The University of New Hampshire full-contact football camp, which is available to anyone in grades 6-12, will be held from July 13 to July 17. The camp will focus on offensive and defensive skills, flexibility and weight training.  

Those in grades 6-9 will practice separately from those in grades 9-12. One hour will be devoted to offense and defense each day, and there will also be a kicking period.

The camp features instruction from some of the best college and high school coaches in the state. The cost is $155 for those who pre-register, or $165 at the door.

Registration will be held  on July 13 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the UNH indoor track inside the fieldhouse. The first session will follow at 6 p.m.

In addition, the Granite State High School 7-on-7 tournament will be held at UNH on June 29.

For more information about either of these events contact Bob Callahan at 862-5098 or rwc1@unh.edu.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Timberlane High School went with youth over experience when it selected a football coach to replace Mike Pariseau, who resigned in January.

Kevin Fitzgerald, who graduated from Timberlane in 1991, will guide the Owls next fall. Fitzgerald, 34, didn't play high school football and has never been a high school head coach. He's been an assistant football coach under Pariseau since 1996.

Fitzgerald was the choice over 60-year-old Sandy Ruggles, who was the other finalist for the position. Ruggles was the head coach at UMass-Lowell for five years and guided North Middlesex High School to the Central Massachusetts Super Bowl in seven consecutive seasons (six victories).

Pariseau's Timberlane teams had an 80-71 record in his 15-year tenure. He steered the Owls to the Division II championship in 1999 and 2001.

Fitzgerald, 1995 University of New Hampshire graduate, also coached baseball and boys basketball at Timberlane.

There's not a lot of football news to report on the local front, but this link provides a current list of national high school records in both team and individual categories.

Note that St. Thomas coach Rod Wotton (above) is not listed among the coaches with the most career victories. Wotton passed former Brockton High School coach Armond Columbo and became the winningest high school coach in New England history when St. Thomas beat Fall Mountain, 26-16, on the regular season's final weekend last fall. That victory was No. 323 for Wotton, who collected most of those wins while he was the head coach at Marshwood High School in Eliot, Maine.

NHFR is still tracking news on the coaching front, and will attempt to report new hires as soon as they become official.

The Spread Offense has become trendy in New Hampshire high school football (and elsewhere), perhaps because of the success the University of New Hampshire has experienced in recent seasons. Those of you who are in need of a football fix may want to check out the following site: www.spreadoffense.com.

This site not only discusses how to run the Spread Offense, but also how to defend it. There are other topics related to the Spread Offense you may find interesting as well. 

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

David Miller has been named the varsity football coach at Stevens High School.

Miller, a Stevens graduate, served as the team's offensive coordinator last season. He was also the school's junior varsity head coach.

Miller is an English teacher at Stevens.

University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos had hoped to show his skills in front of scouts from every NFL team at the Boston College Pro Day on Tuesday. Instead, he worked out in front of a handful of scouts at UNH on Wednesday.

According to a story in today's Nashua Telegraph, Merrimack High School has selected a new head coach and the official announcement could come as soon as Wednesday.

Rick Urda resigned as Merrimack's coach in January. Urda's Merrimack teams were 24-43 in his six seasons.

In addition, Londonderry's search to replace Tom Sawyer is over and the Lancers are expected to name their new head coach sometime next week.

Sawyer, Londonderry's only head coach, steered the Lancers to a 182-90 record from 1980 to 2007. His teams won six state championships (two in Division I and four in Division II) during that span.

University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos was not allowed to participate in the Boston College Pro Day on Tuesday, but he's expected to work out in Durham on Wednesday morning.

NFL rules denied Santos the chance to perform in front of NFL scouts at the BC Pro Day because he does not attend a school located in Massachusetts and his home (Bellingham, Mass.) is more than 30 miles away from the BC campus.

Dover's Nick Couturier, a center, is among the other UNH players scheduled to perform in front of scouts Wednesday.

The Boston Globe published the list of players scheduled to perform at today's Boston College Pro Day. Note that University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos is not on the list. 

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Exeter resident Pat Nolan will be among those hoping to land with an NFL team next month, either as a draft pick or as a free agent.

Nolan, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end, made 47 tackles (12 for loss) during his senior season at Colgate. He led the league with 6.5 sacks and was named to the All-Patriot League First Team.

Nolan (right) played varsity football for Exeter in 2001 and 2002. The Blue Hawks beat Dover, 24-21, to win the Division II championship in 2002. He was captain of the football, baseball and hockey teams during his senior year. Nolan also represented New Hampshire in the 2003 Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl.

Nolan appeared in 31 games (23 starts) while at Colgate.

Quarterback Ricky Santos, who led the University of New Hampshire to the NCAA playoffs in each of his four seasons in Durham, is hoping to be selected in next month's NFL Draft. His draft status may be determined by how he performs at the Boston College Pro Day on Tuesday.

Not many people think Santos has the skills to thrive in the NFL, but not many thought he would succeed in college, either.

Champlain Valley Union High School, located in Hinesburg, Vt., is looking for a varsity football coach and assistants for the 2008 season. Those interested can send a resume to Kevin Riell, 369 CVU Road, Hinesburg, Vt., 05461 or email kevin@cvuhs.org.

Jordan Smith, a Northfield resident who led Bishop Brady to the Division V championship in 2005 and 2006, has accepted a scholarship offer from Stonehill College, according to a story in Thursday's Concord Monitor.

Smith, a fullback/linebacker, spent last season as a postgraduate at the Tilton School. He helped Tilton to a 9-0 record and the New England Championship last fall. He served as Tilton's captain and was named the team's co-MVP.

Bishop Brady finished unbeaten in Smith's junior and senior years.

It appears that varsity football is headed to Raymond.

The formation of a high school football program was recently approved by voters, and Raymond plans to play a junior varsity schedule the next two years with the hope of joining the varsity ranks in 2010.

Raymond is still searching for a head coach and assistants.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Participating in this year's Hula Bowl is still paying dividends for former University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos.

Santos completed 10 of 15 passes for 165 yards (one interception) to help the East post a 38-7 victory in January. He was interviewed by six NFL teams -- the Patriots, Jets, Falcons, Dolphins, Eagles and Bears -- while he was in Hawaii, and also got some tutoring from Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who previously worked as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.

Jagodzinski invited Santos to Boston College's Pro Day, which is March 18 (March 17 for juniors). Santos should have a good audience, as BC quarterback Matt Ryan is also expected to put his skills on display that day. Ryan is rated as the No. 1 quarterback in this year's NFL Draft.

Fifteen Plymouth State University football players have been named to the New England Football Conference All-Academic Team.

The PSU representatives are Josh Brainard, Mike Carone, Aaron Ellston, Brent Gallant, Tim Hadley, Brian Keenan, Mike Kertes, Mike Lannon, Brad Largy, Jimmy McGuire, Matt McKinnon, Drew Richardson, John Trisciani, Matt Vahey and Mike Vahey.

A student must have played his sophomore, junior or senior season and maintained a cumlative grade-point average of 3.0 through the most recently completed fall semester to qualify for the All-Academic Team.

Quarterback Ricky Santos (right) was one of seven University of New Hampshire players honored at the team's annual awards banquet Saturday.

Santos, who finished his collegiate career ranked third among Football Championship Subdivision quarterbacks in career passing yardage (13,212) and career touchdown passes (123), had his No. 2 retired by the school. He was also named the team's Most Valuable Player.

Linebacker Husain Karim, center Nick Couturier, safety Jeff Pammer, defensive lineman Marvin Wright, defensive lineman Matt Perdoni and offensive lineman Johan Asker were also honored for their contributions to the UNH program.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Teams that compete in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl rarely lack talent in the offensive backfield, but some years are better than others. This appears to be one of those years.

The Vermont defense will be facing a New Hampshire team led by Nashua South quarterback Billy Ferriter, a run-pass threat who was the state's Gatorade Player of the Year. Ferriter, who will play baseball at the University of Connecticut, completed 99 of 159 pass attempts for 1,012 yards during his senior season. He also rushed for 1,269 yards and 21 touchdowns.

If Ferriter doesn't have the ball, Londonderry running back Alex Theodhosi likely will. Theodhosi set a school record by rushing for 2,041 yards last season. He also scored 28 TDs.

Steve Miller, who gained 1,440 yards on the ground in 1999, held the school's previous rushing record. Theodhosi, who will play football at Brown, was named New Hampshire's Mr. Football for the 2007 season.

The Vermont backfield will feature South Burlington running back Taylor DeVarney, Windsor running back Trevor Varney and U-32 fullback M.J. Rus.

Varney rushed for 2,612 yards as a senior. DeVarney finished his senior season with 1,913 rushing yards, and Rus gained 1,015 yards and scored 17 touchdowns on 145 carries (7 yards per carry).

• Bishop Guertin, which lost to Exeter in the Division II championship game, has more players on the New Hampshire roster (three) than any other school. BG will be represented by Nick Croteau, Jamie Moore and Tim Tuttle. Croteau, who lives in Pepperell, Mass., is the only player selected to play in the game who does not reside in either Vermont or New Hampshire.
• Vermont coach Mike Law selected four players from his U-32 team: Rus, tackle Philip Hall, running back Tucker LaClair and quarterback Ethan Sylvain. Sylvain, who is also a defensive back, missed several games last season following knee surgery. He was also suspended for U-32's playoff game against Spaulding. The Vermont roster also includes four players from Rutland and four from Middlebury.
• Linebacker Peter Lynch is Hartford's only representative on the Vermont roster. Hartford won last year's Division I championship.
• Manchester West (Division I) and Dover (Division II) are the only teams that made the playoffs last season that do not have a representative on the New Hampshire roster.
• Vermont has 34 schools that play varsity football. New Hampshire has added four varsity programs since the end of the 2007 season and will have 55 teams spread across six divisions in 2008.
• New Hampshire has won the last seven games and has a 39-13-2 edge in the all-time series. Vermont's last victory came in 2000 (47-40).
• Pinkerton Academy tackle Josh Lane will be a scholarship player at the University of New Hampshire next season.
• This year's game will be played Aug. 2 at Dartmouth's Memorial Field. Practice begins July 23 at Kimball Union Academy.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Londonderry High School has whittled its list of candidates for the school's varsity football coaching position to three finalists, according to Londonderry athletic director Mike Kobilarcsik.

Kobilarcsik said two of the three finalists are from New Hampshire and the other is from New York. He also said at least one of the finalists from New Hampshire is a current high school head coach.

"There could be a decision by the end of next week," Kobilarcsik said Wednesday night.

Tom Sawyer, Lononderry's only varsity football coach, retired after the 2007 season. Sawyer's teams were 182-90 and won six state championships (two in Division I and four in Division II) from 1980 to 2007. 

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Ed Thibodeau, Londonderry High School's first principal and a former chairman of the NHIAA football committee, died Wednesday at the Elliot Hospital in Manchester. He was 78.

"I believe it was liver cancer," Londonderry athletic director Mike Kobilarcsik said. "He had been at the Elliot for a while, in and out of consciousness."

Thibodeau was credited with establishing the point-rating system for NHIAA football. The system, which is still used in some divisions, rewards teams for "quality wins" or wins against strong opponents. At one time the point-rating system determined playoff teams in all divisions.

Thibodeau, who attended Keene High School, also served as chairman of the NHIAA cross country committee and the NHIAA track and field committee. He was inducted into the NHIAA Hall of Fame in 2002.

Calling hours will be held on Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Peabody Funeral Home and Crematorium in Londonderry. Memorial contributions can be made to the Londonderry High School Scholarship Fund, 295 Mammoth Rd., Londonderry, N.H., 03053.

North Attleboro (Mass.) High School, a Division II school with about 1,200 students, is trying to fill an open date the weekend of Sept. 12-13. North Attleboro may be willing to commit to a two-year deal (home and away). Any New Hampshire team interested in filling that date should contact North Attleboro coach Kurt Kummer at kurtkummer@naschools.net.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Rosters for the 55th Annual Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl have been finalized. This year's game will be played Aug. 2 at Dartmouth's Memorial Field.

New Hampshire leads Vermont in the all-time series 39-13-2. Forty-three schools from the two states will be represented in this year's game.

All players were nominated by their high school coach. The final selections were made by a screening committee from each state, which inlcluded the game's two head coaches: Vermont's Mike Law (U-32) and New Hampshire's Craig Kozens (Laconia).

Practice for this year's game will begin July 23 at Kimball Union Academy. 

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Patrick Murphy seems to like challenges.

Murphy took over a Dracut (Mass.) High School program even though Dracut has the smallest enrollment of any school in the Merrimack Valley Conference. He led Dracut to a 27-17 record in his four seasons there. Dracut was 9-35 in the four seasons prior to Murphy's arrival. He even added Massachusetts powerhouses Brockton and Everett to Dracut's 2008 schedule.

Murphy's next assignment will be to spark some interest at St. Anselm College, a Division II school that announced it had hired Murphy as its head coach Friday. Murphy replaces Ken Knapczyk, who resigned in January.

St. Anselm was 0-10 last season and was outscored 486-117. The Hawks have lost their last 29 games.