The State of Football: Week 9
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
The NHIAA, feeling that its decision to remove the New Hampshire Index System for football so late in the season was unfair, announced another change in the way playoff teams will be selected for the current season earlier today: Teams will now be chosen for postseason play based on each team's Average Point Differential (APD) in divisional games.
A team's APD is the difference between its points scored and its points allowed divided by the number of games played within its division. A team's record within the division will be used as the first tiebreaker, therefore it's possible for a team with three losses to finish ahead of a team with one loss. Head-to-head results will be used as the second tiebreaker.
"Since we changed course in the middle of the season we felt this was the fairest way to do things," said one member of the football committee. "We've also started to discuss the possibility of reducing the number of divisions from six to three. I think you could see that change coming soon."
We're kidding of course. No more changes have been made since last week, but admit it: You were hooked.
Since it's the final week of the regular season in Divisions IV, V and VI, however, it is a good time to examine the playoff picture in each of those three leagues:
DIVISION IV
Trinity and Lebanon are both 8-0 and will meet to determine the top seed Saturday night in Manchester. The loser of that game will be the No. 2 seed.
Laconia (6-2) has qualified for the playoffs and can secure the No. 3 seed by beating Monadnock (5-3) on Friday. A Monadnock victory would earn the Huskies the No. 3 seed. A Monadnock loss would open the door for Kennett (4-4) and Plymouth (4-4).
DIVISION V
Things are pretty easy to figure out here. Somersworth (5-3) will be the No. 4 seed, Stevens (6-2) will be seeded No. 3 and the outcome of Friday night's matchup between St. Thomas (8-0) and Kearsarge (8-0) will determine the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds.
DIVISION VI
The winner of Saturday's game between Gilford (7-1) and Newport (7-1) will earn the No. 1 seed. The loser of that game will also qualify for the playoffs.
Saturday's winner between Franklin (6-2) and Winnisquam (6-2) will also qualify. Newfound (5-3) will earn the No. 4 seed if it beats Epping-Newmarket and Franklin defeats Winnisquam. If Winnisquam beats Franklin, the Golden Tornadoes will be the No. 4 seed.
At any rate, with the utmost confidence ... this week's selections:
Salem 35
Concord 20
As usual, Salem's fate will be determined by how well it plays defense.
Nashua South 28
Exeter 17
Tough to defend the Farkas-led South offense.
Manchester Memorial 21
Londonderry 20
Even matchup. Could go either way, but the turf field favors the Crusaders.
Pinkerton 27
Manchester Central 14
Astros have been the most consistent team in a division that produces surprises on a weekly basis.
Nashua North 35
Merrimack 21
Tomahawks can't afford any injuries, because they'll be in a must-win game against Winnacunnet next weekend.
Bishop Guertin 34
Alvirne 6
BG inches closer to the No. 1 seed.
Dover 42
Manchester West 14
Green Wave should extend its winning streak to six games.
Winnacunnet 21
Keene 13
Warriors need a win, and winning in Keene won't be easy.
Timberlane 34
Spaulding 7
Owls may have to win this weekend and next weekend at Dover to make the playoffs.
Portsmouth 28
Bedford 12
Bedford has scored seven points in its last two games. The Bulldogs will have to score a lot more than that to keep pace with the Clippers.
Goffstown 28
Con-Val 7
Grizzlies are among five teams battling for three playoff spots.
Milford 21
Hollis-Brookline 14
The Spartans and Cavaliers are among those five teams as well.
Souhegan 36
Pelham 6
Always wondered how the Sabers would have fared in Division II last season. Asking the same question this year.
Hanover 35
Merrimack Valley 13
Marauders complete their season with three wins in their final four games.
Plymouth 36
John Stark 7
Even with a victory, the Bobcats need lots of help.
Kennett 21
Kingswood 6
Eagles won four of their first five, but have been outscored 104-20 in their last three games.
Laconia 20
Monadnock 14
Gonna be a lot of scoreboard watching in Division IV this weekend.
Trinity 21
Lebanon 20
These teams will have the stage all to themselves Saturday night.
Stevens 27
Bishop Brady 14
Question is, who will Stevens play in the semifinals?
Bow 20
Sanborn 13
Bow ends its season with back-to-back victories.
Campbell 22
Windham 14
Windham opened its initial season with a victory over Sanborn, but there hasn't been much good news since then.
Somersworth 28
Fall Mountain 14
Question is, who will Somersworth play in the semifinals?
St. Thomas 21
Kearsarge 19
Saints have more weapons.
Newfound 34
Epping-Newmarket 20
Newfound fans, repeat after me: Go Franklin. Go Franklin.
Raymond 14
Farmington 12
Tough season for both teams, but one will finish on a positive note.
Winnisquam 20
Franklin 12
Gonna be a lot of scoreboard watching in Division VI this weekend too.
Gilford 21
Newport 20
Team could meet again.
Inter-Lakes 34
Mascoma Valley 6
It's been a long time since Inter-Lakes scored a TD, but offense won't be a problem Saturday.
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Last week: 24-4
Record to date: 174-54
Roger Brown covers high school and college football in the Northeast for ESPN/Scouts Inc. His column, The State of Football, appears each Friday throughout the season.
