We are back with year seventeen of the Thursday Thoughts, where we will rank the contenders in all four divisions.

 With our Division IV preview only seven days old, we will give them another week (play only began last week) before we rank the contenders, but Raymond made a big impression in Week 1.

 Division IV Preview

 Today we look at the top three divisions leading into our coverage of two games this weekend.

 Pete Tarrier and Patrick Cogan will be in Manchester tomorrow night when Trinity plays Plymouth in a battle of Division II title contenders.

 On Saturday afternoon, Colin O’Neil and I will be in Meredith for a big Division III battle. Campbell will take on Inter-Lakes Moultonborough in a battle of undefeated teams.

 Our preview today is brought to you by our longtime Lakes Region partner Kevin Shaw at Sotheby’s Four Seasons International Realty!

 Division I

 Division I Standings and Statistical leaders

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Brian Pafford of Portsmouth Oyster River and Ryan Francouer of Winnacunnet

1. Bedford- Zach Matthews's team got exactly what it needed against Thornton Academy of Maine, a true early-season test. The two-time defending champions were tied 14-14 at the half but earned a 35-21 victory behind the legs of Brody Helton (178 yards and two touchdowns) and the arm of Jack Maye (237 yards and two touchdowns). Peter Suozzo had 109 receiving, two touchdowns, and an interception in the win.

2. Londonderry—The Lancers were beaten by St John's Prep (MA) (St John's is a wagon..) but remained undefeated with their 30-7 win over Salem in Week 1. Up next is a test from a good 2-0 Concord team tomorrow night.

3. Exeter—I could tell in the pre-season phone call with head coach Bill Ball that he really liked his team, and we can see why. The Blue Hawks have spread the carries between Daniel Batstone (203 yards rushing) and Tyler Bland (208) and outscored their first two opponents 78-12. Next up is the home opener against a Portsmouth-Oyster team that beat them a year ago.

4. Pinkerton Academy—The Astros have three big-time playmakers in Matt Morrison (five touchdowns in a Week 1 out-of-state win over Andover Mass.), Jamie Isaac (81 yards rushing in just two carries against Portsmouth-OR last week for a healthy 40.5 yards per carry average), and player of the week nominee Aiden McDonald, who threw for 175 yards and three touchdowns last week. Big test down the highway at Windham on Saturday.

5. Alvirne- The Broncos were a great story last season, going from zero wins to four and a playoff berth. Their wins, though, came over teams with a combined record of 5-29. It was a good season but one that lacked a marquee win. They have that marquee win after their 20-13 victory over Salem. Through two weeks, Mike Landmesser has earned the CCSNH/Adrenaline Fundraising Player of the Week, and is leading Division I in rushing with 264 yards.

6. Nashua South- Scott Knight's 'They Look like They Might be a Year Away' football team may have arrived. The 22-0 victory over Keene was a statement win and followed an overtime win over Bishop Guertin. Cody Jackson (310 yards passing) and player of the week nominee Sam Levine have been terrific. 

7. Windham—Jack Bryne's team is still somewhat unknown, but that will change by four o'clock on Saturday after they face Pinkerton at Mount Jaguar.

8. Winnacunnet—The Warriors' defense stepped up in a 13-6 victory over Spaulding. DJ Sciacca led the way with nine tackles, while Logan Brown, Dylan Palm, and Oscar Miringu combined for fifteen. Next up is 0-2 Manchester Central before a rivalry-week showdown against Exeter.

9. Concord- The Tide rolled to a 45-14 win over Manchester Central on Saturday behind 130 yards rushing for Tim Fahnbulleh and now face powerhouse Londonderry on their home field Friday night.

10. Merrimack—The Tomahawks earned a 27-6 win over Timberlane and now face a better-than-their-record 0-2 Goffstown team in their home opener.

Division II

Division II Standings and Statistical Leaders

Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Chris Sanborn of Plymouth and Robin Bowkett of Souhegan

1. Pelham- Even with only four starters back, an injury that has sidelined their starting quarterback, and a coaching change only days before the season opener, the Pythons keep rolling along. Junior McKinnon came up huge in last week’s 23-12 win over John Stark, rushing for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

2. Plymouth—The Bobcats have outscored their first two opponents 96-0 but now get their first big test of the season tomorrow night in Manchester against Trinity. Look for Tom Lamb’s defense to try to bottle up the Pioneers' running game and force Rob Cathcart’s team to win by throwing the football with Oliver Service.

3. Souhegan- The Sabers have cruised to lopsided wins over St Thomas (37-14) and Con Val (41-0) behind the play of Ryland Raudelunas (the third-leading rusher in the division with 298 yards) and one of the best offensive lines in the division. Next up is a good test in Weare against John Stark.

4. Trinity- The Pioneers have grinded out good wins over Hanover (27-21) and Kingswood (35-27) behind the passing of Oliver Service who leads the division with 327 yards. The question for Rob Cathcart’s defense, can they get Plymouth off the field and can they get the ground game going? We’ll find out tomorrow night.

5. Bow—The Falcons needed a bounce-back win and earned it at Merrimack Valley on Friday night, 23-13. There were positives to be taken from the win; the defense led by Jackson Hall, put the Pride in a lot of second and long situations. There were also aspects that need to be cleaned up as Blow fumbled the ball at the one with a chance to put the game away and allowed MV to score thirteen straight points in the second half. Next Up is a dangerous Kingswood team.

6. John Stark- The Generals inexperienced offensive line has held up well for head coach Ray Kershaw and QB/S Joey Dykstra is in the early discussions for player of the year. Stark only trailed Pelham 8-6 at the half last week after earning a good opening night win over Merrimack Valley the previous week. Next up the Souhegan Sabers before the schedule starts to ease up.

7. Hanover- The Bears offensive line has been as good as advertised as David Frechette leads the division in rushing with 334 yards. They’ll face their biggest test to date when they square off with the #1 team in the division and two-time defending champs tomorrow night.

8. Manchester West- It’s been a strong start for Andrew Provencher’s team as Gio Doria (178 yards passing) and the combo of KeShawn Foster and Jerome Henert have combined for 241 yards on the ground. Next up is a good test against an experienced Con Val team that beat Kennett on opening weekend.

 Division III

 Division III Standings and Statistical Leaders

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Josh White of Sanborn

1. Campbell- The Cougars have cruised to two lopsided wins to open the season (that 28-7 victory over Laconia looks better after the Sachems beat Gilford last weekend) and now face Inter-Lakes Moultonborough on Saturday afternoon, a game we'll be covering. Can the Lakers control the clock and keep Scott Hershberger (366 yards through two games) and the Cougars' offense off the field for stretches of the game?
2. Inter-Lakes Moultonborough—Guy Donnelly's team is going to try and stretch the field with Alec Adorno (305 yards passing in their season-opener) to get their athletes Brogan Donelly, Wyatt Buhrman, and Jacob & Garrett Heyward in space. The Lakers' best chance to win is with big plays rather than 8-minute sustained drives.
3. Newport- The defense was the story in an impressive 16-0 victory over Stevens. Aaron Fellows led a balanced offensive attack that will spread the ball around more than they did a year ago.
4. Monadnock- There is a big-time game in Swanzey, with Newport coming to town. The winner gets the tiebreaker in what should be a close race in the West.
5. Stevens—The Cardinals' short-handed offense, still missing Karter Thyne, could not get on the board against Newport, but with upcoming games at Kearsarge and Lebanon, they have a chance to get to 3-1 before a showdown at home against Monadnock.
6. Somersworth- Seth Worrell stepped up with a big game, 113 yards rushing and a touchdown, in a 22-13 win over Epping-Newmarket. Next up is 0-2 Sanborn before they face off with top-ranked Campbell.