This is an annual column where we stop to take a look around each of the four divisions at the midway point of the season. The purpose is to analyze the first half of the season to tell you where the teams stand today and where they are likely headed over the second half of the season.

 Division IV today

 Division III tomorrow

 Division II Thursday

 Division I Friday

 As always I pick the two teams most likely to meet in the championship game, your most likely final four teams, hand out mid-season all-state picks as well as our mid-season player & coach of the year.

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Mark Collins of Groveton, Nick Fiset of Epping, Jamie Hayes of Newmarket, Rob Bradley of Derryfield, Juan Croucier (Bassist) of Ratt, John Normandin of Mount Royal, Jay Darrah of Pittsfield, Trevor Howard of Littleton, Sean Young of Nute, Buddy Trask of Colebrook, Jamie Walker of Woodsville & Carl Anderson of Hinsdale

 If forced to pick the two teams that will meet in the final:

 Newmarket vs Pittsfield

 I’m not hedging my bets…I’m sticking to these teams as the top two in the division.

 I’m also sticking with the premise we introduced in November; if you are a home team in the quarterfinal round, there is a very good chance you’re advancing to Plymouth.

 Division IV is top-heavy this year, the top teams have some separation between them and teams 6 through 12 and whereas in years past we forecasted the quarterfinals to be a dogfight I think you’ll see the seeds hold for the first two rounds (with Woodsville being the one team really capable of a road ‘upset’).

 Once you get to Plymouth its Thunderdome (I’m not letting up on the 80’s movie references so if it’s over your head Google it).

 There are so many factors that play into the final three games in Plymouth; kids freezing on the big stage (Jamie Hayes had a terrific explanation for this on our radio show a few weeks ago…Division IV has more freshman & sophomores in bigger roles than the larger schools..hence the stage fright by some), coaching (being there in the past makes a difference from the in-game decisions to simply ‘Where do we go at halftime?’) and…having the best player on the floor. That usually wins you games on the stage at Foley.

 What’s interesting about this year’s field of candidates is that only Derryfield & Woodsville feature players that have been to Plymouth. Groveton and Littleton are almost entirely made up of new players while Newmarket & Pittsfield have not made the trek to Plymouth in recent years.

 Newmarket has very good depth, Jamie Hayes is comfortable going nine players deep and that’s extremely rare for Division IV. Eight players average at least 5 ppg. and although there is a crystal clear go-to guy in Anthony Senesombath (18.7 ppg.) he is averaging less than 20 points per game because he is sharing the basketball and his teammates are fully capable of producing when it’s their turn.

 Hayes has coached a lot of final four games, so he understands the ebbs & flows to a game up there as well as the need to recognize when the moment may be too big for one of his rotation guys. They play very good man to man defense (meaning the bigger floor won’t affect their ability to zone press like some other teams) and he has enough size to expect to win the rebounding battle.

 It’s a team built for a title run.

 Pittsfield also has the go-to guy in Cam Darrah (22.0 ppg.) and enough experience running their sets that they can execute them in their sleep. Josh Whittier gives you a post-presence, Dylan Bocash is your ‘I’m taking him’ guy who wants the other team’s best player and Casey Clark is your ball reversal three-point shooter when all the attention of the defense follows Darrah.

 The X-factor remains Garrett Guerrero-Hadley, who a year ago was your energy guy off the bench who didn’t always make great decisions with the ball.

 What he has evolved into is a very good floor leader with the ability to get to the rim and run the offense, allowing Darrah to play off the ball & use screens. 

 The second meeting with Newmarket keeps the hope of the top seed still alive (I’m going to leave Woodsville & Groveton alone this year and turn my attention to…..why the heck don’t Derryfield and Pittsfield not even play once??) as they’ll be favorites in seven of their last eight games.

 Derryfield has been very good and we are reminded again how good of a coach Rob Bradley is. They never look panicked, they run a very good offense and fundamentally their defense is well schooled. I was a very early member of the Andrew Dubreuil fan club, and I would be very comfortable with the ball in his hands in any big game.

 Max Byron can knock down shots, Jeff Pratt may be their best scorer (it’s hard to tell with so many lopsided scores) and players like Cody Bournival, Trent Henrich & Oliver Sattler always play within themselves and make plays.

 Bradley, like Hayes, knows exactly how the game is going to go up north in Plymouth and he has four guys who saw the floor a year ago against Littleton.

 That leaves Littleton, who we have broken down in recent columns. If they can split with Groveton they are a good bet to be a Top 4 seed (the White Mountains win last week was HUGE), meaning someone has to go to Littleton and eliminate them in front of a packed house.

 They’re a year away and maybe two years away from being dominant but I don’t see a team below them capable of winning a tough quarterfinal game on the road.

 Woodsville would be your best bet. Garrett Olsen can get you 25 points, Cooper Davidson will supply the double/double, they are very well-coached by Jamie Walker and they can line the floor with shooters to spread you out.

 Do I think Woodsville could go on the road and beat a Top 4 seed in the post-season? I do………but ask yourself this, when was the last time Woodsville beat a team higher than them in the standings?

 It’s a fair question.

 If Jaret Bemis’ last-second three goes down at Plymouth they beat Portsmouth Christian in the 2016 semifinals, but it didn’t, and although this is a very good team they have to prove they can beat a Top 4 team on the road or a neutral floor.

 With a remaining schedule that includes only two games against a team with a winning record (Profile), they’re not going to get their chance to answer that until March.

 

The verdict is still out on: Groveton (I feel like if a good team gets to 55 points on them they are going to struggle to beat them…but trust me no coach above wants to see Mark Collins 40 feet down the sideline in Plymouth..he knows how to beat you there 48-44 )…….Profile (they are setting up to be the good/bad team that Colebrook was last year…which means they beat everyone below them and lose to everyone above them…but let’s wait and see)

 

Your lower seeded team that will be a nightmare in Round 1: Epping

 Just ask Littleton……veteran point guard (Hunter Bullock..juniors are veterans in Division IV..), guy who can go off for 25 in a game (Doug Nadeau) and emerging standout who is a year away from being a first team all-state player (Peyton Rivers).

 Add in a good coach in Nick Fiset and they certainly have the pieces.

 Epping’s schedule is brutal, which no one feels the least bit bad about because it’s Epping (they win and they have more students than anyone else in the division). With games remaining against Newmarket (twice) and Derryfield, they could finish 10-8.

 That might send them on the road in the first round and no one is going to be hoping The Blue Devils fall next to them in the bracket.

 Their issues have been defense and rebounding, this just isn’t a team with a lot of size and they’ve struggled without Jackson Rivers, who cleaned the glass last winter.

 If they end up outside the top 8 look out, because Fiset will have them going in on the ‘No one believes in us’ train’ (he loves that train) and they’ll feel like they are playing with house money.

 Other than Josh Woods (of America’s Team the Lisbon Panthers) going for 45 points I don’t see another lower seeded capable of scrambling the bracket, Epping fits the description of one that could.

 

Player of the Year at the mid-point of the season:  Cam Darrah of Pittsfield

 It’s a close race…there’s a lot to be determined and honestly the post-season will decide it (which always has to be taken into account). Darrah has been excellent as they still remain one of the teams to beat.

 Runner-up: Anthony Senesombath of Newmarket

 

 

Coach of the Year at the mid-point of the season: Rob Bradley of Derryfield

 Undefeated and always very well coached………….always

 Runner-up: Sam Natti of Lisbon (do you know Lisbon is five possessions away from being 7-4 right now? And by possessions I mean..just don’t throw it out of bounds.)

 

First Team All-State (First half of the season)

Cam Darrah of Pittsfield

Anthony Senesombath of Newmarket

Garrett Olsen of Woodsville

Josh Woods of Lisbon

Andrew Dubreuil of Derryfield

Comments: There are some very good players not on this list but these are the five that have separated themselves. Woods is Teen Wolf…he’s doing everything short of driving the bus to games and Dubreuil is a huge reason why the Cougars are so efficient on offense. The post-season edition will have First, Second and Third team..

With apologies to: Danny Kubkowski of Littleton, Reese Swedberg of Moultonborough, Austin Lesperance of Groveton, Todd Krol-Corliss of Littleton, Alex & Andrew Normandin of Mount Royal, Brandon Harrington of Lin Wood, Caleb Steever & Ryan Boggio of Hinsdale, Josh Whittier of Pittsfield, Doug Nadeau & Hunter Bullock of Epping, Matt Mason of Groveton, River Baker of Profile, Cooper Davidson of Woodsville and Parker Briggs of Littleton.