By Judith Dionne
Staff Writer

The Candia Yellow Jackets U12 travel soccer team went undefeated in regular-season play, allowing just five goals in 10 games, then dispatched two divisional playoff competitors and, ultimately, Cheshire United to win the New Hampshire State Division II championship on Nov. 6.

In the Seacoast Youth Soccer League playoffs, Candia handled a good Oyster River and then a well-coached Lamprey River team to earn a trip to the D-II state finals.

TOP TEAM – The Candia Yellow Jackets stung all foes to win the state Division II soccercrown. Team members include, back row – coaches Mark Hamel and Ray MacDonald. Middle row from left – Nick Decosta-Clippa, Chris Landry, Nicole Madden, Adam Atherton, Colby Dionne, C.J. Woods, Zach Dugas, Sam Williams, Eli Mokas and Nick Wheaton. Front row from left – Sam Cummings, Nick DesJardins, Cullen Barnes, Jacob Hamel, Sean MacDonald, Brady Petterson and Nathanial Michaud. (Judith Dionne Photo)

The Yellow Jackets edged Cheshire, 2-1, to take home the title.

“The state championship was just the icing on the cake,” said coach Mark Hamel. “This team has worked so long towards the Seacoast divisional championship – this is just incredible.”

What makes the feat even more impressive is that the team lost five key players last year and had a sixth sidelined with a knee injury.

“This team had been playing together since most of these boys and girls were 5 and 6 years old,” said Hamel. “We’ve always played up because of the older players. Last year, however, we realized that there was no way the younger players could have moved out of the U12 bracket to play 13-year-old boys, so we had to let the older players go.”

Those four boys and one girl were capably replaced by three boys and one girl – all enjoying their first taste of travel soccer.

“To watch this team play together, you’d never know we had four new players,” said assistant coach Ray MacDonald. “They made the transition so well, some of the new players had never played travel soccer before, so it’s really impressive.”

The players the team lost were cornerstones of the team, MacDonald said. In fact, he thought it would take them at least a year to rebuild and learn to play together.

“The players we had to let go helped us get to this point and reach our level of play,” said Hamel. “This team would never have made it this year if it hadn’t been for those players’ contributions.”

“Losing your older players can really hurt a team’s play, not to mention the emotional hurt we as parents felt having to let kids go we coached for four years,” said MacDonald. “I never thought we’d play this well this year.”

Under Hamel and MacDonald, the 16 boys and one girl learned to play like more mature athletes.

“When they’re out there they use skills that some kids don’t learn until the next level,” said Hamel. “I told them when you start having confidence in all your teammates and not try to do it all yourself, you can reach the next level and that’s what they did. Our passing and communication skills this year were definitely kicked up a notch. Also I was very pleased with how the veteran players tutored the new kids.”

The team also overcame an injury to Jacob Hamel, the starting striker.

“With losing the five senior kids this year and the injury to Jake, some kids were asked to step up and play different positions, and they took the challenge head on,” said Hamel. “The team is just really positive and upbeat. Jacob, being on the sidelines all season, would talk to the kids on the field and coach them and cheer them on. All the kids on the bench were like that.”

Last year, Hamel coached the U14 girls travel team to the Seacoast title – a first in town. That was his goal with the boys this year.

“This year, not only did they win the Seacoast (championship), they went one step further,” he said. “When I started this team I had one goal in mind for these kids – to allow them to be champions in some capacity. I think we’ve delivered more than they could have ever imagined.”

Candia soccer is really growing, said Hamel. There are two indoor winter U9 travel teams, the Junior Yellow Jackets and the Lady Bugs; the Yellow Jackets U12 boys team; the Candia Raiders U16 girls squad; and the Cougars U12 girls.

“Candia really has a top-notch soccer program and, with the new indoor facility, I feel it will continue to grow,” said Hamel. “For a town this size, we’ve really accomplished a lot.”