Division II teams will be looking up at BG, Winnacunnet
NHIAA DIVISION II PREVIEW
The League: Keene (1,654 enrollment), Dover (1,563), Spaulding (1,550), Merrimack (1,514), Timberlane (1,477), Alvirne (1,463), Manchester West (1,383), Winnacunnet (1,265), Bishop Guertin (886).
Defending Champion: Bishop Guertin beat Winnacunnet, 31-0, in the 2009 Division II championship game.
Top Story Line: Will it be BG again? The Cardinals have won the Division II championship in five of the last six years.
Player to Watch: BG's Mike Kelly, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound running back, may be the state's most dangerous offensive player. Kelly, who is an exceptional kick returner, has run the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds.
Game to Watch: BG at Winnacunnet (Oct. 22). The Cardinals and Warriors appear to be a notch above everyone else in the division. It will come as no surprise if this game determine's the division's No. 1 seed.
Noteworthy: Division II was once the deepest league in the state, but that isn't the case anymore. The league lost one of its strongest programs in the offseason, when Exeter moved to Division I. Manchester West dropped from Division I to Division II. ... BG lost 34 seniors from its unbeaten 2009 team. The Cardinals shut out their last four opponents en route to last year's title. ... If Kelly isn't the best player in Division II, then Winnacunnet quarterback Steve Cronan is. Cronan has drawn Division I interest. Running backs Mike Trainor and Brett Taylor are other experienced players who will line up in Winnacunnet's backfield. ... Alvirne, Dover and Merrimack appear to have legitimate playoff hopes. Alvirne has 21 players in its senior class, Dover returned eight defensive starters and Merrimack has eight returning offensive starters and nine returning on defense. ... Joe Benham has replaced Jim Keays as Spaulding's head coach. .. BG will open its season with a non-league game against Salem, which won last year's Division I championship. Winnacunnet will open with Nashua North, which lost to Salem in last year's Division I title game. ... Lights have been installed at Keene's Alumni Field, which will allow the Blackbirds to play their home games on Friday nights.
Coming Tuesday: Division I preview.
-- Roger Brown
