We start our football previews with Division I.
 

A Concord high school football program with a long history of competing for state championships  was, for most of the past decade, the team full of hope in August that ended up being just good enough to break your heart in October.

 While programs like Pinkerton, Nashua South, Exeter and Salem found themselves as the last team standing come November Concord always seemed to be one key win short or in some years, left out of the conversation all together. That’s what made their improbable run the story of the 2013 high school football season.

 Behind a pair of lightning fast running backs, a linebacker who seemed to be everywhere across the field, a young QB who time & again made a play when it absolutely had to be made and a wide receiver who doubled as a member of the pep band…Concord beat Pinkerton to finish the season undefeated.

 They finished their run in front of a record crowd that had waited a long time for a Saturday afternoon like the one Brown’s team delivered.

 Now it is Brown’s mission to make sure it is not a short stay at the top. “ If people are picking us to win it all that’s a very nice compliment, but we lost an awful lot of important players from last year. When we started practicing again it became an entirely new team.”

 Today we take a look at Division I where nineteen teams will vie to become the story of the 2014 season.

 East (Top two teams qualify for the playoffs)
 

1. Exeter
2. Portsmouth
3. Winnacunnet
4. Spaulding
5. Dover

 Few programs in the state have been a better example of the ‘Next man in line’ philosophy that every player on the roster has to be ready to not only step in but contribute at a moment’s notice than the Exeter Blue Hawks. That’s coaching and few are better than head coach Bill Ball.

 The Blue Hawks will run their offense behind one of the better offensive lines in the division led by all-state lineman Chris Henry and Neil Vorster. “ Neil is really a staple of our offense,” said Ball. “ He’s a smart, intelligent player and a very good leader for our football team.”

 Grant LaButte and sophomore Kyle Ball have battled for the quarterback job throughout the pre-season and Coach Ball anticipates both players being a factor throughout the season. Chris Kelley returns at running back along with Shane Quimby & Mark Cicchini. “ A lot of the pre-season becomes more of trial & error as we solidify a lineup from the depth we have,” said Ball of working in his new starters. “ I think we’ve played pretty well but you’re still fairly anxious with a lot of new guys in bigger roles.”
 Defensively Vorster will play at defensive end while Cicchini, Kelley and Kyle Ball lead a strong secondary for the Blue Hawks.

 Portsmouth head coach Brian Pafford didn’t ask to be moved up to Division I after a runner-up finish in Division II last season, but he’s not ducking from the challenge either. “ The kids have embraced (the move up). We scrimmaged Pinkerton in the pre-season and although we were on the wrong end on the scoreboard the kids felt they could compete. If you can compete with Pinkerton you can compete with anyone,” said Pafford.

Connor DiCesare steps into the quarterback role left by 2013 Division II player of the year Donovan Phanor, now playing at Stonehill College. DiCesare doesn’t have Phanor’s quickness…few do..but he has a very good arm and enough experience to comfortably step in from day one. “ He’s thrown the ball well and gotten enough reps during games last season to know how to run the offense. We are very comfortable with him behind center.”

 The Clippers will be without bulldozing running back and nose guard Mikel Toar for the first two games of the season but when Toar does return he’ll happily introduce himself to each and every linebacker that comes over to greet him. “ I’ve watched opposing players stop trying to tackle him late in games because he just dishes out so much punishment when he runs,” said Pafford of his all-state back. Joey Auger returns in the backfield and is joined on offense by exciting sophomore slot receiver (say that three times fast..) Christian Peete in offensive coordinator Johnny Iofolla’s spread attack.

 Kevin Mills’ defense will be led upfront by the big three of Justis Mattis-Clark, Evan Jones and Quinton Desjardins. “We’ll be hurting on defense, especially early on, because of the loss of Mikey (Toar).” Auger and Peete will have to step up in a young secondary as the Clippers must face Spaulding and Bedford in the season’s opening two weekends. “ We are very young but they’re working hard, once all that effort combines with instincts on where to be in the right spot we’ll see improvement.”

 If you need to hand your offense over from a two time all-state quarterback like Inghao Veasna there are worse ways to go through it than handing it over to the kid down the hallway. Winnacunnet head coach Ron Auffant knows his son Brian has been paying close attention and after a year in which Brian contributed as a slot receiver he now gets the keys to the offense. “ Brian has stepped in, he needs game experience at the position like anyone else but I’ve been fairly surprised at how good the offense has looked early on,” said Auffant of his new signal caller.

 The Warriors return only two starters on offense and five on defense but Auffant has a lot of confidence in his backfield of Bobby Brown, Christian Larosa and Mike Lewis. The offensive line, led by Patrick Witt and Cody Pierce, will be a team strength as a cast of newcomers adjust. “ We’re real happy with the offensive line right now, we have had some good tests in the pre-season and the line has held up well.”

 The defense will be led by a strong linebacking core of Derek Clough, Dan Fields, Larosa and Lewis, who started last season as a sophomore. “ We are really young but we’ve got some speed and the kids are physical defensively. I think you’re going to see a pretty wide open conference and maybe the tightest race of any in the entire division. We hope to be a factor and that all depends on the young players stepping into new and bigger roles.”

 The Spaulding Fighting McIsaacs are used to being counted out before the games even begin. In a  conference where four different teams could easily end up as the top seed Spaulding has as good a shot to end up back in the post-season as anyone. Jeff Hunt’s team will again rely on a strong rushing attack even after the graduation of all-state back Trey Scott. Brendan Matthias and Anthony Diprizio will lead what looks to be a RB by committee.

 Casey Craig is a standout at linebacker and will serve as an offensive battering ram from the fullback position. Nate Burke will anchor the offensive line for a team whose biggest challenge may be replacing the leadership and production from not only Scott but defensive leader Colton Craig.

 Dover head coach Ken Osbon has coached in enough big games, with teams possessing enough talent & toughness to compete for championships, to know he is outmanned this season. Four straight seasons of low numbers for his football program have left him with 26 varsity players and many of his 22 starters coming from his sophomore and even his freshman class. “ We had 40 freshmen come out this year which is great, but you can’t throw freshman into a Division I level of play and that’s where we are at today. That is our reality,” said the veteran head coach.

  Dover will rely on quarterback Jack Priester, a 6’2 athlete with a strong arm, to try and connect the talented wide receiver duo of Dwayne Gordon and Josh Brandin. “ We feel really good about Jack as our quarterback but we have to be able to keep him upright. Right now our line play and the depth on our lines, is our biggest concern. Depth solves a lot of problems for a program and right now, we don’t have it.”

 Pete Tarrier & I return to the radio every Saturday morning from 8 to 9 am on WGIR 610 AM or 96,7 FM on the seacoast.

 Listen online every Saturday morning on the link below:
 http://www.iheart.com/live/WGIR-AM-610-2752/

 Our guest Saturday will be Portsmouth Head coach Brian Pafford.
 
North
 

1. Concord
2. Bedford
3. Goffstown
4. Manchester Memorial
5. Manchester Central

 Would you like to talk about 2013? Concord head coach Eric Brown does not, “ We aren’t even talking about it because the 2014 team hasn’t done a thing yet. We have a lot of key guys returning so there is certainly a level of expectation with what we are capable of with this group but right now we are just trying to get better every week.” Leading that returning cast will be quarterback Robbie Law, running back Leo Sudeih and wide receiver Jacob Szulc. Tyler Martel and Jayln Stone will contribute from the WR spot while Kevin Suarez is a running back/wide receiver to keep an eye on (“He’s had a good pre-season for us,” said Brown).

 Wyatt Labombard will be depended upon to anchor both the offensive & defensive lines. “ We feel good about our line play but we won’t have the depth there we had a year ago.” Kris Skinner will work alongside Labombard on the line on a defense led by middle linebacker Will Scharlotte. “ Will is just a tremendous leader for us,” said Brown. “ He is a no nonsense type of kid and he is really the emotional leader of this team.”

 If depth is an issue across the division it won’t be a problem in Bedford (The coverage of Bedford is sponsored by HK Photography & Bedford Dental Care Assoc.) where head coach Kurt Hines, the kind of guy who makes you want to start running wind sprints every time you talk to him, has a deep team capable of playing until the last Saturday of the post-season. “ The kids have really put a lot into this season, going back to off-season workouts,” said Hines. “ I think we are faster across the board and I like the way we’ve looked early on.”

 Mike Vailas moves over to the quarterback position with no shortage of athletic ability or pedigree. “He’s a great runner, right now what he is improving on is reading and reacting to what the defense shows him.” Michael Collins and Colin Cashin will run behind a line that Hines feels is very solid from guard to guard. 6’3 220 lb. Gardner Gendron has been a nice addition after not playing football a year ago.

 The Bulldogs defense has the chance to be elite under new defensive coordinator Sean Donahue (“He’s been terrific for us,” said Hines) and behind the play of all-state DE Eric Glassman and LB Tommy O’Rourke, recovering from a jaw injury over the summer. Ryan Bell will contribute at linebacker while Cashin has been very good in the pre-season at O.L.B.

 Goffstown is primed to be one of the most improved teams in the Division under head coach Justin Hufft. The question is whether people will notice in a conference as tough as the one they’re in. “There’s no question we have the chance to be a very good football team but right now we’re not there yet,” said Hufft after his teams win in the Queen City Jamboree. “ When we have everyone healthy I think we have the chance to really compete in a very good conference.”

 The Grizzlies will have to start the season without all-state quarterback Casey Gervais as he recovers from a shoulder injury. In his place Matt Collins has played well in the pre-season since moving over from the wide receiver spot. The goal of the offense is to get electric running back Connor Bourque the ball in space...as many times as possible. You do that and a lot of problems seem to go away quickly.

“He’s just a tremendous runner with great instincts. When he is clicking along with Gervais, we have a ton of potential there,” said Hufft. Josiah Brown will contribute in the backfield while Christian Marquis and Paul Pixeira lead a good group of wide receivers.

 Hufft sees the need for a lot of improvement on the defensive line but expects big contributions from the likes of Tim Comeau and Christian Melanson. Cam Bond will lead the linebacking group while Zach Comeau and Justin Warner man the Grizzlies secondary.

 Manchester Memorial (whose coverage is sponsored by 900 Degrees Pizzaria) head coach Peter Colcord has the pieces to run out another elite offense in 2014. What he needs is more depth, or a lot of good fortune when it comes to injuries. “ It always seems to come back to depth and on the lines especially, we don’t have a lot of it. We just don’t have the size or the numbers to feel safe from handling injuries,” said Colcord.

 Mitchell Coy steps in at quarterback for the Crusaders and has steadily improved over the course of the pre-season. “ There is still a substantial learning curve with Mitchell but we see progress,” said his head coach. “ He’s very athletic and right now as he works on his reads we will see what he’ll be able to do with all of that ability.”

 The line will be anchored by Clay LeGault, Tom Grant and Tom Joyce while Nkongolo Harmal could become a big factor for the Crusaders at wide receiver.

 As far as ability there are few better than running back Daquan Henclewood, who Colcord sees having a breakout season. “ He’s been working really hard and when he gets in space he is tough to catch.” RB/CB Isaac Velez opened a lot of eyes with his play against Manchester West in last week’s jamboree and will bring a tough attitude to a defense that needs to improve for the Crusaders to play into November.

 Ryan Ray’s Manchester Central team will again have one of biggest offensive lines in the division but must replace all-world running back Jesiah Wade and QB Richie Greely who moved away from Manchester in the off-season.
 
South
 

1. Pinkerton Academy
2. Salem
3. Londonderry
4. Timberlane
5. Merrimack

 
 The Pinkerton Astros have never been the type to order up a truckload of ‘Runner-up’ jackets and after falling one game short of a state title a year ago legendary head coach Brian O’Reilly’s team returns focused…and really talented. “ I like the make-up of this team. We’ll obviously miss a player like Manny Latimore but we may be better built for the Wing-T this season,” said O’Reilly four days after his team defeated Concord in the Queen City Jamboree.
 
  Jack Hanaway is the team’s undisputed #1 quarterback after manning the position for a good chunk of last season, a development that leaves his head coach with one less thing to worry about. “ Last season I look back on the pre-season and realize we probably dedicated too much time to the quarterback competition. This year that has been decided and it allows to you move forward faster,” said O’Reilly. “ Jack is a great kid, all you could ask for in a leader and I know our reputation comes from our ability to run the football but he can throw the ball pretty well too.”
 
 T.J Urbanik returns as one of the top backs in the state. He will run behind an offensive line led by 6’5 275 lb. tackle Noah Roberson and 6’4 300 lb. Hayden Sturdevant. Tight end Austin Whitehead is a transfer from Florida with a ton of upside, “ We’ve been really impressed by how he has been able to pick things up and his hands are like a vacuum,” said O’Reilly. “He’s a player who could become a go to guy for us.”
 
 Justin Poitras, Jason Hanson and Mike Curley make up a very strong linebacking core in front of a secondary led by Urbanik, Riley Cahill and safety Peter Cyr (“He’s just a tough, tough kid,” said O’Reilly). The Astros also will get a big advantage in the kicking game from Kyle Cantalupo, who is one of the best punters and place kickers in the state. “ I can vividly remember losing a championship game to Exeter where their punter constantly put us in bad field position, so Kyle’s importance to what we are doing is not lost on me.”
 
 The Salem Blue Devils (the coverage of Salem is sponsored by Merrimack Valley Sports) have garnered a lot of buzz in the pre-season and built upon that with a wire to wire victory over Trinity in the Queen City Jamboree. John Cerrentani returns at quarterback alongside talented wide receiver/tight end Austin Homsey. Sean Nartiff anchors a solid offensive line as the Blue Devils look to take one step further than they did in a promising 2013 regular season a year ago.

  West
 

1. Nashua South
2. Bishop Guertin
3. Nashua North
4. Keene
5. Alvirne

 The attention of Nashua South head coach Scott Knight moves from a quarterback looking for as many practice reps as possible in Durham to a pair of quarterbacks capable of leading the Purple Panthers to the final Saturday of the postseason. Malik Langa has competed for the #1 job with Shayne Holland, formerly of Phillips Exeter Academy. Knight wasn’t sure earlier this week who the winner would be, but he was quite sure both players were going to help his team win. “ They are both terrific athletes and whether it is from the quarterback position or wide receiver, we want the ball in their hands,” said Knight.

 In addition to losing all-state QB Trevor Knight to graduation the Panthers were dealt a big blow when all-state wide receiver Robbie Smythe was lost for the season with an injury. “ You don’t replace a kid like that, you ask the next guy to step up and we have a few players who seem prepared to do that.” Xavier Williams has had a big camp while the running attack is in good hands with Andrew DeCarteret. Josh Perry and Collin Morrow will play major roles as slot receivers and each return from last year’s playoff team, “ (Morrow) has a chance to play a very big role for us with the loss of Smythe.”

 Defensively Nashua South has a chance to be one of the best units in the state with nine returning starters. Jesse Klaus is a difference maker from the free safety position (“He comes downhill and just cleans everything up for us back there,” said Knight) while Brian McKinley returns at linebacker after missing time last year with an injury. Thomas Aussant and DeCarteret will join McKinley at the linebacker spot.

 If any team looked ready for prime time at the Queen City Jamboree it was Travis Cote’s Bishop Guertin Cardinals who swept past Manchester Central Friday night. “ I thought we really took a big step forward as far as our play and execution over the last week and that’s obviously a good sign.”

 BG will have some options at quarterback as J.T Hiscoe and Kyle Cushion battle it out for the starting nod. “ We’ll end up using both of them throughout the season, it will really depend on the match-up,” said Cote. “ We have confidence in both players.” Jackson Housman and Kelvin Rivera will be the primary running backs for the Cardinals and can usually find a seam in the defense behind the lead of fullback Brandon Levesque. “Brandon is just a smart kid,” adds Cote. “ He’s a player who helps with protection and opening holes for the backs. He’s just a tough, solid kid.”

 BG got a boost on the offensive line with the additions of Matt and Ben Beals who came over from Trinity late in the summer. Both will start on the line and contribute right away. David Hannah and Kurtis McLarney are both returning starters on the line for Cote’s Wing T offense. Chase Hughes, Drew Sanborn and Thomas Hart lead a very good linebacking group while Cushion and Rivera will lead the BG secondary.

 Nashua North has a team more than capable of playing in the postseason, their biggest obstacle may simply be the conference they were assigned to. “ We’re coming along in practice and I like the athletes we’ll be able to run out there this year,” said head coach Jason Robie. “ We know how tough the competition is so we’ll have to be ready from day one.”

 Colby Gunter will get the start at quarterback with Jeff Baldassari and Jared Levesque likely seeing time as well. Myles Cassin-Reed and Dana Salem will run behind an offensive line led by 6’2 270 lb. Matt Lavalle and Joel Symes. Robie feels like his defense has a chance to be a very good unit and points to a very strong secondary as part of that optimism. “ We feel like we have the athletes this year to be able to put seven men in the box and go with man to man coverage with our secondary.” Greg Stanton, Phil Pereria and Dylan Salazar lead a very good group of linebackers for the Titans.

 The Keene Blackbirds made it all the way to the Division I semifinals a year ago before falling at home to Pinkerton Academy. Gone from that team are 20 of 22 starters but head coach John Luopa re-loads with a team ready to carry on Keene’s reputation as one of the toughest match-ups in New Hampshire. “We’re very young and inexperience forces you to be very vanilla at this time of year in regards to what you are running,” said Luopa. “I think we have the chance to be pretty competitive though as the season goes along.”Dallas Landry takes over the quarterback role with a name straight out of central casting.

Tim Lane is one of the few returners from a year ago and will lead the offense from the backfield. “ Dallas is a very good athlete and we know what we have in Tim,” said Luopa. Chanse Glinka will get carries as well as being spread out at receiver. John Link is a 6’4 190 lb. split end while Glenn Gagne has a chance to be a difference maker at tight end for an offense that early on is a bit ahead of the defense.

 Lucas Lower will get considerable time at the flanker spot while Phil Davis helps anchor the offensive line. With players like Hunter Massucco returning Luopa feels like he has the potential to be in it until the final weeks of the season, and possibly further. “ We’ve got some size and athleticism. Right now it’s about how they handle new positions and assignments when the lights turn on.”
 
 Playoff Predictions

 First Round:
 Portsmouth over Exeter
 Concord over Bedford
 Pinkerton Academy over Salem
 Nashua South over Bishop Guertin

 Semifinals

 Pinkerton Academy over Portsmouth
 Concord over Nashua South

 Championship
 Concord over Pinkerton Academy