One need look no further than what the Merrimack College men’s lacrosse team accomplished recently in collecting the Division II National Championship to know that Londonderry High School and Pinkerton Academy athletes working together can do great things.
That title-winning team included three former Londonderry High Lancers and two Pinkerton Academy Astros who worked side by side for the same goals after being opponents for years.
This Friday night, June 22, it’ll happen again in an annual field hockey match in Vermont which will feature two former Londonderry High Lady Lancers teamed up with two Pinkerton Lady Astros on the New Hampshire contingent in the 35th Annual New Hampshire Field Hockey Coaches Association Twin-State Game against a crew of Green Mountain high school stars at the University of Vermont.
Newly-graduated Londonderry High midfielder Maeve McPhail and defender Chase Vanini are working with teammates and recent Pinkerton grads Carly Young (middie) and Whitney O’Brien (defense) in aiming to help their Granite State group bag its sixth consecutive victory in the annual all-star series.
The New Hampshire side collected a truly pleasing 4-1 victory over its Vermont rival in the 2017 battle, which was played in the Granite State. The Green Mountain state last picked up a win in overtime in the 2012 contest, and the Granite Staters have built up their record in the series to a dominant 22-9-3.
The top, recently-graduated senior field hockey players from New Hampshire and Vermont have been playing in Twin-State matches since 1984 when the Granite State played host to the inaugural match and dropped a tight, 1-0 decision.
The two states switch off as hosts each June, with the hosting site usually being a college.
This year’s New Hampshire contingent is being co-coached by Kelli Braley of Souhegan High School of Amherst and Jess Brown of Goffstown High School.