NHIAA DIVISION III PREVIEW

The League: Goffstown (1,289 enrollment), Bedford (1,172), Con-Val (1.087), Portsmouth (1,067), Pembroke Academy (1,045), Souhegan (970), Hollis-Brookline (952), John Stark (890) and Milford (872).

Defending Champion: Plymouth, which is now competing in Division IV, beat Souhegan 34-0 in the Division III championship game.

Top Story Line: Who will replace Plymouth and become the team to beat in this division? The Bobcats won seven of the last eight Division III championships and finished 11-0 in each of the last three seasons.

Player to Watch: Senior Jeff Agnew is in his third season as Milford's starting quarterback. He also anchors the team's secondary. Another player to keep an eye on is 250-pound junior running back/linebacker Steven Jellison (Sean's younger brother), who rushed for more than 900 yards and scored 12 touchdowns during an injury-plagued sophomore season.

Game to Watch: Milford at Souhegan (Oct. 10). It's tough to pick just one because of the offseason shakeup in this division, but this contest figures to have significant playoff implications for both teams.

Noteworthy: Kennett, Kingswood and Merrimack Valley also dropped from Division III to Division IV in the offseason. ... Portsmouth returned 17 starters, but it appears senior Mike Fransoso will open the season as the team's starting quarterback. Fransoso, who was No. 3 on the depth chart last season, played shortstop for the Portsmouth High baseball team that won last year's Class I title. He recently accepted a schlolarship to play baseball for the University of Maine. ... Goffstown, which nearly qualified for the Division II playoffs last season, Hollis-Brookline and Bedford are the new teams in the division this year. Hollis-Brookline was 1-8 in Division IV a year ago, and Bedford is entering its first season of varsity competition. ... Con-Val senior Justin Morgan will be among the top running backs in the division. Morgan rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored 12 touchdowns last fall. ... John Stark's Bob Clarke is the only new coach in Division III. He replaced Bill Raycraft, who left to become the athletic director and football coach at Windham. ...  Other than Plymouth, Souhegan (2004) is the last team to win a Division III state championship.

-- Roger Brown