The State of Football: Week 2
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.
It's rarely wise to make any bold predictions after one week of play, but it sure looks like somebody will have to pull off a major upset to prevent BG and Exeter from meeting in the Division II championship game for the third consecutive season.
BG, which has won the last three Division II titles, will play at Exeter on Oct. 12. That's a game that will be worth more than the price of admission.
The picks ...
DIVISION I
Londonderry 20
West 13
We'll know a lot more about West after this weekend.
Pinkerton 28
Central 7
Expect the Astros to look better on offense than they did last Friday.
Salem 35
Memorial 12
Is Salem the team to beat?
Nashua South 21
Nashua North 6
Have to go with the home team in this matchup.
DIVISION II
Exeter 28
Alvirne 0
This may be news to some of you, but Exeter can throw the football.
Bishop Guertin 35
Goffstown 6
Can the Cardinals look any better than they did a week ago?
Dover 20
Keene 14
One of these teams will be dealing with an 0-2 start.
Winnacunnet 20
Merrimack 7
The Warriors rebound.
Timberlane 20
Spaulding 19
This looks like the most competitive game on the Division II menu.
DIVISION III
Con-Val 20
Kennett 7
Con-Val makes it two wins in two weeks.
Milford 21
John Stark 14
The Spartans have to be better than they looked last Friday.
Plymouth 42
Kingswood 6
We will now be using a running clock ...
Souhegan 28
Merrimack Valley 14
Wouldn't be shocked if Merrimack Valley came away with a victory, though.
Portsmouth 26
Pembroke Academy 6
The Clippers won without Reed Spiller last week. This week they'll win with him.
DIVISION IV
Monadnock 28
Fall Mountain 6
Momentum from Monadnock's strong fourth quarter against St. Thomas has a carry-over effect.
Hanover 14
Laconia 13
Best game in Division IV this weekend.
Kearsarge 20
Stevens 18
On second thought, maybe this is the best game in Division IV this weekend.
St. Thomas 35
Hollis-Brookline 8
The Saints got an unexpected scare last Friday.
Somersworth 20
Lebanon 6
Still not sure where the Toppers fit in the Division IV mix.
DIVISION V
Bishop Brady 30
Epping 14
Brady 0-2? Don't think so.
Pelham 26
Bow 12
See Bruce run. See Bruce score.
Franklin 20
Campbell 6
Franklin wasn't at full strength for last weekend's loss to Gilford.
Gilford 36
Newfound 6
What do Gilford and Bishop Brady have in common? They're the only teams that have beaten Franklin since the start of the 2005 season.
NON-LEAGUE
Foxboro, Mass. 21
Concord 13
The Warriors aren't as good as the other football team in town, but they're still pretty good.
Trinity 22
Newport 12
Hard to say if Division III or Division IV will be a better fit for the Pioneers.
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Last week's record: 21-4
Record to date: 21-4
The State of Football, a commentary on high school football in New Hampshire, will appear each Friday throughout the season.
