There have been few teams more dominant during the regular season than Bow high school was a year ago. The Falcons turned Saturday afternoons into an exercise in predictability as they rolled through division opponent’s week after week, giving up only 25 points along the way.

 We watch sports though because nothing is as certain as it seems and on a cold Saturday afternoon in Newport I sat in the stands and listened as the PA announcer updated the crowd on what was transpiring in the other Division III semifinal game in Bow.

Mispronouncing Campbell for ‘Camp Bell’ for four quarters started to matter less & less. What caught everyone’s attention, even the players on the field, was the score. Bow was losing..Campbell, pronounced any way you want, was on the way to knocking them off.

 So a week later at UNH it was Greg Gush’s team that raised the champions plague and nearly trampled our own Justin McIsaac in the post-game celebration (if you want a laugh go right to the 16:10 mark)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUT4MsBj1Wo

 It isn’t going to be as easy for next 10 weeks for anyone as Bow made it look last year. Graduation losses & a lack of depth have brought the Heavyweights back to field. “ I don’t think you’ll see anyone roll through the regular season like you saw Bow do a year ago,” predicted one Division III football coach. “ Most weeks are going to be a dogfight and I think you’ll see it come down to who is healthy in November.”

 Today we roll out the first of our three football previews with a look at Division III as sixteen teams compete for the chance to run McIsaac over on the football field at UNH in November.

 (The top four teams in each conference make the playoffs with the teams reseeded amongst the two conferences once they get there)

 North Predicted Order of Finish
1.Newport
2.Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough
3.Mascoma
4.Franklin
5.Gilford
6.Stevens
7.Fall Mountain
8.Newfound

 The Newport Tigers hung in against Campbell all afternoon in Durham in last years championship game but turnovers & an early injury to QB Tommy Hogan proved too hard to overcome. In 2015 head coach Larry McElreavy has what might be the best starting unit in the division. If the Tigers stay healthy this is a team with a very good shot to get back to the final Saturday of the season.

 If.

“ Having only 33 kid’s means depth is a problem for us,” said McElreavy. “ There are certain positions where I feel very comfortable plugging the next guy in if someone goes down but there are other spots where we really don’t have a capable back-up. It’ll come down to conditioning, technique and certainly, a little bit of luck.” There is no luck in what the best backfield in Division III will provide as both Noah Wade & CJ Lawrence are capable of shaking loose of a tackler and going for huge gains. Wade scored the Tigers lone touchdown in the title game on one such run a year ago and enters the season as a player of the year candidate.

 Lawrence is an all-state performer on both sides of the ball and will carry the football behind an offensive line that features Riley Clayton, Peter Tebow (no relation I’m guessing), Christian Lawrence and Tyler Hall. Dylan McNamara stepped in at quarterback for the injured Hogan in last year’s championship game and has been pushed in the pre-season by Kyle Rossiter and John Hogan (there are 9 Hogan kids..). “ You need more than one guy who can play under center and we feel like we have that,” said McElreavy.

 Christian Lawrence leads the defense from the line and is joined by John Hogan and Jake Dow, who will lead the linebacking group. Wade and Cam Ackerman lead an experienced secondary for a Newport team that gets another shot at Campbell in week 2 of the regular season. “ I really like the way the kids have worked and competed in the pre-season, “ said McElreavy. “ We will rotate kids in & out on both lines. How the new players develop will tell you a lot about how good we will be at the end of the season.”

 Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough head coach Jon Francis has been looking forward to this season since about ten minutes after last season ended. With experience at key positions and one of the best sophomores in the state Francis has the pieces in place for a run to Durham. “ This group has really come together and it is due to a lot of hard work,” said Francis. “ They recognize their potential and are determined to get better every week.”

 The optimism starts with a loaded backfield led by sophomore Andrew Brothers. Joining the talented back is older brother Nick and three year starter Malik Carter. “ There is a good mix of underclassman and experience at that position,” said Francis.

 Brian Kelly will take over at quarterback and play behind an offensive line anchored by Justin Tinker, Tristan Fowns and Chris DeBiase.

 Evan Candage will call the defense from the OLB position and play alongside fellow linebackers Andrew & Nick Brothers, “ I’ve been very happy with the communication between that group.” Malik Carter is a three year starter at cornerback and will direct the secondary. “ We have had a really good pre-season,” said Francis. “ Now it is about reaching our potential and avoiding that season killing injury. We feel like a team that should compete for a Final four spot and that is the expectation this group has.”

 A year ago Franklin head football coach Jeff Kaplan talked about a young nucleus that was going to take their lumps while they learned . Now that same group feels like they are going to be in the mix for a playoff spot for the duration. “ We’re a veteran team at this point,” said Kaplan. “ This group has really come together.”

 The Golden Tornados will feature 15 seniors, 10 juniors and 17 returning starters. Leading the way will be quarterback Kenny Torres who will be spelled at times by Max Joyce. Ryan Grevier and Tom Pellerin will each get carries at the running back spot behind an offensive line led by all-state lineman Pat ‘Patch’ Kaplan. “ We expect to be very strong up the middle, on both sides of the ball,” predicts Coach Kaplan. “This is a system designed to get the most out of the personnel we have.” Austin Lavoie will be utilized at tight end and as a lead blocker in the running game as well.

 Defensively it starts with Kaplan at nose guard. Dillon Scheffer leads the linebackers while Joyce and Garrett Fleming will lead an experienced secondary. “ We have taken our lumps, now it is about competing for a spot in the post-season.”

 No one had to tell Gilford head coach Shawn Garrett how much firepower his team lost from last year but for those that were uninformed you need only look at the two most productive (non-quarterback) offensive players from New Hampshire’s victory over Vermont in the Shrine Game: Kyle Gaudet and Max ‘The Human Hurricane’ Troiano.

 When junior quarterback Carter Mercer, in his second year as the starter, drops back to throw his two safety blankets are no longer there but a group of talented skill position players will allow him to pick & choose who gets the football. “ Carter has done a much better job spreading the ball around in the pre-season this year,” said Garrett. “ He’s gaining confidence in those guys and I see that continuing as the year goes along.”

 Jackson Spooner is going to get the bulk of the carries in a new look backfield. Spooner is a strong kid with good speed and is joined by Max’s younger brother Dominic Troiano, who may have the best hands of any player on the team. Nick Sasseville & Brandon Sasserson will line up on the outside at wide receiver while Garrett has experimented with 6’4 Oliver Roy at the tight end spot. “ Oliver didn’t play a lot last year so he has been a really pleasant surprise this pre-season.”

 Shane Podmore and 330 lb. sophomore Ethan Ormes will anchor an offensive line that has taken its lumps at times in the pre-season. Defensively Spooner leads the linebackers playing in front of a good secondary led by Troiano, Sasserman & Sasseville. “ We are, like a lot of Division III teams right now I’d guess, thin at several spots. There are a couple of positions where I worry that if a starter goes down we are going to be in big trouble. That’s where coaching these kids every day and their development becomes essential,” said Garrett.

 Paul Silva’s Stevens football team is being rebuilt by the core of a very good sophomore & junior class. A year after being one of the youngest teams in Division III Silva has all the playmakers he needs to make it back to the post-season. But does he have the size in the trenches? “ It’s an athletic line but very undersized,” said Silva. “ We feel very good about our ability to create plays but you need time for big plays to develop.”

 Silva is handing the keys of the offense to a freshman as Henri Bourque takes over the reins at quarterback. Bourque has been mentored this pre-season by one of the programs best ever in former Players Lounge member Logan Batchelder, “ Henri is learning every day and it’s been huge to have a kid like Logan showing him the way,” said Silva.

 Leading rusher Richard Bell returns and will be joined in the backfield by Devin Porter, who also saw a lot of game action a year ago. Zach O’Brien will lead the way at fullback while Bourque will throw to one of the best wide receivers in the division in Parker Smith. “Parker is just an explosive player, if we can buy enough time to get the ball downfield to him we know he is going to make plays.”

 The defense will be a work in progress with a lot of new players filling vacated roles. Collin Belt, Zach O’Brien and Richard Bell will make up a very talented group of linebackers while Smith & Porter will lead the secondary. “ There is not much you can do about a lack of size but we can compensate by how hard we work and how good our technique & execution is,” said Silva. “ If we can improve by the week we have a shot to be a pretty good football team.”
 
 South Predicted Order of Finish
1.Campbell
2.Bow
3.Epping-Newmarket
4.Winnisquam
5.Bishop Brady
6.Somersworth
7.Fall Mountain
8.Farmington-Nute 

 Campbell was a team that emphasized rotating as many players into games as they could throughout the season and in November it paid off. While other teams struggled when key players went down or lineman started to feel fatigued the Cougars were the strongest team in the fourth quarter and consequently the last team standing.

 In 2015 the champs have another strong core in place and enough players in the program to be considered the deepest team in Division III. “ The numbers are up this year, “ said Gush of the after effect of last year’s title. “ That gives you more options and because of it we have had some very good position battles going on in camp.”

 Those battles start at the quarterback spot where DJ Simoneau and Hunter Hannon (formerly of Trinity) have each played well in the pre-season. “ DJ was able to get some experience last year, for Hunter, playing in a shot gun offense is brand new to him,” said Gush. “ So it’s been a bit of a learning curve for him but he is a very good athlete and is coming around nicely.”

 Tyler Gannon and sophomore Ryan Yanuszewski (“He’s a big strong kid.”) will each get carries out of the backfield behind an offensive line led by Harrison Vedrani (A Pete Tarrier favorite), Zach Moore, Adam Haywood and Robert Arsenault.

 Gush likes the versatility of his defense which is led by Vedrani and middle linebacker Zach Moore. “ We have a couple of kids that can either play right up in the box or drop back into coverage. That’s the kind of versatility that allows you to really scheme from week to week.” Ethan Quigley will lead the secondary (“He’s the guy making the calls back there for us,” said Gush) for the defending champs. “ It’s such a tough division, our conference in particular,” said Gush. “ It came down to who was playing the best in November a year ago and that will be the case again this time as well.”

 Bow is probably ready to be done hearing about how good their regular season was a year ago. With a new group made up of only five returning varsity players there shouldn’t  be a hangover from that defeat in last year’s semifinals. In 2015 it will come down to how players from last year’s very successful JV team step up.

 The offensive line will be anchored by returning starters from last year senior Tackle Max Johnson, Tackle Skylar O’Reilly along with TE Nate Alford. The backfield will again be strength and is led by Seniors Chris Robbins, Jake Harkins and Gavin Lacourciere along with Juniors Justin Mooney, Chandler Evans and Sophomore Jack Corriveau.

 Sophomore Matt Harkins will take over at the quarterback while other newcomers on the offense are sophomore Nolan Filteau, juniors Alex Berube, Derek Gardner and senior Max Mowry.

 The Falcons defense will be young and inexperienced with only Robbins, Johnson, Lacourciere & Alford returning on the defensive side of the ball. They will be joined by Adam Nelson, Mooney and Evans in the defensive backfield.

 Robbins and Lacourciere will be joined by Corriveau and Jake Harkins at Linebacker. Alford & Johnson lead the defensive line with O’Reilly and Mowry. With 60 players in camp and positions up for grabs Bow is a team that is going to evolve as the season goes along. They weren’t the best team in November a year ago, but with a ton of depth and talent it wouldn’t be a shock if they were this time around.

 Epping-Newmarket head coach Justin Leonard has been at this long enough to know which footballisms are just that, sayings, and which usually bear fruit. In 2015 Leonard has 16 seniors leading his much improved football team and a strong belief that they have what it takes to get to UNH in November. “ In high school football seniors win you football games,” said Leonard. “ I won’t make a prediction on how many games we can win but I love the group of seniors we have.”

 Quarterback Bradley George has competed throughout the pre-season with Jake Bisaillon to run the Blue Devils spread offense. George is more of a playmaker while the 6’2 Bisaillon is a pure pocket passer, meaning Leonard will have options depending on the looks he gets week to week from opposing defenses.

 Jeremy Espo and Alex Toribio will split carries out of the backfield while three year starter Alex Souvannaseng will man the slot receiver role. Leonard has a lot of confidence in wide receiver Matt Furey who came into camp as one of the teams most improved players. “ Matt is a kid who worked really hard during the off-season and because of that he has gotten a lot better.”

 Nick Arsenault (“Just a really solid kid and a good leader.”) and Zach Byrne anchor an offensive line with three starters back. The defense will be led by Souvannaseng at the free safety position, Bradley George at cornerback and Arsenault at linebacker. “ This group of seniors has really worked their tails off in the off-season but more importantly they are just great kids,” said Leonard. “ They are excited to get going and see what we can become as a team.”

 Winnisquam head coach Pat Riberdy can play call with the best of them as the Bears figure to be one of the best offenses in Division III this season. He also is smart enough to know sometimes it is better not to overthink things, “ It’s pretty simple, we want to get the ball in Christian Serrano’s hands as often as possible..”

 The Bears, who have run the pistol offense, will use the all-state performer at both quarterback & running back in his senior season. The coaching staff has a lot of confidence in Hunter Tierney taking snaps at the quarterback position as well and he will be led down the field by bruising fullback Jake Snow. “ We’re young on the line but I think we’re going to cause some problems for other teams with our overall speed,” said Riberdy. “ We want to get our playmakers out in space.”

 Wide receiver and team captain Tim Harmon has had a very strong pre-season and gives the Bears a legitimate deep threat with his size & speed. The offensive line will be anchored by Tyler Moran, Isaiah Singleton and Brandon Havlock.

 Defensively it starts with an elite secondary led by  Serrano & Harmon. Defensive end and future politician Steven Bass-Wagner is set up to have a big year while Tyler Moran anchors the defensive line. Jake Snow, Joey Carr and Matt McHugh will form a solid linebacking core. “ We’re experienced in some spots defensively and inexperienced in others,” said Riberdy. “ As a coaching staff it’s our job to have the younger guys ready to step in and for them to develop as the season goes along. Skill wise I think this is a group that can compete with the best teams in the division week to week.”

 Bishop Brady head coach Matt Shaw realized pretty early last year that the best way to win games was going to be behind the arm of Brendan Johnson. The Giants put up forty plus points on multiple occasions and earned a playoff berth in the toughest conference in the division.

 Johnson has moved on to Holderness Prep after his graduation last spring but several of his key targets remain. The Giants will feature a good group of running backs that include Moses Murenzi, Aiden Plumpton and Patrick Early. “ It’s a good group,” said Shaw. “ Moses is finally learning to lower his shoulders and take tacklers on using his strength while Aiden is a player who can catch the ball coming out of the backfield.” Replacing Johnson at quarterback is junior Mario Fusco, who transferred from Kearsarge Regional and is more of an option quarterback. He will have a talented group of receivers at his disposal led by Rich Sullivan, who caught seven touchdowns a year ago and tight end Chris Thurber, who also started last season.

 The offensive line is anchored by 6’3 300 lb. Tommy Agliata, Craig Newcomb and LT and team captain Matt Fogarty. Defensively Thurber will make the calls at middle linebacker and has shown a real ability to anticipate where the play is going. Connor Doughtery and Paul Wiley, a player Shaw feels like he can plug in just about anywhere, will man the secondary. “ I think you have a lot of balance in our conference and every game is big. We open with Epping-Newmarket and so right away you are in games that are going to matter come the end of the season.”

 A year after Elijah Dejoie took home the NHsportspage Division III Player of the Year and put up numbers comparable only to Tecmo Bo Jackson Somersworth head Coach Dan Hodgdon goes to a running back by committee led by a new quarterback. “ I like the group we have, “ said Hodgdon, “we’re young but talented. It’s going to come down to how much they improve over the course of the season.”

 Matt Menz is a former standout running back who now takes over at quarterback. Nate Levesque is a 6’2 210 lb. battering ram out of the backfield and will be joined by exciting sophomore back Ray Mills, who saw a lot of playing time last year as a freshman.

 The offensive line will be led by Isiah Puchler and Jim McNeil (“He’s had a great off-season for us,” said Hodgdon). Guard Travis Parent is another strong player to build around as the Hilltoppers look to once again to boast one of the best ground attacks in the division.

 The concerns, at least early on, lay with an inexperienced defense. Nate Levesque and Ray Mills will lead the linebacking group while 300 lb. defensive lineman Kiki Oroh has a chance for a breakout season. “ Last year we were a team that couldn’t tackle and all that additional yardage teams were getting after initial contact killed us,” said the veteran head coach. “ We have the pieces to change that this year, it’s about execution when we get out on the field.”