NHIAA DIVISION IV PREVIEW

The League: Kingswood (947 enrollment), Kennett (945), Merrimack Valley (884), Laconia (822), Plymouth (817), Monadnock (787), Lebanon (761), Hanover (746) and Sanborn (743).

Defending Champion: Laconia beat Hanover, 35-14, in last year's Division IV championship game.

Top Story Line: Can anyone derail Plymouth? The Bobcats own a 33-game winning streak and won seven of the last eight Division III championships, but dropped to Division IV after the 2007 season.

Player to Watch: Laconia running back Christian Birt rushed for nearly 1,300 yards and scored 19 touchdowns last season, when the Sachems went 11-0 and won the Division IV title. Birt was a First Team All-State selection last season, and has drawn some Division I interest.

Game to Watch: Plymouth at Laconia (Oct. 10). Neither team lost a game last season, and if they didn't have to play each other it's unlikely either would lose this season. Both teams return plenty from last fall and are clearly the favorites in this division. This will likely be the first of two meetings between the schools this year.

Noteworthy: Birt helped Laconia score a school-record 394 points last season. ... Plymouth, Kennett, Kingswood and Merrimack Valley all competed in Division III last fall. ... Sanborn is a first-year varsity program. ... Plymouth could start 11 seniors on offense, including quarterback Rich Manzi, fullback Nick Barnes, halfback Tim Farina and wingback Cord Barnes. ... Ken Sciacca, who has served as the head coach at Trinity, Manchester Memorial and Salem, became Kennett's head coach in June. He replaced Drew Inzer, who spent two seasons as Kennett's head coach. Sciacca was an assistant on Inzer's staff last season. ... Kennett will dedicate its new field to former coach Gary Millen on Sept. 19. Millen, who guided Kennett to 19 playoff appearances and 11 championship games, passed away in 2006. ...Kearsarge and St. Thomas both made the Division IV playoffs last season, but each school dropped to Division V. 

-- Roger Brown