The State of Football: Week 1

By Roger Brown

nhfootballreport.com

Last year Pinkerton Academy (Division 1), Bishop Guertin (Division II), Plymouth (Division III), St. Thomas (Division IV) and Bishop Brady (Division V) proved to be the best teams in their respective divisions.

Who are the teams to beat this year? Pinkerton, BG, Plymouth, St. Thomas and Bishop Brady have to be considered favorites or, at the very least, co-favorites as we enter the 2007 season.

Not everything has remained status quo since last year, however. Three major changes took place in the offseason.

Change No. 1: Trinity elected to play an independent schedule, instead of spending another year in Division I. The Pioneers will compete in a lower division next season. Trinity's 2007 schedule features five Division V teams (Bishop Brady, Newport, Bow, Campbell and Epping), a Division II team (Goffstown), two Division I teams (Londonderry and Manchester Memorial) and a non-league opponent (Marion, Mass.).

Trinity's departure from Division I allowed several Division I schools to schedule games against Massachusetts opponents. Those matchups: Salem vs. Xaverian, Manchester West vs. Everett, Nashua South vs. Lowell, Nashua North vs. Chelmsford, Nashua North vs. Methuen, and Concord vs. Foxboro.

Change No. 2: This year's championship games will be played on turf fields.

In most cases this will eliminate any home-field advantage. The title games will be played at the following locations:

⁭ Division I (Stellos Stadium)

⁭ Division II (William Ball Stadium)

⁭ Division III (William Ball Stadium)

⁭ Division IV (Hanover High School)

⁭ Division V (Stellos Stadium)

The only exceptions will be if both teams involved in the championship game play their home games on turf. In that situation, the higher-seeded team will play at home.

"It's something that's been on the table since I've been on the (NHIAA) football committee," Exeter coach Bill Ball said. "I think it's more about playing on a synthetic field than a neutral location. The committee was concerned about field conditions in November and wanted a championship atmosphere."

Not everyone is happy with this move, though, and already there are rumblings that the games will be moved back to the higher-seeded team's home field next season. The University of New Hampshire, which will play on turf this season, is also a possibility.

Change No. 3: The NHIAA has instituted a mercy rule that calls for a running clock once a team builds a lead of 35 points or more in the second half. The game will revert to normal timing if the point differential drops below 35 points.

This change has not been welcomed with open arms either. "I don't like it," St. Thomas coach Rod Wotton said. "The younger kids need to play. It's a situation that should be handled by the coaches, and I think it will. It shouldn't come into play much."

The Picks ...

DIVISION I

Londonderry 20, Central 14

Division I is always more entertaining when the Lancers field a good team.

Pinkerton 27, Nashua North 13

Astros extend their winning streak to 15 games.

DIVISION II

Bishop Guertin 14, Winnacunnet 13

BG-Winnacunnet games are often closer than expected.

Exeter 27, Dover 14

Exeter hasn't lost an opener since 1994.

Keene 20, Goffstown 6

Keene's pass-happy offense is too much for Goffstown.

DIVISION III

Con-Val 26, Kingswood 6

Con-Val spoils Matt Jozokos' coaching debut.

Portsmouth 21, Kennett 6

The Clippers will overcome Reed Spiller's absence (shoulder injury).

Merrimack Valley 21, John Stark 14

Expect Merrimack Valley to be in the playoff picture this season.

Plymouth 28, Pembroke Academy 6

Does anyone expect much of a drop-off in Plymouth?

Souhegan 21, Milford 20

This should be the best game in Division III this weekend.

DIVISION IV

Stevens 36, Fall Mountain 8

Stevens rolls in opener.

Kearsarge 28, Hollis-Brookline 20

This game will feature two good quarterbacks in Bobby Williams (Kearsarge) and Will Arpin (Hollis-Brookline).

Laconia 20, Lebanon 14

Here's your best game in Division IV.

St. Thomas 28, Monadnock 0

Division IV teams better knock off the Saints this season because there's tons of talent in their younger classes.

Hanover 14, Somersworth 6

The Toppers lost too much from last season.

DIVISION V

Campbell 20, Bow 13

Quarterback Justin Gauthier gives Campbell the edge.

Epping 14, Newfound 7

Blue Devils match their victory total from last season.

Newport 34, Farmington 12

It could be a long season for the Tigers.

Gilford 20, Franklin 13

Gilford is the trendy pick to win it all in Division V.

Pelham 26, Winnisquam 12

Pelham's Bruce Vieira rushed for 1,023 yards and 20 TDs last season.

NON-LEAGUE

Concord 27, Merrimack 7

In this case, Division I is better than Division II.

Spaulding 19, Memorial 14

In this case, Division II is better than Division I.

West 20, Alvirne 13

People are still talking about West's victory over BG in the Queen City Jamboree.

Salem 34, Timberlane 14

Opponents won't be having much fun when they play Salem this season.

Trinity 20, Brady 7

Trinity wins! Trinity wins!

The State of Football will appear each Friday throughout the season.