Five years ago Division I felt like an annual battle to climb a hill owned by Exeter high school and Pinkerton Academy. Two high enrollment schools with a football culture to match.

 Being led by a pair of Hall of Fame coaches in Bill Ball & Brian O’Reilly would lead many to believe Division I was in jeopardy of becoming a decade-long battle of tug of war.

 It hasn’t come to that, not nearly. Even though 2009 was the last time neither school was in the title game (when Salem defeated Nashua North in our second year of football coverage) the last three champions have been Winnacunnet, Bedford, and Goffstown, with two of those schools being among the smallest, enrollment-wise, in the division.

 Division I seems to have one outlier a year who crashes the party, so although Pinkerton, returning the bulk of their 2017 runner-up team (15 starters return), goes in as the favorite coaches are on the lookout for this year’s version of the Winnacunnet Warriors. “I keep being told Pinkerton is the favorite but the last time I saw them Winnacunnet was going up & down the field on them,” said one prominent Division I coach. “Bedford nearly knocked off Winnacunnet on their home field in the playoffs and a number of big games came down to the final minute."

 "To call anyone a big-time favorite would be a mistake.”

 Agreed.

 Pinkerton is your pre-season #1 but very recent history tells us how teams are playing in November decides who wears the crown, and in August every team is still chasing Ron Auffant and Winnacunnet.

 Today in our first of four football previews we take a look at Division I and the familiar names & new faces that begin their march to Durham, hoping to be the last team standing.

 

 Our preview is brought to you by our friends & partners at Great Bay Community College.

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Thank you to Jimmy Lauzon of Londonderry & Bill Ball of Exeter by supporting the coverage of high school sports as Gold Level Members!

 

Division I

 * - playoff team

 

East

 

1. Winnacunnet  *
2. Exeter 
3. Portsmouth-Oyster River
4. Dover
5. Spaulding

 

 Winnacunnet was the story of the 2017 football season, going undefeated as one of the smallest schools in Division I. What will Ron Auffant’s team do for an encore?

 How about winning it all again? “Oh I’m not ready to go there,” laughed Ron Auffant when asked last week. “This is a whole new team and a whole new season. We have a very good group and the kids are working hard but week to week this division is very difficult. We have a lot of holes to fill.”

 Joe LaRosa takes over at quarterback for the graduated Patrick MacDougall after serving as the junior varsity QB the last two years. “Joe has a very good understanding of our offense and reads the defense very well, “ said Auffant.

 There is a lot of talent back at running back as Lou Granger, Brendan Kacmarcik (“He might be the fastest player we have,” said Auffant) and Jordan Fuller, who had three touchdowns in the title game win over Pinkerton but has battled injuries early on in the pre-season.

 6’7 Joe MacDougall, who is one of the premier defensive players in the state, will see time at tight end along with Ben Chase, who has had a good pre-season.

 The offensive line will be anchored by James Phennicie, who had a huge season last year and Eli Witham. “We lost some very good players from a year ago but the lines have played well early on. My concern is with our depth, we don’t have a lot of it so staying healthy will again be a key for us. We were very lucky in that regard a year ago,” said Auffant.

 MacDougall will lead the defense from the defensive end spot while Phennicie and Witham again will start on the line. Look for Brendan’s brother Ryan Kacmarcik to make a big impact on defense for a group that right now is ahead of the offense in practice.

 The word on the seacoast was that Bill Ball’s Exeter football team (The coverage of Exeter athletics is sponsored by our friend Sandy Healey of Re-Max on the move) had a very good winter in the weight room after a first-round playoff loss to Goffstown a year ago.

 The answer you get from the newest member of the NHIAA Hall of Fame (how wasn’t Bill Ball in the Hall of Fame 10 years ago??) tells you exactly why Exeter remains one of the cornerstone programs in NH high school football. “The expectation of our football team is that we will always compete in the weight room. That’s part of being a member of this program," said Ball.

 As the last days of August peeled off the calendar Ball was still deciding on his starting quarterback to replace the graduated and Boston College-bound (on a baseball scholarship), Cody Morissette. Morissette’s younger brother Josh is in the mix as a sophomore, as is Jack Gillis and Ryan Grijalva. “All three are playing well and we may not make a final decision until we are into the regular season,” said Ball.

 Exeter never has a shortage of good running backs as talented sophomores and juniors annually wait their turn. Seniors Zach Tucker and Adam Gray will lead a deep group of backs while Cade Snow and Ethan Imbimbo will both be featured at tight end. “Tight end is an important position in our offense and we have confidence in both players.”

 Nick Van Der Merwe, Ryan Whitney, and center Doug Lenihan will pave the way for the Exeter rushing attack.

 Defensively many of the same names will be featured with Whitney, who is having a very strong pre-season, anchoring the defensive line in front of Cam Light at linebacker and Gray & Tucker in the secondary. As for his outlook on 2018 the veteran head coach points five miles to the east. “Winnacunnet is the team we are all chasing until somebody beats them.”

 Longtime rivals Portsmouth & Oyster River (The coverage of Portsmouth/Oyster River football is sponsored by our friends at Kane Insurance) will now join forces on the football field as head coach Brian Pafford welcomes 16 new players from Durham. “It’s a bit of a challenge getting everyone up to speed with the new practice regulations but the kids are working hard. We have 9 freshmen, 3 sophomores and 4 juniors from Oyster River and they have really mixed in very well with their new teammates.”

 All-time leading passer Cody Graham has graduated and is at Ball State hoping to walk on to the football team next season. Jack Russo will take over at QB as more of a runner than the passer Graham was. “Jack is more of a runner and he makes smart decisions,” said Pafford. “We are going to run a lot out of the spread. It will be a similar look to years past but our days of throwing 30 passes a game are over for right now.”

 It will be a running back & wide receiver by committee early on for the Clippers (I’m having a tough time with Clipper-Cats so…..just be patient with me...) Players Locker Room member Owen Kane is joined by Oscar Lalime, Zach Crowell and several freshmen that may get their shot for playing time early on.

 The offensive and defensive lines return almost intact from a season ago and should be a strength for Portsmouth/Oyster River. Casey Gladu, Nolan Pafford, Thor Griffith, Henry Walsh and Matt Lovern will all play key roles for Pafford and his staff that includes Johnny Iafolla, Kevin Mills, and Tim Hopley.

 Galdu looks ready for a breakout year at middle linebacker (“He’s looked very good early on”) while Owen Kane will be the leader of the Clippers secondary. Adding to early depth issues is the fact Portsmouth/Oyster River began the season with nine players still ineligible to play but expected to join the team soon. “We have a lot of underclassmen that are going to have the opportunity to contribute,” said Pafford. “We’ll have to see how they progress as the season goes along."

 The rebuild is on and underway as Justin McIsaac’s annual plea for Spaulding athletic director Kevin Hebert to take over as head coach has been answered.

 The Red Raiders/Fighting McIsaacs went from a team you knew you were going to have to battle for four quarters to a defense that looked like something out of a 1988 Tecmo Bowl game. Spaulding regularly gave up over 40 points a game and threw the ball on seemingly every snap.

 If there is one thing clear from the 2018 pre-season it is this; Spaulding is working its way back into the conversation, no matter how long it takes. “We are really starting from scratch in a lot of areas in that we have kids who have never played with their hands in the ground,” said Hebert. “We are going to get back to playing tough defense and running the football. It’s going to take time to be competitive, competitive to the point that we all want, but I like the attitudes of the kids and they’re working hard to get better.”

 Noah McCann will take over at quarterback for Spaulding and has running backs Kealian Craig, Ryan Lane and George Jimenez alongside him in the backfield. Jake King will serve as the team’s fullback.

 Lane will play receiver as well along with Dylan Brooks & Braeden Dixson. Anchoring the offensive line will be all-state returnee Hudson White, who joins him in the starting line up is still to be determined. “We are playing a completely different style so there are jobs open on the line. Pre-season is about competing for those spots.”

 Spaulding will go back to their 4-3 defense will Luke Johnson, Kealian Craig (at strong safety), Ryan Bernier (MLB) and safety Adam Enscoe leading the way. Enscoe has had a good pre-season and is expected to contribute from Day 1 to a new look defense. “We want to get back to the point where we are competing for wins every week,” said Hebert. “That will take time but we have some kids willing to put in the work and that’s good to see.”

 Dover lost a very good senior class to graduation but will still feature one of the best wide receivers in the state in Ty Vitko.

 

 South

 

1. Pinkerton Academy *
2. Salem  *
3. Londonderry  *
4. Windham
5. Timberlane

 

 While perennial contenders like Bedford, Goffstown, and Salem were beating each other up in the Queen City Jamboree Brian O’Reilly had his Pinkerton Astros squaring off with Massachusetts power St Johns Prep. as Pinkerton begins the quest for their first state title since 2014.

 Two years ago O’Reilly warned me that it was going to be a down year, at least by the lofty standards he has set for maybe the best football program (along with Plymouth) in the state of New Hampshire. His Astros were led in 2016 by a sophomore-heavy group and ended up missing out on the playoffs.

 Two years later those sophomores are now seniors and Pinkerton is the team to the beat. “We’re working to get better every day just like everybody else but we are pretty deep at a lot of important spots on the field,” said O’Reilly of his Astros.

 Aiden Goujon was forced into action in the second game of his sophomore year and has remained the starter at quarterback ever since. The senior is one of the best quarterbacks in the state and has the confidence of his head coach. “Quarterback is an area we are very comfortable with obviously. We haven’t had Aiden throwing very much in the pre-season as we work out our running game but we will throw the football this year.”

 O’Reilly calls his running backs group as deep a unit as any he has had at Pinkerton. Which is quite a statement..

 Gannon Fast & Avery Battle return to lead a group that includes as many as six backs that will see considerable time this season. Ryan Auger, another three-year starter, will start at wide receiver and in the secondary while Mike Sarette gives the Astros one of the best tight ends in the state.

 The offensive line is very talented but lacks the depth of positions like running back and linebacker. Robby Fahey and Allen Gault are a pair of all-state lineman who will anchor the Astros interior.

 Defensively Auger will lead the secondary and play behind an excellent group of linebackers. “ This is the deepest group of good linebackers we have had here at Pinkerton in all of my time coaching,” said O’Reilly. That elite group includes Max Moseley, Tyler Mackiernan, Marcus Terrio as well as newcomers Jackson Clark & Jake MacInnis.

 All of which gives O’Reilly the talent and depth to compete once again to be the last team standing. “ My concern is on the teams in our conference and out on the coast (the north conference). There are some very good football teams we are going to have to play and maybe even twice so our goal is to make the playoffs and to be playing well enough in the end to compete for a title.”

 Rob Pike’s Salem Blue Devils were as good as any team in the state last season before the suspension of all-state running back Josh Sibanda played a role in their semifinal loss to Pinkerton last November.

 A year later there is a feeling of unfinished business and enough returning playmakers to make another run in 2018. “We certainly lost a lot of very good players from a year ago but this has been a very good pre-season for us,” said Pike. “We have a lot of depth and a lot of tough kids. Those are two very good qualities to have in a football team.”

 Kyle Poulin will run the offense from the quarterback position after being the back-up a year ago. Dom Paci is set up for a big year at running back after the graduation of Sibanda. Josh Maroun (“One of the toughest kids we have,” said Pike), Riley Mulvey (who played very well against Bedford in the jamboree) and Brandon Wall all are capable of being #1 backs. Meaning Poulin has options galore in the backfield.

 Jared White and Jordan Labossiere return to anchor an offensive line that will feature several juniors ready to step into starting roles. “We have a few players in the mix and they’re all competing for spots in the lineup,” said Pike.

 Josh Maroun and Players Locker Room member Will Michaud are standouts at linebacker and will lead the defense in front of a secondary that is led by James Ference, Derek Bosworth & Joey Calabrese.

 The new look Salem high school includes new locker rooms and weight rooms, all of it adding to the momentum of a second run by the Blue Devils. “There’s been good energy early on and we want to carry that right into the regular season.”

  Coaches around the state point to Londonderry as a team that might be a year away from being the best team in New Hampshire. That’s all well & good but head coach Jimmy Lauzon is all about winning games now…preferably beginning on Friday night. “I know we have a good core of underclassman, what I want to see is us finish games this season and get back to the post-season.”

 Evan Cormier has had a good pre-season after battling injuries in the past. He will step in as the starting quarterback in a backfield that includes all-state running back Jeff Wiedenfeld.

 Lauzon expects Mason Marquis & Cameron Storace to produce at running back alongside Wiedenfeld. “They have both worked really hard and earned their opportunity this season,” said Lauzon. 6’2 Cole Keegan is ready for a breakout season at receiver along with slot receiver Alex Tsetsilas (whose father & Uncle Shawn were big-time players for Londonderry in the 1980’s).

 The offensive line may be the strength of the team with Jack Odgen, 6’4 290 lb. Josh Berube and 6’2 295 lb. Pat Hagearty leading the way. “We have a lot of confidence in our guys up front,” says Lauzon.

 Ogden & 300 lb. AJ Thistle will be leaders of a good defense while Jake Holland, who missed last season with an injury, returns to the secondary. Junior Blaine Hopkins will be a key player on the defensive line along with Thistle.

 After becoming one of the dominant programs in Division II, including a championship in 2014 Windham makes the step up to Division I and is expected to compete for a playoff spot right away. “We knew the move was coming eventually, it just happened a little sooner than we expected,” said head coach Bill Raycraft, who also happens to be the athletic director. “We host the defending champs (Winnacunnet) in our home opener. I mean what could be better than that?”

 Division I coaches are smart enough not to take their new neighbors lightly. Cody Potter returns at quarterback and has talent all around him in the backfield led by Tommy Emrick, Ryan Marotta, and Seth Maffeo, who all played big roles a year ago for the top-seeded Jaguars.

 Cody Stevens moves over to tight end for the graduated Thomas Splagounias and becomes one of the best tight ends in Division I right away. “He’s been terrific so far and it’s been a good move for both him and the team to tight end,” said Raycraft.

 Four of five starters are back on the offensive line while Stevens and Riley Desmarais will lead the Windham defense. “The kids are excited to compete in Division I,” said Raycraft. “They understand what a test it is going to be week to week but they’re excited about the move up.”

 Timberlane put on a brave face but a year ago they had the wind knocked out of them before the season even started when all-everything back Jake Post (now playing at UNH) was lost for the season with an injury at the Queen City Jamboree. All the talk of ‘sleeper team’ was put to bed as the Owls struggled to find their footing all season long.

 In 2018 head coach Kevin Fitzgerald has confidence in a bounce-back season and it begins with three-year starter Dan Hayes at quarterback. “He’s a football junkie and he’s worked tirelessly on his footwork and mechanics to get better.” Hayes has worked with Coach Darrin Nicoli at National Football Training and the results were obvious in watching Hayes at the jamboree. Hayes is one of the best passers in Division I.

 Sophomore Nick Pallaria will contribute right away at running back and will play alongside Cody Fleming and Kevin Bartose.

 Hayes will have a solid group of receivers to throw to led by Ryan Ordway, Shane Johnson, and Cam Lovett. The offensive line is a work in progress with Cam Sweet leading the way as a converted running back. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the progress we’ve made on the line,” said Fitzgerald of the pre-season. “We need that to continue.”

 Bartose will be a key member of the defense from the linebacker spot while Sean Rudd and Antonio Pallaria will lead the Owls secondary. Fitzgerald is excited about the newest member of the south conference, “We battled Windham every pre-season so to face them in the regular season where it will really count will be a lot of fun. They’re an excellent program.”

 

 West

 

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

 Dante Laurendi has a Nashua North team capable of being the team that sneaks up on people the way Goffstown and Winnacunnet have in recent years.

 Job one is winning the West conference and the development of underclassman the Titans are going to need to contribute. “ We have some key players back, players we as a coaching staff know we can count on but we have a lot of young guys on defense,” said Laurendi, “ and that’s what is going to be a key for us. Their development.”

 Mike Loveless returns at quarterback and is joined in the backfield by Brian Montminy and Curtis Harris. Both backs will benefit from the attention paid to all-state receiver Austin Ouellette. “ He’s been very good in the pre-season,” said Laurendi of his star wide receiver. “ He’s set up to have a very big year for us.”

 Garrett Hillard and Harley Ciardi are two very good linemen to anchor the Titans interior. A young defense that is still coming along as the pre-season winds down will be led by Ouellette and sophomore linebacker Spencer Whiting, who along with Justin Edwards will play right away. “ If we can play unselfishly as a team we can have a good season,” said Laurendi. “ We have a very difficult schedule so it’s going to be a battle every week.”

 Kip Jackson and Merrimack are looking to make a return appearance to the playoffs after a one-year absence and a good off-season carries some momentum into the opener Friday night. “ We had a good off-season as far as the work the kids have put in,” said Jackson. “ Now it’s about translating that effort into results on the field.”

 You can call Ben Eichman a quarterback, running back or a receiver, the point is Jackson and his offensive coordinator Dave Jackson are going to get him the ball.

 A lot.

 “ We are going to be creative in getting him the ball, we have confidence in a lot of our guys and it starts with Ben.”

 James Dowling has taken the majority of the snaps in the pre-season at quarterback while Tristan Woods will join him in the backfield. “ Tristan is a really good athlete and a good kid. He’s been working hard,” said his head coach.

 Devin Wood, Garrett Murray, and Jameson Savickas make up a good core at wide receiver while Cole Keefe will anchor a line that lacks experience. “ We lack depth on the line so we are going to need different guys to step up.”

 6’5 Jared Dyer gives Merrimack a real presence at defensive end while Adam Thornton and Tristan Wood will lead the linebacking group. “ We are playing a very good conference in the cross over games so we will have to get better week by week.”

 The task for longtime Nashua South head coach Scott Knight is to replace a very good senior group that included an all-state quarterback and two all-state receivers. “ Not an easy thing to do,” admits Knight, “ but we have a good mix of veterans and youth coming back. So far we have seen pretty good competition at a couple of spots on the field.”

 As the pre-season came to a close three players were still in competition to replace Sean Holland at quarterback. What is known is who is getting the bulk of the carries at running back, and that will be Jaylan Pacheco. “ He’s come into the season in great shape,” said his head coach.

 Brendon Frost returns to play slot receiver and Dante Young (who will also see time at quarterback) will join him on the field as a wide receiver. The offensive line might be the strength of the team and is led by Nate Tejeda & center Brandon Martin.

 Pacheco, Frost and JJ Ameson will lead the Panthers at linebacker while Tanner Plourde will lead the secondary. Knight also expects contributions from sophomore Jason Compoh.

 Keene is coming off a 0-10 season that ended with a loss to Division III Monadnock on Thanksgiving Day. Gabe Fletcher takes over at quarterback for the graduated Sean Corrigan, a three-year starter, and the strength of the Blackbirds lies with an offensive line that features all-state performer Keegan Murphy.

 Bishop Guertin will also look to bounce back and will be led by their all-state wide receiver Austin Hiscoe.

 

 

 North

 

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

 With a very good senior class and a quarterback who looks like he’s ready for a very long curtain call, Manchester Central is ready for a run at Durham. “ We’ve had a good pre-season,” said head coach Ryan Ray. “ We have a good senior class who have taken on the leadership of the team and the juniors have stepped up & played well in the pre-season. We are still a work in progress in a lot of areas but I like what I see so far.”

 It begins with 6’3 senior quarterback Alex Hawkom who led Division I in passing yardage a year ago. “ He’s bigger, he’s worked hard to get better as a senior and like a lot of seniors he wants to make it a memorable season.”

 Joining him in the backfield will be Emmanuel Munyanya and Cooper Varano, who both looked very good in a jamboree win over Souhegan Friday night. Wide receiver Nick Olibrice is set for a breakout season at receiver after ranking amongst the Division I leaders a year ago. “ He’s a stud, he’s played very well for us,” said Ray of his all-state receiver. Dylan Feliciano adds another receiver who can create space for himself for Hawkom when Central goes to their spread offense.

 The real strength of the offense may be the offensive line where all five starters from a year ago return. Jassiah Francis, Camren Varney, Isaiah Jubrey, Joe Martinez and Justus Brady make up what could be a dominating line for Ray and his coaching staff.

 Defensively Varano, Martinez, and Max Brown will lead the way from the linebacker spot while Ray has the depth to rotate players in & out on the defensive line. “ We play in a very tough conference so we’ll be tested every week. We have been there, in the end, the last couple of years and now it’s about finishing strong.”

 While most of us spent the winter shoveling snow the Bedford Bulldogs were in the weight room…and apparently, they were there just about every day. “ We had a record-setting year in the weight room and you can see the benefits out on the field now,” said 4th-year head coach Derek Stank.

 Bedford is championship or bust every year and in 2018 they have a team fully capable of bringing home their second Division I title. Thomas Morgan returns at quarterback after replacing injured senior Conner Robert a year ago. “ He came in when Conner went down in the second half of the Exeter game and has been the QB ever since,” said Stank. “ We have a lot of confidence in him.”

 Joining Morgan in the backfield will be a loaded group of running backs led by Ryan Toscano, a 6’1 210 lb. senior who see’s the field very well. Jack Grogan & Michael Akstin will also see considerable carries as well.

 Harrison LeGoullon gives Morgan an elite tight end to throw to while Lucien Mumpini is one of the top returning receivers in the state.

 The offensive line is the group that may benefit the most for the record-breaking off-season in the weight room. 6’4 310 lb. Torey Helton, 280 lb. Charlie Williams, Cole Wheeler (“ He might be one of the strongest kids I’ve ever coached.”) and Jacob Collins all make up an elite unit for the Bulldogs.

 Defensively Zach Garron, Toscano and Alex Pantelakos will join a group of talented linebackers while Helton leads the defensive line. Mumpini is part of a very good secondary.

 Stank added to the team weeks ago when he & his wife welcomed their newborn son Decker…so it’s been a pretty good pre-season all the way around. “ The kids are working hard and we know there are a number of very, very good teams we’ll have to face.”

 Standing with a Division I head coach last Friday night watching Goffstown we talked about the Grizzlies as August headed towards September. “ With Goffstown, you always know that they’re going to be playing very well at the end. They may be the toughest out, year to year, in our division.”

 That’s a pretty good reputation to have if you are Justin Hufft and his coaching staff.

 The Grizzlies have the pieces to make hometown fan Pete Tarrier proud as they look to advance to the playoffs for a 5th straight season. “ We have a lot of experienced players coming back but we also are replacing some big-time players, including the Gatorade Player of the Year (Andrew Duval),” said Hufft of his 2018 edition. “ It’s always about how kids step up over the course of the season.”

 They’ll be no concerns with the starting quarterback at Charlie Keith returns. “ He has looked good in the pre-season. He’s older/wiser, every positive cliché you can think of. He’s a three-sport athlete and you know those kids always compete.”

 Jack Stinnett & Josh Juneau will see the bulk of the carries, as Keith will carry the football as well. The receivers are a deep group and are led by Jared Heidenrich, Colby Putnam, Ben Dodge and 6’3 Sean Leahy.

 The play on both lines will include a very good core led by Evan Cuddy, Josh Wight, and Eric Lefave. Josh Picard and Jarett Heneault are among a group of players expected to step up into key roles defensively. “ Right now I feel like we know what we have on offense, defensively…..that’s still evolving,” said Hufft.

 Don’t let the 4th place prediction fool you…Concord has enough to get back to the post-season. The task is just more difficult because they play in maybe the toughest conference in the state. “ We have some experienced players at key spots and we have had a good pre-season,” said head coach Eric Brown. “ Right now it’s about getting better every week because the schedule demands that.”

 Zach Miles returns at quarterback and proved last Friday that if you don’t contain him in the pocket he has the speed to make you pay. “ He’s just so consistent,” said his head coach. “ He’s a smart kid and he makes plays on 3rd down or in key situations. He just has a knack for it.”

 There is talent all around him in the backfield as Isaac Gladey and Seth Malachi makeup one of the better running back duos’s in the state. “ They both bring something to the table as runners and find a way to be very effective,” said Brown.

 Adrian Kennedy will move over to receiver and be joined by Hamza Abdulrahman. The offensive line is a bit undersized but coming together behind Cam Thompson.

 Defensively Malachi has the ability to have an all-state season at linebacker while Miles will lead the secondary.

 Listen LIVE to the New Hampshire High School Football Show with Pete Tarrier & Dave Haley every Saturday morning at 9 am.

 You can listen by clicking the listen live link right on our homepage or on 99.9 FM & 1370 WFEA radio in the Manchester area Saturday mornings.

 Get all the football scores from Friday night, a look at the Saturday games and analysis from Pete Tarrier & Dave Haley.

 

 Coming Wednesday: Division II