2026 Newsletter #6

Hello from Wentworth!

This week’s newsletter comes to you a bit late and will have a slightly different format. To break the fourth wall and offer an explanation, the dual demands of camp life and parenthood have eaten into my normal blocs of time to write, and so this will be a somewhat abbreviated update in terms of what I’ll be offering. Fortunately for all of us, however, Pemi’s athletic coaches penned a number of excellent recaps of their contests from last Friday against Camp Tecumseh. While the overall day didn’t go as we hoped, you’ll see in the articles below that Pemi’s campers turned in inspired and inspiring efforts throughout their contests, win, lose, or tie. We renewed our rivalry with Tecumseh in the spirit of sportsmanship, friendship, and competition, and the boys and staff of both camps lived up to these ideals in spades.

Regardless of the outcome, Tecumseh Day always serves as a highlight of the summer for so many of us, as it truly is sports at its finest. I know of no other competition day quite like this one. Across ten events in the morning, both camps compete their hardest, playing intensely and passionately, but above all always sportingly. When the morning wraps up, we head into the Mess Hall at each camp, sit together at tables mixed with Pemi and Tecumseh folks, and enjoy a meal filled with conversations about our camp lives, where we hail from, our hobbies, and much more. Both camps take seriously the idea that this is a rivalry rooted in friendship and shared purpose, and lunch together serves as the embodiment of that concept. As soon as lunch is over, we’re back to competing wholeheartedly against one another, and then when the day is done, we reconvene to share the results and offer up cheers to the other camp. When taking part in a Tecumseh Day, you can’t help but feel grateful for the continued existence of this unique rivalry and for the ways it brings our community together, pushes us to be our best selves, and allows us to compete in the way that sports should be conducted. We didn’t get the result we wanted on the day, but it was another fantastic day nonetheless. We can’t wait for our 120^th year of competition with Tecumseh next year!

This newsletter from here will consist of two sections. First, a number of articles recapping specific events written by Pemi coaches, and next a briefer than usual recap of some select goings on at Pemi since last Friday. In next week’s newsletter, you’ll read more details about our final week of activities and the start of Pemi Week, our fun and celebratory week of intra-division competitions that wraps up our summer. Enjoy these recaps and then please joining me in offering deep thanks and appreciation to Pemi’s coaches, yes for these excellent write-ups, but much more so for all they’ve done and continue to do to develop our campers as athletes of skill, determination, and integrity!

Note: Not every photo matches up with the event described alongside it.

10s Soccer Nailbiter vs Tecumseh

Following a tough baseball game, the 10s Banditos hit the pitch ready to make a statement. Right from the get go, Landon Dow and Flo DeLorme gave the Tecumseh defense fits down the left-hand side, opening space for an early chance which Flo saw blocked by a last ditch tackle. Henry Matlack’s relentless press at the attacking mid role won us a number of balls high up the pitch for Oscar Mulholland to chase, while Saleem Usman played a number of dangerous balls in from the right flank. After a blazing opening fifteen minutes, the Pemi boys became a little fatigued and were forced to defend more before the half, with Franklin Pyle holding things down in the middle alongside Dow on the left and the battling Russell Follansbee on the right. With just under two minutes remaining in the half, a long throw from goalkeeper Ollie Lehn bounced over a Tecumseh defender and was picked up by Mulholland, who dribbled past the final defender and found himself alone with the Tecumseh keeper, but his finish came up just short as the Tecumseh goalie trapped the ball under his leg and we headed into half tied 0-0.

Early in the second half, Mulholland had another breakaway saved, and as Pemi pushed on for an opener with renewed legs, Saleem’s cross floated over the Tecumseh keeper and into the far corner to give Pemi a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, Dow was unfortunate as a Tecumseh attacker found space behind him and smartly positioned himself in front before going down to draw a penalty which was blasted home to even the score at 1-1. The final 15 minutes saw a number of chances for each team, with Lehn stopping a series of long range efforts before launching counter attacks with his throws. As the seconds ticked down, neither team could convert their opportunities and the match finally ended in a tie. Special shoutout to Zach Goobic holding everything in place from the defensive mid position and Lehn in goal, as well as contributions from Liam Jones, Yaseen Usman, Griffin Sears, and Miles Mulholland off the bench. Although it wasn’t quite the result we wanted, the team showed an incredible amount of heart to earn the first positive result for the 10s soccer team in a few years. We are all incredibly proud and can’t wait to see what this team can accomplish next year.

– Coaches Kanovsky, Phillips-Gallucci, and McAdams

10s swimming vs. Tecumseh

10s swimming put up a good fight. Thomas Sullivan “the Fish” led the charge while others such as Oscar & Miles Mullholand, and Ollie Lehn fought hard in the water, as did Luca Bonanno and Sam Shamaly. Even though nerves were high, the cheering on the beach was amazing and kept the boys going. Thank you to everyone in the crowd! Shoutout to all the boys who were team players and swam the strokes they were given, such as Henry Matlack, Winston Moore, and Santi Losada. Proud of the team for putting in the effort and we will come back next year fighting harder. Clear hearts, strong arms, and fast legs.

– Coach GSCB

11s Soccer @ Tecumseh

11s soccer took to on a very physical and tough Tecumseh team. The opposition came out swinging, relentlessly pressing high in the first 10 minutes before slotting away a shot to go 1-0 up. Pemi wasn’t about to give up though and fought back, winning a penalty which Odin Mekkaway put away with ease. Tecumseh’s press was too much for us to handle though and they scored a second before the half. The second half brought more of the same pressure. Our boys in the middle fought hard to protect Bode Gunther in goal, but Tecumseh was able to add two more to their tally, taking down our mighty 11s. Some great defensive prowess from Niam Santiago, Jay Wall, and Finn Pike, accompanied by the dynamic midfield duo of Trex Lehn and Owen Goobic made for a formidable wall that was overcome by the Tecumseh offense, but I am so proud of the effort and heart the boys put in. Our attack of Myles Woolley, Andrew Ramich, Cameron Honig, Odin Mekkawy, and Jeffery Eng gave it their all and hustled all game hoping to add to the destruction they caused in baseball and tennis in the morning. Man of the match goes to Trex who put in two of the most incredible tackles I’ve ever seen and made the runs to keep our heads above water. Shoutout to Bode in goal who made some ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 saves. All in all coach Greenburg, Malcolm, and I are so proud of you all. Despite the disappointing result, this age group brought the heat to Tecumseh all day, filling us all with pride. We look forward to next year when you all come back and exact your revenge on the pitch.

– Coach Scott

11s Swim @ Tecumseh

The cruise ship of the Pemi fleet laid a huge wake in the waters of Winnipesaukee, partying their way to a complete victory over Tecumseh. After a tough soccer game, the boys re-grouped, felt the sand on their toes and focused on finishing the day the right way. Casertano, Ramich, McNulty, and Kiminski took first in the 100-yard Medley Relay, with Lefebvre, Pike, Santiago, and Gunther finishing third. Pemi led 7-3 early. Casertano then took first in the 25-yard Backstroke, with Lefebvre just behind for second place. Lehn finished in fourth, just a touch behind his Tecumseh counterpart. Pemi extended the lead 14-4.

Kaminksi and Ramich continued Pemi’s winning ways by finishing first and second respectively in the 25-yard Breaststroke. Santiago, Woolley, and Greene all swam well, earning personal bests! Pemi now lead 21-5! McNulty earned first in the 25-yard Butterfly with Pike taking third and a strong swim from Laas-Drysdale. Five additional points to Pemi’s tally brought the score to 26-8. A fleet of freestylers took to the waters, Grays led the way earning a personal best and second place with a time of 17.22. Lehn dropped his time by five seconds, Brown by four seconds, and Laas-Drysdale by 2 seconds. Wall and Gunther swam well. Pemi 29 – Tecumseh 13

Next up, the 100 yd Individual Medley – McNulty took first and Ramich second clinching the meet for the 11s. Great technical swims by both Haben and Andrew to ensure the points! Heading into the final event, Pemi led 36-14. Gunther, Pike, Lefebvre, and Kaminksi took second in the 100-yard Freestyle Relay with Woolley, Grays, Lehn, and Santiago just touching out Tecumseh for third. Final Score Pemi 40 Tecumseh 20. This fun-loving team of 11s cruised their way to victory. Well done boys!

– Coach Moore

11s Tennis @ Tecumseh

The mighty 11 for Pemi 11’s Tennis arrived at Camp Tecumseh like a focused army, ready to conquer their opponents and claim the Tecumseh tennis courts. The first event of the day did not start as Pemi would have liked. First singles Niam Santiago was slow to get his legs under him after the long drive to Lake Winapasaukee, falling to a tough Tecumseh opponent 8-1. His second singles teammate, Myles Woolley, picked him up with an 8-1 thrashing to even the score. That win opened the flood gates as Pemi won the next three matches to end any Tecumseh hopes. Jeffrey Eng picked up a hard fought 8-4 win at third singles and the second doubles team of George Kingdon and Mac Casertano used some effective tennis strategy to dissect their opponents for an 8-4 win. Shortly after, the onslaught continued as Trex Lehn and Cam Honig finished off their foes with an 8-3 triumph. Rounding out the Pemi wins were the first doubles team of Jay Wall and Finn Pike with a gritty 8-6 victory. With the win secured, Andrew Ramich battled his best, but came up just short against his talented rival 8-5. The 5-2 win continued the recent 11’s tennis dominance on the day and energized everyone ahead of the day’s second events.

– Chris Johnson

12s Tennis @ Tecumseh

Following a strong 2-1 start to the day’s events at Camp Tecumseh, the 12’s Tennis Team looked to build on the 11’s strong start to the day. They got over to a very convincing start as first singles star tennis ace Felix Grant overwhelmed his opponent quickly in an 8-2 win to put the Pemi blue up 1-0. Tecumseh evened things at second doubles with an 8-4 win over Declan McGovern and Otis Stevens. Pemi hopes were raised once again at first doubles when the strong team of Sebby Richards and Declan Donohoe won the big points when they mattered in a tight 8-6 triumph. Unfortunately, fate did not seem to be on Pemi’s side. With lunch awaiting and a possible lunch time lead over mighty Tecumseh in the balance, our friendly foes on Lake Winnipesaukee began to come up clutch time and time again. Fourth singles Pemi star Timmy Lorig started slow, but brought his match back to even despite an ailing shoulder, before falling 8-6. In another tight contest separated by just a few points, the third doubles team of James Wasnick and Leo Schirripa made a valiant comeback, but fell short 8-6. At second singles, Walker Seidel got out to an early 4-1 lead. His athletic opponent would not go down quietly as he battled make to even the score at six. At 7-6, Walker had a match point, but Tecumseh ripped a beautiful backhand down the line for a winner. The match went to a tense tiebreak where Walker came up just short 7-5. Finishing up the day at third singles was James Soldano. After a blazing comeback, James found himself in a tiebreak to decide things as well. In a back and forth battle, Tecumseh found a way to win the big points and take the tiebreak 7-5. In a match that Pemi could have won 6-1, a small handful of points made the difference in the Tecumseh 5-2 victory. While it was a disappointing end result, the boys should be proud of their valiant effort and came away with a lot of lessons learned that will help in the future.

– Chris Johnson

 12s Swimming @ Tecumseh

15 dogs went over to Tecumseh, and they left it all in the water. After battling all day, the boys came down to the water and showed amazing effort and focus as they entered the water for one final push. Even though we fell short in the end, the effort never wavered and every kid set a personal best. It was a pleasure to coach such a coachable and hard-working group! Thank you to Danny Benjamin, Sawyer Brez, Declan Donohoe, Ariyan Gandhi, Felix Grant, Wes McCay, Declan McGovern, Ashe Pages, Moses Pyle, Henry Raslavicus, Sebby Richards, Mason Russell, Walker Seidel, James Solodano, and Xander Wasinger

– Your coaches Simon and Nick

 13s Soccer @ Tecumseh

After a win in the water, the 13s faced CT on the soccer pitch – their massive soccer pitch. Not the start we wanted, a goal down a minute into the game, a CT free kick on the right headed into Pemi’s net. Pemi responded with Dani exploiting space with his pace down the right, sadly cut out by CTs defence. CT responded with a well-placed pass through the middle of the pitch their forward latched on to. Racing into the Pemi box, he was brought down, and the ref had no hesitation pointing to the spot. 3 minutes were on the clock. Bennett saved CTs pen’ and the follow up header – a double save – much to the delight of Pemi players and subs. Was this a good omen? Midfield interplay by Pemi included a cheeky 1-2 between Dani and Eli and soon after a Manolo through ball to Dani, sadly intercepted by CTs keeper who rushed off his line. More CT pressure in Pemi’s box saw Seb with a great clearance. Moments later another CT attempt was cleared off the line by James. The pressure was constant. A free kick from Seb on the halfway line was collected by CTs keeper who was quick to send the ball out to a teammate on the right. CT continued down the right, cut in and their shot beat Pemi’s defence and rippled the back of the net. Pemi down by 2 on 15 minutes. Pemi press on, Manolo making a fine run on the ball down the right, only to be taken out by a CT player. His subsequent free kick sadly didn’t clear CTs defensive wall. CT surge forward again, their next effort tucked inside the near post on the left for their third. 18 minutes on the clock. Wade came on for Carlos and made an immediate impact, tracking back to tackle and win the ball to stop another CT run down the left. Hunter B came on for Arjun in defence. A Pemi free kick following a foul on Jack just inside CTs half had a little too much on it and CTs keeper collected. Pemi started getting a little more possession. Finn played a wonderfully chipped pass to Manolo on the left wing who moved inside and poked the ball through to Dani making a central run, his shot saved by the keeper.

Pemi broke up a CT move just inside the Pemi half, the ball played out to Jack on the left who passed to Manolo and again he cut inside and played a through ball to Dani who raced onto it. The keeper sprinted out. Dani maintained his run, the keeper dived for the ball at Dani’s feet, but Dani beat him and steered the ball into the open net! Pemi boys on and off the pitch exploded with cheers. As half time approached CT had 2 more attempts on goal, both saved by Bennett: a direct free kick from 25 yards confidently caught, the other a shot cleared with his feet. The first half ended with Pemi 3-1 down. The team talk at half time kept the boys positive.

Sadly, Pemi conceded from a CT corner 2 minutes into the second half – 4-1 to CT. We began to rotate through the subs more with Chris, Christian and Kaz coming on, Arjun returning too. The boys fought hard across the pitch: strong but fair tackles from Hunter B and Finn, Finn with a goal line clearance too, numerous saves by Kaz, with Jack and Wilkes trying to start counterattacks from midfield. CT remained energised and in control of the game and scored a further 2 goals. Further Pemi subs were called upon, Bennett playing on the left-wing making use of his pace, Ahran in midfield, Hunter W battling on the right, Eli as centre back, Zach as left back, Christian back on in front of the defence making important clearances with Nick making an appearance up top. CT scored another and the game finished 7-1. Pemi had been outmatched.

Positives from the boys: Bennett’s double penalty save, goal line clearances from James and Finn, Dani’s goal, diving saves from Kaz, tackles from Finn, Hunter B and Arjun, hard work shown by Jack, Wilkes, Manolo and Hunter W, and Nick and Eli’s willingness to play in unfamiliar positions. Zach made a highly effective left back for the final 10 minutes and impressed with his energy, encouragement and effectiveness.

Full squad: Bennett Purdy, Kaz Sulski, Arjun Patel, Finn Shapiro, Seb Liebel,

James Brennan, Jack Kangus, Carlos Martinez, Wilkes Goobic, Manolo Sevillano

Luque, Dani Losada, Eli Enders, Hunter Blauer, Wade Fleming, Arhan Santiago,

Christian Moreno, Chris Castellano, Hunter Ward, Zach Maffucci and Nick Brown.

– Coaches Steve Clare, Charlie Malcolm and Lewis Mason.

 15s Tennis vs. Tecumseh

The 15s tennis team got the day started on a high note. The boys hit the courts and never looked back. At 1st singles Gray Axel dropped a tough first set, 6-1. However, this was just the wakeup call he needed, as he kicked into high gear to battle back in the second set, winning 6-0. In the decisive matchbreaker, he shook off an opening double fault and reeled off 10 of the next 11 points, claiming a decisive 10-2 victory. At 1st doubles Kai Karsan and Trip McNulty struggled to find their footing against a crafty Tecumseh team, gaining some late momentum but eventually falling 2-6, 4-6. At 2nd singles, Danny Follansbee continued his Tecumseh day undefeated streak, overpowering his opponent 6-1, 6-4 while barely breaking a sweat. The 2nd doubles team of River Morgan and Emmet Greene won the first set 6-3 before dropping the second set by the same score. In the matchbreaker, the boys shrugged off the pressure of the fans, delivering an 11-9 victory. The only match of the opening window which dragged on was that of Rudi Wei at 3rd singles. Facing a scrappy opponent, Rudi found himself in an unfamiliar position down 6-5 in the opening set, but thanks to some words of encouragement from Gray (whose match had already finished!), he locked back in to even the set and win the tiebreak 8-6. Rudi never looked back from there, taking the second set in comfortable fashion 6-2. This included winning a rally of no less than 60 points at deuce while up 3-0, after which his opponent was left hunched in despair over his racquet. With the match sealed, Will Dennis played an incredibly high-quality match at 4th singles, winning 6-3, 7-6(8) to build even more confidence heading into next year. At 3rd doubles Marcus Vitale and Emmitt Baggish were unfortunate to lose a close match 4-6, 2-6. Very proud of the work the 15s put in this week and the fight they showed to win a lot of close matches and set the tone for the day.

– Coaches Kanovsky and Maffa

15s Swimming vs. Tecumseh

Following a hard-fought soccer game, the Pemi 15s took to the beach shouting, cramping, and ready to fight. To start off the meet, the medley relay team of Brecken Putzel, Danny Follansbee, Trip Mcnulty, and Nick Kusik put up a strong performance in the B heat to set the tone. The A team of Emmitt Baggish, Nick McCay, Marcus Vitale, and Enrique Sevillano-Luque edged out Tecumseh’s A team to win the relay, giving Pemi an early lead. Emmitt Baggish and Trip McNulty made tight turnarounds to swim the individual backstroke, placing second and 4th , but Tecumseh took 1st and 3rd to tie the meet. Zach Pierson, battling through a hamstring cramp, took second in the individual breaststroke, and Nick McCay took 3rd, but Tecumseh won the event, keeping the meet to a tie. Marcus Vitale won the fly, but Tecumseh swimmers took second and third, and Enrique Sevillano- Luque put on a similar performance in the individual freestyle. Still a tie meet. In the Individual Medley, Wills Waitzkin and Gabri Hutchinson put on strong performances completing the brutal 200, a feat that not all of Tecumseh’s swimmers were able to accomplish. The top 3 came down to Trip McNulty locked in a war with two of Tecumseh’s best. Trip started the swim strong, taking a lead at the 25 but falling behind by the end of the fly. Tecumseh’s swimmer put on a strong performance in the backstroke, leaving Trip in second at the 100. Trip closed some distance in the breaststroke but still went into the free trailing. In a truly Metal-Boy-esque feat, Trip found some unknown strength in the final 50 and won the event in the freestyle, keeping the meet to a tie going into the final relay. The stage was set. Whoever won the relay would win the meet. With the pressure on, the free relay team of Emmitt Baggish, Zach Pierson, Enrique Sevillano-Luque, and Marcus Vitale put on a spectacular performance to win the relay and the meet. Way to rally at the end of a long day, and thank you to every member of the 15s swim team for the most incredible Tecumseh event I have ever been a part of.

– Ted Applebaum

Those recaps offer just a taste of all that went on during a fun and spirited day of competition. Many thanks to all Pemi campers and staff; it is truly a community wide effort to pull off a day like this! Our kitchen team pulls an extra-long day, serving breakfast early and dinner late while dealing with unpredictable timing. Our buildings and grounds team prepares Pemi’s facilities with their trademark pride and skill, making sure that camp looks pristine for hosting 100+ visitors. Our Health Center team splits up between the two camps, ensuring that our boys are well taken care of home and away. Staff members from all program areas chip in to ensure smooth operations, with head of nature Deb Kure setting the tone on the road as our snack coordinator, a title that doesn’t do anything close to justice in describing the way in which she spearheads our Pemi spirit at Tecumseh. Boys who play all four sports and boys who play none help contribute to the success of the day in different ways, but all play their part.

Building on that community spirit, we headed into last weekend feeling closer together and grateful for the two weeks of camp that still lay before us. Pemi’s athletes were right back at it on Saturday afternoon, following a Saturday morning sleep-in, with a series of BVTs across all age groups. It was the perfect way to shake off the lingering disappointment from Friday’s result, get back out there, and have fun competing.

Week 6 tends to be our busiest trip week of the summer, and Pemi’s boys have hit the mountains in droves. We have several overnight trips out currently, including one of our marquee 15s trips: Mt. Katahdin. The group of Charlite Toomey, Ezra Reese, Kai Karsan, Marcus Vitale, River Morgan, Rudi Wei, Sam Chapin, Zach Pierson, Trip McNulty, and Emmitt Baggish headed off to Maine early Monday morning and have already summited the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. It’s one of the most famous hikes in New England and a true highlight of our trip program.

A very different but equally gnarly hike is our four-day trip to the Mahoosucs. While Katahdin ends the Appalachian Trail, the Mahooscus hike contains what is widely accepted as the hardest mile of trail. The boys taking on that fun challenge this week are Carlos Martinez, Julian DeLisle, Devran Efe, Cairo Clapper, Alvaro Rodriguez, Micah Tolbert, Graeme Newman, and Nick McCay.

We have two more Greenleaf Hut trips going out this week as well, with both groups enjoying the chance to stay at the hut and then traverse the Franconia Ridge. Going out on those excursions are Wilkes Goobic, Hunter Ward, Hunter Blauer, Arjun Patel, Finn Shapiro, Eli Enders, AJ Monnery, Kaz Sulski, Jack Kangas, Manolo Sevillano-Luque, Dani Losada, Zach Maffucci, and Christian Moreno.

In the earlier stage of their Pemi hiking career, we have a group of boys headed to the Kinsman Range, a couple of them for their first overnight hike off Pemi property: Noah Laas-Drysdale, Morgan Greene, Henry Kaminski, Jeffrey Eng, Jacob Modzelewski, Asher Goldring, and Mac Casertano. Later this week a group of 12-year-olds will set out on an overnight canoe trip: Walker Seidel, Ashe Pages, Pierce O’Shaughnessy, Wes McCay, Leo Schrippa, Caleb Greenberg, Otis Stevens, James Wasnick, Danny Benjamin, and Declan McGovern.

I’ll be back next week with, somehow, our penultimate newsletter of the 2026 season. You can be sure that there will be lots to report on! Until next week,

– Pat