Plymouth may have company
NHIAA DIVISION IV PREVIEW
The League: Merrimack Valley (910), Kingswood (872), Kennett (853)
John Stark (838), Laconia (782), Plymouth (748), Hanover (740), Lebanon (698), Monadnock (649), Trinity (409).
Defending Champion: Plymouth beat Laconia, 38-0, in last year's championship game.
Top Story Line: Can anyone derail Plymouth? The Bobcats will enter the season with a 55-game winning streak, which is the longest active winning streak in the nation.
Player to Watch: Monadnock running back Blake Bolewski may be the best player New Hampshire fans haven't heard of. Bolewski was a First-Team All-State selection last season and could help make Monadnock the surprise team in the division this year.
Game to Watch: Plymouth at Trinity (Sept. 24). This could be where the streak comes to an end.
Noteworthy: Chuck Lenahan is in his 39th season at Plymouth's head coach. He has a career record of 320-63-1 and has guided the Bobcats to 18 state championships. Plymouth has won 11 titles in the last 13 years. ... Trinity moved up to Division IV after it won the Division V championship last seeason. ... The best player in Division IV may be Hanover quarterback Sam Carney, a senior who has been a starter since his freshman season. ... Kingswood's Tate Jozokos, who was an All-State QB as a freshman last season, has transferred to Governor's Academy in Byfield, Mass. Matt Jozokos, Tate's father, is still Kingswood's head coach. ...Jim O'Rourke is in his first season as John Stark's head coach. Mike Holderman (Kennett) and Eric Anderson (Merrimack Valley) are the ther first-year coaches in the division. Anderson guided Spaulding High School in Barre, Vt. to the Division II championship in 2008. .... At least seven teams in this division appear capable of making the playoffs.
Coming Thursday: Division V and Division VI previews.
-- Roger Brown
