By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Pinkerton Academy has won the last two Division I championships and will carry a 14-game winning streak into Friday night's game at Nashua North. The Astros still have a bulls-eye on their back, but they're certainly not the only team capable of winning this year's title in a division that doesn't appear to be as top-heavy as it's been in recent seasons.

Salem, which has lost to Pinkerton in each of the last two Division I championship games, may be the most likely team to unseat the Astros this year. Quarterback Hal Landers, running back Kevin Sledge and running back Shane McMahon are among the returning starters on this year's roster, which features 29 seniors. McMahon rushed for 1,083 yards last season, and Sledge finished with 658 despite being plagued by injury.

Londonderry and Nashua South also figure to be in the playoff mix. South will be led by quarterback Bill Ferriter, one of 17 seniors on the team; and Londonderry has added New Hampton transfer Ryan Griffin, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound quarterback/tight end who has reportedly received a scholarship offer from the University of New Hampshire.

Concord, Manchester West and Nashua North are teams that will likely be better than they were a year ago, but Pinkerton remains the team to beat until someone proves otherwise. The Astros lost quarterback Bryan Farris (1,789 passing yards last season) and receiver Juan Amador (34 receptions for 757 yards) to graduation, but return 10 starters from their 2006 team, which finished 12-0. Peter Mazzola, a running back who has been shifted to quarterback, is among the returnees.

The Astros have also added former Plymouth State standout Joe Dudek to their coaching staff. Dudek finished ninth in the 1985 Heisman Trophy balloting.

High School previews: Division I.