Manchester Wolves head coach Danton Barto recorded his 66th victory in the arenafootball2 league when the Wolves beat the Quad City Steamwheelers, 53-35, Saturday night.

Barto, who is in his second season as Manchester's head coach, is tied for third place for all-time victories among af2 coaches. Barto is tied with former Manchester head coach Ben Bennett, now the coach of the af2 Amarillo Dusters. Barto and Bennett trail Rich Ingold (82) of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers and Chris Siegfried (71) of the Arkansas Twisters.

"Honestly, when you get to the point when you have earned enough victories to be considered in the same category with those guys, it's a real honor," Barto said. "It's exciting."

Barto, who guided the Memphis Xploreres to the ArenaCup championship in 2005, has a 66-52 record as an af2 head coach.

"To reach this milestone in my career is a tribute to the organizations I have been fortunate to have been associated with," Barto said. "They (the Wolves and Xplorers) have never been quick to pull the trigger. They have maintained their faith in me and in my program. That's what it takes to be successful and win games in football. 

"In this day and age, many good coaches don't get the chance to prove what they can do. I have been very fortunate to be associated with two ownership groups that stood by me even when we weren't winning a lot of games at one point. But they supported me and believed in my plan."

The Wolves (6-7) have a bye next week and will take on the Albany Firebirds (6-7) on the road on July 11th in a game that has great significance as both teams are currently in the hunt for a wildcard playoff berth.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Alvirne may have turned in the most surprising performance during Saturday's Granite State 7-on-7 tournament at the University of New Hampshire, but no team was more impressive than Nashua North.

North earned the winner's trophy by defeating Alvirne, 3-1, in the championship game. North scored on two touchdown passes and one interception, each of which was worth one point.

North reached the championship game by defeating Dover in a playoff during the semifinals. Alvirne advanced by winning a tiebreaker (most interceptions) against Souhegan in the semifinals. Souhegan also reached the semifinals at the St. Anselm 7-on-7 shootout two weeks ago.

Each of the four semifinalists -- Souhegan, Alvirne, Dover and North -- earned a first-round bye based on each team's record during the round-robin portion of the event. Bellingham, Mass., Bow, Con-Val and John Stark were the other teams that made it to the quarterfinals.

Scarborough, Maine, Somersworth, Raymond and Spaulding were eliminated in the first round.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

A field of 13 teams will compete in Saturday's Granite State 7-on-7 tournament at the University of New Hampshire.

The teams have been divided into three pools.

Pool A: Dover, Spaulding, Somersworth and John Stark.

Pool B: Bow, Souhegan, Con-Val, Nashua North and Raymond.

Pool C: Scarborough, Maine, Bellingham, Mass., Marshwood (South Berwick, Maine) and Alvirne.

There will be a round-robin schedule within each pool. The top three teams in each pool will advance to the championship bracket. The two No. 3 seeds with the fewest number of interceptions will compete in a play-in game.

The bottom seed from each pool will compete in the consolation bracket.

Teams are guaranteed at least three games in the morning and at least one in the afternoon. Games will begin shortly after the registration period, which is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Laconia High School running back Christain Birt will not participate in this year's Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl because of a committment to the University of Massachusetts.

Franklin coach Greg Husband, New Hampshire's coach for this year's Shrine game, said Birt was removed from the roster earlier this week. A replacement has not been named.

"He has a chance to play at UMass earlier than he expected," Laconia coach Craig Kozens said. "They don't think they're going to redshirt him. He's on their two-deep preseason depth chart and he's headed out to UMass in a couple weeks.

"He wants to play in that game as much as anybody, but this is good news for him."

Birt rushed for 1,171 yards last season, when he helped Laconia reach the Division IV championship game. He scored 24 touchdowns, 19 of which came on the ground.

Birt scored Laconia's only TD during its 14-7 loss to Plymouth in the Division IV championship game.

Birt also helped Laconia win the 2007 Division IV title. He rushed for 1,308 yards and 18 TDs on 150 carries as a junior, when Laconia capped an 11-0 season by beating Hanover, 35-14, in the Division IV championship game. He also intercepted six passes that season.

In another recent change, Winnacunnet linebacker Brett Sanchez has replaced Timberlane's Brian Nicoll. Sanchez, a three-year-starter, was a Division II All-State selection at linebacker following his senior season. He has committed to play football at Marist.

CFL: Alouettes shuffle roster >> Montreal Gazette

CFL: TiCats protect Ball >> Hamilton Tiger Cats' official site

The Manchester Wolves ended a three-game losing streak by defeating the Mahoning Valley Thunder 59-53 in arenafootball2 action Friday night at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio.

The victory raised Manchester's record to 5-7. Mahoning Valley suffered its 10th straight loss and fell to 1-11.

Manchester trailed 20-0 in the first quarter and 34-20 at halftime, but Mahoning Valley turned the ball over on four consecutive possesions in the second hal and allowed the Wolves to tie the game, 34-34. The Wolves pulled even on a touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Mike Potts to wide receiver Steven Savoy with 5:36 left in the third quarter.

The Wolves took their first lead, 48-47, with 55 seconds to play, but Mahoning Valley's Quorey Payne returned the ensuing kickoff for a TD that gave the Thunder a 53-48 advantage. Manchester gained possesion deep in Mahoning Valley territory when it recovered an onside kick and regained the lead when Potts scored on a QB keeper.

Mahoning Valley fumbled the ball away on its next possession, which allowed Manchester's Chris Keopplin to add a late field goal.

Manchester overcame four interceptions by Potts, who also threw five touchdown passes.

Manchester defensive back Brandon Isaac made a team-high five tackles, recovered a fumble and intercepted three passes.

Vermont will attempt to end an eight-game losing streak when it faces New Hampshire in this year's Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, which will be played Aug. 1 at Windsor (Vt.) High School.

This year's game will be the second time the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl has been played in Vermont. The first game in Vermont took place in 1967, when it was held at Centennial Field in Burlington. The contest is tradionally played at Dartmouth College, but was moved this year because of improvements that will be made to Dartmouth's Memorial Field this summer.

New Hampshire has a 40-13-2 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to 1954. New Hampshire won last year's game 35-0.

Practice for each team will begin on July 22 at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden. Here are the current rosters for New Hampshire and Vermont:  

The Portsmouth High School football coaching staff will conduct two flag football mini-camps to introduce basic skills to young players this summer.

The first camp is for those entering grades 3, 4, 5 and 6, and will be held Aug. 2-4 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day. The cost is $35.

The second camp will be for those entering grades 1 and 2 and will be held Aug. 10-11 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day. The cost is $25.

These are non-contact camps that will allow everyone to play multiple positions.

For more information or to register, contact Brian Pafford at coachpaff@comcast.net or 433-6092.

The Granite State Football Officials have been selected to officiate an Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) semifinal game in Montreal on June 27. The contest will feature the top-seeded Montreal Blitz against the eighth-seeded Manchester Freedom.

"We weren't surprised to get a playoff assignment," GSFO president Bert Lawlor said. "This is our sixth season working IWFL games and we did the Eastern Conference Division I semifinal two seasons ago in a nationally televised game (Atlanta vs. Boston). The surprising thing was to be assigned to a game in Canada that features the Manchester Freedom -- a team that we contract with to work all of their home games. It feels a bit like when the Harlem Globetrotters arrive in town with their own refs on the bus."

Several changes have been made to the initial rosters for this year's Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl. Updated rosters for New Hampshire and Vermont will be posted on New Hampshire Football Report on Friday afternoon/evening.

af2: Wolves hoping to be road warriors >> Manchester Union Leader

Former University of New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos scored on a 6-yard run to help the Montreal Alouettes defeat the Toronto Argonauts, 37-24, Wednesday night in the first exhibition game for each CFL team

Santos entered the game late in the third quarter and directed the Alouettes on an eight-play, 63-yard scoring drive that ended with his 6-yard TD run. Santos completed a pass to Brandon Whitaker for the two-point conversion.

Santos was one of three Montreal quarterbacks who played in the game, joining Adrian McPherson and Chris Leak. Anthony Calvillo, who is expected to be Montreal's starting quarterback for the 2009 season, did not make the trip to Toronto. 

Santos completed 5 of his 7 pass attempts for 33 yards. He also gained 9 yards on two carries and fumbled once.

Minuteman Regional High School, a Division 4 program in Lexington, Mass., is looking to play a non-league game against a New Hampshire opponent on Oct. 2 or Oct. 3.

Minuteman Regional, which has an enrollment of 550 students, lost six players from a team that won five games last season. The game can be played in Massachusetts or New Hampshire.

Any team interested can contact Minuteman Regional head coach Brian Tildsley at (781) 861-6500 ext. 405 or btildsley@minuteman.com.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Proctor Academy's Stephen Alli has committed to play football at the University of Florida, according for former Proctor head coach Chuck Reid.

Alli, a 6-foot-5, 203-pound wide receiver, will be a senior at Proctor next season. He averaged 27 yards per catch on 13 receptions last season, when he helped Proctor finish 8-1. Seven of his 13 receptions were TD catches. He scored at least one touchdown in six of the eight games in which he appeared.

Reid, who resigned from Proctor earlier this year to become the head coach at Loomis Chafee in Windsor, Conn., said Alli attended a one-day camp at Florida earlier this week and was offered a scholarship that afternoon. He said Alli also had scholarship offers from Boston College, Rutgers and the University of Connecticut, and drew interest from several Ivy League schools as well.

Harris Williams, a 6-foot-4, 291-pound lineman who also plays for Proctor, accpeted a full scholarship offer from Stanford last month.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Souhegan High School was the New Hampshire team that experienced the most success at the St. Anselm College 7-on-7 shootout Saturday. The Sabers, who have several skill players returning from last year's Division III championship team, reached the semifinal round, where they were eliminated following a 38-28 loss to North Andover, Mass.

Swampscott, Mass. won the title by beating North Andover, 26-22, in the championship game. Swampscott sealed the victory by intercepting a pass in the end zone with 19 seconds to play.

Nine of the 12 teams in attendance were from outside New Hampshire. Souhegan, Trinity and Goffstown represented the Granite State.

"The concept is pretty new in our state," Souhegan coach Mike Beliveau said. "UNH just started it and it's the second year they've done it here. I think people will come when word gets out."

Quarterback Ryan Vena threw for four touchdowns and ran for another to lead Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to a 63-34 victory over the Manchester Wolves in arenafootball2 action Thursday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

It was Manchester's third consecutive loss. The Wolves, who dropped to 4-7, have lost six of their last seven contests. The Pioneers, who improved to 9-2, are 3-0 against the Wolves this season.

Manchester quarterback Mike Potts completed 26 of 42 passes for 302 yards and five touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Manchester wide receiver Emery Sammons made 10 catches for 115 yards.

Vena completed 16 of 25 passes for 204 yards.

Manchester was within eight points (28-20) after fullback Paul Jefferson scored on a 20-yard run and Potts connected with Deyon Williams for a two-point conversion, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored on its next possession and added four more TDs in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves fumbled the ball away twice and were penalized 11 times for 79 yards.

Bishop Guertin finalized its 2009 schedule by scheduling a non-league contest against Catholic Memorial.

The game will be played Oct. 16 at Stellos Stadium (7 p.m.).

Catholic Memorial is located in West Roxbury, Mass., and plays in the Catholic Conference League. The program has won three state championships, eight league titles and appeared in three Super Bowls.

Former NFL defensive lineman Blaise Winter will be giving motivational speeches at Manchester Memorial High School on Thursday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Winter, whose NFL career included stints with Indianapolis, San Diego and Green Bay, will be speaking to the Memorial team as well as other student/athletes in the school's auditorium. There is no charge to attend the event, which is open to the public.

"His story is very inspirational and uplifting," Memorial coach Peter Colcord said.

Saturday's 7-on-7 tournament at St. Anselm College will have a strong out-of-state flavor. Ten of the 16 teams currently registered are from Massachsetts: Lynn English, Methuen, Melrose, Whittier, Salem, Lynnfield, Carver, Rockland, North Andover and Bishop Fenwick.

The tournament will be held Saturday and is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Souhegan, Goffstown, Manchester Memorial, Trinity, Keene and Somersworth are the New Hampshire teams that have registered. Participation for some schools could depend on the results of this week's NHIAA baseball tournaments.

The teams will be divided into four groups, and the winner of each group will advance to the championship round. Depending on the number of teams entered, a wild-card team may be selected to play in the championship round as well. T-shirts will be given to each team, and a trophy will be awarded to the tournament champion. The concession stand will be open throughout the event.

Schools can still register for the tournament. The cost is $200 per team. Team information, the registration form and enrollment checks can be sent to the following address:

Football offices
100 St. Anselm Drive
Manchester, N.H.
03102

According to this report, the University of New Hampshire is recruiting Jean-Dean Roussel, a split end/defensive back who played high school football for St. Raphael's Academy in Pawtucket, R.I.

The story says Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Northeastern and Boston College are also pursuing Roussel.

Trinity High School is looking for an opponent in southern New Hampshire to play on Thanksgiving Day this year. The team must be able to play the game on its home field.

Those interested can contact Trinity coach John Trisciani at 867-5795, or coachjtrish@hotmail.com.

Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

Spring football practice has started in some states -- states like Florida, Mississippi and Vermont. That's right, Vermont.

The Vermont Principals' Association allows six days of spring practice each year. The practices must be voluntary and contact is not allowed. Helmets and cleats are the only equipment permitted.

"It's nothing new," Springfield (Vt.) coach Mike Hatt said. "Coaches do it in a variety of ways. Some people take advantage of it between (winter and spring) seasons. Others do it after spring sports are over.

"What we do is go from 6:30 to 7:45 in the morning. It's a whole lot easier to do it in the morning than in the afternoon in the spring."

The Manchester Wolves dropped to 4-6 following a 48-46 loss to the Albany Firebirds on Friday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

The Wolves have lost their last two games, and five of their last six. The victory raised Albany's record to 4-6. The Firebirds began the season 0-5.

Rookie quarterback Mike Potts made his first start for the Wolves. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns. Albany QB Steven Wasil  had a better game however. Wasil threw for 300 yards and six scores while completing 22 of 44 passes. It was the fourth consecutive game in which Wasil has thrown for at least 300 yards.

The Wolves made it a 41-39 contest when Potts scored on a 1-yard run, but Emery Sammons couldn't hang on to a Potts pass on the two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game with 3:43 to play.

The Firebirds added another seven points and extended their lead to 48-39 with 34.8 left, but then Sammons returned the kickoff 55 yards for a TD. After the PAT, the Wolves were within two points, 48-46.

Manchester failed to receover the onside kick, however, and Albany hung on for a two-point victory.

af2
Albany vs. Manchester

• When and where: Friday night (7:30) at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester.
• Series history: The Wolves lead 15-9.
• Team records: Manchester is 4-5. Albany is 3-6.
• Noteworthy: Quarterback Mike Potts will make his first start of the season for the Wolves. Potts, who played college football at William & Mary, was released by the Wolves earlier this season, but rejoined the team when starting quarterback James Pinkney was traded earlier this week. "We're excited to have Mike Potts back and excited to have him as our starting quarterback," Manchester coach Danton Barto said. "Hopefully he will give us the spark we need." ... This will be the third of four regular-season meetings between the teams this season. Manchester won 74-53 at home, and lost 53-51 at Albany. ... Manchester has won nine of the last 11 meetings with Albany. ... Albany lost its first five games, but won three in a row before losing to Milwaukee last weekend. ... "The Firebirds are a different team than we saw here at home early in the season and they beat us in a very close game when we played in their arena three weeks ago," "Barto said. "We need to play the kind of football we are capable of playing and put points on the board while avoiding those costly mistakes and penalties." ... Manchester wide receivers Steven Savoy (foot) and Patrick Rouzard (head) are expected to miss Friday's game because of injuries.

The tournament will begin at 10 a.m. and continue until a champion is determined. High school teams from throughout New England and surrounding states are eligible. Each team has a 12-player limit.

T-shirts will be given to each team, and a trophy will be awarded to the tournament champion. The concession stand will be open throughout the tournament.

The cost is $200 per team. Team information, the registration form and enrollment checks can be sent to the following address:

Football offices
100 St. Anselm Drive
Manchester, N.H.
03102

The Manchester Wolves have traded quarterback James Pinkney to the defending ArenaCup Champion Tennessee Valley Vipers for past considerations.and have brought back rookie Mike Potts to call the signals for Friday night's game against the Albany Firebirds.

Pinkney has started each of Manchester's nine games this year and completed 186 of 301 passes for 2,375 yards with 49 touchdowns and six interceptions. He ranks 10th in the af2 with a 117.73 quarterback rating.

"We're a four-and-five team right now so the decision was made to go in another direction," Manchester head coach Danton Barto said. "Although James helped us win some critical games last year, the organization felt that now is the time for a change."

Potts (6-4, 220), who played his collegiate football at William and Mary and lasted until the final cut in the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp last August, competed against Pinkney for the starting job in the Wolves preseason camp this year before being released earlier in the season.

"Mike had a couple of try uts with NFL teams, but that didn't work out for him," Barto said. "We're excited to have him back and excited to have him as our starter. Hopefully, he'll give us the spark we need to get back on the winning track."

MaxPreps has ranked the nation's top high school teams for the 2009 season. Click on the links below to find out if any New England teams made the list.

Teams 1-13

Teams 14-25