Mouth of the River

The 1000-point club is a distinguished record that is held by 19 Oyster River High School (ORHS) alumni. Every point scored throughout all four seasons playing on varsity counts towards their record and receiving the 1000-point title.  

Steve Bamford was the first player in Oyster River history to accomplish this achievement in 1960. Having 1000 points in a high school career and being the first player in school history, is already an amazing accomplishment. In addition to that, he did this before the 3-point shot was implemented into the game. 

When looking at the board, it’s hard not to notice the last name Friel comes up a lot, five times to be specific. Jennifer Friel was the first to claim the title in 1993, followed by Keith Friel and a year later Greg Friel, most commonly referred to as the “Friel Brothers.” In 2001 Jeremey Friel landed himself on the board and finally finishing with Jilliane Friel in 2009. Not only is it an amazing title in itself, but the fact that all five siblings were all able to reach that milestone is astounding.  

The most recent player to reach the milestone was Vivian O’Quinn (25’) just last year. The most amazing part about this is the timing of it. The Bobcats had just faced Laconia, the number one seed, and won against all odds. At the end of the game, the team turned around, greeted with cameras and a 1000-point sign with O’Quinn’s name in bold letters. The timing perfect, but for O’Quinn to be a point guard and still manage 1000-points is really something to appreciate.  

While many talented players have come out of ORHS, Andy Lathrop, ORHS’ athletic director, noted that Keith Friel has been the most significant player to graduate from ORHS. Not only because of the successful decade of basketball that was influenced by Friel, but the fact that he reached the milestone so early in his high school career (middle of junior year.) Lathrop explained that, “reaching 1000 points is one of the hardest personal milestones. The fact that he reached that when his third year had barely begun, well, you know that he was extremely talented.”  

If you know him, it’s obvious Friel was a threat from every aspect of the game, but the thing that can be appreciated most is his selflessness. Friel explains that, “when you look back at it, it’s a nice accomplishment, but obviously, the state championships resonate more than just scoring points.” Furthering that by saying, “to win was the ultimate goal so even if I had 35 or 40 points, I still had an empty feeling because at the end of the day, the 35 points weren’t enough for the team to win.”  

One aspect that is important to note is the influence of the media. This has only increased the significance of scoring 1000 points. Before, you could hear about other’s successes through word of mouth or even see it in the news, but now everyone’s accomplishments are plastered everywhere. If someone from a neighboring school has an outstanding game or their stats are through the roof, there is always a buzz within the New Hampshire press and media.  

Friel touched on this when he mentioned, “Ball 603 is awesome coming to your games and individual highlights, but it definitely puts an emphasis on the individual parts of the game like player’s stats.”  

It’s hard to remember with all the media and focus on games with an individualistic eye, that everyone is performing at different paces. O’Quinn explained that, “I think it’s cool to look back on. If my season isn’t going well, it’s a little reminder to keep my head up because it’s a process. It’s not like I scored 1000 points my freshman year and it takes time.”  

As an athlete in high school, it can be hard to get recognized and get your name out there at such a young age. Such an achievement is amazing, and it should call for praise and celebration. While many of the athletes on the 1000-point club have gone on to do great things and compete at higher levels, the 1000-point club will always be something that stands tall in the Oyster River gym, recognizing its very own talented athletes. 

-Eva Bebbington