Littleton Opens Refurbished Field With Shutout of Oakmont

Littleton opened up the new-look Alumni Field Friday night.

By John McGuirk (@Patsfan1313)

LITTLETON - Mike Lynn's demeanor never allows him to get too high or too low when it comes to directing his football team. But on Friday night, the 16-year head coach and athletic director of the Littleton Tigers could not help but feel a bit giddy on two fronts.

First was the grand opening of refurbished Alumni Field, following a 4 million dollar renovation project, which provided a brand new multi-purpose turf field, ample seating and plenty of room for parking. Second was watching his squad do a number on an improved Oakmont Regional team with a dominant 22-0 triumph.

Right now, everything is A-OK in Lynn's world.

"It may sound dramatic, but this field is changing our lives here," said Lynn. "All of our team sports have been out here for at least one practice if not two. The exuberance you see from the kids is overwhelming. We are so grateful for the town to allocate their resources to provide this facility for our coaches, and most importantly, for our kids."

Littleton Runs Away from Groton-Dunstable in D3 C/E Semifinals

By Ryan Bowman (@_ryanbowman_)

CONCORD - Looking to avenge an early season loss, the Littleton Tigers came out in the D3 C/E semifinals firing on all cylinders.

The Tigers easily took care of the Groton-Dunstable Crusaders, winning 13-4 for a spot in the sectional final. It would be hard to point to one specific area Littleton bested the Crusaders today, since the Tigers were pretty much better in all phases.

Because of Danny Angell and Anthony Rausa, among others, the Crusader defense simply could not keep up with the wide array of offense from the Tigers.

Littleton Overcomes Slow Start to Shut Out Shepherd Hill

Littleton's offense took a while to get going, but freshman goalie Brandon Witherell and senior pole Kyle Magnuson kept the Tigers afloat all night.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

DUDLEY - After a scoreless first quarter, Littleton found its footing against upstart Shepherd Hill, shutting out the Rams 7-0 under the lights in Dudley.

"We were thinking that it would be nice to get some offensive possessions and some shots on net," Littleton coach Mike Blanchard said with a chuckle. "We weren't moving the ball well on offense in the beginning of the game. (Shepherd Hill) plays great defense, and you've got to pass the ball, and pass it a lot to make that defense move. We weren't doing that early."

A Big National Signing Day at Littleton

From left to right: Top- Griffin Shoemaker, St. Anselm lacrosse commit; Eric Rauker, Stonehill football commit; Will Buraczynski, Merrimack soccer commit.
Bottom- Shannon Riordan, Drexel soccer commit; Kayla Nixon, Assumption soccer commit.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Littleton has come to be known as one of the best small-school athletic departments in the state and, despite a student body of less than 500 kids, the Tigers annually compete for titles in numerous sports, most recently capturing a state football championship in 2013.

That success has carried over to the recruiting trail, as five Tigers signed National Letters of Intent to continue their athletic and academic careers at the college level Wednesday. Three Littleton soccer players signed- Boys left back Will Buraczynski (Merrimack), and girls forward Kayla Nixon (Assumption) and defender Shannon Riordan (Drexel).

The Tigers also saw linebacker Eric Rauker sign with Stonehill for football, and attackman Griffin Shoemaker pledge to play lacrosse for St. Anselm. It was a busy day, but each of the Littleton stars seems ready for the next step.