With one month until the end of the regular season, we break down all four divisions where all four pre-season #1 teams remain the favorite four weeks in.

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 We’ll have coverage of two games tomorrow night:

 Colin O'Neil and I will be in Somersworth for a showdown of the two best teams in Division IV when the Hilltoppers host the undefeated Newport Tigers.

 Pete Tarrier and Ian Melewski will be in Manchester when the Trinity Pioneers square off with the Campbell Cougars in a battle of the last two undefeated teams in Division III.

 We also want to welcome three new members to our Players Locker Room: Harris Jones of Milford, Tiger An of Windham, and Londonderry goalie Reagan Delude!

 Division I

 Division I Standings and Statistical Leaders

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Brian Pafford of Portsmouth-Oyster River, Ryan Francouer of Winnacunnet, and Jack Bryne of Windham.

1. Londonderry- The Lancers have developed a program that can sustain injuries to all-state performers without missing a beat. A year ago they won when Aidan Washington went down and this season they press forward without all-state lineman Tyler Miles (who is lost for the season with a leg injury). In the 31-6 win over Pinkerton, it was the defense that stood out for Jimmy Lauzon’s team as Trevor Weinmann, Dylan Wrisley, and Ryan Pemberton led the way.

2. Exeter- Pete Tarrier was dead on when he predicted the Blue Hawks were going to have their hands full against winless arch-rival Winnacunnet. It was the defense, led by Bradley Richard, Ethan Moss (who is putting together a player of the year worthy season), and Evan Pafford, who pitched a shutout and Moss’s game-winning field goal that got them out of Hampton unscathed.

3. Bishop Guertin- They have rolled early on but it’s about to get a lot tougher for John Trisciani’s Cardinals. Their next four games are against Winnacunnet (that defense is very good), at Londonderry (maybe you’ve heard of them..), Bedford (quietly coming together nicely), and at Nashua North (we will be there for that one).

4. Nashua North- Thoroughly impressed by the Titans as they continue to roll. Jack Peters (ILB), Toby Brown (if you haven't heard of him welcome to the website), Darius Smith (DT and only a sophomore), fellow sophomore Luke Peters and Jordyn Raisanen-Andino have all be outstanding for Chad Zibolis's team.

5. Pinkerton Academy-  They’re going to have to get over the loss to Londonderry quickly with a good Salem team coming in this weekend.

6. Bedford- The Bulldogs face a young Nashua South team before huge back-to-back games on the road against Exeter and Bishop Guertin. If you’re talking about the best tight ends in the state, Cal McAuliffe is in that conversation.

7. Timberlane- We’ll see these guys in two weeks when they travel to Rochester to play Spaulding but first up is #2 Exeter, who Kevin Fitzgerald’s team will host this weekend. Eddie DiGiulio (291 yards) and QB Dominic Coppeta (279) have done an excellent job running the football as the Owls await the return of Dan Post.

8. Spaulding- Wow…I was late on this one and let’s walk it back and figure out why. The win over Alvirne was great for this program (I’ve been writing Kevin Hebert and his staff had the program on the right course for years) but I also knew Alvirne would struggle. The win over the team from Maine was predictable as well. They picked up a huge road win over a good Portsmouth-Oyster River, a game they trailed for three and a half quarters until a pick-six changed the momentum…..but beating Dover the way they did… was impressive. The offensive line has been the single biggest surprise and has greatly contributed to the 4-0 start. That unit has been led by TJ Tavares and Jackson Rup.

9. Concord- Climbing up the rankings and gaining confidence by the week. The Tide have been a wrecking ball running the football as an offensive line led by Noah Blake, Nate Feudner and TE Austin Wells has led the way.

10. Windham- Jack Bryne’s team has a chance to string together some wins with home games against Alvirne, Manchester Memorial, and Manchester Central coming up.

Just outside the Top 10: Dover, Salem, and Portsmouth Oyster-River

 Division II

 Division II Standings and Statistical Leaders

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Robin Bowkett of Souhegan, Chris Sanborn of Plymouth, Sam Cavallaro of Hanover, Chris Lones of Hollis-Brookline, Keith Jones of Milford and Scott Stearns of Kennett.

1. Souhegan- Sophomore Romy Jain’s numbers against Lebanon (it’s going to be a very long year for the Raiders); eight completions in nine attempts for 179 yards and five touchdowns for a passer rating of 158.3. I don't really follow sports but that seems pretty good..

2. Gilford-Belmont- Quarterback Isaiah Reese had to leave the Pembroke Academy win after being rolled up on but older brother Jalen took over and completed all seven of his pass attempts for 78 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a touchdown as well. A big rivalry game at Laconia looms this weekend...don't sleep on the Sachems.

3. Pelham- On Saturday November 9th 2019 The Pythons lost a quarterfinal game (in a game we covered) to Plymouth 14-12. They have not lost since…

4. Hanover- We’ll get our first look at Sam Cavallaro’s team next week when they travel to Souhegan in a game that could have tie-breaker implications down the line.

5. Bow- The totality of their 34-6 win at Milford surprised me. Terrific bounce back effort by the Falcons after their loss at Gilford the week before. Ryan Lover was terrific once again with 137 yards and a touchdown while Hollis Jones (88 yards and TD) also averaged over eight yards per carry.

6. Plymouth- We are going to find out if the Bobcats are true contenders this weekend when they face the top ranked Sabers. This has the look of a good team that has taken care of business against solid teams they were expected to beat. Souhegan will be a major test and then Gilford-Belmont comes in the week after.

7. St Thomas-  I thought the rout might be on after Kennett, who came into Friday night averaging 43 points per game, went right down the field on their opening drive to take a 7-0 lead on the Saints. The Eagles never scored again. St Thomas found a defensive identity and now they look to carry that forward at Pembroke Academy this weekend. This is a very well coached football team by Ed McDonough and his staff.

8. Kennett- I still believe in this team and was actually pretty impressed by the Eagles, they were just done in by their own mistakes (turnovers and costly penalties) and Evan Koroski (he’s a terrific football player) getting banged up in the second half. Big one at Sanborn, coming off their first win of the season, this weekend. I haven’t lost faith in Scott Stearns' team.

 Just outside the Top 8: Merrimack Valley

Division III

Division III Standings and Statistical Leaders

Gold Level coaches/Programs:

1. Trinity- Impressive 28-0 win over Monadnock last week in Swanzey. We got quarterback Jack Service’s stats after we had posted the player of the week poll but he deserves mention for his performance against the formerly unbeaten Huskies; completing 8 of 17 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 43 yards and another score.

2. Campbell- We are excited to cover Glen Costello’s team this weekend when they head to Manchester. The Cougars need to do what Monadnock was unable to, score early, control the clock and make sure Division III’s leading rusher Scott Hershberger (639 yards on the season) has the running lanes to pull the upset.

3. Monadnock- They will bounce back this weekend against Con Val before a showdown with Campbell next weekend. If Trinity is able to beat Campbell tomorrow night, that game would likely decide the 2-seed and homefield in the semifinal round.

4. Fall Mountain- Great effort by Owen Riendau, who rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns against Con Val last weekend, earning him a player of the week nomination. The Wildcats averaged 7.4 yards per carry for the game and now face winless Kingswood this weekend.

Just outside the Top 4: Inter-Lakes Moultonborough

 Division IV

 Division IV Standings and Statistical Leaders

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs:

1. Somersworth- Let’s use this space to preview the game of the year in Division IV, which we will have full coverage of Friday night. The battle in the trenches is what I’ll be looking at early on and it’s how 80% of Division IV games are decided. It comes down to who is able to hold their blocks and get off of theirs. The Hilltoppers have three all-state performers in their backfield; Jeff DeKorne, Calvin Lambert (325 yards rushing in limited playing time), and Tayshawn Sheppard (181) and an offensive line that hasn’t been truly challenged yet. Remember, although they are the defending champs…Somersworth has not beaten Newport. They were blown out in the 2020 championship game and dropped the opener to the Tigers last season. They get their shot to flip the script tomorrow night.

2. Newport- John Proper's team needs to be able to run the football, Kyle Ashley is a big/physical quarterback and Tyler Gobin leads Division IV in rushing yards with 481, and take their shots down the field. WR Kayden LaClair gives this team a dimension they haven’t had in recent years. Somersworth is well aware of who he is and the threat he poses, he’s a player who can turn a 2nd and 8 into a 70-yard touchdown in one play. The Tigers defensive line gets their biggest test of the season and they are well aware that most people are expecting them to lose tomorrow night.

3. Bishop Brady- Sneaky big game this weekend at Newfound…also that 18-13 road win at Raymond two weeks ago looks pretty good on the resume.

4. Raymond- That was an eye-opening (42-6) win over Winnisquam. Quarterback Trey Donahue was terrific in the win, throwing for 224 yards and 5 touchdowns in the victory.

 Division IV

 Division IV Standings and Statistical Leaders

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs:

1. Somersworth- The Hilltoppers were clearly the better team in their win over #2 Newport. The defensive line led by Cam Dubois, played very well while their offensive line opened up holes for Calvin Lambert (236 yards on the ground and Tayshawn Sheppard (165) while protecting Jeff DeKorne. For the next two weeks, it's 3-1 Raymond and 3-1 Bishop Brady as the champs look to wrap up the top seed in the postseason.

2. Newport- There is still work to be done for the Tigers who face a Bishop Brady team that can put up points this weekend. Kyle Ashley was a force at defensive end for John Proper’s team and I was impressed by the open-field tackling of WR/CB Kayden LaClair.

3. Bishop Brady- The defense has improved but will face their most difficult test of the year when they face Tyler Gobin and a Newport offense that wants to run the football and keep the Giants offense off the field.

4. Raymond-  Trey Donahue earned a player of the week nomination with his performance (296-yard passing and six touchdowns) against Mascoma. Next up is the best defense in the division.

 Player of the Year Candidates: Calvin Lambert and Tayshawn Sheppard of Somersworth, Kyle Ashley of Newport, and Trey Donahue of Raymond.

 Coach of the year candidates: Brendan Johnson of Bishop Brady and Jeremy Lambert of Somersworth