NHIAA DIVISION I PREVIEW

The League: Exeter,  Pinkerton Academy, Nashua South, Salem, Manchester Memorial, Manchester Central, Nashua North, Concord, Londonderry.

Defending Champion: Pinkerton Academy. The Astros defeated Nashua North, 14-7, in last year's championship game.

Top Story Line: Can anyone challenge Pinkerton? The Astros return the majority of their 2010 roster.

Player to Watch: Salem running back Jerickson Fedrick is the No. 2 recruit in the state, behind Penn State-bound defensive back Jake Kiley. Fedrick is the No. 1 big-play threat in the division.

Game to Watch: Pinkerton at Exeter (Oct. 7). Traditionalist will love this matchup, since it's one of very few Division I games that won't feature a spread offense. Exeter nearly upset Pinkerton in Derry last year, and the Astros won't be resting their starters in the second half of this contest either. Although it's being played on a Friday, this game has a 4:15 p.m. kickoff.

Noteworthy: There's no doubt that Pinkerton is the clear-cut favorite this season. The Astros return most of their starters from a year ago, including their offensive backfield: running back Kevin Davies, running back Emmitt Smith, running back Manny Latimore and quarterback Chris St. Onge. ... Exeter and Nashua South may be Pinkerton's biggest threats. The Blue Hawks didn't win a Division I game last season -- their first season in Division I -- but are big up front and return plenty of experience on both sides of the ball. ... South has two of the premier offensive players in the division in receiver Armond McCrae and running back Derek Paradis. Trevor Knight replaces Keith Farkas -- a three-year starter -- at quarterback. ... Memorial is another playoff contender. The Crusaders will rely on quarterback Cody Dalton, running back Ivan Valcarcel and running back/linebacker Steven Dwight. ... Manchester Central will use junior Riley Cote and quarterback, and move former QB Jared Chandler to the offensive backfield. ... "We graduated some unsung heroes up front that made some big plays for us on defense," Pinkerton coach Brian O'Reilly said. "Backfield-wise there are no issues. My guess is South, because of the speed in the backfield that they have, is certainly a team to contend with. There's no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Exeter High School is a team to contend with. They had one of the more deceptive records that you'll ever see last year." ... O'Reilly said he expects Concord, Londonderry and Salem to be in the playoff mix as well. "I just don't know that North has that much back," he said. "In terms of the playoffs it's almost anybody."

                                                                                                              -- Roger Brown