Division I
(4) Exeter at (1) Concord
The coverage of Exeter high school is sponsored by Chad Fletcher at Blue Water Mortgage

 There is a certain symmetry to the fact that the defending champions will travel to the top seed in the 2013 Division I playoffs with their season on the line and their crown at stake.  There is no arguing the fact that since week one of the season Concord has been the best team in the state of New Hampshire, but there is always that alligator blood (copyright Teddy KGB) quality to the defending champs and these Blue Hawks have that feel to them. They’re still the champions until someone takes it from them.

 Which brings us to Memorial Field Saturday afternoon; Bill Ball has publicly stated that this is a different team than the one who lost three times during the season (I can’t remember exactly who he told but we can assume it was Ryan O’Leary of the Portsmouth Herald) and last weekend his team flipped the script on Spaulding in Rochester. Joey Jones has taken over at quarterback for Zach Pafford and although there has been little change in the amount of times Exeter will throw the football on a given day (almost nil) they have found some rhythm as a unit. Jay Inzenga has been consistently good all season long and when it comes to getting those last three yards in the red zone there are few better options than Ryan Kelly.

 On Saturday the Blue Hawks will face the best offense in the state and how they match up with the speed of Concord will tell the tale of how things are going to play out. The Crimson have scored fewer than 30 points in a game only once all year, actually they’ve only scored under forty in four games. There have been games where Wally Ndi, Seimou Smith, Robbie Law or Leo Sudieh have individually been held in check and it hasn’t mattered. There are enough weapons to go around.

 Exeter was a team a year ago that could score quickly behind players like Tyler Grant but this is a different team altogether and one that moves the chains a little more methodically. Concord had success against a Pinkerton team that plays the same style of football (ground & pound) in allowing only 14 points. If they hold Exeter to less than 20 points there is a very good chance Concord is moving on to the title game and it’s simply because no one has held them to 20 points all season long.

 Concord is your clear favorite but Exeter is still your champion. Feels right to see them headed to Memorial Field Saturday to try and hold on to it.
 
(3) Pinkerton at (2) Keene
 How many times have you heard this in your lifetime, ‘It doesn’t matter who the best team is during the regular season, it is the team playing the best when the playoffs roll around.’ Well here you go with example #1,235. Is Keene the best team in the state today? I don’t think they’ve proven that yet (see the team above) but I also don’t hear many teams or coaches clamoring to get them on their side of the bracket either. Pinkerton knows this is going to be a rough trip and as someone who went to college for way too long in Keene I can assure you that the home team will be well represented Saturday afternoon.

 We know the principle players by now, they go by names like Manny Latimore, Alex Parenteau (featuring full playoff beard), Jimmy Heaney and Matt Madden. Don’t discount the chances though of the difference makers coming from a pair of lesser known running backs. Each team features a very strong second option behind their featured back and both promise to be major factors on Saturday.

 Pinkerton’s T.J Urbanick might be one of the top 5 backs in the state for all we know but he’s stuck behind an undisputed top 5 back in the state (I’d say top 2 actually) in Manny Latimore. In the final weekend of the regular season Latimore rested up for the playoffs and all Urbanick did in his place was score five touchdowns. Where were they hiding this guy??

 Last weekend every time Keene needed four yards they put the ball into the hands of Tim Lane and watched him produce. Lane isn’t the biggest guy on the field by a long shot but you aren’t seeing him go down on the first hit either and when he is finally down on the ground it has usually taken a few guys to get him there. He keeps his legs moving and that kind of running is why Keene beat Nashua South twice by multiple touchdowns (does everyone hear that?? They beat them TWICE by MULTIPLE touchdowns..this case is closed..move along).

 Both players are going to figure heavily into the game plan on Saturday because each team needs to establish their running game. Passing the football is a clear plan B and one neither John Luopa nor Brian O’Reilly want to have to rely on.

 A lot has been made of the last time these two programs met with this much on the line(Ryan Mihalko played for my Fighting Irish and Troy Wilkes is my fraternity brother so I’m not picking sides..) but what means more to the here & now is how equally matched these two teams appear to be. These are two very tough teams led by two coaches who have earned a lot of respect around the state and what they should provide this weekend is one of the best games in New Hampshire.

  We will have all the highlights, play by play (remember DVDs are available for every game we cover) and post-game interviews as Pete Tarrier and Jennifer Chick will be in Keene Saturday afternoon.