When you are talking about Division I football you could probably trademark the term ‘Pinkerton & everyone else’ and make some decent money with it. 

 You see when a school with 3,300 students and a Hall of Fame coach cruise to the championship the way the Astros did last November it’s easy to feel like you are among the many have nots in Division I. 

 In reality a closer look at the state of Division I on the eve of a new season paints a much different picture.

 There is a better balance of talent amongst the top eight teams in the state than any other time in the last five years.

 If someone is running away with it, their hiding that fact in plain sight.

 Although try selling that to opposing coaches today. “Pinkerton may not be as strong as they were when they rolled through Bedford (in the Division I championship game),” said one prominent Division I coach, “but you take that kind of talent, all that depth and a great coach…and they’re still going to be tough to deal with.”

 In other words the proof will have to be in the results.

 Maybe the better question is: who has the best chance to be there on the final Saturday of the football season?

 Today we try and answer that in our third and final football preview, when we take a look at Division I.
 
East Conference Predicted order of Finish

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

 The buzz in the pre-season centers around the champs (Pinkerton), the up & comer (Goffstown) and the dark horse (Timberlane). It’s a safe bet no one is happier about that than Bill Ball over at Exeter. Only three years removed from the Blue Hawks last championship they somehow are the team flying temporarily under the radar. “In our conference it always starts with Exeter as far as we are concerned, they’re always the team to beat,” said Portsmouth head coach Brian Pafford.

 Maybe only somewhat under the radar…

 The Blue Hawks return five starters on each side of the ball and look to again be in the mix for a title run after a semifinal appearance a year ago. Kyle Ball returns at quarterback and has impressed his head coach with his improvement. “He’s very comfortable at the position after playing there last season and having an entire off-season,” said Bill Ball. The junior quarterback will be joined in a loaded backfield by Mason Wallace, Jackson Allen and fullback Cam Flanagan. Tight end Hunter Long is one of the best in the state and will block alongside a line headed by DJ O’Donnell and Tom Christiani. “It’s a new backfield but they’ve stepped in pretty well here in the pre-season,” said Ball.

 Defensively a good linebacking group includes Mason Wallace, Sam Kalish , Hunter Long and DJ O’Donnell. “They’ve been willing to be physical as a group and are coming along,” said Ball. “ We get right at it with a very good Timberlane team on opening night so they will have to grow up quickly.” Jackson Allen and Cam Flanagan will direct traffic in the secondary as Exeter looks for a second consecutive conference title under the new Division I alignment.

 If anything has become certain in high school football over the last eight years it’s that when one elite quarterback leaves at Portsmouth another one follows.

Exit Connor DiCesare. Enter Cody Graham.

 “ He’s the real deal,” promises head coach Brian Pafford of his sophomore who threw over 35 touchdowns as the JV quarterback a year ago. “ He has patience most sophomores don’t have and when he gets out of the pocket & scrambles he gives us a whole different look we didn’t have last season.” When Graham drops back to throw, and in Johnny Ioffola’s offense he is going to drop back quite a bit, he is going to have weapons galore. The question is going to be the strength of the line protecting him.

 Joey Auger is back at running back after a breakout season a year ago while Christian Peete should emerge as one of the best slot receivers in the state. 6’5 Joey Glynn will move to the outside and play wide receiver and promises to be a target of Graham once the Clippers get into the redzone. Jake Lorenz, Ryan Edney and the speedy Shon Parham, who Pafford calls the team’s best open field runner, will make up a very dangerous group of receivers.

 The offensive line suffered heavy graduation losses and will need to emerge if Portsmouth is going to make a return trip to the playoffs. “ The offensive line is a work in progress right now and frankly it has to come together quickly,” said Pafford who may or may not be referring to a Week 2 date with Pinkerton. Alex Gladu is the only returning starter on the line as newcomers like Kevin Moore are expected to step up.

 Kevin Mills’ defensive unit will feature an elite secondary headlined by Auger & Parham at cornerback and Graham at free safety. Peete is an emerging talent at linebacker for a unit that lacks the size of recent Clippers teams. “ We have to compensate for our lack of size along the lines but I’m very happy with our skill position players,” said Pafford. “ It’s a young group but one with a lot of potential.”

 If you are one of the smaller schools in the division you likely will have seasons where a young nucleus is going to have to take its lumps. In the best cases, that team uses the experience to produce a big season. Last season was a year of youth, injuries and flat out bad luck for a very good football program at Winnacunnet. Head coach Ron Auffant is now hoping the growing pains are behind them. “It seemed to be one thing after another last season and the fourth quarter just killed us,” said the veteran head coach. “ We stayed in games long enough to lose them late and you hope that the experience a young group had a year ago makes us a better team now.”

 Standout running back Brian Auffant, the coaches son and among the walking wounded a year ago, moves back to his natural position at running back while Pat MacDougall takes over at quarterback. The move gives the Warriors two elite runners when pairing Auffant with Mike Lewis, “Running back should be a strength for us this season, both of those guys are tough runners,” said Auffant. Logan Keane and James Morse will line up at the wide receiver spot while Liam Viviano will play slot receiver. Three starters return to a very good offensive line: all-state tackle Pat Witt, Derek Clough and Gabe Paster.

 Lewis and Clough will lead a solid defensive unit from the linebacker spot along with Phil Antonio and John Ferrelli. Witt and Seth Provencher will head the defensive line where Auffant will look to rotate players in & out to keep the unit fresh and avoid any more fourth quarter dissapointment. Viviano will be a key member of the secondary. “ We have some really good leadership with this group and a lot of underclassman with experience,” said Auffant. “ It’s going to be a battle every week.”
 
North Conference

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

 
 There were many people who believed that at the end of the season Goffstown was not only a good enough football team to be in the Division I playoffs but also one capable of making noise if they had gotten there. You know who disagrees with that? Justin Hufft, and he happens to be the head coach. “ At the end of the day we didn’t earn our way in and that’s the message this season. Take care of business when you have the opportunity.”

 The Grizzlies have size, experience and two of the best players in the state as they try to win one of the most competitive conferences in the division. The optimism starts at quarterback with senior all-state starter Casey Gervias, “ He is a true leader on this team and when your best players are also your hardest workers their teammates will respond to that,” said Hufft. “ Casey is a great kid and a multiple sport athlete who really comes to play every single day.” While Gervais brings a sense of humor to his leadership all-state running back Connor Bourque brings intensity & toughness. “ Connor is a very tough competitor and we feed off of that.”

 Franklin Castillo-Diaz and Andrew Duval, who Hufft expects a big year out of, will line up at the wide receiver spot for a potentially explosive offense. Tim Comeau gives the Grizzlies yet another all-state caliber talent at TE while Jack Nordin anchors a big offensive line.

 Defensively Goffstown will feature Damian Jackson and Ian Routhier at linebacker while Zach Comeau and Justin Wanner are a pair of experienced seniors who will man the secondary. “ I’ve been really pleased with the level of execution we’ve had in the pre-season,” said Hufft. “ We have a very tough schedule and a lot of respect for every team on it. We will compete every week and see where we end up. Whatever happens I know that this group will have earned everything they get. They’ve put the work in to have a very good season.”

 A year after falling one game short of their first Division I state championshipBedford rebuilds behind a veteran offensive line and a new head coach as Derek Stank takes over for Kurt Hines, who is now coaching in San Diego. “It’s nice to have a very good offensive line to rely on,” said Stank. “ It gives our offense a good starting point.” All-state center Bobby Heald leads the talented group while Nick Leahy and Sean Tierney will get the bulk of the carries at running back early on.

 Sophomore Connor Robert takes over at quarterback and will throw to a group of receivers that includes Thomas Reynolds, Colby Smith, Tucker Levine and TE Tim Miller. “Connor has showed good poise in the pre-season,” said Stank of his first year starter.

 The defense has to replace eight starters and will do so behind Danny Flynn and Bobby Heald at linebacker. Tucker Levine will lead the Bulldogs secondary while Stank is looking for contributions from a pair of talented newcomers at defensive end: Jake Gregson and Kyle Jalbert. “ The players came to work over the off-season, the attendance was terrific, now it comes down to what we can show on the field,” said Stank.

 It is usually cause for panic when one of the best quarterbacks in school history graduates but Concord head coach Eric Brown knows Jacob Lewis was preparing for the day he took over. “ Jacob has been in our system, quarterbacking the JV for a few years, so he is ready. He is a very good ball handler and his size (6’3) helps him in delivering the ball downfield,” said Brown.

 Lewis will have talent all around him at the skill positions as all-state back Leo Sudieh returns for his senior season, “ He has really run the ball well,” said Brown.  “ Instead of trying to make everyone miss he is lowering his shoulder and using his strength to move some piles.” A loaded backfield will include Kevin Suarez and George Tarwo, any of which is capable of a huge night. “ We have a lot of confidence in each of those guys,” said Brown.

 There are a lot of new faces on the offensive line as Brown and his staff still are working on the right combinations. Ben Nelson will anchor the line from the center position while Kody Hardy will work alongside the newcomers. “ There are a lot of challenges with a new group so we are taking it slow,” said Brown.

 Nelson and Chris McAllister will lead the defense from the linebacker position while Tarwo is set to have a huge season at defensive end. Sudieh and Chris Mcclellan lead the Concord secondary. “ Last season the race to get into the post-season went all the way to the last weekend of the season,” said Brown. “ I don’t see it being any different this year.”

 (Manchester Central’s preview was written Pete Tarrier)

 If you saw the Manchester Central Little Green in their 21-7 loss to Timberlane in last week's Queen City Jamboree you may want to get another look to see what they really have to offer this season.  Coach Ryan Ray's team was without 7 starters a week ago vs the Owls because of various injuries, most of them minor.  Ray played 2 different quarterbacks in the game against Timberlane and he says you'll likely see more of the quarterback rotation with seniors Jacob Stanko and Anthony DiMauro splitting time this year. 

 The Little Green are always known for their strong line play on both sides of the ball, especially on the offensive line where they have 5 seniors.  The biggest of the big guys is 6'3, 345 pounder Zach Lansing who helps keep opposing pass rushers at bay on one side and serves as a massive run stuffer on D.  The depth on the Central lines was weakened when they lost RG/DT Will Lyons to an ACL injury.

  On defense, senior LB Israel Karasi has been named a team Captain and is expected to play a major role while DBs Jason Lam and Alex Revere look to protect the back end.  Another thing Central always seems to have is a number of quality running backs to carry the ball I their pro-style offense.  Look for junior Josh Thrasher and sophomore Jeremiah Rivera to be a big part of the Central ground game.
 
 South Conference

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

 Pinkerton will once again enter week 1 as the team to beat, their depth, talent and coaching staff nearly guarantee they will compete for championships year in and year out. It would be a mistake though to assume the 2015 season is going to follow the same storyline as a year ago.

 Pinkerton lost arguably their best offensive lineman Hayden Sturdevant when he enrolled in prep school and head coach Brian O’Reilly tempered all the talk about a likely repeat with news that the imminent return of all-state back TJ Urbanick was anything but imminent. Urbanick will likely miss the entire year with a knee injury he suffered during track season.

 An injury to Ryan Coombs in the Queen City Jamboree only reinforced the point: all that depth Pinkerton boasts is going to be called into action right away. “ What was our strength a few weeks ago, our running backs, is no longer a strength,” said O’Reilly of the recent injury news. “We have a lot of confidence in the players that will step into those roles but it is different personnel. No one will feel sorry for us, nor should they, but we are a team that is very much a work in progress on both lines and right now we aren’t able to get anyone off the field whether it be 3rd & 8 or even 3rd & 12.”

 Ryan Albrecht takes over at quarterback after a strong pre-season and will be joined by a running back by committee that includes Brett Dattilo, Mike Curley, Matt Newman and fullback Nicco Buccieri. The line will be a work in progress because of three new starters as O’Reilly predicts there will be week to week changes in the starting lineup.

 Defensively Curley is one of the best linebackers in the state and he leads a unit that includes strong safety James Tulley. If there is one constant it is place kicker/punter Kyle Cantalupo, “ He has a huge impact on the game for us with our special teams,” said O’Reilly.All of which leaves the Astros with more questions than assurances heading into the season.

 A veteran quarterback, an all-state running back and one of the most exciting skill position players in the state. It’s not hard to figure out why there is a lot of buzz surrounding Kevin Fitzgerald’s Timberlane Owls in the pre-season. “This group has really started to come together and I like what I’ve seen so far,” said Fitzgerald.

 It starts with QB Jason Hughes who can spread the ball around to several playmakers, “ He has started since mid-way through his sophomore season so his understanding of what we are trying to do is off the charts,” said Fitzgerald. “ He and I are in sync as to what we want to do offensively.”

 Tyler Furey has been banged up during the pre-season but is an all-state back when healthy while Jakob Post is one of the best underclassman in the state. “ We are going to move Jake around and try to get him the ball in space,” said Fitzgerald. “ We want to be very creative about where we line him up.” Justin Maguire, Ben Sargent and junior LT Allen Rendo, who Fitzgerald said has had a great off-season, will anchor the offensive line.

 Defensively Zach Thibeault, Travis Hall and Austin Hall will lead the linebacking group in what should be a hard hitting defense. “ Any win can never be taken for granted in this division, it’s a battle every week,” said Fitzgerald of his team with playoff aspirations. “ You get a big win, you enjoy it for a day and then when you go to look at film for next week’s opponents you realize how much work you have ahead of you. It’s going to be a very competitive division.”

 Salem battled for a playoff spot all the way to the closing seconds of their regular season and picked up where they left off with sophomore Matt Soldano  competing with senior Nick Shumski for the starting quarterback job. “ It’s been a good competition through camp and we are confident in both players,” said head coach Rob Pike. Whoever gets the nod this weekend will be surrounded by playmakers. Johnny Bartose, Charles Sibana and Doug Maroun will all see carries out of the backfield for an offense that includes Matt Ayotte and Tim Soldano at wide receiver.

 Shane Knight and Tim Dodier anchor a very good Blue Devil offensive line while Knight also heads a talented group on the defensive line. Ayotte and Bryce Haynes will lead the Salem secondary. “ The kids have really worked hard this off-season and it has showed up early on in our scrimmages,” said Pike.

 After a terrific season that saw them lose only to eventual champion Pinkerton Jimmy Lauzon’s Londonderry Lancers must replace the player of the year and the bulk of last season’s team. “ We lost 17 starters off of our team from a year ago so we are likely going to take some lumps early on,” said the second year Lancer head coach. “ But we have a lot of talented underclassman that we see really developing over the course of the year.”

 Sophomore Ben Johnson takes over at quarterback for the graduated Eric Fairweather and will be joined in the backfield by David Wiedenfield, who will also line up at slot receiver. The Lancers have speed at the wide receiver position with Jimmy Nee, Brandon Radford, Cam MacDonald and Cam Reddy. “ We really like our receiving group,” said Lauzon “you’ll see us trying to get the ball out on the perimeter to utilize their speed.”

 The defense returns four starters from a year ago and will lean heavily on MLB Gary Richard, Wiedenfield and Reddy. Lauzon has also been very impressed in the pre-season in the emergence of CB Ryan Cabezas.
 
West Conference

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

 Bishop Guertin first year head coach Jeff Moore has had a pretty consistent message since day one of training camp: Go Fast.

Actually.

 “ I told them to go real fast,” said Moore. 

  The BG offense, which sputtered at times last year partly due to a rash of injuries, has gotten a makeover as Moore implements the read option and a no huddle attack. “The kids really seemed to have taken to it and we are getting more comfortable by the week.”

 JT Hiscoe returns at quarterback for BG and finds himself working closely with talented running back Jackson Housman, another of the walking wounded a year ago. Keenan Dwyer also returns to give BG a pair of dangerous backs.

Tight end Matt Theriault opened up a lot of eyes with his play last season and will likely put up bigger numbers this season in the new scheme. “He’s got great size for a tight end and soft hands, we’ll look to get him the ball a lot this year.”

 Seven players will rotate along the offensive line led by brothers Matt & Ben Beals, Joe Goudey, Kyle Barta and 300 lb. Sam Colantuoni. The defense is still trailing the offense in the pre-season as they work to learn the new system but any defense that includes Chase Hughes at LB playing along with TJ Hart, Housman and Dwyer has a chance to be elite by season’s end. “ Right now we are behind as the players get a handle on what we want to do defensively but I think as the season goes along you’ll see us really come together as a unit,” said Moore.

(The Nashua North preview was written by Pete Tarrier)

There may be a new head coach prowling the sidelines for the Nashua North Titans this season, but Dante Laurendi is no stranger to coaching in the Gate City.  Laurendi got the call to replace former Titans coach Jason Robie who was the 1st and only head coach in program history.

  Laurendi had been the offensive coordinator under Robie at North from 2008-2012, a span that saw the Titans playing in back to back State Championship games.  The familiarity helped ease the transition for the new coach because some of the current crop of seniors had played in the program as freshmen when Laurendi was around the 1st time.  Before that Laurendi was the head coach at Manchester Memorial and in the last 2 seasons he was the head coach at Merrimack. 

On the field, the Titans will look to a pair of juniors to lead the offense in quarterback Jeff Baldassari and running back Max Fay.  A senior laden offensive line always helps and North has just that in big guys Hanzla Sheikh, Phil Pereira, Mike Muchemore and Greg Stanton.  Defensively Laurendi praised Stanton, Pereira and DBs Jordan Buckmire and Devin Leonard.  There's also another familiar name on the Titans roster that Nashua football fans will certainly recognize(even if they have trouble pronouncing his 1st name).  Sclyler Boykin, a sophomore WR/DB is the younger brother of former Bishop Guertin standout CJ Boykin.

 Two years removed from a final four appearance veteran head coach Jon Luopa has a strong sophomore class to build around at Keene. Some of which will forced into major roles a little earlier than expected. “ We had four offensive lineman that were coming back this year not come out for the team for one reason or another,” said Luopa. “Whether it is playing baseball or other reasons we have to move on without them and that means getting some young players in the mix early on.”

 Hunter Massucco has experience at quarterback and is joined in the backfield by Lucas Lower and Chanse Glinka. Massucco has a group of talented skill position players to spread the ball around to as Logan Galanes returns to the starting lineup alongside Alex Abreau and TE Ross O’Neil. “ We have a lot of confidence in our skill position guys and I see them being pretty effective,” said Luopa. “How we perform as an offense will depend a lot on how kids develop over the season."

Eli Jahos is the lone returning starter on the line and will play on the defensive side as well at linebacker.

 Ross O’Neil and Jamie Therrien will start at defensive end while the secondary will be the strength of the team with the return of Galanes, Abreau, Lower and Glinka. John Wright is a talented sophomore who has had a very good pre-season. “ Our sophomore class is pretty good and those kids are going to get their opportunities this year,” said Luopa. “ We hope to really improve as the season goes along.”

(Nashua South’s preview was written by Pete Tarrier)

 The Nashua South roster doesn't have a ton of familiar names from years past.  One player who you should remember from last year's Panthers team that missed the playoffs is now senior RB/DB Collin Morrow.  Unfortunately for coach Scott Knight the shifty playmaker is out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.  The good news is when you have a lot of kids most people have never heard of that usually means you are just young.  And coach Knight says he really likes this team a lot.
 
 Watch out for sophomore RBs Alex Amigo (a younger version of Morrow according to the coach) and Derek Downing (one of the fastest players on the team).  Speaking of fast, junior cornerback Terrell Lewis is a track star and at 6'2 he can match up well with big receivers.

 Another 10th grader, Sean Holland will start at QB.  Manchester Memorial transfer Mitch Coy who was a QB with the Crusaders has really emerged as a running back/defensive back and has won the respect of coaches and teammates enough so to be named a captain.  Myles Johnson(RB) and Max Osgood(TE) should also contribute on offense that features a young line led by sophomore RT Kyle Reeder who Knight raved about.