The Thursday Thoughts looks at the biggest games of Week 3.
 

 Division I

 Salem (2-0) at Pinkerton Academy (2-0)
 The coverage of Salem is sponsored by Merrimack Valley Sports

 Pinkerton Academy breezed to a conference title a year ago without breaking a sweat. That won’t be the case this season and it has nothing to do with the level of play from the Astros who might be the best team in the state right now.

 Salem is the first of three very good tests Brian O’Reilly’s team will get in the conference as the Blue Devils, Merrimack and Londonderry are vastly improved.

 The Blue Devils have the playmakers to give Pinkerton trouble; John Cerretini has played well at quarterback while Robert Pike’s team has gotten good offensive balance from a rushing attack that features Division I’s fifth leading rusher Charles Sibanda. Kenny Calabrese leads a good receiving group and the 2-0 start isn’t the product of a soft opening. This is a team that owns wins over Nashua South and Keene.

 This Pinkerton team has a different feel than the editions we’ve seen the past four or five years. It’s a team without a true superstar (although TJ Urbanik certainly qualifies as elite) and a group with strong play on the lines, terrific special teams and depth at running back.  They are letting their play do the talking and early on, and have the look of a championship outfit.
 
 Bishop Guertin (0-2) at Timberlane (0-2)

 Yes, BG is 0-2. A fact that would have crashed our NHsportspage forum four years ago but those parents/boosters/ (fanatics?) have moved on. That though doesn’t mean there isn’t a high level of concern over at Nashua’s best known catholic high school.

 The fingers always are pointed at the head coach when you start slowly but Travis Cote is not the issue. Travis Cote can coach; his fellow colleagues will tell you that. Losing Jackson Housman in the opener was a huge blow and there is uncertainty at the quarterback position where JT Hiscoe was replaced last week by Kyle Cushion.

 This is an offense playing with a decent if undersized line and when they get big plays it usually comes on the outside behind Kelvin Rivera (also dinged up early in the season) and Brandon Levesque.BG has shown an early pattern of moving the chains but rarely getting into the end zone.
They dominated the time of possession against Londonderry in their opener and had similar long possessions against Merrimack in week 2, but with little or nothing to show for it. At the end of the day they have scored 19 points in two games, and this is a team we have seen score 19 in a single quarter. The offense needs to right the ship in a hurry.

 Timberlane will pose a very real challenge. The Owls can run the football with Tyler Furey but have had their own issues throwing the football with Jason Hughes at QB (5 for 24 in his first two games).

 In a division where nobody resides north of .500 it is way too early and wholly unnecessary to search for the panic button but it is also week 3 and October is nearly upon us. Cote and BG try to right the ship this weekend...

 Listen in this Saturday morning for a special two hour edition of the New Hampshire High School Football Show as Pete Tarrier & I break down the biggest games of the week and preview the Saturday match-ups as well from 7 to 9 am on WGIR 610 AM or 96,7 FM on the seacoast.

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

Our guest Saturday will be St. Thomas head coach Eric Cumba and Merrimack head coach Dante Laurendi
 
 Division II

 Plymouth Regional (0-1) at Kennett (2-0)

 The Bobcats opened with a disappointing 14-7 home loss to Lebanon and now turn around for a crucial showdown with rival Kennett. The Eagles were the pick to win the conference behind 19 returning starters and dual threat quarterback Will Pollard. This is a team with a veteran line and enough playmakers to erase deficits and a senior class you get once every eight years or so. They’re also a group wise enough to realize the conference title is there for the taking. This is Kennett’s moment in the spotlight and you get the sense they saw it coming all off-season.

 Plymouth has a new look offense and only one returning playmaker in running back Justin Robinson. There is just too much uncertainty right now in regards of who is stepping up when you have your backs to the wall. Seven points isn't going to get it done in North Conway Friday night, head coach Chris Sanborn would be the first person to tell you that.

 For the Bobcats this is a test against one of the best teams in Division II with a lot of unproven players playing their first ever significant amount of snaps in a road game. For Kennett this is a veteran crew without a career win against Plymouth, and it is not hyperbole to call this the biggest game of their regular season.
 
 St. Thomas (2-0) at Merrimack Valley (1-1)

  Big game Saturday afternoon as, much like Kennett/Plymouth, a tie-breaker will be earned in the conference race with a win here. Merrimack Valley was the popular pick of the power polls and newspapers in the pre-season but we felt St. Thomas was the clear team to beat and their first two weeks of play has now begun the conversion of those who hadn’t seen the light. This is a loaded football team with senior leadership, strength in all three phases of the game and a junior quarterback, Stephen Hedberg, who has completed 18 of 19 passes this season for 6 touchdowns.

 Merrimack Valley bounced back from an opening night home loss to Kennett to go down the highway and beat Manchester West last Friday afternoon. Recent UNH commit Ivan Niyamugabo and RB Tucker Burt are currently two of the top five rushing leaders in Division II but Niyamugabo hasn’t been able to connect very often with his new group of receivers. A St. Thomas defense led by Danny Rogers, Trevor Martin and Jesse Quintero will try to force him to stay in the pocket and make those throws.  Niyamugabo has the arm strength and decision making, but does he have the playmakers and offensive line in front of him to beat one of the best teams in the division?
 
 Division III

 Bow (1-0) at Stevens (1-0)

 Championship game rematch in a great setting this weekend in Claremont.

 The Bow Falcons were pretty emphatic in Week 1 that they are still the team to beat; holding a good Campbell team to minus five yards rushing and only 75 yards passing in a 35-7 victory. Matt Ehrenberg had a workman like 125 yards on 25 carries while nine different Falcons carried the football.

 Stevens is led by a loaded sophomore class that will have to grow up in a hurry to stay with the champs. Paul Silva’s team features Richard Bell at running back and a defense that is led by a very good linebacking group of Collin Bell, Parker Smith and Bell. Their ability get to those Bow running backs and a young defensive lines ability to keep blockers off of them will be a key this weekend.
 
 Somersworth (1-0) at Gilford (1-0)

  Our two pre-season picks in the division looked shaky at times in opening weekend victories and now get a major test Saturday afternoon.

 Gilford survived a series of bad turnovers (two on punts alone) and penalties to hold off a much improved Franklin team while Somersworth looked very much the work in progress head coach Dan Hodgdon described in the pre-season in beating Farmington-Nute Sunday afternoon.

 Carter Mercer had a good day throwing the ball for Gilford, Max Troiano did Max Troiano things (run/catch passes/tackle) while the Golden Eagles were able to control the clock late in the game running the football with bulldozing running back David MacDonald. The Hilltoppers are still working Hakim Prone in at QB and that comfortable level is only going to arrive with more reps. Elyjah Dejoie rushed for over 160 yards and will be the focal point of Shawn Garrett’s defensive game plan on Saturday.