Back with the Thursday Thoughts as we come to the last two weeks of the regular season.

 We will have coverage of two games tomorrow night;

 Pete Tarrier and Patrick Cogan will be in Pelham when the defending champion Pythons take on the Souhegan Sabers in the regular season game of the year in Division II.

 I will be in Kingston tomorrow night with Ian Melewski when the red-hot Sanborn Indians take on the Laconia Sachems.

 Our column is brought to you today by our longtime partners at Nashua Community College, who will have an open house on Wednesday, November 15th.

 Click on their banner ad in this article for more information!

 Division I

 Standings, statistical leaders, and Gold Level Coaches/Programs
 

1. Bedford- The Bulldogs rolled to a 46-7 win over Concord as the rushing attack averaged 16.7 yards a carry, and their quarterback had a perfect passer rating of 158.3. They’ll play an out-of-state game this weekend against Thornton before a season finale against Merrimack, the last team to beat them. They sit as the #2 seed behind fellow unbeaten Pinkerton Academy.

2. Pinkerton Academy- Brockton (MA) may be down, but that was still an impressive 42-13 win by the Astros on Saturday behind a huge game from Caden Michaud. Now it’s a showdown with Salem on the road Friday night. 

3. Londonderry- We saw the Lancers for the second time on Friday night, and they didn't disappoint, shutting out Exeter in a 35-0 win. Eleven players carried the ball for Londonderry with an average of 8.9 yards per carry. At the same time, the defense held Exeter to 3.6 yards per carry.

4. Portsmouth-Oyster River- Brian Pafford’s team is passing every test you put in front of them. Brooks Connors (115 yards and a touchdown rushing against Windham) has given this team another gear offensively, and the defense has been elite. They have tough tests left: Merrimack at home on Friday night, followed by a trip to Timberlane. They are the #3 seed right now, but a lot can change in two weeks.

5. Salem- This is the Pinkerton/Londonderry regular season-ending gauntlet we talked about back in the preview, and to this point, Steve Abraham’s team has passed every challenge. The Blue Devils have a high seed in the playoffs wrapped up. What’s at stake is a top seed and home-field advantage for one or even two playoff games. First up is Pinkerton tomorrow night.

6. Dover- Yes, the loss to Portsmouth-Oyster (24-22) was tough, and Bedford showed them they have a ways to go to get to the top two weeks ago, but Eric Cumba’s team is right where they want to be heading into the final two games of the season. A good win over Timberlane last weekend has them in line for a home playoff game. They first have to take care of business at Concord tomorrow night before a showdown at Exeter to close the regular season. The Green Wave has the pieces and have put themselves in a very good position. Now, it's time to close strong.

7. Exeter- Right now, Dover is playing better football than the Blue Hawks, but Bill Ball’s team still has a strong chance to finish ahead of them. They’ll take on Manchester Memorial this weekend before they face the Green Wave on senior night next week. The issue for Exeter right now is that they cannot run the football against good defenses, and that puts a ton of pressure on a defense.

8. Nashua North- Good get-right win over Goffstown last week behind a huge game from Steven Rosario (one of our candidates for player of the week). Now they face a Keene team playing for a spot in the playoffs after a lopsided loss to Bishop Guertin before closing the season against Division II Milford.

9. Bishop Guertin- Can we put BG and Souhegan on the turf field at Stellos and watch them light up the scoreboard like a pinball machine? They still have pinball machines, right? Anthony Nalen’s offense put up 34 points and 253 yards through the air in the victory over Keene and wrapped up a spot in the playoffs.

10. Alvirne- I want to give some love to the Broncos, who improved to 3-3 after a 28-0 win over Winnacunnet. Last season, Alvirne went 0-9 and was outscored by an average margin of 43-7. Those players went through a lot but showed up all winter and summer to get better and are now reaping the rewards. Aiden Mills ranks second in the division in rushing with 776 yards, while the defense has been led all season by Ayden Kelly (ILB), Ryan Rocheleau (ILB), Kyle Dufour (S), Brody Orr (S) and defensive end Cam Porter.

Division II

Standings, statistical leaders & Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Pelham- We know all about the top two teams in the division. Let’s break down tomorrow night's showdown.

2. Souhegan- There is a feeling among multiple coaches that I spoke with that no one, including Souhegan, is going to have a lot of success running the ball against Pelham between the tackles, so look for Sabers head coach Robin Bowkett to get creative. He will need to find ways to get JJ Bright the ball in space and use him as a decoy to give QB Romy Jain looks downfield to receivers like Cole Manning and Connor Cassidy. Pelham wants to make Jain as uncomfortable as possible. If Memphis Patterson, Aiden Lynch, and Russell Leonard can get to Jain, as Timberlane did earlier this season, it’s going to force Souhegan to speed things up, and that’s usually when turnovers occur. Tom Babaian’s team will give Dom Herrling and Jake Ciuilla fifteen-plus carries and try to wear an improved Souhegan defense (led by Brayden Hickman, Sam Stevenson, and Luis Toledo) down. Pelham is tough defensively up the middle, but they also have the athletes to beat you to the edge. Souhegan has to try and keep that defense off balance and hold up on the defensive line. The Pythons are the clear favorite going in, but if there is one team that can beat them, it’s the Sabers.

3. Plymouth- The Bobcats may not have a superstar, but they are a well-balanced football team. They’ll give each of their primary backs (Eli Crane, Robbie Thorne, Ben Valenti, and Gabe Kean) carries in bunches. This lets them get a rhythm and keeps the group fresh for the fourth quarter. Luke Diamond can beat you downfield, and Emmit Nossaman is terrific defensively. They now face two of the best three teams on their schedule to close the season, beginning with a trip to St Thomas tomorrow night. They’ll finish the season hosting Sanborn in a game that could decide the top seed coming out of the East and #2 overall.

4. St. Thomas- Ed McDonough’s team is taking on a lunch pail persona. They go about their work, are tough, and get the job done. They earned a good win over Bow with their defense in the red zone that gave themselves a shot the #2 overall seed. The Saints defense has to avoid the Plymouth twelve-play-seven-minute drives that have been wearing teams down since the 1980’s. Last week's win came despite only passing for 15 yards. To beat Plymouth, they will need to complete some passes down the field. It should be a good one in Dover.

5. Sanborn- We get our first look at Sanborn tomorrow night when they host Laconia. In their 23-20 win over John Stark, Josh White’s team had only 213 total yards of offense but made big plays on both sides of the ball, including a game-sealing interception, to earn a terrific win.

6. John Stark- The fact that John Stark vs. Sanborn was as big a game as it was speaks to the job of both coaching staffs and the kids on the field & sidelines. Ray Kershaw has always looked at the General's rebuild as a slow build, and with a playoff berth sealed up, they have arrived. Terrific job by both programs.

7. Hanover- The Bears rolled to a 44-16 win over Manchester West but had to do it without all-state standout Jeff Vidou. They now face a Gilford-Belmont team who is coming off a good 27-7 win over Merrimack Valley and is playing for their playoff lives. This is going to be a score to watch for tomorrow night.

8. Bow- They’ll need a bit of help, but if the Falcons can beat Pembroke and Laconia to close the regular season, they should get in the playoffs. This is a team who has greatly improved since the beginning of the season but it’s been a missed assignment here and broken tackle there that has cost them. Last week it was their inability to score in the red zone against St Thomas. Still, there is a clear path back to the playoffs if they can close strong. 

 Division III

 Standings, statistical leaders, and Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Campbell- The Cougars got a challenge from Con Val last Saturday in a game that was tied 14-14 at halftime before pulling in away in the second half. Reigning player of the year Scott Hershberger suffered an ankle injury but should be back soon. Glen Costello’s team has the week off (Kearsarge week) before a season finale against Fall Mountain.

2. Trinity- The Pioneers rolled to a 56-10 win over Epping Newmarket and host Fall Mountain this weekend.

3. Inter-Lakes Moultonborough- Terrific win by Guy Donnelly’s team at Fall Mountain last Friday night. The defense held the Wildcats to 70 total yards as quarterback Brayden Arruda threw for 170 yards and three touchdowns. If the Lakers can close the regular season with wins over Kingswood and Con Val they should end up as the three-seed and a date with Trinity in the semifinals.

4. Fall Mountain- Orion Binney’s team closes the regular season against the best two teams in the division and become out of town score watchers after their loss to the Lakers. The Wildcats need Monadnock to lose to Epping Newmarket or Kingswood in either of their last two games to ensure a playoff spot.

5. Con Val- Matt Harris’s team went toe to toe with Campbell for a half before losing 36-21 as Elliot Featherstone ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Next is a trip to Claremont to take on Stevens in what should be a very good football game. 

 Division IV

 Standings, Statistical Leaders, and Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Newport- Good news for the Tigers as Kyle Ashley returned to the field in a 48-6 win over Franklin. Ashley carried the ball 6 times for 81 yards and two touchdowns while Kobie Curtis had his best game of the season with 157 yards and two touchdowns.

2. Somersworth- The Hilltoppers will be the two-seed in the upcoming playoffs and wrap up their regular season this weekend against Winnisquam.

3. Raymond- The Rams get another shot at a title contender when Newport comes to town this weekend.

4. Franklin- The Golden Tornadoes can earn a playoff berth with a win over Bishop Brady this weekend.