2025 NHIAA Unified Soccer Championship

Keene High School Blackbirds Capture 2025 NHIAA Unified Soccer Championship Title

On November 6, the Keene High School Blackbirds and the Exeter High School Blue Hawks battled it out in an exciting matchup for the 2025 NHIAA Unified Soccer Championship — a game that truly showcased the skill, determination, and heart of Unified Sports® athletes and partners.

After a thrilling back-and-forth contest with scoring opportunities on both sides, Keene High School, led by head coach Daniel Gruber, came out on top with a 6–3 victory over Exeter High School, coached by Kathryn Nichols. Both teams displayed incredible teamwork, strategy, and sportsmanship from start to finish.

Unified Sports®, created by Special Olympics, brings together students with and without intellectual disabilities as teammates who train, compete, and succeed together. At the high school level, Special Olympics New Hampshire (SONH) and the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) work in partnership to ensure that Unified Sports are recognized as true interscholastic athletic programs — complete with official schedules, playoffs, and championship titles.

These athletes and Unified partners don’t just share the field — they share goals, teamwork, and victory. The championship game between Keene and Exeter was a powerful reminder that Unified Sports aren’t just fun; they’re fiercely competitive, inspiring, and redefine what inclusion in athletics can look like.

Congratulations to both teams on a phenomenal season — and to the Keene High School Blackbirds on earning the title of 2025 NHIAA Unified Soccer Champions!