UNION LEADER/WGIR/WMUR FOOTBALL POWER POLL The top 10 high school football teams in New Hampshire, as voted by the staffs of the New Hampshire Union Leader, WGIR AM and FM, and WMUR-TV after Week 10 of the 2013 NHIAA season, with first-place votes/points in parentheses:
 

THIS WEEK                                                                        

1. Concord, 10-0 (6/60)                                          

2 Pinkerton, 8-2 (52)                                                           

3. Keene, 8-2 (50)                                                   

4. Nashua South, 8-2 (36)                               

5. Exeter, 7-3 (35)                                              

6. Portsmouth, 9-1 (28)                                    

7. Bedford, 7-2 (24)                                                 

8. Manchester Central, 7-3 (20)                            

9. Plymouth, 9-1 (17)                                              

10. Trinity, 8-2 (4)                                                     

Also receiving votes: Spaulding (3), Bishop Guertin, 6-3 (1)

Here's how I voted...

1. Concord...another week, another #1 ranking for the Crimson Tide following yet another convincing win.  The 53-14 shellacking of Manchester Central in the North conference Championship Game served noticed that Concord is not just a regular season wonder and that they mean business in pursuit of a Division 1 title.  Next up for the Tide is 2-time defending champ Exeter.

2. Keene...the Blackbirds sent my Nashua South Purple Panthers packing in the Western conference with a dominating 2nd half performance led by a ferocious D and a power running game on offense.  I seriously doubt anybody wants to tackle Keene QB Alex Parenteau coming out of the backfield, especially when he gets a head of steam.  And when they are able to mix in an effective short passing game to keep opposing defenses honest they are really tough to beat.

3. Pinkerton...their Final Four game on the road at Keene on Saturday should be a real treat to watch...and we'll have the NHSportspage.com video camera on the scene to bring you all the highlights.  I wasn't there, but it seems like the Astros barely broke a sweat in a 55-7 beat down of rival Londonderry on Saturday.  MUCH different level of competition this weekend.  I can't wait to see it!

4. Nashua South...if only the Panthers didn't have to face Keene, they'd probably be undefeated and moving on into the next round.  Keene handed them their only 2 losses of the season in similar fashion, breaking open both games in the 2nd half after playing pretty much even in the 1st 2 quarters.

5. Portsmouth...survive and advance is a well known playoff mantra...and that's exactly what the Clippers had to do against a tough Merrimack Valley team in a 37-34 win in the D2 East conference title game on Saturday.  Now Portsmouth hosts a Trinity team that beat them 58-37 in the season opener.

6. Plymouth...with Portsmouth just squeaking by in their last 2 games I was tempted to move a once again dominant Plymouth team ahead of them on my ballot.  Alas, I decided to give the Clippers the nod over the Bobcats for at least 1 more week thanks to Portsmouth's head-to-head win in the Land of Lenahan in the regular season meeting.

7. Exeter...a lot of people had written the obituary on the Blue Hawks title defense heading into the playoff game in Rochester last weekend.  Not this guy!   I was just never sold on Spaulding as a true contender and I had too much faith in coach Bill Ball and the heart...talent and sheer numbers they still have in Exeter.  That said, do I think they can pull off an upset in Concord?  No, but I also picked Pinkerton to beat them in the D1 Championship Game each of the last 2 years and we all know what happened there.

8. Manchester Central...this is another situation where I almost voted the Little Green behind Bedford, who Central beat head-to-head to close the regular season and send the Bulldogs home without a playoff berth.  But after some considerable deliberation I had to go with the team that actually won the game that they needed to win instead of the team that I really think is better.  Should be an awesome Manchester Turkey Bowl vs Trinity in a couple weeks.

9. Bedford...every time I look at my ballot it just seems wrong to me that this team is as low as I have them ranked.  Look, being considered the 9th best in a state where there are 57 football playing teams ain't too bad.  But it still seems like a disappointing season for Bedford.  We'll find out what coach Kurt Hines has to say about it on Saturday morning at 8 when the Bulldogs head man joins Dave Haley and me in studio for the "NH High School Football Show" on WGIR AM 610/96.7 FM.

10. Trinity...I can't understand what the heck happened in each of the 2 meetings between Trinity and Windham.  In the 1st game a couple of weeks ago, Trinity was a no show in a 52-20 blowout.  Then, on Saturday, the Pioneers returned the favor with an equally puzzling 36-0 shutout on Windham's home field in the D2 playoffs.