Annual awards night highlighted all that is good about Seacoast high school sports

PORTSMOUTH — It was more than an hour after the Seacoast Sports Awards show ended on Monday when I finally walked out of The Music Hall and onto Chestnut Street.

Just outside the Music Hall entrance four families remained and were conversing about the previous three hours, and from everything I could gather as I walked past them, they had fully enjoyed themselves.

One woman could be heard saying that even though her son didn’t win Player of the Year for the sport he was nominated for, the family was honored to be part of such a special night.

That seemed to be the theme that I heard again and again, either by texts, e-mails, or phone calls, later Monday night and Tuesday morning from coaches, parents, athletic directors, and athletes themselves.

And you know what, I agree, it was a special night. One could say, it was the most special of the four live events we’ve done to recognize and honor the great student-athletes on the Seacoast.

Sure, we’ve had Hall of Fame celebrity guests before such as Pedro Martinez in 2018 and Paul Pierce in 2019, but after being forced to have a virtual event the last two years, just being on stage and feeling the energy of a near-sellout crowd was just as good.

And Charlie Coyle, a forward for the Boston Bruins, gave all the athletes inspiration when he talked about his rise from a kid in Weymouth, Massachusetts who had a dream of one day playing in the NHL, and how hard work helped get him there.

“I thought it was very well done,” said Dover athletic director Peter Wotton who was there to accept the Girls Golfer of the Year award for freshman Carys Fennessy, who couldn’t make the event. “I am not a fan of awards night type things but that was a really good night. I enjoyed seeing our kids, and will attend again, that is for sure.”

For Portsmouth athletic director Tom Kozikowski, who attended the inaugural event in 2017 with special guest Danny Amendola of the New England Patriots, he thought the night was a great celebration for the Seacoast community of student-athletes, their families and coaches.

“Charlie Coyle was spot on in regards to work ethic and effort,” Kozikowski said. “If you want to improve in anything, you have to make the commitment to put the work in.”

York High School girls basketball Jess Stacy was there to support Emily Rainforth, who won the Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Stacy, who just finished her third season as head coach with the Wildcats, had not gone to any of the previous three live events.

“I was super impressed with how the whole thing went, it definitely exceeded my expectations,” Stacy said. “As a coach of one sport, it is awesome to hear some of the outstanding performances of athletes in other sports. The sit down with Charlie Coyle and his message to the kids was awesome. He was personable and as a “hometown kid” it was cool to hear his story. His general message of ‘work hard’ and ‘be a good person’ is literally the message I give to my kids all the time. There is always someone out there who is putting in the work. Are you going to outwork them or are they going to outwork you.”

Seacoast All-Star Sports Awards: Athletes shine on stage with Charlie Coyle of Bruins

Although she loved seeing Rainforth win the girls basketball award, Stacy said the highlight for her was watching the heart-warming video of Newmarket High School junior Lena Nicholson who received the annual “Courage Award.”

“Wow,” Stacy said. “What an amazing story. Definitely a highlight of the night.”

Nicholson was diagnosed with Sotos Syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by excessive growth before and after birth.

By the time she was 9 years old, Nicholson was 6 feet tall, and reached 6-foot-5 when she was 14. Nicholson, due to her size, was often bullied. Nicholson overcame those times, which included being cornered by two boys in her middle school cafeteria, and now is thriving as a member of the school’s basketball and track teams.

“I can’t even adequately express how incredible that was, she was blown away,” said Lisa Nicholson, Lena’s mother. “Thank you so much for an amazing experience.”

Some other messages we received included

- Thank you! That was outstanding!

- Great job last night! That was a good show and it was good to be back live.

- Great job tonight. It was a nice show.

- Thank you! That was outstanding!

- Totally! What a production... seriously... I'm shocked... never expected it.... was top notch

- Well done tonight!!

- Very well done! Super exciting…thanks for a great night.

It takes a village to put on an event like we did on Monday. The night’s success could not have been done without the help of countless individuals, including Seacoast Media Group executive editor Howard Altschiller, ad director Andrew Chernoff, sports writers Brandon Brown and Mike Whaley, photographers Olivia Falcigno and Matt Parker, videographer Ben Merrick, the Gannett events team, Kittery, Maine native and nationally known comedian Juston McKinney who got the night going with a 10-minute set, and our two major sponsors Piscataqua Savings Bank and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.

However, the night wouldn’t have happened without the dedication and commitment of all the student-athletes and their coaches who helped share their stories of accomplishment throughout the school year.

Till next year, thank you.

- Jay Pinsonnault is sports editor at Seacoast Media Group. He can be reached at jpinsonnault@seacoastonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seacoast High School Sports Awards joyously celebrates student athletes