As we do in both basketball and football we hand over our championship game previews to the people that know the six teams better than anyone; the coaches who competed against them all year.

The following are scouting reports from coaches we spoke to using blind quotes.

 Our entire team of Pete Tarrier, Justin McIsaac, Jennifer Chick, Jon Kesty & I will bring you all the play by play, highlights and post-game interviews from all three championship games in Durham.

Remember you can buy full game DVDs of any of the games we cover right here on our website.

 On behalf of our entire team I want to thank Paul Silva and The Stevens football program for their donation and support of the work we do for high school athletes in our home state. Paul reached out to us last week with support from the Stevens booster club and we can’t thank him enough for their support.
 
Division III

Newport vs. Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough
Box Score of first meeting: Newport vs Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough

The Newport Tigers bring an undefeated record back to Durham in an attempt to make it one step further than when they arrived a year ago. We asked Division III coaches that had faced both teams to break down both teams, starting with the Tigers:

“Their coaching staff is excellent. No question that Larry McElreavy is as good a coach as there is in our division and few programs in the state have a defensive coach as good as Tom Fowler.” Another division rival agreed, “They have an excellent staff, very well prepared and they are very good with in game adjustments. If something is working against them early they will change it up on the fly and fix it.”

 With the Tigers it begins with their three elite performers; Noah Wade, CJ Lawrence and Stephan Nix. “Those three players are as good as any top three in the division and (Newport) does a good job of crossing you up by using them in different ways. They will pound CJ between the tackles and then run a sweep play for Wade where your entire defense is caught chasing him while they cut it back with either Lawrence or Nix.” A fellow coach agreed, “They run it so successfully to the point where you have to overload and that is when they kill you with Nix running a reverse.” Another coach talked about Newport’s quarterback Dylan McNamara, “That kid is very underrated, he understands that offense, he doesn’t make mistakes and he can get the ball out to Nix when you leave him in one on one coverage.”

 With all of the accolades given to the big three of Newport one name came up over & over again among the coaches. “I actually think Noah Wade is underrated because of how good he is defensively. You have CJ Lawrence causing havoc in the middle at linebacker and even when you are able to catch him on play action there is Wade behind him covering the pass from the safety spot. As a runner he is so tough, just a great kid too. He’s the best player in our division.”

 We then asked the coaches to break down a very good Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough team whose only loss of the season came to Newport. “It obviously starts with the Brothers brothers (Nick & Andrew) who are just terrific but I think Malik Carter is just as valuable for them. He is a smaller back but he is tough and he has a knack for making plays for that team. They will use him in a three back set and that is a tough look to defend.”

 The theme that emerged in talking to coaches about the Lakers was their team speed. “They have great speed and that keeps them from giving up a lot of big plays outside. The way to attack them is to pound it up the middle and go right at the defensive line.” Another coach talked about the strength of the defense, “They are very quick to the ball and they are good tacklers. They will have their hands full with the Newport runners but that goes both ways, Inter-Lakes has their own elite back.”

 Coaches talked more in depth about the Lakers offense. “Nick (Brothers) has very good vision as a runner and that combined with his speed makes the difference. He doesn’t have the ability to make you miss like (Noah) Wade does but he is a tough kid. A very good runner.” Coaches warned about looking past quarterback Ryan Kelly, “You need to gear up to stop the run but Kelly can really hurt you. They are a more balanced offense than you think because they can run more options through Kelly. He’s smart with the football and he has the arm to get the ball out quickly.”

 So who wins on Saturday? “I expect a very good game…Newport in a close one.”

 “I think at the end of the day Newport has the best player and the experience. I think they can just beat you in so many different ways and after losing last year they won’t let this one get away.”

 “I see it being closer than people think..Newport by a score.”