LACONIA — The Laconia High School Athletic Department will be inducting four athletes into the Laconia High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 25. Chris Normandin class of 1991; Dean Leighton, class of 1956; and twins Emily and Kate McLaughlin class of 1997 will join the other 48 standing members of this prestigious group.
Chris Normandin was a standout baseball and football player at LHS. He was a rugged linebacker as part of the Sachems staunch defense. Chris found a home in the lineup regular in his junior and senior seasons and was recognized as one of the top in the state at that position. On the baseball diamond Chris was part of the 1990 and 1991 state championship teams. In his junior campaign he won nine games with only one loss and had a 1.17 ERA as he batted over .300. In his senior year he went 8-2 amassing 73 strikeouts in 69 innings pitched. He earned all-state in both years.
Dean Leighton was a three-sport all star in football, basketball, and baseball. He was running back on the gridiron who carried the load most games, he went on to captain the basketball team where most nights was a top scorer as he led the Sachems to a Class A runner up season, and in the spring he captained and batted cleanup for the Sachems who defeated Keene High School for the Class A state championship. Dean Leighton will be inducted posthumously.
Emily McLaughlin was a standout in field hockey, basketball, and softball. In her senior year she received top honors as the Joyce H. Bobotas Award that recognized her for best in displaying dedication, spirit, and service to her school and community. She was described by her former coaches as someone who showed grit in competition, but compassion as a teammate. She captained the field hockey team, was a starter on the state runner-up basketball team and co-MVP of her softball team.
Kate McLaughlin was a standout athlete in Field Hockey, Basketball, and Track and Field. She captained the field hockey team alongside her sister, captained the state runner up basketball team, and still holds school record in track. She won the Girls Athletic Association Award for leadership, sportsmanship, and scholarship. Kate won the MVP awards in both field hockey and basketball while she stood out even more in the spring where she set five LHS school records (100-meters, high jump, 200 meters, 100 hurdles, and 300 intermediate hurdles) of which all five still stand. She also went on to win back-to-back state heptathlon championships. Her track accolades were as dominant as any athlete to ever wear the red and white.
The induction will be held at the Meredith Village Savings Bank dining room in the new Huot Technical Center building on the LHS campus on Friday, Nov. 25. All are invited to attend free of charge. Snacks and drinks will be served at 5 p.m. and the ceremony will begin at 6 p.m.
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.
Induction Class of 2021 — 1990 and 1991 Baseball Teams, Larry Stinson.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.