The St. Anselm College 2008 football schedule:

Aug. 28 at Kutztown (6 p.m.)
Sept. 6 at Plymouth State (1 p.m.)
Sept. 13 Bye
Sept. 20 Pace (1 p.m.)
Sept. 27 at Assumption (1 p.m.)
Oct. 4 American International (1 p.m.)
Oct. 10 at Merrimack (7 p.m.)
Oct. 18 at Southern Connecticut (TBA)
Oct. 25 Bentley (1 p.m.)
Nov. 1 Stonehill (noon)
Nov. 8 at Pace (noon)

NOTE: The following New Hampshire players are on St. Anselm's tentative 2008 roster; QB Eric Simm (Salem/Salem HS), DB Mark Colantonio (Londonderry/Londondery HS), FB Michael Ladd (Plymouth/Plymouth HS), RB Frank Landino (Sandown/Trinity HS), DL Dan MacDuff (Milford/Milford HS) and DL Brett Moore (Londonderry/Londonderry HS).

R.J. Toman, the University of New Hampshire's projected starter this year, is among those mentioned in this story by The Sports Networck, which lists the top Football Championship Subdivision quarterbacks for the 2008 season.

Appalachian State's Armanti Edwards tops the list.

Hank Hendricks, a former quarterback at the University of New Hampshire, is one of four men who has pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the death of a professional surfer. A fifth defendant will stand trial on murder charges.

Hendricks pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact. He is free on bond.

Hendricks was part of a group known as the Bird Rock Bandits. All five attended La Jolla (Calif.) HIgh School.

University of Maryland linebacker Dave Philistin (pictured) is being projected as a possible late-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Philistin, who played at Manchester Central, will be entering his senior season at Maryland.

Philistin, a three-year starter at Central, recorded 108 tackles in his senior season. He also rushed for 1,002 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.

Former University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos was not among the names listed when the Montreal Alouettes announced their official 46-man roster last weekend. Santos was not among the final cuts, either.

Montreal, which will open the regular season Thursday in Hamilton, placed Santos on the nine-week injury list, but did not disclose his injury.

Santos completed 14 of 16 passes for 120 yards during an exhibition game against Toronto. It was his only appearance with the Alouettes.

There are still openings for teams that want to participate in the 38th Annual Seacoast Football Jamboree, which will be played Aug. 28 at Spaulding High School's Hugo Bolin Field.

Any team interested in participating can contact Spaulding coach Jim Keays at 742-9202 or by email: rena49@comcast.net.

Former University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos won't get any playing time when the Montreal Alouettes face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a Canadian Football League exhibition game tonight.

Montreal placed Santos on the injured list earlier this week.

Santos rallied Montreal from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter of last Thursday's game against Toronto. The game ended  in a 34-34 tie.

Santos completed 14 of his 16 pass attempts for 120 yards and one touchdown against Toronto.

Atkinson resident Mike Leavitt (pictured) has been elected as a captain for the North team that will face the South in Friday's 30th Annual Massachusetts Shriners' Football Classic, which will be played at Bentley College.

Leavitt, a running back, played for Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Mass. Despite battling a hamstring injury, he rushed for 936 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight games last fall. He is listed as a running back/safety for Friday game, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Dartmouth-bound offensive lineman Pat Lahey is also on the North roster. Lahey, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound guard/center, attended The Brooks School in North Andover, Mass.. His uncle, Bill Murdock, played defensive back at the University of New Hampshire.

The Portsmouth High School football staff will conduct two non-contact mini-camps this summer at the Greenland Central School. The camps, which will teach the fundamentals of all positions on offense and defense, are open to any student who is eligible to attend Portsmouth High School.

The first camp is for those entering grades 4 through 6 and will be held Aug. 3-5. The cost is $35. The second camp is for those entering grades 1 through 3 and will be held Aug. 11-12. The cost is $25.

Both camps will run from 5-7 p.m. each day. The registration deadline is July 25.

For more information contact Portsmouth High School assistant coach Brian Pafford at 433-6092 or bpafford@greenlandrec.com.

Visit the Chalkboard for more information on camps, clinics and coaching vacancies.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

University of Maryand linebacker Dave Philistin (pictured) is one of 88 players currently on the watch list for the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded to the best defensive player in college football.

Philistin, a Manchester native who played at Manchester Central High School, was the fourth-leading tackler in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season, when he averaged 9.5 tackles per game. His 124 tackles ranked second on the team to Erin Henderson, who was a member of last year's Nagurski watch list.

Philistin, a senior, averaged a league-high 11.8 tackles per contest in eight ACC games last season. He made a career-high 23 tackles in a 28-26 victory over Georgia Tech on Oct. 6.

The Football Writers Association of America will select the Nagurski winner in November. LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey won the award last season. Bronko Nagurski was an All-America lineman at the University of Minnesota (1927-29) and played professionally for the Chicago Bears. 

Philistin and his Maryland teammates will open preseason camp on Aug. 4. Maryland will open the regular season against Delaware on Aug. 30.

Former University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos (pictured) completed 14 of his 16 pass attempts for 120 yards in his professional debut, a 34-34 tie between the Montreal Alouettes and the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday night in a Canadian Football League exhibition game.

Montreal trailed 34-24 after three quarters, but Santos led the Alouettes to two fourth-quarter scoring drives. He threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Larry Taylor, and then put Montreal in position to tie the game when Damon Duval made a 40-yard field goal with 56 seconds to play.

Santos' performance is one reason Alouette fans may be feeling good about their team's quarterback position.

This item extends beyond New Hampshire's borders, but MaxPreps has published its preseason Top 25 high school football teams for the 2008 season. Euless Trinity (Texas) comes in at No. 1.

If it's players you're interested in, you can find some of the top recruits in the class of 2009 on the ESPN 150 Watch List. 

According to a story in Thursday's Montreal Gazette, former University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos is expected to play in the second half of tonight's CFL exhibition game between the Montreal Alouettes and the Toronto Argonauts.

Santos is one of five quarterbacks on Montreal's roster. Montreal also recently signed former University of Florida quarterback Chris Leak, who has yet to practice with the team.

Five topics on the New Hampshire football landscape:

1. Six divisions
   NHIAA football has expanded to six divisions, which is far too many. The proposal put forth on New Hampshire Football Report featured three divisions with two leagues in each division. Instead of separating Division I and Division II, you'd have Division IA and Division IB. Divisions III and IV would be combined, as would Divisions V and VI. Teams would still play their current regular-season schedule, but at the end of the season the champion from "A" would play the champion from "B" and you'd have a true state champion. Last year, for example, Pinkerton would have faced Exeter for the Division I title, and Plymouth would have played Laconia for the Division II championship. Only the best would play the best, so there would be no additional mismatches during the regular season. Scrap the bye week, and four teams could still qualify for the playoffs in each league. This would produce six league champions, six playoff champions and three state champions.
2. Non-league high school games
   With some exceptions, these games haven't created a lot of interest in the past (take if from someone who watched Concord handle Portsmouth year after year). This year will be different, however. Division I and Division II teams will be matched up according to how they finished in the 2007 regular-season standings. Nashua South, the Division I regular-season champion, will open the season against Exeter, the Division II regular-season champion (not to belabor the six-division format, but if they can play in the regular season why can't they play with a title on the line?). In other opening-week matchups, Pinkerton will play Bishop Guertin, Manchester West will face Dover, Londonderry will meet Winnacunnet, Manchester Central will face Timberlane, Salem will meet Keene, Nashua North will play Merrimack, Manchester Memorial will meet Alvirne and Concord will play Spaulding. Although the outcomes of those games won't be reflected in the regular-season standings, there are plenty of intriguing games on that menu.
3. Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl
   It's still a big event, but the game's popularity will soar if Vermont can ever find a way to produce back-to-back victories.
4. St. Anselm football
   The Hawks will open the season with a new coach, Patrick Murphy, and a 29-game losing streak. St. Anselm was 0-10 last season and was outscored 486-117. Murphy comes to St. Anselm from Dracut (Mass.) High School, which has the smallest enrollment of any school in the Merrimack Valley Conference. Dracut had a 27-17 record in Murphy's four seasons there. Dracut was 9-35 in the four seasons prior to Murphy's arrival.
5. UNH football
   People will be wondering what life will be like without graduated quarterback Ricky Santos, but the 2008 Wildcats will quickly energize their fan base if they can open the season with a victory at Army. UNH has won its last three games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents: Rutgers, Northwestern and Marshall. 

Following is a list of New Hampshire residents expected to play football for Plymouth State University this fall. PSU coach Paul Castonia said the list will likely grow between now and the start of preseason practice.

INCOMING FRESHMEN

Akil Al-Darraji (Dover)
Beau Beltrami (Plymouth)
Nathan Campbell (Keene)
Chris Corey (Kearsarge)
Chad Croteau (John Stark)
Ian Culling (Spaulding)
James Dionne (Timberlane)
Michael Furey (Timberlane)
James German (Epping)
Marshall Gleason (Concord)
Justin Kane (Exeter)
Michael Keenan (Pinkerton Academy)
Alexander Loring (Kennett)
Peter Mazzola (Pinkerton Academy)
Scott McCurdy (Central)
Kevin Smith (Merrimack)
Patrick Sullivan (Winnacunnet)
Brian Swanson (Plymouth)

RETURNEES

Derek Antonioni (Stevens)
Aaron Ashburner (Dover)
Michael Brian (West)
Ryan Britko (Alvirne)
J.J. Brooks (Winnacunnet)
Zack Brooks (Winnacunnet)
Brian Castellucci (Pinkerton Academy)
Brandon Clough (Spaulding)
John DeMarco (Milford)
Luke Denio (Winnacunnet)
Chris Dopp (Bow)
Joe Duval (Dover)
Zac Duval (Dover)
Chris Francher (John Stark)
Tim Hadley (Kearsarge)
Ryan Harrington (Winnacunnet)
Justin Jarvis (Monadnock)
Brian Keenan (Pinkerton Academy)
Dan Kelly (Londonderry)
Jeff Mack (Milford)
Miralem Mulabegovic (Milford)
Joe Neslusan (Milford)
Ethan Ikma (Proctor)
Andrew Pixley (Farmington)
Kevin Silva (Alvirne)
Kosmas Smirnioudis (Bishop Brady)
Alex Sobolov (Goffstown)
John Trisciani (Memorial)
Matt Vahey (Pinkerton Academy)
Mike Vahey (Pinkerton Academy)

Having to prove himself is nothing new to quarterback Ricky Santos, who was overlooked coming out of high school and perhaps undervalued coming out of college. That's the storyline in this article that appeared in Santos' hometown newspaper, the Bellingham (Mass.) Bulletin.

The Kansas City Chiefs flirted with Santos, but now it appears Santos will begin his professional career with the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes.

Montreal will open the regular season at Hamilton on June 26. The Grey Cup, the CFL's championship game, will be played in Montreal on Nov. 23.

Portsmouth Christian Academy in Dover will be the site for an NFL-sponsored football clinic for ages 11-14 this summer. The seven-day clinic, which is free, will run from July 15-17 and July 21-24.

This will be a full-contact clinic and players will be grouped by weight class and skill level to create competitive matchups.

The NFL formed this Junior Player Development program to introduce and support football at the youth level. The clinic will use a 12-practice plan that introduces players to each position on the field through instruction of fundamentals and techniques.

To register visit www.coachingouryouth.com or call 781-4321.

Bob Lund
nhfootballreport.com

Paul Roy, who is perhaps best known for serving as Keene High School's varsity football coach for 21 years (1983-2004), will retire as a physical education teacher at KHS at the end of the current school year.

Roy may be the person with the closest connection to Keene football over the past 40 years. He was a freshman at KHS in 1967 and was a key contributor on the last Keene state championship football team in 1970, when the Blackbirds shared the Division I title with Manchester Central. As Keene's head coach, Roy guided the Blackbirds to two state championship games.

Roy was a standout three-sport athlete -- basketball, baseball and football -- at KHS, and played for several legendary Keene coaches: Mike Ginolfi (football), Dud Purbeck (basketball), and Bucky Main (baseball). After high school, Roy pitched for the University of Maine at Orono.

While at KHS, Roy coached a number of sports. He even guided Keene to a state title in gymnastics. "I feel very fortunate to have been able to come back to my hometown to teach and coach," Roy said. "I have to thank Charlie Burns (former KHS principal) for taking a chance on a 30-year-old when he named me football coach."

Roy also noted it was great to have the opportunity to coach his sons (Brad and Nate) and his nephew Mike Sweeney, who went on to be a two-sport athlete at Amherst College. Roy and his wife Janet will move to the coast of Southern Maine at the end of this month to start their retirement.

Pembroke Academy will be holding a full-contact football camp for ages 7-18 from Aug. 4-8. The camp will run from 5:30-8:30 p.m. each day.

The camp will be conducted by the Pembroke Academy football staff, with help from the Pembroke Jr. Spartans coaches. Each day will include individual instruction, team instruction and scrimmages.

For more details go to Pembrokefootball.org, or contact Pembroke Academy head coach Dave Tremblay at 493-7385 or dtremblay@pembrokefootball.org.

Visit the Chalkboard for more information regarding football camps, clinics and coaching vacancies.

The University of New Hampshire football staff will hold the first of five scheduled clinics Tuesday at Londonderry High School.

The clinic schedule is as follows:

4:30 p.m.: Registration
5 p.m.: Offensive individual period
5:55 p.m.: Break
6 p.m.: Defensive individual period
6:55 p.m.: 7 on 7 and OL/DL one on one

There is a $15 fee for the clinic. Those who attend should dress in shorts, a t-shirt and cleats. For more information contact Bob Callahan at (603) 862-5098.

Other clinics will be held on the following days:

Wednesday: Manchester West High School
Thursday: Stellos Stadium, Nashua
Friday: Souhegan High School, Amherst
Monday: Marshwood High School, South Berwick, Maine

Trinity High School, which will compete in Division V this season, is looking to play a game against an out-of-state opponent on Oct. 17 or Oct. 18.

Any team that would like to fill this date can contact Trinity coach John Trisciani at 625-5408 or CoachJTrish@hotmail.com.

First I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to visit the New Hampshire Football Report since the site was born nearly one year ago. At this point the site's popularity has exceeded expectations.

There are plans to provide even more coverage of New Hampshire high school and college football during the 2008 season, including a feature called the Nickel Package that will run each week. The Nickel Package will examine and offer opinions on five items related to football in the Granite State. There are also plans to provide daily updates on this year's Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl teams once practice begins in July.

The offseason goals were twofold: Continue to increase traffic and attempt to secure advertising to offset costs.

In an attempt to reach goal No. 1, I'd like to ask anyone who operates a New Hampshire football web site, whether it's a team site or a booster site, to consider adding a link to New Hampshire Football Report on that site. This will help New Hampshire Football Report grow and become a better resource to football fans throughout the state. I'd also like to send a special thanks to the many people who have already provided a link to this site.

Regarding goal No. 2: Two sponsors have already stepped forward, and their banner ads will be added to the site soon. Letters to other potential sponsors will be sent out in the coming weeks. Because I'd like to target businesses and individuals who have an interest in New Hampshire football, I'm asking for your help in identifying these potential advertisers. If you or someone you know is in a position to support New Hampshire football through this site and is willing to do so, please contact me or send contact information to rbrown@nhfootballreport.com. Banner ads are $250 (tax deductible) and will run through Aug. 1, 2009.

Many people have also offered support through private donations. Donations, which can be made in any amount, are a huge help and much appreciated. Anyone willing to contribute in that manner can make checks payable to Roger Brown, 20 Thornhill Road, Stratham, N.H., 03885. 

Thank you to everyone for your continued support.

Roger Brown
Editor/Publisher
New Hampshire Football Report