For the past sixteen seasons, we have taken a look at each division at the midway point, and today, we break down Division IV.
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The teams I could see winning the championship in March: Woodsville and Concord Christian.
I know what you're thinking; it's a short list.
It would be a longer one if the question was which teams I could see advancing to the championship game, but we are forecasting who could be the last team standing.
I see the best team from the north country and the best team in the south as the only two teams capable of winning four playoff games.
Woodsville has the best starting five in the division. Ryan Walker is the best point guard in Division IV, and Landon Kingsbury has increased his scoring average from 14.2 points per game last season to 22.6 this season.
Cowan Kimball and Jacob Putnam have stepped into more significant roles after coming off the bench last season and producing, while Devin Sabina may be the team's most improved player.
Owen McClintock serves as the sixth man, but after him, the rest of the roster has scored under ten points combined all season. Jamie Walker's team does not have depth, but if they can stay healthy, it shouldn't cost them a shot at the title.
The Engineers average 65 points per game and hold most teams in the forties. With games at Littleton, Gorham, and Profile still on the schedule, a top seed is not assured, but you get the sense that when they need 25 points from Ryan Walker, he will deliver.
Add to that a coach who has won three championships, and you have all the pieces to win a fourth.
The strength of Greg Farland's Concord Christian team is its balance across the lineup. Five players average between fourteen and seven points per game, and it's all led by pass-first point guard Logan Duffy.
TJ Charbono (13.9) gives the Kingsmen a shooter with range on the wing, while Luke Farland (12.0) has been a really good addition.
Jack Owens leads the team in rebounding, Isaac Kirby is one of their best defensive players and Jaden Young (12.1) has picked up where he left off last season, doing all the little things that help you win.
Your only concern about CCA is their schedule. While Woodsville will play ten games against teams ranked in the top 10, Concord Christian will only play five.
Their toughest remaining test comes on Tuesday when they travel to Dover to play a good Portsmouth Christian team.
Littleton has been better than expected. Trevor Howard has done a terrific job with an almost entirely new team compared to the one who lost to Profile in the championship eleven months ago.
I wouldn't count them out, and how they fare against Woodsville the second time around at home (they dropped the first meeting 58-38) could vault them into this group.
Portsmouth Christian is a team to watch. They compete hard for Derek Summers and are starting to defend better.
Newmarket might be the best defensive team in the division under Nick Farrer, but they will have nights, like they did at Profile on Friday night, where they struggle to score.
The dark horse team that could make a run: Gorham
Isaac Langlois (27.0 ppg) can drop thirty on you in a big playoff game, and that alone makes them a team you want to avoid.
Kids like Jack Saladino understand how to win big games; we've seen them do so on the baseball and soccer fields. If Gorham gets hot late in the season and gets the right draw in the tournament, they could make a run to the final four.
The lower seed that could pull a 14 over a 3 or 13 over 4 level tournament upset: Lin Wood
Matt Manning's team has five starters from last season, a capable scorer in Mason Clark (17.5) and players like Brodie Murray and 6'3 Dylan Blood capable of scoring in double figures against a high seed.
The Lumberjacks have wins over Profile, Mascenic, and Colebrook and could be tough out in the first round.
Mid-Season First Team All-State
Ryan Walker of Woodsville
Isaac Langlois of Gorham
Landon Kingsbury of Woodsville
Cai Summers of Portsmouth Christian
Jaron Labranche of Newmarket
Second Team
Sam Reagey of Littleton
Blake Snyder of Epping
Hunter Parks of Groveton
TJ Charbono of Concord Christian
Luke Farland of Concord Christian
Mid-Season Player of the Year: Ryan Walker of Woodsville
Mid-Season Coaches of the Year: Nick Farrer of Newmarket and Mark Collins of Groveton
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