A Weird but Wonderful First Year

The first year in 1970 was a great one but a really weird one for Conval High’s soccer team.

In those days, soccer in NH was just one league, and teams were placed in regions. It’s weird and hard to believe, but the first-year Cougars, who finished 10-2-2, were 9-1-2 heading into the last week of the regular season and yet a tournament spot wasn’t guaranteed.

Conval was battling four other highly successful schools—Goffstown, Hinsdale, Wilton and Fall Mountain—for the regional qualifications. Fortunately, Conval finished fourth and took on top-ranked Wilton in the sectionals.

Student interest in the soccer team that fall soared. At an important road game in Goffstown, not one but two full spectator buses showed up, with the crowd helping to rally the Cougars to a tense 1-1 draw.

The enemy in Cougar terrirtory

Wilton—now a small Division 4 school—played its home games that year in Conval territory, at a field adjacent to Miller Cemetery in Temple. Weird. The Halloween soccer battle, with fans from both schools ringing the field, was tightly contested. Play became rough and tumble. Goalie Rick Barron—pictured with teammates Terry Jarest and Mike Walker—was taken to the hospital on concussion protocol as The Peterborough Transcript reported that he was accidentally kicked in the head while diving for a loose ball.

Wilton scored nine minutes into the game, and held on for a 1-0 win. The Warriors wound up making it to the state finals before bowing to powerhouse Oyster River. Coach Harold Chase’s Cougars wondered what could have been in that weird but wonderful year of 1970, but nevertheless wound up Central I League (featuring Goffstown, Merrimack, Merrimack Valley and Pembroke) champions, finishing 7-0-1.

Not a bad kick off for a new school.