The top 10 high school football teams in New Hampshire, as voted by the staffs of the New Hampshire Union Leader, WMUR-TV and ESPN New Hampshire, with record, first-place votes/points in parentheses, plus previous week's ranking: 

1. Goffstown, 6-0 (6/60), 2nd

2. Exeter, 6-0 (54), 4th

3. (tie) Bedford, 5-1 (45), 3rd

3. (tie) Pinkerton, 5-1 (45), 1st

5. Salem, 4-2 (35), 5th

6. Timberlane, 4-2 (26), 6th

7. Winnacunnet, 3-3 (20), 10th

8. St. Thomas, 6-0 (16), 7th

9. Windham, 5-0 (13), 8th

10. Bishop Guertin, 4-2 (10), 9th

Also receiving votes: Merrimack, 4-2 (3) NR; Nashua North, 4-2 (3) NR. 

HERE'S HOW I VOTED...

1. Goffstown...the Grizzlies came out on top of their Armageddon match-up with Bedford on Saturday so they get the top spot on my ballot(and I assume everyone else's ballot) this week.  Now the next test for Goffstown will be to put the massive amount of hype and hoopla that came with the Bedford game behind them and move on with their regular season schedule which includes two tough games in a row over the next two weeks when they play at Manchester Centralon Saturday and then host BG on Saturday the 24th.  

2. Exeter...the Blue Hawks have quietly gone about their business and now sit at 2nd on my ballot with a 6-0 record.  One of only 2 remaining unbeaten teams in D1, Exeter hosts Dover on Friday night before things get interesting again with a road game at 4-2 Merrimack on Friday October 23rd followed by the regular season finale at home vs Pinkerton on the night before Halloween. 

3. Bedford...the Bulldogs hope to bounce back from the Goffstown loss and solidify their playoff position over the final 3 weeks of the regular season.  Bedford was able to move the ball against the tough Goffstown defense and actually had the lead on the Grizzlies on a couple of occasions, the 1st time Goffstown has trailed all season.  Bedford faces Concord this weekend in a game that can be heard Saturday afternoon at 1pm on ESPN NH radio.  Tune in at 900AM in the Nashua area & 1250AM in the Manchester/Concord area.  You can also listen on the web from where ever you are at www.ESPNNHRadio.com

4. Pinkerton...the 17-7 loss at home to Winnacunnet shocked alot of people, but knowing coach Brian O'Reilly he'll definitely be using it to his advantage as he tries to build his team back up.  That shouldn't be a problem as the Astros have to get it together quickly with a big conference game with Timberlane in Derry on Friday night.  Pinkerton can't really afford a loss to the Owls as after a game in Dover in 2 weeks, they finish the regular season with the afforementioned game against Exeter.

5. St Thomas...the Saints roared out to a 35-0 lead on winless Manchester West by the end of the 1st quarter on Saturday night before coach Eric Cumba called off the dogs in an eventual 38-0 victory that improved St. Thomas to 6-0 on the season.  QB Stevie Hedberg and company play their final 2 regular season games on the road as they travel to Kingswood this Friday night and after a bye, they finish the season in Manchester against Trinity on October 30th.  

6. Salem...the Blue Devils had their game at Spaulding pushed back to Saturday afternoon because of poor conditions at Hugo Bolin Field from Friday's rain. Then the Red Raiders gave Salem a scare as Spaulding was up 14-13 in the 3rd quarter before Salem scored the next 2 touchdowns in what ultimately turned into a 27-20 win.  Next up for the Blue Devils is a very big home game against fellow 4-2 D1 South conference foe Merrimack on Friday night. 

7. Bishop Guertin...The Cards improved to 4-2 with a 50-14 shellacking of Manchester Memorial last week.  BG has now won 3 in a row by averaging 49 points a game against Keene, Alvirne and Memorial.  Like we talked about on the NH High School Football radio show over the weekend, the key for coach Jeff Moore's team will be how well their defense plays if they want to make any noise in the playoffs.  It'll be a postseason like atmosphere at Stellos Stadium in Nashuathis Friday as BG "hosts" Nashua North in a game that could determine the winner of Division 1 West.

8. Windham...the Jags were on a bye this past weekend which probably isn't a bad thing at this point in the season.  It gives coach Raycraft a chance to get his team some rest and to go out and do some scouting of Pelham, Milford and Monadnock who Windham has remaining on the regular season schedule. 

9. Timberlane...The Owls fans who made the trip to Dover last Friday were no doubt hooting and hollering as their team improved to 4-2 thanks to a 41-7 win.  Imagine how loud they'll be if Timberlane can go into Derry and defeat Pinkerton this week!  That would put Timberlane in serious contention to finish 1st in the really tough D1 South conference.  

10.Winnacunnet...the Warriors did come out to play on Friday night at Pinkerton, ending the Astros 17 game winning streak that dated back to 2013.  If you weren't at the game you can watch the video highlights on NH Sportspage to see how Mike Lewis ran for 2 touchdowns behind a big and powerful offensive line.  After the game veteran coach Ron Auffant told Justin McIssac it was one of the best wins in program history.     

Just missing the cut...

-Nashua North...after a 1-2 start, the Titans picked up their 3rd straight win to improve to 4-2 on Saturday by beating Concord 28-21 in Nashua.  RB Devin scored 4 TD's in the game and the Titans defense made a goal-line stand in the final minute to preserve the win.           

-Merrimack...the Tomahawks are finally started to make a believer out of me with the way they fared the last 2 weeks in a close call loss to Pinkerton and then a convincing 41-7 win on the road at a tougher than their record indicates Londonderry team.