Week 3 of the NH High School Football season is in the books and things are starting to take shape as we make the turn for the middle part of the schedule.  Each week in this column we give you the latest Union Leader Power Poll which is voted on by 6 members of the NH High School media.  Pete Tarrier is the only voter who makes his ballot public.  Here's this week's poll...and below that...how Pete voted & why.

After Week 3

The top 10 high school football teams in New Hampshire, with record, first-place votes/points in parentheses, plus last week’s rankings:

1.  Pinkerton, 3-0 (5/59) 1st

2. Bedford, 3-0 (52) 2nd

3. Winnacunnet, 3-0 (1/49) 3rd

4. Central, 3-0 (40)                 T-4th

5. Londonderry, 3-0 (38)       T-4th

6. Plymouth, 3-0 (28) 6th

7. Salem, 2-1 (26)                  T-7th

8. Windham, 2-1 (11) NR

9. Nashua North, 2-1 (9)         10th

10. Hanover, 3-0 (7) NR

Others receiving votes: Exeter, 1-2 (5), 9th; Campbell, 3-0 (3), NR; Merrimack, 2-1 (2), T-7th; St. Thomas, 3-0 (1), NR; Bow, 2-1 (1), NR.

HERE'S HOW PETE VOTED...

1.  Winnacunnet...as I said above, I gave the defending Champion Warriors the top spot on my ballot because at 3-0 & with a road win over a very good Windham team that is now ranked 8th in the poll, I feel they have done enough so far this season to keep the #1 spot they earned in dominating fashion last season. 
2.  Pinkerton...the Astros survived a tough test last week vs Exeter and will face another challenge this Friday night in Londonderry when the Mack Plaque rivalry renews.  The top spot will eventually work itself out because Pinkerton will play at Winnacunnet on the 26th of October.
3.  Bedford...the Bulldogs continue to show they belong in the conversation as the #1 team in the state.  Next up for Bedford is Manchester Memorial on Friday night before the much anticipated matchup vs Manchester Central in Bedford in 2 weeks.  I will be in the house for that one with the NHSportspage.com video camera! 
4.  Londonderry...is this the year the Lancers finally beat their rivals?  Many people feel it could happen for the 1st time since 2001.  Should be an awesome atmosphere in Londonderry on Friday night & we'll have a LIVE videocast of the game right here on NHSportspage.com.
5.  Manchester Central...I got my 1st look at Central in person last Friday night against Merrimack.  There's been alot of hype about QB Alex Hawkom & the Little Green passing game, but you better watch out for the Central running game powered by a BIG offensive line and 2 good RB's in Emmanuel Munyana & Cooper Varano.
6.  Salem...the 2-1 Blue Devils are in the mix for a playoff spot in the loaded South conference which also includes Pinkerton, Londonderry & Windham.  Problem is there's only room for 3 of those South teams to get in...and maybe just 2 if a team like Exeter or Dover can run the table the rest of the way.  
7.  Plymouth...with some very winnable games on their October schedule, if the Bobcats can survive a tough next 2 weeks vs Kennett & at St. Thomas they should be able to cruise into the showdown with Hanover on the final weekend of the regular season with a very good chance at the number 1 seed in D2 North.  
8.  Windham...the Jags moved up to D1 and then gave Winnacunnet their toughest test of the season so far in a 17-10 opening weekend loss.  Windham now has to travel to Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter to face the Blue Hawks this weekend.  Now that's a juicy matchup! 
9.  Hanover...there never seems to be alot of talk about Hanover, but the Marauders just keep on winning football games.  They should cruise over the next 3 weeks before their schedule toughens up a bit with their last 3 games against Bow, at John Stark & then the finale against Plymouth.   
10.  Campbell...I contemplated putting Monadnock in this spot in a tie with Campbell because both teams have just overpowered the competition so far.  But I give the nod to the Cougars because they are much deeper than Monadnock in sheer roster numbers which gives them an edge.  I can't wait for Friday October 19th when they meet in Swansey!