Back with the Thursday Thoughts as we go over the halfway mark of the regular season this weekend.

 Last weekend was the arrival of ‘they better get a win, or I just don’t see how they’re getting a playoff berth.’ Those kind of games will continue this weekend.

 Keep an eye on these games: Timberlane at Bishop Guertin, Laconia at Gilford-Belmont, Sanborn at Kennett, Con Val at Monadnock, and Manchester Memorial at Dover.

 We’ll have coverage of three games this weekend;

 Patrick Cogan and I will be in Bedford when the defending champs take on Nashua North.

 Pete Tarrier and Ian Melewski will be in Litchfield for a huge Division III showdown as Trinity faces Campbell in a championship game rematch.

 On Saturday, Pete will be in Newport with Colin O’Neil when the two best teams in Division IV square off when defending champion Somersworth comes to town.

 Our column today and all of our Lakes Region coverage are brought to you by our partner, Kevin Shaw, at Roche Realty!

 Check out our new commercial (above), featuring athletes from Laconia and Gilford and produced by our videographer Jennifer Chick Ruth. 

 Division I

 Standings, statistical leaders, and Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Bedford- The Bulldogs get their biggest test of the season (the combined record of the teams they have beaten so far is 3-10) when Nashua North comes to town. The Bulldogs' offensive line has paved the way for a rushing attack that has averaged 288 yards per game. The line has been led by Spencer Henrichon, Jake Benn, and Jake Sheff.

2. Pinkerton Academy- The Astros earned a huge 24-20 win over Londonderry behind a defense that only allowed seven points in the second half. Luke DeLangie was a standout for the Astros, totaling seven tackles (two for a loss). 

3. Londonderry- I know….but I’m not bumping the Lancers down just yet. They’ve dominated every team they played coming into last weekend and losing by four points on the road after having the ball in the final minute with a chance to win it doesn't dull my faith in Jimmy Lauzon’s team.

4. Portsmouth-Oyster River- They go out of state this weekend before they have a huge game at home against Exeter next weekend, followed by a trip to Windham (we hope to be there to cover that one). We will find out if the Clippercats are a genuine title contender over the next sixteen days.

5. Exeter- That was a good win over Winnacunnet. Rivalry games are always tricky, and the Warriors played with a lot of pride and are very well coached by Ryan Francouer. The Warriors will be back; they’re just very young. Bill Ball’s team controlled the line of scrimmage as nose guard Eli Beem led the way with nine tackles.

6. Salem- I don't know when the coach of the year discussions begin, but Steve Abraham’s name should be mentioned immediately. The Blue Devils earned a terrific 33-28 over rival Windham to remain undefeated. Felix Gonzalez led the way with 108 yards and two touchdowns in the win. 

7. Dover- The Green Wave have a take-care-of-business game against an underrated Manchester Memorial team (kick to Chase Burris at your own peril) this weekend before facing a tough four-game stretch to close the season of Bedford and Timberlane at home, followed by road games against Exeter and Concord. 

8. Nashua North- The Titans improved to 3-1 with a rivalry game win over Nashua South. Look for Chad Zibolis’s team to try and get the ball to Luke Peters and Adrian Lazo in space to take some pressure off the running game against the best defense in the state. 

9. Windham- Don’t count out the Jaguars this weekend against Londonderry. Tiger An (453 yards rushing on the season and 177 last week against Salem) can move the chains, and Billy DePietro has played well at quarterback. If the Lancers come in with a hangover from the Pinkerton loss, they can get beat tomorrow night.

10. Bishop Guertin- I had them slightly behind Concord last week and slightly ahead this week after their 28-7 win over Merrimack. The Cardinals are a fun team to watch and feature a very talented group of receivers led by Cody Symnasky (a Division I leading 238 yards receiving), Ronan Balisteri (112), and Connor Lennon (109).

Division II

Standings, statistical leaders & Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Pelham- The Pythons will be undefeated when they square off with Souhegan on October 20th, in a game we will be covering. All-state lineman Memphis Patterson recovered a fumble for a touchdown in last week’s win over Hollis Brookline.

2. Souhegan- Who should sit at number two behind the champs will be settled this weekend in Amherst.Last year’s game in Plymouth was no contest, that won’t be the case tomorrow night. The Sabers want to beat Plymouth with big plays of fifty plus yards that puts the Bobcats in an early hole. Meanwhile….

3. Plymouth- The Bobcats are going to stick to the script; run the football, control the clock, wear Souhegan’s interior defense down and have quarterback Luke Diamond take the occasional shot down field. These are two excellent coaching staffs, led by Robin Bowkett and Chris Sanborn, but no one is showing up trying to trick anyone tomorrow night. The Sabers want to beat Plymouth in space, while the Bobcats want to beat up Souhegan in a phone booth. I expect a very close game.

4. Kennett- Big boy win by the Eagles and one that should give them a lot of confidence. We talk a lot about a very good offense but the defense has only allowed eleven points per game. That unit has been led by lineman Greyson Witchley and a deep group of linebackers that is led by Tavon Porter, Devin Jakubec, Tyler Walcott, Ben Chick and Jason Baker.

5. John Stark- The Generals rolled to a 50-14 win over Manchester West last weekend and will be heavily favored the next two weekends against Hollis Brookline and Hillsborough Deering Hopkinton.

6. St Thomas- The issue for the Saints has been an offense that is only averaging 197 yards per game. The defense is only allowing 12 points per game (remember though they only played Pelham for a half before the game was called due to lightning) but in games against good teams like Kennett and Plymouth, where you are going to need to score twenty-plus points to win, the Saints are struggling to keep up.

7. Hanover- A top four seed is still in play for the Bears but they will have to go 3-1 down the stretch against Souhegan, Manchester West, Gilford-Belmont and Pelham.

8. A Bow/Sanborn/Gilford-Belmont Sandwich- If you think the Bow/Sanborn/Gilford-Belmont sandwich is going to blink then you don’t know the Bow/Sanborn/Gilford-Belmont sandwich. The Falcons got a must win over Milford, Sanborn rolled to a win over Merrimack Valley while my alma mater (and Belmont) did the same against Pembroke Academy behind three Logan Grant touchdowns. 

 Division III

 Standings, statistical leaders, and Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Campbell- Much like the breakdown above of Souhegan vs Plymouth, it’s the interior push of Campbell against a Trinity team with speed on the outside who wants to play this game in space. Neither team has been challenged, so how players react in a close/contested game will be interesting to watch.

2. Trinity- Watch for the special teams and their impact on the game. Devohn Ellis is the best kick/punt returner in the division and in a game that should be a one score game, special teams and turnovers are going to be a huge factor. One final note…both coaches are confident in their quarterbacks (Campbell’s Gavin Osgood and Trinity’s Jack Service) ability to throw the football. So watch for play action shots down the field.

3. Inter-Lakes Moultonborough- The Lakers are 2-2 but they have Campbell and Trinity in the rear view mirror, at least for the regular season. Brayden Arruda, Garrett Hayward and company will be favored the next two weeks versus Kearsarge and Epping-Newmarket (who I would not sleep on). If they can win both games then an October 13th trip to Fall Mountain Regional sets up as a battle for the 3-seed in the playoffs.

4. Fall Mountain- The Wildcats can hit. We saw that up close last Friday night at Con Vall. Tyson Patch, Josh DeVore, Owen Waysville and Murray Spaulding all were impressive in shutting out the Cougars. Next up is a home game against Kingswood with a little momentum behind them before a tough road test at Stevens the following week.

5. Monadnock-Con Val- Let’s watch them settle it on the field this weekend. Watch for Sam Davis, the Cougars talented wide receiver, his ability to make the big play could be the difference in a close game. The loser of this one has a tough road to make it to the 4-seed and a playoff berth.

 Division IV

 Standings, Statistical Leaders, and Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Somersworth- I’m interested to see how Jeremy Lambert and his staff game plans for Kyle Ashley, who has rushed for 284 yards and 8 touchdowns and is just as big of a problem for the Hilltoppers when he is lined up on defense. Expect Tayshwn Sheppard to get a lot of touches on Saturday.

2. Newport- I’m sure they would have rather played last weekend but Newfound was forced to forfeit their match up. This division will look very different one year from now.

3. Raymond-  The Rams earned a good win over Winnisquam, going to Tilton and remaining undefeated after a 28-14 win. They’ll face a Mascoma team who gained some confidence last week after beating Bishop Brady.

4. Mascoma- The Royals edged Bishop Brady, who beat Winnisquam in the opener. That earns them the #4 spot.