With all of Division III on a bye week there are fewer games to cover but none bigger than undefeated Bedford traveling to unbeaten Goffstown on Saturday afternoon.

 We spoke with both head coaches leading up to this one and it is a game we will have full coverage of when Pete Tarrier & Jennifer Chick bring you all the pre-game, highlights and post-game interviews.

 We will also have full coverage Friday night when Pinkerton travels to Winnacunnet.Justin McIsaac and Jennifer Chick will bring you all the highlights and post-game interviews.

 Remember you can receive the video of both of these games in their entirety when you become a Gold Level contributor to the work we do. Coaches can use any of the games we cover for scouting purposes and parents can own the game and easily burn it on to a DVD for a lifetime memory of their child.

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 NHsportspage video message to our readers

 The New Hampshire Football Show returns Saturday morning from 9 to 11 am on ESPN NH when Justin McIsaac will fill in for me with Pete Tarrier. They will welcome Goffstown coach Justin Hufft and Exeter coach Bill Ball as our guests. 
 
 Listen Live right here on our site by simply clicking the button on the homepage or on Tune In Radio by searching ESPN NH.

 We also want to send out our best wishes to our friend Brian Pafford of Portsmouth who has been a great supporter of ours over the years. Coach Pafford is resting after a medical issue last week and I speak for Justin, Pete, Jon, Jen & Eliot when I say he is in our thoughts.We look forward to seeing him again soon.
 
 Division I

 Bedford (5-0) at Goffstown (5-0)

 After weeks of telling their kids to not look ahead head coaches Justin Hufft & Derek Stank can finally put all their energy into this one Saturday afternoon. “As much as you tell your kids one week at a time it was hard not to be excited about going to Goffstown for a game this big,” said Bedford’s Derek Stank. “Now we put all of our effort into preparing for a very good football team Saturday.”

 The keys for the Bulldogs will be in handling the Grizzlies zone read offense, “ (Casey) Gervais and (Connor) Bourque have been playing in this system since Pop Warner and the first thing that stands out is how in sync they are on the field,” explains Stank. “Our defensive ends will have to play well because they are the guys being ‘read’ by the QB. It’s really important that our defense follows their assignment on each play. Our defensive tackles have to make sure they don’t get lost in their blocking because Goffstown is a team that likes to double team you and get you out of position.”

 Bedford will counter offensively with Nick Leahy, the Division I leader in rushing touchdowns with 13, and QB Connor Robert who has thrown for 449 yards and rushed for 388. “(Robert) is a great athlete,” said Goffstown coach Justin Hufft, “he can beat you running or throwing the football. Their offense has been explosive from the first game, even before their opener when we saw them in (Queen City) Jamboree. Nick Leahy has been terrific for them but they are really impressive all over the field and that gives them an ability to spread you out. You can’t cheat and be out of position against an offense like that.”

 Hufft believes the key for his team is how they fare in the trenches against a veteran Bedford offensive line. “We have to play well up front to have any chance to win.” When watching the Bedford defense on film Hufft saw speed all over the field and players rarely caught out of position. “They get great play from their secondary and their linebackers. Their defensive ends aren’t huge but they play big and are very impressive.”

 Winner here takes a huge step towards hosting a pair of playoff games and we will have all the coverage as ESPN NH will bring you the game live on the radio at 900 and 1250 AM or by simply clicking the listen live button on the NHsportspage homepage which links to ESPN NH.

 Watch all the highlights and interviews with the winning team & coache right here on NHsportspage.com
 
Merrimack (3-2) at Londonderry (2-3)

 Jimmy Lauzon’s Lancers are going to play this one like it is their playoff game and Merrimack had better do the same.

 The Tomahawks looked like a team that belongs in the post-season in giving Pinkerton all it could handle behind all-state quarterback Justin Grassini (21 of 42 for 364 yds. & 3 TDs). The schedule to close the season though is something just short of brutal as they will have to go to Salem next weekend before closing out with Exeter and Timberlane at home.

 The Lancers are 7th in Division I in scoring and have moved the ball well the past few games with Jake Stevens (492 yards passing) at quarterback. Londonderry has been able to count on RB David Weidenfield (second most rushing touchdowns in Division I with 8) once they get inside the 10 yard line.

 Both of these teams can put up points quickly, a week ago Londonderry left some points on the field with some costly turnovers against Portsmouth. They won’t be able to get out of this one with a win if they make the same mistakes again Friday night.
 
 Division II

 Trinity (3-1) at Milford (4-1)

 We learned a lot last weekend about the pecking order in Division II. Trinity’s victory over Plymouth and the Spartans road win over Lebanon 28-6 tell us the South Conference is stronger than the North today.

 Steve Burns’ Pioneers pulled out a huge victory over Plymouth last Saturday night when Saikou Bah hauled in a 40 yard TD catch on a reverse option in the final seconds to win 29-25. Trinity’s undersized offensive line has gotten very good play from Keegan Williams and Griffin Lyons while first year starters Ted Mello and Ben Perdue have stepped right in for a line that has cleared holes for Saikou Bah (469 yds. rushing) and Will Sheppard.

 Defensively Cam Gagnon has been a menace at the defensive end spot, racking up four sacks in the last two games. Their job Friday night is to stop Spartan backs Bryce Walker (403 yds.) and Mark Madigan (393) while going up against maybe the best offensive line in the division.
 
 Laconia (2-3) at Plymouth Regional (2-3)

 A big rivalry game will also serve as an elimination game in Week 6. The losing team here isn’t making the post-season and even the team that walks away with a victory has a lot of work ahead of them.

 Plymouth is not the same team without Sammy Slaughter (lost for the season with a knee injury), not many teams in Division II would be if you took away their best all-around player. The defense is giving up 31 points a game and the workload from the running back spot now falls squarely on Garrett Macomber’s shoulders.

 The Sachems have gotten terrific play out of Jacob Filgate, who was banged up in a loss against St. Thomas, but haven’t been able to dominate on the ground behind him & Kyle Chaisson as they did early last season when Chaisson led Division II in rushing.