Below are the voting results from our player and coach of the year ballots submitted (with commentary) by Pete Tarrier, Justin McIsaac & myself.

 Three votes for every first place vote, two for a second place vote and one for third.

 

 NHsportspage Division I Player of the year:

1.Justin Grassini of Merrimack ( 9  votes)

2.Kyle Ball of Exeter (5)

3.Josh Sibanda of Salem (3)

 

 NHsportspage Division I Coach of the Year:

1.Derek Stank of Bedford (8)

2.Kip Jackson of Merrimack (5)

3.Ken Osbon of Dover (3)

 

 NHsportspage Division II Player of the Year:

1.Garrett Macomber of Plymouth (9)

2.Victor Pizzotti of Windham (4)

3.Ryan Milliken of Lebanon (3)

 

 NHsportspage Division II Coach of the Year:

1.Paul Cohen of Bow (7)

2.Chris Sanborn of Plymouth (5)

3. Sam Cavallaro of Hanover (2)

 

 NHsportspage Division III Player of the Year:

1.Justin Norris of Kearsarge Regional (8)

2.Parker Smith of Stevens (6)

3.Andrew Brothers of IL-Moultonborough (3)

 

 NHsportspage Division III Coach of the Year:

1.Paul Silva of Stevens (8)

2.Matt Shaw of Bishop Brady (5)

3.Jon Francis of Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough (3)

 

Our ballots…

 

Dave Haley

 

Division I Player of the Year:

1.Justin Grassini of Merrimack

2.Kyle Ball of Exeter

3.Connor Robert of Bedford

Comment: Grassini is the no brainer pick but boy you could have had fifteen different players in the Top 3. Players like Jacob Post (Timberlane) Sam Raitt (BG), Christian Peete (Portsmouth), Joe Eichman (Merrimack), Nik Moquin (Goffstown), Jeremyiah Rivera (Central), Sean Holland (South)…I could go on until I created the football edition of the all-angry email team (players that should have been mentioned and weren’t and angry emails will be written to say just that..)

Send them to Justin McIsaac he’d love to read them…

Kyle Ball was so crucial to that team on both sides of the football and Robert is, along with Sean Holland, the most underrated quarterback in the state..they make up my top 3.

It was a particularly good year for Division I football…

 

Division II Player of the Year:

1.Garrett Macomber of Plymouth

2.Victor Pizzotti of Windham

3.Ryan Milliken of Lebanon

Comment: Man it is hard not to give it to Pizzotti for a second straight year but Macomber was such a horse for Chris Sanborn’s team. Playing hurt in the title game (I’m guessing it was more hurt than they let on after the game..) he made every big run and the single biggest catch of the 2016 season. His first reception of the year..

Milliken was the Lebanon offense and when Chris Childs was smart enough to use him as a decoy to get Nate Perkins throws down field the Raiders finished strong. Drew McQuarrie of John Stark was my #4 pick followed by the likes of Joey Delaney (H-B), Dan Spezzaferri & Isaac Bacon (Con Val), Tim Bouchard (St Thomas), Jacob Filgate (Laconia), Nate Alford (Bow), Schuyler Cyrus (Hanover…who might be the best lineman in the state),

 

Division III Player of the Year:

1.Justin Norris of Kearsarge

2.Andrew Brothers of Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough

3.Parker Smith of Stevens & Rich Sullivan of Bishop Brady

Comment: Fine I copped out and named four…Levi Bassingwaite (Monadnock), Ryan Kelly ( IL-MA), Moses Murenzi (Brady), Richard Bell & Zach O’Brien (Stevens) and Ryan Yanuszewski (Campbell) could all make a strong case for the Top 3.

Norris was the Kearsarge offense and after a ton of injuries and a new look roster he carried that team to the edge of the playoffs. Brothers was the glue to that Lakers offense while Smith & Sullivan were the two best receivers in Division III.

 

Division I Coach of the Year:

1.Ken Osbon of Dover

2.Derek Stank of Bedford

3.Kip Jackson of Merrimack

Comment: A ton of credit has to go to Osbon not only for re-building that program from the bottom up but dealing with a pretty heavy distraction to end the season. Stank went unbeaten in a wide open division and Jackson helped lead a Merrimack football revival in very entertaining fashion.

 

Division II Coach of the Year:

1.Paul Cohen of Bow

2.Sam Cavallaro of Hanover

3.Chris Childs of Lebanon

Comment: Bow & Hanover were off everyone’s radars back in August and the credit goes to those kids and two terrific coaching staffs. I thought Paul Landeau (Con Val), Eric Cumba (St Thomas), Chris Lones (H-B), Keith Jones (Milford), Bill Raycraft (Windham) , Craig Kozens (Laconia), Rod McQuarrie (Stark), Jon Welch (Sanborn) and Chris Sanborn (Plymouth) all did terrific jobs competing in the most entertaining division in the state.

 

 Division III coach of the Year:

1.Matt Shaw of Bishop Brady

2.Paul Silva of Stevens

3.Linwood Patnode of Monadnock

Comment: As I tweeted out a few weeks ago I thought Matt Shaw and his defensive coordinator Chase Phaneuf did the single best coaching job in the state of New Hampshire this season. Twenty one players and an 8-2 finish. Only an overtime loss to a very good Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough kept them from Durham.

Stevens’ run to the title was enjoyed by every Division III coach I saw & spoke to at UNH. Paul Silva is one of the most well liked and respected coaches in the state and that win was validation of a lot of hard work over the years.

 

Pete Tarrier

Coach of the Year

Division I

Derek Stank-Bedford…I know they were the favorites going in, but you gotta give the coach props for navigating his team to an unbeaten season with a very difficult schedule.

Kip Jackson-Merrimack…Despite how it ended, it was still the best Merrimack football season in a generation.    

Bill Ball-Exeter…Year in and year out the Blue Hawks just win football games.  Coach Ball is a HUGE part of that success.

 

Division II

Chris Sanborn-Plymouth…He earned the award with an amazing postseason run.

Paul Cohen-Bow…I think now that Bow is in D2 more people are learning just how good a coach he is.

Bill Raycraft-Windham…The team may have not gotten it done in the playoffs, but this program is one of the most feared in NH.

 

Division III

Paul Silva-Stevens…The 2nd half of the Monadnock playoff game made believers out of the Cardinals players and that paved the way to a Championship.

Matt Shaw-Bishop Brady…Just 21 kids on the roster and the Giants still made it all the way to the Final 4.

Jon Francis-Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough…2 straight appearances in the Division 3 Title Game.

 

Player of the Year

Division I

Justin Grassini-Merrimack…Eye-popping numbers were the norm this year for Grassini and uber-talented Tomahawks offense.

Josh Sibanda-Salem…Perhaps no individual player meant more to his team this year.

Kyle Ball-Exeter…Maybe he doesn’t have the best stats, but he’s a force on both sides of the ball and just wins football games.

 

Division II

Garrett Macomber-Plymouth…Carried his team to a Championship in Division 2.  And he’s only a junior.

Drew McQuarrie-John Stark…Made the John Stark Generals relevant thanks to a strong supporting cast.

Ryan Milliken-Lebanon…A touchdown waiting to happen, one of the most exciting players to watch in all of NH.

 

Division III

Parker Smith-Stevens…Really came on strong in the biggest games.  Was one of the best players on the field at UNH.

Justin Norris-Kearsarge…A smaller, faster version of Garrett Macomber who led the entire state in rushing yards and TDs.

 

Justin McIsaac

 

Division III

 

Players of the Year

 

1. Justin Norris, Kearsarge- over 2000 yards? You get a 1st place vote

 

2. Parker Smith, Stevens - I count playoffs, and he was huge in the title game

 

3. Levi Bassingthwaite -Monadnock - Great year, great back

 

Coaches of the Year

 

1. Paul Silva, Stevens - Slayed the giant on the road, and ran away with the title

 

2. John Francis, IL/M  2nd straight final, great year

 

3. Linwood Patnode, Monadnock - Ran into a team on fire at the end but a superb year

 

 

Division II

 

Players of the Year

 

1.  Garrett Macomber, Plymouth - 1900 yards in the regular season, capped off by a heroic performance in the championship game

 

2. Victor Pizzotti, Windham - This is really 1 and 1a, you can't go wrong with Pizzotti or Macomber

 

3. Ryan Milliken, Lebanon - Terrific season getting the Raiders to the playoffs

 

 

Coaches of the Year

 

1. Chris Sanborn,Plymouth - Starting a legacy of his own, beating Windham on the road on the way to a title

 

2. Paul Cohen, Bow  - Making the jump from D3 and coming up just a bit short, what a run from Bow

 

3. Eric Cumba, STA -  Without a QB for half the season, went 7-3 with a team far less talented than last year's squad

 

Division I

 

Players of the Year

 

1. Justin Grassini, Merrinack - A new record for TD passes, just couldn't get over the Bedford hump

 

2. Kyle Ball, Exeter - Not flashy, but the heart and soul of a team that was a score away from a D1 title

 

3. Josh Sibanda, Salem -  Great year for a team that might have won it all in any other year

 

Coaches of the Year

 

1. Derek Stank, Bedford - Unblemished, and got the monkey off Bedford's back

 

2. Kip Jackson, Merrimack - If not for Bedford, would he be holding the trophy?

 

3. Bill Ball, Exeter - Year after year, Exeter is in the hunt, and that's because of Bill Ball