The State of Football: Week 5
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.
DIVISION IV: Hanover, Kearsarge, Laconia, St. Thomas and Stevens.
If Division I isn't the deepest division in the state, Division IV is.
DIVISION V: Bishop Brady, Gilford, Pelham.
Still not sure where the power is here, because the division's best teams have yet to meet.
The Picks ...
DIVISION I
Central 13
Concord 7
Have some concerns about the Crimson Tide offense.
Londonderry 20
Pinkerton 14
The Astros are like an aging heavyweight who won't relinquish his title, but if they're healthy this may be the Lancers' week.
Nashua South 27
Manchester Memorial 6
Is South the best team in Nashua?
Salem 22
Nashua North 7
Many people didn't expect the Blue Devils to lose three games this season. Could they lose three in a row?
DIVISION II
BG 35
Alvirne 7
Cardinals have scored at least 40 points in each of their four games.
Dover 21
Goffstown 20
Green Wave pulls off a mild upset at home.
Exeter 28
Keene 0
This isn't the week you want to be playing Exeter.
Timberlane 35
Merrimack 14
Scoring isn't a problem for the Owls.
Winnacunnet 27
Spaulding 7
Warriors should always picture their opponents wearing Exeter uniforms.
DIVISION III
Con-Val 21
Merrimack Valley 7
These teams have each been a surprise for completely different reasons.
Plymouth 28
John Stark 14
The pattern is clear: John Stark is good one week, and not so good the next.
Souhegan 34
Kennett 6
Doesn't it seem like Souhegan is 5-0 every year?
Portsmouth 21
Kingswood 0
Clippers turned in their best performance of the season last Friday.
Milford 14
Pembroke 12
When's the last time a team scored 54 points one week, and gave up 56 two weeks later?
DIVISION IV
Kearsarge 35
Fall Mountain 0
Lots of playing time for everyone.
Hanover 20
Lebanon 6
Hanover needs to pile up victories before it meets Kearsarge and St. Thomas in back-to-back weeks.
Somersworth 27
Hollis-Brookline 13
Cavaliers have allowed 128 points in their three losses.
Laconia 21
St. Thomas 20
This game features half of the Division IV playoff field.
Stevens 26
Monadnock 12
Division IV has an upper tier and a lower tier. Stevens is in the upper tier.
DIVISION V
Pelham 20
Bishop Brady 14
Bishop Brady's 25-game winning streak within the division comes to an end.
Newport 15
Bow 14
Tigers remain in the hunt for a Division V playoff berth.
Campbell 13
Epping 7
Have to go with the better offense.
Franklin 26
Farmington 6
Franklin gave up 131 points in its first three games, and none in the fourth.
Gilford 36
Winnisquam6
Gilford's toughest games are ahead, and the Golden Eagles will play five of their final six contests on the road.
NON LEAGUE
Everett, Mass 28
Manchester West 14
No team in New England has played a tougher schedule to this point than West.
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Last week: 18-7
Record to date: 85-21
The State of Football, a commentary on New Hampshire high school football, will appear each Friday throughout the season.
