“These programs are all well-coached and have been around for a while. Anyone one of them can find their moment.”

The Generals and Cavaliers were the first and third-seeded teams, respectively last season when they were upset in the playoffs. Both teams currently sit in the top three with undefeated Windham in front of them, but Clarke believes teams below them like Oyster River of Durham, Bow and Hanover can’t be overlooked.
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Hollis/Brookline is coming off as the team with the most to prove. Clarke has a core of group of starting seniors that have endured the agony of two straight playoff losses and feels that’s what makes his club equipped to take the next step this season. That senior group, which has played four years of varsity soccer, includes Kenzie Day, Ryan Philbrook, Magnolia Moskun, Michele Philpot, Taylor Cook, Tori Cook and Haley Modelski.

“They’ve matured and we’ve been able to build cumulatively with them over each season,” Clarke said. “We are very conscious that we need to find the missing element to win big games. We’ve always gotten to a point where we can’t solve the riddle being thrown at us, but are we’ve seen almost every scenario you can imagine so far.”

High School Soccer appears Thursdays during the season. To reach Joe Duball, e-mail jduball@unionleader.com.