Fall Sports Round-Up 2023
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by Ryan McCabe
published 12/21/23
The football team finished 5-4 and was given a playoff berth for the second time in the last three years. Senior Captains Ryan and Gavin McCabe, Sean Nicholls, and Josiah Funches led the team. After starting off 0-2, the Falcons stormed back, winning multiple games in a row. After Gavin McCabe, Bow's top athlete, sustained an ankle injury, the team relied on an assortment of young running backs. Their primary passing threat was Ryan McCabe, who became quite the target, leading the state in receiving yards and touchdowns for all New Hampshire tight ends, regardless of division.
McCabe stated, “I am happy with my performances on the field this year. Hearing each defense call my name or number before the snap, or getting double, triple, and quadruple teamed when I would go out for a route, it was always funny to go back on film and see the assortment of guys surrounding me after a pass.”
McCabe also played with a torn labrum in his shoulder, making it all the more impressive.
“I don’t think half the guys on the team even knew I played the season in a lot of pain,” He continued, “Of course, I needed to play through it it was our only chance to make the playoffs."
On defense, Sean Nicholls led the way, consistently wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. With a small senior class and the number of players significantly down, the team should be proud of their performance this year.
The soccer team finished 17-1-1 this season and was crowned State Champions after an exciting win over the number one seed Lebanon. Colby Smith, Brodie O’Neil, Eli Berrigan, and Wes Michaelis led the way for the state champions this season. Senior Wesley Michaelis, reflecting on the team’s journey, emphasized the collective effort: “At the beginning of the season, we wanted to achieve this goal, so seeing all of our hard work pay off makes it even better.” As first-year head Coach Josh Smith, Michaelis stated, “He helped change how we played the game compared to how we did with our previous coach, and I think that helped us achieve our goal.” Colby Smith, who recently won Concord Monitor Player of the Year, said, “It’s one of the best feelings we’ve ever had in our lives.” He continued, “We dreamed of this moment. It feels incredible. Even better than I could imagine it.” A remarkable season culminated in a flawless conclusion, securing the soccer team’s place in Bow history.
Going 11-3-2 during the regular season, the girls' soccer team picked up right where they left off the year prior. After outsourcing their opponents 20-0 over their last five games, the girls had momentum heading into the playoffs. Upsetting John Stark 1-0 in a back and a cold, bitter rainy game, they moved on to the one seed Hollis-Brookline. The nail-biting game that extended through 80 minutes of regulation and an additional 30 minutes of overtime led to a heartbreaking defeat. The game remained scoreless until the Cavaliers secured a 1-0 victory in a penalty kick shootout, concluding 3-0. Nevertheless, the Falcons can take pride in their performance, going head-to-head with one of the top soccer teams in the state. The departing seniors' achievement of winning a state championship and reaching the semifinal game every year they played is truly remarkable.
The boy's cross country team had a very successful 2023 season. This season saw the BHS cross country team continue to grow and improve. Almost every single member of the team got a personal record time in their final race. Throughout the season, there were multiple races where the team did exceptionally well. In the Capital Area Invitational, the boys' team finished 2nd out of 10 teams, with Alden Betterly finishing in the top 5. In the State Meet, the team finished 5th out of 19 teams; the top five runners all finished in the top 45. This allowed them to move on to the Meet of Champions, where the entire varsity team got season or career PRs: Jack Noce and Jack Kohl finishing in under 20 minutes, Owen Miller and Thomas Sargent finishing in the low 18s, Aiden Cimenisi and Wyatt Worcester finishing in the mid 17s, and Alden Betterly coming in first for Bow with a time of 16:39 seconds. Looking back on the season, Senior Captain Owen Miller stated, "Overall, I am very happy with how this season went. Being able to see everyone on the team work super hard and then that hard work payoff was really amazing to see. Every single person put their best effort into every practice and every race, and it showed. We were working with a new training plan, and everyone learned how to put their all into it to get the best results."
As for the Girls Cross Country Season, Adee Cooper stated, "I would say it was a successful season. With the loss of some of our top seniors from last year, we had a major change of our varsity team and had to work hard for a good placement going into states. Making it to MOCs for the third consecutive year is huge, and hopefully, we'll be looking at New Englands in future seasons."
Both groups delivered impressive performances during the fall season, providing much to reminisce about their achievements.
This past year, the bass fishing team made significant progress toward competing in tournaments. Benefiting from a mix of talented freshmen and experienced upperclassmen, the team achieved its most successful season ever. Guided by two freshman anglers, Ethan Herrick and Garret Landers, and with the support of seasoned leaders Angelo Constant and Luke Virta, the team secured a spot in the state tournament. Senior Luke Virta expressed his pride in the team's performance: "I'm extremely proud of the boys this year; many young players took on significant roles, contributing to our most successful year yet." During the qualifying meet, both Ethan and Garret demonstrated exceptional fishing skills, reaching the limit of eight fish and securing a 6th place finish out of 34 boats. Similarly, at the state tournament, the team performed impressively, once more reaching the eight-fish limit and finishing 6th overall. Qualifying for the state tournament signifies a new milestone for Bow Bass Fishing, motivating the team to build upon this success in the coming years.
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