It's always rush week in Salem
NHIAA DIVISION I PREVIEW
The League: Pinkerton Academy (3,325 enrollment), Nashua South (2,226), Manchester Central (2,220), Manchester Memorial (2,092), Nashua North (2,003), Concord (1,878), Salem (1,850), Londonderry (1,765), Exeter (1,701).
Defending Champion: Salem. The Blue Devils defeated Nashua North, 28-21, in last year's championship game.
Top Story Line: Can anyone catch Salem? Specifically, can anyone catch Salem running back Max Jacques? Jacques rushed for 1,848 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.
Player to Watch: Nashua South quarterback Keith Farkas, who guided South to the Division I championship as a sophomore. He's among the reasons South will have a chance to win another title this year.
Game to Watch: Nashua North at Salem (Oct. 2). The best teams in Division I last year may be the best team in Division I this season as well.
Noteworthy: Salem is the clear-cut favorite in what may be the deepest division in the state. In addition to Jacques, the Blue Devils return junior running back Jerickson Fedrick and senior quarterback Matt Cannone. Fedrick rushed for 1,186 yards and 18 TDs last fall. Cannone is in his third season as the team's starting QB. ... The addition of Exeter, which moved up from Division II, has made the division even tougher. Exeter replaced Manchester West, which dropped to Division II because of declining enrollment. ... "I think Division I was down last year," Pinkerton coach Brian O'Reilly said. "It happens. It'll be a strong division this year. We're better. South is better. Salem is the same. It's Division I." ... Nashua North, which is coming off the program's first playoff appearance, returned eight offensive starters and seven defensive starters. The returnees include quarterback Brandon Karkhanis and running back Andre Williams. Karkhanis split time with QB Dylan Brodeur last season. ... Exeter has two of the best offensive linemen in the state in junior center Brad Tiernan and junior tackle Adam Morin. ...Nashua South, Salem and Pinkerton will all play non-league games against Massachusetts opponents this season. Nashua South will play Lowell, Salem will face Lawrence (Thanksgiving) and Pinkerton will play a Brockton team that was ranked No. 1 in New England by ESPN Boston. ... Central is another team to keep an eye on this season. The Little Green lost do-everything running back/defensive back Mike Cavanaugh, but have some of the best skill-position players in Division I.
Coming Wednesday: Division III and Division IV previews.
-- Roger Brown
