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 both where the teams stand today and where they are likely headed over the second half of the season.

 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 candidates.

 I want to stop to thank our Division III Gold Level Coaches/Programs who have access to not only the 5 full game videos we have produced already this year but all the remaining games through the Final Four and 8 years worth of full game videos to steal out of bounds plays from.

Thank you to: Mike Rathgeber of Inter-Lakes, Eric Saucier of Conant, Silas Ayres of Mascoma, Jim Cilley of Belmont, David Bedard of Franklin, Jim Hill of Monadnock, Rick Acquilano of Gilford, Sean Murphy of St. Thomas, Frank Girginnis of Campbell & Mike Curtis of White Mountains

 We hope every coach and program in the division will become a part of the coverage we bring you every week.

 Our column today is brought to you by our friends at the Links at Outlook. Visit their website for information on weddings, golf outings and events throughout the spring, summer & fall!

 

 If forced to pick the two teams that will meet in the final: Hopkinton vs. Somersworth

 To be clear right off the top…..there is no division as wide open in the state as Division III.

 There are more teams capable of winning the title here than anywhere else, but the question is, how many?

 Let’s start with my picks above.

 I still think that when Luke Monesmith and Jeremy Levesque return Rob Fauci has the 8-man rotation at Somersworth good enough to get back to the championship game for a third straight season.

 (at Keene State??...that’s the rumor I’m hearing….by the way they should be played at Plymouth State if SNHU isn’t available..but we can get into that later)

 There is no Bryton Early/Evan Gray Alpha Dog among this group but from 1 to 8 few teams can match their talent and coaching. Jacob Hamilton and Levesque give you very good shooters on the wing. Freshman Aiden Hefferon had his ‘Wait, who is this kid??’ moment last week against Gilford in a game we covered and point guard Travis Wright has returned after missing significant time early in the season.

 Ethan Johnson is very smart & solid at the center spot. Johnson is a veteran forward who has been on the big stage before while David Picau is the glue-guy rebounder/passer/spot-up shooter/defender every team likes to have.

 Add the athletic Jeff Dekorne (whose older brother Shawn we covered once or twice at St. Thomas) and you have your nucleus to go to battle with.

 Does Somersworth have the leadership to make a run? We’re going to find out, but the pieces are all there and the coach is a proven commodity.

 Hopkinton has the kind of player, in Kevin Newton-Delgado, who can win you a playoff game in the final minutes. They have depth, size and a coach in Steve Signor who has been in big tournament games before.

 The Hawks have been to the quarterfinals each of the last two years and they feel like this is their year to get back to the Final Four. They have tough road games coming up against Belmont (last night), Somersworth, Campbell, and Conant before a big match-up against Gilford at home on February 21st.

 That gives them plenty of big-game experience and Signor the opportunity to see who he can and can’t trust in the big moment. There are 10 to 11 players capable of stepping up but when we get to March you have to go with your top 7 or 8. That’s what Hopkinton will work out over the course of the second half of the season.

 As far as resumes no one has a better one than Mascenic Regional who owns wins over Hopkinton, Campbell, Conant, Mascoma, and Somersworth.

 Somehow the transition from John Langlois to Brandon Kear at head coach didn’t slow them down and Sammy Stauffeneker has been the player of the year candidate we expected him to be.

 Like a lot of teams, their perceived weakness is their lack of depth. There is also a lack of size.

 Does that cost them in March when the defenses are dialed up, the shooting percentages plummet and rebounding becomes an absolute must?

 Gilford has been the story of the division so far. Their undefeated start is a credit to their first-year head coach Rick Acquilano, player of the year candidate Adrian Siravo and a talented group that seems more concerned about the result than their stat line.

 Their 2-3 match-up zone has been very tough for teams to adjust to and it is the perfect defense for a team with the length of the Golden Eagles.

 When you drive baseline and are cut off by 6’3 Logan Hughes and 6’4 Jalen Reese with their arms in the air and 6’4 Adrian Siravo patrolling the paint waiting to pick off the reverse pass like he’s Devin McCourty…..that’s a pretty effective defense.

 Teams are going to force Riley Marsh (playing very well at the point) and Connor Sullivan (something tells me that kid is coming though in a big moment) to beat them from the outside. Gilford will adjust as teams game plan for them over the second half of the season.

 No team is tougher on the boards, they are very underrated in transition and Acquilano has them playing hard & smart. This is a team that seems to have terrific chemistry on the floor and that is a sign of very good leadership.

 Let’s quickly go through the final four contenders…and in a wide-open division…there are quite a few of them.:

 Conant ( Their issue is scoring, they don’t have the outside shooting to complement an offense designed to get players like Anthony Gauthier going to the rim. Look for them to start to feature Garrett Somero more in the post and set Connor Hart up on the elbow)……….Belmont (Jackson Ruelke & Nate Sottak have been very good in the backcourt and you shouldn’t read too much into the loss at White Mountains, that’s a long trip and Mike Curtis is a good coach…..the schedule is difficult in the second half of the year and the games against Winnisquam (2), Gilford and Somersworth will go a long ways towards determining how many home games they earn)……Campbell ( The concern is their lack of size is too much to overcome. They have great athletes all over the floor but this is a division with a lot of very good guards and good teams aren’t turning it over against them enough to make up for their lack of size defensively and on the boards)……….Winnisquam (this is my sleeper team if point guard Garret Mango can return from injury and they are matched up against a team that can’t kill them on the boards. Phil Nichols is legit and when Gunnar Horman is on this team can beat anyone in the division)…….St. Thomas (Sean Murphy is doing a really good job with this group and kids like Nick Bryan & Nick Guerin win you games with their tenacity. Can they score enough to beat elite teams or is every game going to be a rock fight?)……..Mascoma (A very fun team…one we are going to get out and see soon…Ben Seiler is the next terrific guard in this division. Do they have enough size to beat teams in March or are they a year away?)……Raymond (kids like Nate & Josh Krafton are thriving under first-year head coach Jaryd Piecuch, who is doing one of the best coaching jobs in the state this season. When is the last time we talked about Raymond? I have a feeling they are here for a while)…………White Mountains (They are starting to come together under Mike Curtis and behind Jack Curtis…you do not want them getting a top 8 seed….that’s a trip you do not want to make in March)

 

 Your lower-seeded team that could be a nightmare in Round 1:  Monadnock

 They feel like they are a year away to me but I would not want to see them coming to my gym in March.

 Jake Kidney is a terrific guard capable of scoring 30 on you in the post-season and Jim Hill knows how to win tournament games. Tyler Hebert is a tough guard who makes plays and Kevin Putnam looks poised for a big second half.

 Their schedule will have them battle-tested and in a wide-open division….don’t sleep on the Huskies.

 

 Player of the Year Candidates at the mid-way point: Sammy Stauffeneker of Mascenic Regional, Adrian Siravo of Gilford and Kevin Newton Delgado of Hopkinton.

 Coach of the Year Candidates at the mid-way point: Rick Acquilano of Gilford, Mike Rathgeber of Inter-Lakes (the Lakers are becoming a fun story under Rathgeber) and Jaryd Piecuch of Raymond.

 

 First Team Mid-Season All-State

 Sammy Stauffeneker of Mascenic Regional

 Adrian Siravo of Gilford

 Kevin Newton-Delgado of Hopkinton

 Anthony Gauthier of Conant

 Jake Kidney of Monadnock

 

 Second Team All-State

 Ben Seiler of Mascoma

 Jackson Ruelke of Belmont

 Phil Nichols of Winnisquam

 Jack Curtis of White Mountains

 Brendan Rice of Campbell

 

 With apologies to: Diego Garcia of St. Thomas, Nate Sottak of Belmont, Josh & Nate Krafton of Raymond, Luke Brown of Inter-Lakes, Jacob Hamilton & Ethan Johnson of Somersworth, Shepyrd Murdough of Hopkinton, Joaquin Heller of Campbell, Trey Shaw of Mascenic Regional, Gunnar Horman of Winnisquam and Jalen Lacasee of Berlin

 

  Next Tuesday: Division II