The New Hampshire High School Football season is upon us. Several teams in the Granite State last season were among the best in New England and many of those teams are back and contending again.
As usual, Division One is stacked but Division Two also has several powerhouse programs including Pelham and Souhagen.
Divisions three and four could be more wide open this season. Here is our preseason Top 25 poll for New Hampshire.
1. Pinkerton Academy: The Astros are looking to go back to back. They have to replace several key contributors from last season’s team but do return quarterback Aidan McDonald. Brian O’Reilly has a team he likes.
2. Bedford: Hard to bet against the Bulldogs given their recent run of strong play. Replacing quarterback Jack Maye will be key.
3. Londonderry: Jimmy Lauzon’s Lancers are always in the mix. Returning wide receiver Braedon Ayers and running back Adrian Cruz gives the Lancers two centerpieces they can build around offensively. The defense should be tough upfront as usual.
4. Pelham: The Pythons return quarterback Kevin Hardy and running back Stephen MacKinnon to form one of the best combos in the Granite State. They will be tough to beat in Division Two.
5. Souhegan: The Sabers should be right there with Pelham in Division Two. They return quarterback Michael Fiengo and running back Ryland Raudelunas. Souhegan lost an epic 14-11 game last season to Pelham in the state title game.
6. Exeter: The Blue Hawks finished 10-1 last season but return a strong senior class and they will once again be a factor in Division One.
7. Bishop Guertin: Quarterback Nate Bowen spearheads a strong offensive attack that could propel the Cardinals into the Division One state title mix this season. Anthony Nalen’s squad went 5-5 last season.
8. Manchester Memorial: I am more bullish on the Crusaders than most but I think they can replace Collin Beaulieu and stay competitive. They have some good talent returning.
9. Windham: New coach Matt Lee inherits a good program that is on the rise. The Jaguars have a hungry senior class returning that is looking to prove something.
10. Nashua North: Titans struggled last season going 3-7 but they do return Junior quarterback Brady O’Connor and a good skill group.
11. Trinity: The Pioneers graduated some key contributors but do return quarterback Ollie Service which gives them a chance to once again contend in Division Two.
12. Campbell: Replacing all everything running back Scott Hershberger is impossible but if there is a program built to absorb the loss, it is Campbell. The Cougars return some talented underclassman.
13. Salem: The Blue Devils beat Pinkerton last season so you know they can hang with the big boys. The issue is, replacing a good senior class. The program has good numbers so look for them to contend again.
14. Plymouth: The Bobcats return a lot of talent from their 10-1 team including fullback/linebacker Brodhi Rousseau and quarterback Cavan Sanborn.
15. Nashua South: The Purple Panthers more than held their own in Division One last season and I expect them to be in the mix this season. 19 total starters return which put them in prime position to contend.
16 Concord: The Crimson Tide struggled last season finishing 4-6 but they did make the playoffs and several young players got valuable experience.
17. St. Thomas Aquinas: Junior Cole Masiello anchors the Saints line but skill guys will need to emerge for them to contend.
18. Alvirne: The Broncos went 7-4 last season and played Pinkerton and Bedford tough. They graduated a good senior class but there are some talented young players in the program that should keep them competitive.
19. Merrimack: The Tomahawks will lean on their young talent that is returning as they look to build on a 3-7 season a year ago.
20. John Stark: The Generals surprised people with a 6-4 record last season and are primed to build on it if they can fill some key spots.
21. Bow: The Falcons have some to replace some key contributors from last season but they do have some players who made an impact returning. The Falcons are poised to build off of a competitive 5-5 season a year ago.
22. Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough Academy: The Lakers are coming off of a 9–2 and a playoff run. It will be tough to replicate that success but there is talent back.
23. Dover: With Cooper Gagne back at quarterback, the Green Wave should be competitive once again. Gagne put up big numbers last season.
24. Winnacunett: The Warriors held their own in Division One last season and have a chance to be better this season with quarterback Sean Griffin back.
25. Timberlane: The Owls have a good skill group returning which should help them improve on last season’s 3-7 record.