By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Running back Jeff Mack and quarterback John DeMarco, two former Milford High School standouts, led Plymouth State to a 49-29 triumph over Western New England College on Saturday afternoon.

DeMarco passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more in the victory. Mack gained 157 yards on 24 carries and ran for two touchdowns.

Plymouth State raised its record to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the New England Football Conference. The loss dropped WNEC to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the league.

Elsewhere Saturday:

-- Senior quarterback Tom Bennewitz completed 18 of 26 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns to help Dartmouth (1-2, 1-0 Ivy League) defeat Penn, 21-13.

--Tim Hightower rushed for 168 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead Richmond (3-1, 2-0 Colonial Athletic Association) to a 45-38 victory over UNH (2-2, 0-2 CAA).

--Corey Williams caught five passes for 73 yards, but St. Anselm (0-4, 0-3 Northeast-10) dropped a 41-13 decision to C.W. Post (2-2, 2-1).

Plymouth State 49, Western New England 29

Dartmouth 21, Penn 13

Richmond 45, UNH 38

C.W. Post 41, St. Anselm 13

Stopping tailback Tim Hightower (right) will be the No. 1 priority for the University of New Hampshire defense when it plays at Richmond on Saturday. Hightower has gained 614 yards in three games this season.

The 11th-ranked Wildcats will enter the contest 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Richmond, which is ranked 25th, is 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the CAA.

The game can be seen on CN8 (3:30 p.m.)

UNH Notebook

QB controversy

Editor's Note: Reed Spiller is a senior at Portsmouth High School and a fullback/defensive lineman on the PHS varsity football team. He helped the Clippers reach the Division III championship game in 2006, the program's first season in Division III. Reed's Varsity Insider column will appear each week throughout the season.

Final score: Portsmouth 20, Merrimack Valley 0. Boy, what a difference a week makes. After two straight losses, there are few things in life that feel much better than a hard-earned victory.

 I have been a part of dozens of football games throughout my nine years of playing, games that range from championships to blowouts. As a sophomore, I was part of team that had one win all year, only to come back the next season on a team that played for the state title. The win on Friday night, even though it only brought us to 2-2 on the year, was one of the most satisfying victories I can ever remember -- our backs are against the wall as far as playoffs are concerned, it was Merrimack Valley's homecoming, and MV has an explosive running back that can take it to the house any play, but we persevered and not only came out with a "W", but a shutout as well. On top of that, Kennett helped the Portsmouth cause by beating John Stark over the weekend, leaving us tied for fourth with three other teams.

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Four weeks of football isn't a lot, but it's enough to divide the state's 51 high school teams into two categories: those that have a legitimate chance to win a state championship this season, and those that don't. The contenders:

DIVISION I: Londonderry, Manchester West, Nashua South, Pinkerton and Salem.
Pinkerton remains the team to beat, but not much separates these five.

DIVISION II: Bishop Guertin, Exeter and Winnacunnet.
BG has become the clear-cut favorite, but Exeter's coaching staff can come up with a plan to beat anyone. Added Winnacunnet to the list after its impressive performance against Exeter last weekend. Ryan Cronan may be the most underrated player in the state.

DIVISION III: Plymouth, Souhegan and Con-Val.
It may be another case of everyone looking up at Plymouth, but we'll give the Sabers and Cougars the benefit of the doubt for now.

Editor's Note: Officially Speaking with Steve Hall is a feature that allows readers to ask questions about high school football rules, and will run weekly throughout the season. Hall has been a New Hampshire high school official since 1989 and has officiated more than 200 regular-season varsity games in all five divisions. He has also officiated 10 championship games and more than 25 playoff games. Hall, who is a member of the New Hampshire Football Officials' Association Board of Directors, has been the NHFOA rules interpreter for the last seven years. Questions for Steve can be sent to rbrown@nhfootballreport.com. Questions may be edited for clarity.

Question: Kicker attempts a field goal. Ball hits the crossbar and is caught by a defensive player in the end zone. Can this ball be returned?
M.A., Plymouth 

Answer:  No. On a field goal attempt, the ball becomes dead and it is a touchback once the ball strikes the crossbar or upright and it is clear that the attempt has failed. The only way the ball would remain live after striking the crossbar or an upright is if it caroms between the uprights and over the crossbar, in which case the field goal would be successful.

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Is Bishop Guertin the best team in the state? How would Plymouth do if it competed in Division II? Should Bishop Brady be playing in a higher division?

Those are questions regularly asked by New Hampshire high school football fans. Attempting to answer questions like those can produce interesting conversation.

Below is a link to the Freeman Ratings, which rank New Hampshire's high school teams from top to bottom each week. These ratings are presented not as an endorsement, but as an attempt to stir debate about the strength of teams and programs throughout the state.

New Hampshire ratings

Ratings explained

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

'CAT TALE: Mike Boyle returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown to help the University of New Hampshire improve its record to 2-1 (0-1 Colonial Athletic Association) by beating Dartmouth, 52-31, in Durham on Saturday. The Wildcats led 14-0 before the game was three minutes old and held a 45-17 lead at one point. The loss dropped Dartmouth's record to 0-2 (0-0 Ivy League).

WORD PLAY: "Offensively, they're as impressive as any team I've seen. Spotting them 14 points early certainly did not help our cause."
-- Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens

NUMBERS GAME: The game drew 9,560 fans to Cowell Stadium. It was UNH's home opener and the program's first home game since the natural grass surface was replaced with FieldTurf.

LOOKING AHEAD: UNH will return to league play when it faces Richmond at UR Stadium on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) Richmond improved to 2-1 (1-0 CAA) by beating Bucknell, 45-14, last Saturday. Richmond's Tim Hightower, a senior running back, was named the CAA Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after he rushed for a school-record 295 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries during the victory over Bucknell. Earlier this season Hightower rushed for 246 yards in a 49-14 victory over Northeastern. Richmond's loss came against Vanderbilt, 41-17. Saturday's game can be seen on CN8.

NOTEWORTHY: Boyle was selected as the CAA Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Dartmouth. He finished the game with 112 yards and a touchdown on three kickoff returns. Boyle also rushed for 11 yards on two carries -- including a 3-yard touchdown run -- and gained 19 yards on two pass receptions. ...Dartmouth linebacker Justin Cottrell made 13 tackles against UNH. ... UNH had three interceptions against Dartmouth. The Wildcats had forced a total of two turnovers in their first two games. ... Tight end Scott Sicko had seven catches for 64 yards against Dartmouth.

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Exeter didn't commit a turnover in any of its first three games this season, but the Blue Hawks gave the ball away twice during Saturday's Division II game against rival Winnacunnet. The second of those two turnovers may have cost Exeter a victory.

Winnacunnet had two-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and looked like it was about to put Exeter in a deeper hole. It was third down and the Warriors were a foot away from the Blue Hawk end zone. The Exeter defense came up big on back-to-back plays, however, and took over on downs at its 1-yard line.

Two plays later, Exeter quarterback Andrew Kukesh had the ball stripped away and Sebastian Oweifie fell on it in the end zone for a Winnacunnet touchdown. That TD plus Mike MacArthur's fourth point-after kick gave Winnacunnet a 28-19 lead and the Warriors hung on for a 28-26 victory at Exeter's Eustis Field. 

Mike Boyle and Keith LeVan each scored two touchdowns to help the University of New Hampshire defeat Dartmouth, 52-31, Saturday in UNH's first home game since FieldTurf was installed at Mooradian Field.

UNH, which scored on eight of 12 possessions, improved its record to 2-1. Dartmouth dropped to 0-2.

In other college games involving New Hampshire teams played Saturday, former Milford High School running back Jeff Mack scored on a 1-yard run with 4:51 to play to help Plymouth State improve its record to 3-0 by beating UMass-Dartmouth, 35-28; and St. Anselm dropped to 0-3 overall (0-2 Northeast-10) following a 20-9 loss to Pace.

UNH 52, Dartmouth 31

Plymouth State 35, UMass-Dartmouth 28

Pace 20, St. Anselm 9 

Mike Boyle is healthy and has been the University of New Hampshire's most productive receiver through the team's first two games this season. Boyle will enter Saturday's matchup against Dartmouth with 12 catches for a team-high 172 yards.

Boyle, a Pymouth resident, and Dover's Nick Couturier (center) will be the only New Hampshire residents in the starting lineup when the state's only two Division I programs meet at UNH's Cowell Stadium.

Boyle will try to help UNH make it eight victories in eight games since the series was reinstated in 2000.

UNH Notebook: http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070921/SPORTS/709210437

Editor's Note: Reed Spiller is a senior at Portsmouth High School and a fullback/defensive lineman on the PHS varsity football team. He helped the Clippers reach the Division III championship game in 2006, the program's first season in Division III. Reed's Varsity Insider column will appear each week throughout the season.

I walked off the field last Friday night in a surprised state. I was not shocked by the score based on our performance and John Stark's dominance, but I was stunned that we had just lost two games in a row. The loss was crushing to the team's morale, but we never quite hit rock bottom. After two consecutive losses and a record of 1-2, there is still no need to panic, it is just time to readjust.

In a game in which Portsmouth had five turnovers, John Stark capitalized on mistakes on its way to a convincing 26-12 victory. Despite the score, we had several opportunities to tie the game and had some bounces gone our way, we might be sitting at 2-1. John Stark is a very sound team and will exploit poor footwork and bad positioning by the defense. Combine that with meager tackling, and the Generals were able to run all over our defense.

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

The Division I matchup between Pinkerton Academy and Salem will draw more headlines, and the rivalry game in Division II between Exeter and Winnacunnet will draw more fans, but the most competitive game played in the state this weekend may be the Division IV matchup between St. Thomas and Kearsarge.

Both teams are unbeaten (3-0) and both have their sights set on winning a state championship this season.

"It's going to be a great football game to watch," Kearsarge coach Dennis Hoffman said. "These are the ones that are really fun."

The game will feature two of the top players in the division: Kearsarge quarterback/defensive back Bobby Williams, and St. Thomas split end/defensive back Matt McLaughlin.

Editor's Note: Officially Speaking with Steve Hall is a feature that allows readers to ask questions about high school football rules, and will run weekly throughout the season. Hall has been a New Hampshire high school official since 1989 and has officiated more than 200 regular-season varsity games in all five divisions. He has also officiated 10 championship games and more than 25 playoff games. Hall, who is a member of the New Hampshire Football Officials' Association Board of Directors, has been the NHFOA rules interpreter for the last seven years. Questions for Steve can be sent to rbrown@nhfootballreport.com. Questions may be edited for clarity.

Question: Could you please explain the face-guarding rule in high school. I'm pretty sure it's different from the one used in college and the NFL.
J.S., Dover

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos was named the Colonial Athletic Association's Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in UNH's 48-35 upset victory at Marshall on Saturday.

Santos (right) was also named National Offensive Player of the Week by both The Sports Network and The College Sporting News.

Santos, a senior who won the Walter Payton Award in 2006, completed 23 of 33 passes for 289 yards in UNH's victory. He threw for three touchdowns and carried the ball 13 times for 45 yards and another touchdown. It's the third time Santos has led the Wildcats to an upset of a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. UNH beat Rutgers in 2004 (35-24) and Northwestern in 2006 (34-17).

Santos leads the nation in total offense with an average of 362.0 yards per game.

UNH (1-1, 0-1 CAA) moved up to 10th in The Sports Network and The College Sporting News national polls following the Marshall victory. The Wildcats were ranked 12th in most polls last week.

UNH will play its first home game of the season when it faces in-state rival Dartmouth on Saturday at Cowell Stadium (noon).

'CAT TALE: The University of New Hampshire opened up a 24-point halftime lead and evened its record at 1-1 by beating Marshall, 48-35, Saturday before 27,255 fans at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Even without starting tailback Chad Kackert (hamstring) UNH rushed for 213 yards on 49 carries. 

It was Marshall's first loss to a Division I-AA (Football Championship Subdivision) opponent since it joined Division I-A in 1997. Marshall (0-3) had won its previous six games against I-A opponents in that span. 

WORD PLAY: "I just think they had a good offensive game plan, period. We couldn't stop them. We couldn't slow them down. We couldn't get them off the field."
-- Marshall coach Mark Snyder

"Our offensive line made a statement today. We ran the football the best we have since I've been here."
-- UNH quarterback Ricky Santos

NUMBERS GAME: After Marshall made it a 41-35 game with 6:39 to play, UNH put together a clock-killing 13-play drive that didn't include a pass. Running back Chris Ward capped the drive with a 2-yard TD run. Ward gained 99 yards on 19 carries.

LOOKING AHEAD: UNH will play in-state rival Dartmouth on Saturday at Cowell Stadium (noon). The game can be seen on Ch. 9. Dartmouth opened its season with a 31-28 overtime loss to Colgate last Satuday. Dartmouth had a 28-0 lead in the third quarter of that contest, but Colgate scored 28 points in 21 minutes to force overtime. Dartmouth running back Milan Williams, a junior, rushed for a career-high 178 yards and one touchdown in the loss. Dartmouth leads the series against UNH 17-15-2, but hasn't beaten the Wildcats since 1976

NOTEWORTHY: Plymouth's Mike Boyle caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Santos late in the first half against Marshall. Boyle made six receptions for 75 yards. ... Santos completed 23 of 33 pass attempts for 289 yards. He tossed three TD passes and was not intercepted. ... UNH linebacker Husain Karim made a team-high 13 tackles against Marshall. ... UNH will play another Football Bowl Subdivision team next season when it travels to Army.

MORE COVERAGE: UNH Notebook

Quarterback Ricky Santos threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to help the University of New Hampshire defeat Marshall, 48-35, Saturday in Huntington, W.Va.

UNH has won its last three games against Football Bowl Subdivison (formerly Division I-A) teams. The Wildcats beat Northwestern last season and defeated Rutgers in 2004. All three victories came on the road.

In other college games involving New Hampshire teams played Saturday, Jeff Mack (Milford H.S.) and Brendan Clough (Spaulding H.S.) each rushed for more than 100 yards to lead Plymouth State to a 38-19 victory over Coast Guard; Colgate overcame a 28-point deficit to beat Dartmouth, 31-28; and St. Anselm dropped to 0-2 following a 71-21 loss to Assumption.

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Admit it. You didn't expect Londonderry to have much trouble with Manchester West last weekend.

It's OK. You weren't alone. Even West coach Travis Cote said he was surprised. Not by the outcome, but by the final score: West 31, Londonderry 7.

"I certainly would never had anticipated a score like that against them," Cote said. "I think a lot of people were surprised at the score. They're a good team with a good coach."

Now people are saying the same thing about West, which is 2-0 (1-0 in Division I) entering Saturday's game against Pinkerton Academy (2-0). If the Blue Knights weren't on your short list of title contenders before the season started, perhaps they should be now.

Editor's Note: Reed Spiller is a senior at Portsmouth High School and a fullback/defensive lineman on the PHS varsity football team. He helped the Clippers reach the Division III championship game in 2006, the program's first season in Division III. Reed's Varsity Insider column will appear each week throughout the season.

      Coulda. Woulda. Shoulda. When a team has first and goal from the 4-yard line, with time running out in the fourth quarter, it is absolutely imperative to score a touchdown. There are two huge momentum changers in a game -- a blocked kick and a goal-line stand. On Saturday, Pembroke's goal-line stand with four minutes left in the game not only crushed our momentum, it led to a 14-point swing and a tremendous victory for Pembroke Academy. When the dust from the Dirt Bowl finally settled, the scoreboard read Pembroke 14, Portsmouth 10.

      With eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter, leading by three, we took over on offense at our own 20. Run after run, we slowly chipped our way downfield. For a while it appeared that this drive would be one of those moments that defines a great team -- a long drive that chews up the clock and puts a team away. Four-and-a-half minutes later, we found ourselves first and goal from the Pembroke 4. But as small mistakes compounded, our downs had ebbed down to one, fourth and goal from the 2. There wasn't a doubt in the stadium. Our tailback was clearly short of the goal line.

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Jeff Mack, a senior tailback at Plymouth State University, was named to the New England Football Conference's weekly honor roll for his performance in Saturday's 41-30 triumph over Mount Ida at Currier Field.

Mack (right), a Milford resident, rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. He also caught two passes for 9 yards.

Mack gained a team-high 580 yards on 108 carries as a junior, when he scored two touchdowns.

Plymouth State will face Coast Guard at home Saturday (1:30 p.m.).

The Dartmouth College football team will kick off its 2007 season Saturday with a home game against Colgate (12:30 p.m.).

Buddy Teevens, now in his third season as Dartmouth's head coach, has a veteran roster that includes 24 players with starting experience. The Big Green finished 2-8 overall and 2-5 in the Ivy League last season.

More coverage: Dartmouth preview.

Editor's Note: Officially Speaking with Steve Hall is a feature that allows readers to ask questions about high school football rules, and will run weekly throughout the season. Hall has been a New Hampshire high school official since 1989 and has officiated more than 200 regular-season varsity games in all five divisions. He has also officiated 10 championship games and more than 25 playoff games. Hall, who is a member of the New Hampshire Football Officials' Association Board of Directors, has been the NHFOA rules interpreter for the last seven years. Questions for Steve can be sent to rbrown@nhfootballreport.com. Questions may be edited for clarity.

Question: Are there any rules regarding how a team lines up to receive a kickoff? I've noticed that receiving teams always have five players up front. Am I right in assuming you have to have a certain amount of players within 10 yards of where the ball is kicked?
Sean, Brentwood

Answer: There is no longer any requirement to have a minimum number of receiving team players within 5 yards of their free kick line (the 50-yard line, unless there's a penalty enforced on the kickoff). Prior to 1996, the receiving team was required to have at least 5 players within 5 yards of their free kick line. My guess is that having 5 players up front is pretty standard and has been done that way for years. With fewer receiving team players close the their free kick line, it would be more likely that the kicking team could recover an onside kick.

'CAT TALE: A strong second half carried James Madison to a 41-24 victory over the University of New Hampshire in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for each team Saturday. UNH led 24-17 with 12:54 to play in the third quarter, but James Madison scored the game's final 24 points.

WORD PLAY: "(Ricky Santos) and Hank have been side by side and they're good friends. We talked to Ricky a little bit about it as we did everybody else on the football team. Obviously there's a lot of shock and a lot of confusion about what happened. We're hoping the best for Hank and so is Ricky."
-- UNH coach Sean McDonnell on backup quarterback Hank Hendricks, who pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and assault Monday. 

NUMBERS GAME: Santos completed 36 of 47 pass attempts for 353 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to James Madison. HIs first TD pass in the game was the 100th of his career and broke the all-time CAA record. Santos also became the CAA's all-time leader in completions (902) by surpassing the total set by Villanova's Chris Boden (868).

LOOKING AHEAD: UNH will play a non-league game against Marshall on Saturday (4:30 p.m.). The game will be held at Marshall's Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Marshall is 0-2, having lost to Miami (Fla.), 31-3, and West Virginia, 48-23. Marshall quarterback Bernard Morris completed 19 of 29 pass attempts for 256 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's loss to West Virginia. Marshall had a 13-6 lead at halftime of that game. The only other meeting between UNH and Marshall was in 1991, when Marshall prevailed 24-23 at home.

NOTEWORTHY: Sophomore Scott Sicko, senior Keith LeVan and junior Bobby Simpson each had a team-high seven catches against James Madison. Former Plymouth High School quarterback Mike Boyle caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. ... James Madison had a 285-79 edge in rushing yardage and a 526-432 advantage in total offense. ... Defensive back Jeff Pammer, linebacker Husain Karim and defensive back Terrence Klein each made a team-high 12 tackles. ... Running back Chad Kackert aggravated a hamstring injury originally suffered last month and may not play this weekened. ... UNH has won its last two games against Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams. The Wildcats defeated Rutgers 35-24 in 2004, and beat Northwestern 34-17 last season. ... The Marshall program has produced 34 NFL draft picks, including three first-round selections: wide receiver Randy Moss (Minnesota Vikings in 1998), quarterback Chad Pennington (N.Y. Jets in 2000), and quarterback Byron Leftwich (Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003).

It was a forgettable weekend for the University of New Hampshire football program.

One day after backup quarterback Hank Hendricks headed to California to face a murder charge, UNH dropped a 41-24 decision to James Madision Saturday in its season opener. UNH quarterback Ricky Santos completed 36 of 47 pass attempts for 353 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. The Wildcats also received a strong performance from former Plymouth High School standout Mike Boyle, who caught six passes for 97 yards.

Hendricks was indicted Thursday in the beating death of a professional surfer in La Jolla, Calif., and is scheduled to appear in court Monday. He has been suspended from the UNH team.

In other college games involving New Hampshire teams Saturday, Plymouth State opened its season with a 41-10 victory over Mount Ida; and St. Anselm suffered a 58-3 setback against Edinboro.  

By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Entering the 2007 high school season we all knew that there was a gap between Division II's top two teams, Bishop Guertin and Exeter, and the rest of the league. What we didn't know was that the gap is wider than the Piscataqua River.

At least that's how it appears one week into the season. BG and Exeter outscored their opponents 67-0 last weekend. The Cardinals beat Winnacunnet 40-0, and Exeter handled Dover 27-0.

Goffstown, which opened its season with a 25-20 victory over Keene, was the only other Division II team that won last weekend. Alvirne, Merrimack, Spaulding and Timberlane all lost non-league games against Division I opponents -- and the scores weren't pretty. West beat Alvirne 40-0, Concord beat Merrimack 31-6, Manchester Memorial beat Spaulding 26-0 and Salem beat Timberlane 48-8.

Editor's Note: Reed Spiller is a senior at Portsmouth High School and a fullback/defensive lineman on the PHS varsity football team. He helped the Clippers reach the Division III championship game in 2006, the program's first season in Division III. Reed's Varsity Insider column will appear each week throughout the season.

It was the most painful and heart-wrenching thing I've ever had to experience. In fact, it was more painful than the actual injury itself. Two weeks ago I dislocated my shoulder in a preseason scrimmage against Marshwood High School of South Berwick, Maine. I was being tackled on the outside when I reached the football out with my left arm to gain an extra yard. Instead of falling and rolling on my stomach, the entire weight of my body came down on my shoulder joint with my elbow stuck on top of the ball.

I've taken Physics, and I knew that that formed an uneven see-saw, of which I was caught on the wrong side. POP! Just like that, dislocated shoulder. I knew as soon as I landed something was wrong, and when I stood up, the lack of movement from my hand confirmed my assumption. Immediately I swore, and then jogged off the field, figuring that someone could fix the joint on the sideline and I'd be good to go. But when the trainer told me that the law did not allow her to re-locate it, I ended up in the Emergency Room at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, where the doctor told me I was out for two weeks.

Most of the headlines may be reserved for quarterback Ricky Santos, but free safety Jeff Pammer (right) is also a key figure on this year's University of New Hampshire football team.

Pammer, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior, is one of five returning starters on a UNH defense that will get its first test Saturday, when UNH opens its season at 10th-ranked James Madison. Pammer was named to the Colonial Athletic Association's preseason All-Conference team and will be trying to help UNH reach the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

UNH will play back-to-back road games before it faces Dartmouth at home on Sept. 22.

Editor's Note: Officially Speaking with Steve Hall is a feature that allows readers to ask questions about high school football rules, and will run weekly throughout the season. Hall has been a New Hampshire high school official since 1989 and has officiated more than 200 regular-season varsity games in all five divisions. He has also officiated 10 championship games and more than 25 playoff games. Hall, who is a member of the New Hampshire Football Officials' Association Board of Directors, has been the NHFOA rules interpreter for the last seven years. Questions for Steve can be sent to rbrown@nhfootballreport.com. Questions may be edited for clarity. 

Question: Can you please explain the differences (if there are any) between false start, illegal motion, illegal procedure, offsides and encroachment? Is it just a case of different refs using different terms?
E.B., North Hampton

Answer: There are some pretty significant differences between the fouls listed above, and it's not simply the officials using different terms. A false start is any action by any offensive player that simulates action at the snap (e.g., the player leaves before the snap or flinches). It is also any action by a player that is intended to cause the defense to encroach (like the QB using jerky upper body movement while calling cadence in an effort to get the defense to encroach). Finally, it is a false start if any interior lineman moves his hand(s) or makes any quick movement after placing his hand(s) on or near the ground (i.e., below the knees). Contrary to what some people believe, a back who misses the count and leaves early is guilty of a false start. He cannot "correct" his mistake by going motion, nor can he return to his position and reset. A false start is a dead ball foul, meaning that as soon as it occurs, the covering official will blow his whistle to prevent the ball from being snapped.

The University of New Hampshire will open the 2007 season Saturday at James Madison. JMU is ranked eighth in the country and is coming off Saturday's 37-14 loss against North Carolina.

The UNH/JMU contest features two of the top teams in the Colonial Athletic Association. Both teams qualified for the Division I-AA playoffs last season, and both teams seem to be getting healthy at the right time.

St. Anselm and Plymouth State will also open their seasons Saturday.

Editor's Note: Reed Spiller is a senior at Portsmouth High School. He is a fullback/defensive lineman on the PHS varsity football team and helped the Clippers reach the Division III championship game in 2006, the program's first season in Division III. Reed's Varsity Insider column will appear each week throughout the season.

The nightime dew glistens on the grass. The cadence of the band echoes throughout the stadium. A drift of fog rolls across the field. These images send immediate butterflies to my stomach, a sensation of excitement, not of nerves. To me, these pictures are signals to ready myself for battle; to employ all the skills I've learned in my weeks of preparation; to produce the adrenaline that will protect my body from crushing tackles and flattening pancakes. For me, this is high school football, and this is Friday Night Lights ...

My name is Reed Spiller and I live in Portsmouth. I am 6-foot-2, 270 pounds and I am entering my senior season at Portsmouth High School. This will be my third year as a varsity fullback/defensive end.

On Friday the Portsmouth Clippers opened the 2007 Division III football season by beating the Kennett Eagles, 18-6. It was the first of four Friday night home games our team will play at Tom Daubney Field this season.