New Hampshire
Football: Thornton Academy can’t hold early lead in 35-21 loss to N.H. power Bedford
SACO – An early lead had been cut in half and early momentum was starting to slip away, but the Thornton Academy football team still appeared to be in good shape to go into the halftime break Saturday with a seven-point against New Hampshire powerhouse Bedford.
And then a poorly-timed breakdown caused the scales of the game to tip for good.
Bedford scored a touchdown on the final play of the first half, then rode a dominant second half to a 35-21 victory in a matchup of reigning state champions. The Bulldogs (2-0) are two-time defending Division I champions in New Hampshire, and Thornton (1-1) won Maine’s Class A title last year.
“They played harder. … They made some adjustments at halftime, we tried to make some adjustments at halftime,” Thornton Coach Kevin Kezal said. “It’s hard. You can’t get real big plays against them because they’re so athletic. … The minute you get behind the stakes, it’s really hard to generate offense against them.”
It was the third matchup in as many years between the two programs, and Bedford has won all three. This one required some fortitude, however, as Thornton, aided by Bulldogs mistakes, held a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter and a 21-20 advantage in the third.
“Starting down 14-0 is never easy, so we just told the guys that we needed to bounce back and put that in the past,” said Bedford quarterback Jack Maye, who was 15 of 18 passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns while running for a third score. “And getting that ball back with 30 seconds to go obviously helped us to score in that last-second drive. … It was a great momentum shift.”
The game started in ideal fashion for the Trojans, who came up with some opportunistic plays. Stevo Jones had an interception and Dominic Hussey recovered a fumble to end promising Bedford drives, and a 13-yard screen pass from Wyatt Benoit to Jackson Paradis and 88-yard run from Mauricio Sunderland (13 carries, 162 yards) propelled Thornton to a 14-0 lead.
After a 16-yard run from Helton cut the lead in half, Thornton was forced to punt with 26 seconds remaining. Bedford had no timeouts but put together a perfect drive, as Maye connected with Noah Cassamassino for 18 yards and Bennett Matthews (seven catches, 76 yards) for seven before hitting Peter Suozzo (four catches, 106 yards), who got behind the defense, for a 28-yard touchdown as time expired.
“Huge. Momentum in these games is everything,” Bedford Coach Zach Matthews said. “The fact that they could have gone in, they should have gone in to halftime up 14-7, and now it’s a tie game, I think is absolutely deflating for them. … It got our kids thinking ‘All right, this is our game now to win.’ ”
It wasn’t Thornton’s last time with the lead. After Maye scored on a 15-yard keeper to open the second half, Bedford missed the extra point. Jones then returned the ensuing kick 81 yards for a touchdown and a 21-20 lead.
But the Bulldogs had found their rhythm. Maye completed 11 passes in a row, and his 56-yard pass to Suozzo put Bedford back in front, 28-21.
Helton (18 carries, 180 yards) used his bruising style to batter the Trojans on the ground. His 6-yard score made it 35-21 with 3:23 left in the third quarter.
“Our mentality is, no matter the score, we can win the game,” Helton said. “We’re a third-quarter team. … We came out at half and were like ‘We’ve got to punch these kids in the mouth right from here.’”
Connor Ayoob ran 15 times for 56 yards for Thornton, which was facing perhaps its toughest test on the schedule.
“We kind of broke down right before the half,” Kezal said. “But I liked the way our kids responded. We went out, they scored again, and we returned a kick. Our kids battled. It’s a great game for us. Bedford is the best in New Hampshire, so it’s a great opportunity for our kids to test themselves against a really good, quality opponent.”
New Hampshire
N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe
One proposal (Senate Bill 627) would generate more than $53 million per year in estimated revenue for turnpike projects by essentially doubling what certain cars pay on the state’s toll roads.
The cash fare for Hampton’s main toll booth on Interstate 95, for example, would jump from $2 to $4 for cars and pickup trucks. The toll wouldn’t increase at all for motorists who use New Hampshire’s E-ZPass transponders.
“Surrounding states already have the same in-state discount structure in place,” Democratic Representative Martin Jack of Nashua wrote on behalf of a House committee that unanimously recommended the bill.
A potential hitch: Governor Kelly Ayotte. She’s expressed opposition to the whole toll-hiking idea, and proven she’s not afraid to use her veto pen.
Modifying civil rights standard
Another proposal (Senate Bill 464) would add a few words to the state’s Civil Rights Act. Instead of addressing conduct that is merely “motivated by” a legally protected characteristic, the proposed revision would address conduct that is “substantially motivated by hostility towards the victim’s” protected characteristic (such as their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability).
The prime sponsor, Republican Senator Daryl Abbas, an attorney, testified the change was small and aligned with the law’s intent. But the attorney who oversees the Civil Rights Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Sean Locke, testified in opposition, saying the proposal could reduce protections, especially since the meaning of “substantially” is somewhat vague.
The House is also weighing a proposed amendment that would add a few more words than Abbas’s version, potentially narrowing the Civil Rights Act’s applicability a bit further.
Open enrollment for K-12 schools
A third proposal up for a vote on Thursday (Senate Bill 101) would make every K-12 public school in New Hampshire an “open enrollment” school. That way, students could freely choose to transfer to a district other than the one where they live.
The proposed policy is controversial, partly because of how schools are funded. Districts rely mostly on local property taxes to cover their costs, as the state government chips in relatively little, and property tax rates vary widely from one community to the next. That generates concern about who will foot the bill when a student transfers.
In light of those concerns, Republicans are offering a compromise amendment to SB 101 that would require the state to provide more money per pupil that a district receives via open enrollment, as the New Hampshire Bulletin reported. Democrats are offering their own amendment to establish a study commission on this topic, rather than adopt the proposed policy now.
Lawmakers have until May 14 to take action on the bills that came from the other chamber, though they have until June 4 to iron out any discrepancies.
Amanda Gokee of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
New Hampshire
Boston MedFlight expands into NH
Boston MedFlight often touches down at the scene of some of the worst tragedies in New England – where minutes can mean life or death for a victim. The critical care transport operation is now expanding with a new base in New Hampshire.
The organization is hosting an open house at the new Manchester location on Thursday.
Boston MedFlight flies a critical care transport paramedic and nurse on every flight. Jaik Hanley-McCarthy says their helicopters and ground vehicles are equipped to handle just about any emergency medical procedure.
“Anything that can be done in the ICU,” explained Hanley-McCarthy. “We have a mobile lab so we can draw blood and run labs in real time.”
Boston MedFlight now has five bases across the region.
“Having a base in Manchester just expands this Boston-level care even further north to the more remote areas of the state,” said Hanley-McCarthy.
Boston MedFlight operates as a network of bases and some of the locations are staffed 24 hours.
Chief Executive Officer Maura Hughes says the nonprofit operation survives on public and private donations.
“We provide about $7 million in free care every year to patients,” said Hughes. “Not every hospital can be everything to every patient. We’re really the glue that keeps the health care system together.”
Heather Young says her daughter, Teighan, is still alive because she was flown for a critical assessment and procedure after falling off a truck and hitting her head.
“She should not be driving and walking and talking and all the things she’s doing as quickly as she is,” said Young.
Teighan just turned 18 and plans to go to college to study the medical field.
“I want to be a nurse and help other people,” she said.
It’s stories like this that keep the men and women who work Boston MedFlight focused on their mission.
“I think we just go call by call and try to do the best we can,” said Hanley-McCarthy. “I think when we stop and truly think about it, I think that weight is pretty heavy.”
Boston MedFlight also has a yearly reunion where patients and the team get together here in Bedford to meet and check in on their progress. It really shows you how connected they are to the people they help.
New Hampshire
Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains
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A Massachusetts hiker who set out in warm spring weather was found dead deep in New Hampshire’s White Mountains after a snowstorm dumped several inches of snow in the area, authorities said.
Kent Wood, 61, of West Roxbury, was discovered Tuesday evening on a remote section of the Kinsman Pond Trail in Franconia Notch, about 5.5 miles from his vehicle, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.
Wood had driven to Franconia Notch on April 17 for a weekend camping and hiking trip, and set out on a hike the next morning in warm, clear weather, officials said. Family and friends last heard from him Saturday afternoon.
When he failed to return or make contact for two days, officials said relatives reported him missing Tuesday morning, prompting a large-scale search.
HIKER IDENTIFIED, POPULAR TRAIL CLOSED AFTER DEADLY FALL A UTAH’S ZION NATIONAL PARK
An aerial view of Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire, where a hiker was found dead on Tuesday. (Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group, File)
Rescuers quickly learned Wood had packed for mild conditions, not the three to five inches of snow that fell in the area between Sunday and Monday.
Fog hovers over a narrow road through Franconia Notch in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire on Dec. 27, 2021. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis)
Search teams from Fish and Game, PEMI Valley Search and Rescue, and the Army National Guard launched a coordinated effort, focusing on the Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond areas.
FAMILY’S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFF
Conservation officers located Wood’s body around 7:41 p.m. Tuesday. Crews carried him out overnight, reaching the trailhead shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Franconia Notch and the Appalachian Trail are seen in New Hampshire on Sept. 21. (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)
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Since Friday, six hikers from Massachusetts have been rescued in the White Mountains, Fish and Game said.
Officials are reminding hikers that winter conditions still grip the mountains, with snow, freezing temperatures and rapidly changing weather.
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