Larry Stinson, two baseball teams to be inducted into LHS hall of fame

LACONIA — After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Laconia High School Athletic Department will be inducting one athlete and two teams into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 26, hosted by the legendary voice of the Sachems, David Rea. The three inductees will join the other 45 members of the hall.

The first inductee is Larry Stinson, class of 1977. Stinson was a prolific indoor and outdoor track runner during his time with LHS. Stinson started at a young age shattering not only Laconia High School records, but also state of New Hampshire records. He was ranked number one in cross-country in the state, broke three LHS winter track records, and regularly won his half and one-mile races at every meet during his freshman and sophomore years. He participated on multiple relay teams that also broke many LHS and state records during his freshman and sophomore years. At many meets he received the Most Outstanding Runner award. Stinson ran a 2:09 half-mile and 4:21 mile to become the fastest times in New Hampshire. He went on to be recognized nationally by Sports Illustrated as he was included in their weekly publishing of “Faces in the Crowd.” Stinson was known for his red socks and final kick that made him legendary. Stinson died going into his junior year. His former coach Erwin Smith was quoted saying, “Larry probably had the most outstanding track record of any sophomore in the history of the state last year (1975). In my opinion, if he had continued his normal development, there is no question he would have received college scholarship offers.” Former track coach Donald Stevenson said, “Larry was quiet, respectful, hard-working, and shouldered responsibility well.” Classmates honored Stinson with a portrait that hangs in the Laconia High School Hall of Fame hallway, now to be joined with a plaque to that confirms his legacy.

The 1990 and 1991 Championship Baseball teams will be the other two inductees. Only a handful of players differentiate these two dominant teams. The 1990 team, coached by Paul Hogan, posted a 19-3 record, besting rival Plymouth High School in the state championship game. At one point in the season the team went over 40 innings without allowing a run. They posted nine shutouts on the season, including a 3-0 victory in the championship game. Jim Concannon, Scott Gigeure, Bill Caldwell, Steve Laramie, Chris Normandin, Aaron Jones, and Brad Bailey all batted over .300 during that season. Chris Normandin (1.71 ERA), Jim Concannon (.457 BA) and Bill Caldwell (.390 BA) all were All-State selections. The 1991 team, coached by Tim Steuer, went 17-4 and concluded with a 13-inning semi-final win over Berlin followed by a nine-inning, 3-2 victory over Lebanon enroute to their championship season. Aaron Jones, Kevin Archibald, Chris Andriski, Todd Rollins, Scott Giguere, and Erik Fleming all batted over .300 during their championship season. They were led on the mound by Chris Normandin (8-2, 73 strikeouts in 69 innings), Scott Giguere (8-1, 67 strikeouts in 58 innings) and Kevin Martel (1-1 with 8 saves). Normandin, Giguere, and Jones were named All-State.

Hogan moved on to NHTI-Concord's Community College, where he has put together many great seasons coaching basketball and as athletic director. While at Plymouth State and NHTI, Hogan has amassed over 600 wins. He has become a legendary face of basketball in New Hampshire. Steuer, a LHS standout athlete himself, has recently retired from LHS after over 30 years of service. He was inducted to the LHS Hall of Fame in 2015.

Members of the 1990 team include Jim Concannon, Ryan Charland, Bill Caldwell, Brad Bailey, Brian Davis, Chris Gobeille, Chris Andriski, Todd Rollins, Kevin Martel, Chad Beane, Erik Fleming, Scott Giguere, Ryan Moore, Aaron Jones, Steve Laramie, Matt Ruffle, Jason Shute, Tom Buban, Chris Normandin, Kevin Archibald, and managers Lisa Hammond, Kara Murray, Bert Poole and Scott Canning. They were coached by Hogan.

Members of the 1991 team include Scott Gagnon, Aaron Jones, Steve Laramie, Chris Normandin, Scott Giguere, Todd Rollins, Brian Davis, Brad Bailey, Chris Gobielle, Ryan Moore, Chris Andriski, Grady Charland, Erik Fleming, Tom Buban, Kevin Archibald, Kevin Martel, Chad Beane, and Shane Jordon. Manager was Scott Canning and Bat Boy was Ryan Laramie. They were coached by Steuer, assisted by Norm Normandin.

This years’ inductees will join:

Induction Class of 1983- Michael Giguere, Douglas Hounsell, Bernie Lacroix, Kathy O’Neil, Penny Pitou, Steve Stetson, Richard Tilton, and Chip Veazey

Induction Class of 1984- Guy Hamel, Jack Irwin, and Jeep Munsey

Induction Class of 1985- Bidge Clement, Bobby Conway, and Beau Lessard

Induction Class of 1989- Phil Estes, and John McGonagle

Induction Class of 2014- Mickey Donovan, James Fitzgerald, Nick Ford, Chris Phelps, Jimmy Swormstedt, and Alan Wool

Induction Class of 2015- 1991 State Championship Field Hockey Team, Beth Gilbert, Erwin Smith, and Tim Steuer

Induction Class of 2016- Christian Birt, Socrates Bobotas, Amy Cantin, Charlene Emond, Wilbur Fay, and Paul Phelps

Induction Class of 2017- 1956 State Championship Baseball Team, Molly DeMark, James Dunlap, Mike Grover, Gary Harbour, and Aaron Jones

Induction Class of 2018- Mark Brewer, John Colby, and Ken Parady

Induction Class of 2019-BJ Fowler, Richard Steady, Martha Kidder-McIntire, and the 1908 Football Team