Pete Tarrier's UNION LEADER/WGIR/WMUR FOOTBALL POWER POLL Ballot
 

Here's how I voted...and why I voted that way.

1. Pinkerton...fresh off a Week 1 blowout vs Alvirne, I am giving the Astros the nod over Concord because of 3 reasons, 1, Pinkerton beat the Tide 14-0 head to head 2 weeks ago in the Queen City Jamboree(I realize the game didn't count, but it's still a good measuring stick).  2, Concord had a really close call at home against an undermanned Goffstown team(no starting QB Casey Gervais(injury) or RB Connor Bourque(out of town for family/personal reasons).  And 3, I just think Pinkerton is better right now.

2. Concord...the defending champs are still very good with a bunch of talented returners and other veteran newcomers getting their 1st shot to play real minutes.  We'll find out more about this edition of the Tide when they take on Winnacunnet in Hampton on Friday and later in the schedule when they wrap up their regular season with 3 toughies against Bedford, Portsmouth and Exeter.  

3. Bedford...speaking of the Bulldogs, I'm looking forward to seeing them in personon Friday night when they travel to Portsmouth to face the Clippers.  Should be fun watching how Mike Vailas is adapting to his new role at QB.

4. Exeter...same old, same old for the Blue Hawks as they ran the ball right down the throats of their opponent, in this case, Manchester Central at Gill Stadium last week while playing stout defense in a 17-0 shutout win.  

5. Salem...I didn't even have this team on my preseason Power Poll ballot, so placing them 5th after the 1st week may seem like a big jump.  But when you consider the dominating 35-14 performance they had against a good Nashua South team(I had the Panthers 4th in my preseason rankings) in the opener it shouldn't be too much of an issue where they are slotted now.

6. Windham...just like their neighbors in Salem, the Jaguars opened with a convincing win, blanking Hollis/Brookline by a 56-0 count.  Good matchup this week for Windham as they take on rival Trinity in Jag country.  The Pioneers have knocked Windham out of the playoffs the last 2 seasons.

7. Nashua South...so my Panthers(Nashua High Class of 1988) took it on the chin in Salem on Friday.  I still think they are Top 10 worthy.  Too bad for them they have to play host to Pinkerton this Friday so they'll likely start out in an 0-2 hole.  Luckily for them, the schedule eases up a bit after that.

8. Londonderry...I had the Lancers 10th on my preseason ballot, but after the the way they handled BG(my preseason #7 team) in a 28-6 decision, I had to move Londonderry up andthe Cards out.  The Londonderry @ Salem regular season finale on Friday October 31st should be a Halloween treat that could determine the 2nd playoff team in the Pinkerton conference aka D1 South.

9. Portsmouth...welcome to D1 Clippers!  Congrats on the win vs Spaulding!  Now let's see how you fare against the iron of the Division with Bedford coming to town this week.  We'll have the NHSportspage.com video camera in the house for this one in our "Game of the Week" coverage.

10. Plymouth...the Bobcats had a bye in Week 1.  Go figure.  Maybe new coach Chris Sanborn needed an extra week of preparation as he takes over for the legendary Chuck Lenahan?  Lebanon is up 1st for the new regime, followed by a tough three game stretch where Plymouth takes on Kennett, St. Thomas and Trinity.