The Week 5 Union Leader/WGAM/WMUR High School Football Power Poll was released today (Monday, Sept. 29), a little more than three hours ago. Undefeated Division II powerhouse Bishop Guertin of Nashua retains its No. 1 statewide ranking for the fourth consecutive week. The Cardinals collected all six first-place votes for the second consecutive week.
Likewise, fellow Week 4 winners Pinkerton Academy of Derry, Exeter and Londonderry stay in the same spots at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. No argument here.
In fact, let’s officially start the countdown clock for the mega 7 p.m. matchup this Saturday (Oct. 4) between Pinkerton and Londonderry. It’s a top-four clash between D-I unbeatens … on Mack Plaque weekend. Look out.
First, of course, the comparison between the Week 5 Power Poll and my votes.
Week 5 Power Poll
1. Bishop Guertin (3-0 D-II, 4-0 overall; 6 first place) — No. 1
2. Pinkerton (3-0 D-I, 3-1) — No. 2
3. Exeter (3-0 D-II, 4-0) — No. 3
4. Londonderry (3-0 D-I, 4-0) — No. 4
5. Plymouth (3-0 D-IV, 4-0) — No. 6
6. Nashua South (2-0 D-I, 2-2) — No. 7
T-7. Manchester Central (1-1 D-I, 3-1) — No. 5
T-7. Souhegan (3-0 D-III, 4-0) — No. 9
9. Salem (1-2 D-I, 2-2) — No. 8
10. Keene (2-0 D-II, 2-1) — N/A
My votes
1. Bishop Guertin
2. Pinkerton
3. Exeter
4. Londonderry
5. Nashua South
6. Keene
7. Manchester Central
8. Salem
9. Dover
10. Timberlane
Again, no argument here regarding the top four. The ultra-wet Week 4 didn’t slow the state’s elite squads. BG blasted then-No. 10 Timberlane of Plaistow, 31-0. Pinkerton doubled up then-No. 8 Salem, 28-14. Exeter steamrolled Seacoast rival Winnacunnet of Hampton, 38-0. Londonderry ran over Manchester West, 18-6.
As for the Nos. 6 through 10 teams …
Plymouth, courtesy of its 35-8 non-league thumping of Milford, jumped up a spot to No. 5. It’s likely no surprise that I’m surprised. If you’re wondering why, feel free to read today’s “First & 10.”
Nashua South, which edged Manchester Central, 21-20, also jumped a spot to No. 6. I feel the Purple Panthers, 2-0 in Division I, should be in the spot occupied by Plymouth.
Central is slotted at No. 7 (tied with Souhegan of Amherst). I, too, slotted Central seventh.
Salem dropped from No. 8 to No. 9. The Blue Devils dropped from No. 7 to No. 8 in my poll. Yes, they’re 1-2 in D-I, but they’re playing a front-loaded schedule. Both losses were 28-14 setbacks to Londonderry and Pinkerton.
On Saturday, Pinkerton hurt the Blue Devils with big plays. Though it’s little consolation, Salem was impressive, particularly on offense. Running backs Max Jacques and Chris Najem rushed for 94 and 91 yards, respectively. Head coach Jack Gati has another gritty group. I expect Salem to make a strong second-half push.
Keene enters the poll at No. 10. The Blackbirds have received my vote for a few weeks. I placed them at No. 6. Coming off a bye week, they had 370-plus yards of total offense in a 27-7 triumph over Alvirne of Hudson.
I voted Dover and Timberlane No. 9 and No. 10, respectively. A week ago, I had Timberlane No. 9 and Dover No. 10.
Playing at UNH’s Cowell Stadium, Dover demolished struggling Spaulding, 46-6. The Green Wave have scored 101 points in two weeks. They’ll be tested in Week 5. They have a big date with BG.
Which brings us to Timberlane. Yes, BG blasted the Owls. I still believe Timberlane, right now, is top 10-worthy.
Let’s realize that BG allowed just 10 points in September (a field goal and kickoff-return TD). The defense has yet to allow a point. With respect to the teams throughout D-II, Exeter realistically presents the true test in the Nov. 7 regular-season finale. Timberlane, I expect, will be in the playoff push for the No. 3 or No. 4 seed.
-MT
It’s noon on Monday, Sept. 29. You know what that means, right? Time to take a look at New Hampshire’s new power football teams. Yes, the Week 5 Union Leader/WGAM/WMUR High School Football Power Poll was just released.
Below is the Granite State’s new top 10, as voted by six individuals, two apiece from the New Hampshire Union Leader, WGAM-Radio and WMUR-TV sports staffs.
Team records and, if applicable, first-place votes, appear in parentheses. Each team’s previous ranking appears after the long dash.
The “Honorable Mention” list is for teams that received votes, but didn’t total enough points to qualify for the top 10. “Bumped” is for teams that dropped from last week’s top 10.
No extreme surprises to report. The top four remains unchanged. There was a little shifting in the Nos. 6 through 10 slots. Congratulations to D-II Keene, which cracks the top 10 for the first time.
You know the drill. I’ll be back later today for my Power Poll analysis. But for now, the state’s top grid teams …
Week 5 Power Poll
1. Bishop Guertin (3-0 D-II, 4-0 overall; 6 first place) — No. 1
2. Pinkerton (3-0 D-I, 3-1) — No. 2
3. Exeter (3-0 D-II, 4-0) — No. 3
4. Londonderry (3-0 D-I, 4-0) — No. 4
5. Plymouth (3-0 D-IV, 4-0) — No. 6
6. Nashua South (2-0 D-I, 2-2) — No. 7
T-7. Manchester Central (1-1 D-I, 3-1) — No. 5
T-7. Souhegan (3-0 D-III, 4-0) — No. 9
9. Salem (1-2 D-I, 2-2) — No. 8
10. Keene (2-0 D-II, 2-1) — N/A
Honorable Mention
Dover (2-1 D-II, 3-1)
Laconia (3-0 D-IV, 3-1)
Pelham (2-0 D-V, 3-0)
Portsmouth (4-0 D-III, 4-0)
Timberlane (2-1 D-II, 2-2)
Bumped
Timberlane
-MT
MILFORD — It’s arguable that the sixth consecutive loss to former league rival Plymouth Regional wasn’t even the lowest point for Division III title contender Milford High.
For Milford, worse than its 35-8 loss to the D-IV Bobcats yesterday (Sunday, Sept. 28) was seeing three-year starting quarterback Jeff Agnew on crutches with a big bag of ice taped around his lower right leg/ankle.
The senior signal caller played hurt for the vast majority of the first half. He had a noticeable limp when jogging between the sideline and team huddle during Milford’s offensive possessions.
Early in the contest, Agnew stepped up in the pocket like he was going to run the football. According to Milford head coach Keith Jones, Agnew saw an open receiver at the last minute.
“He tried to plant and his foot came out from under him,” Jones said. “I don’t know if it’s just a sprain. He got up and played, so I don’t think it’s too bad. But it got tight as he stood on the sideline while we were on defense.”
While playing in the first half, the 5-foot 10-inch, 165-pound QB completed 7 of 11 passes for 91 yards (two interceptions, fumble).
Milford (3-0 D-III, 3-1 overall) returns to league action this Friday (Oct. 3). The Spartans host Hollis/Brookline (1-3 D-III). The Cavaliers earned their first win of the season in Week 4, a 28-6 triumph over John Stark of Weare.
-MT
While it’s still Week 4, here’s a quick Week 5 scheduling note:
The Queen City clash between Manchester Central and Manchester West one week from today (Saturday, Oct. 4) will start an hour later due to S.A.T.’s, West athletics coordinator Sarah Dumais said.
Kickoff at West Memorial Field, originally scheduled for 1:30 p.m, is now 2:30 p.m.
I’ll also post this reminder late next week as the matchup moves closer.
-MT
UPDATED: Friday, Sept. 26, at 5:26 p.m.
The expected heavy rain has forced the following changes to Week 4 football games:
Inter-Lakes of Meredith (1-1 D-VI) at Campbell of Litchfield (2-0 D-VI, 2-1)
This Division VI game, originally scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 27) at 1:30 p.m., has been moved to Sunday, Sept. 28. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m.
Somersworth (1-1 D-V, 2-1 overall) at Bishop Brady of Concord (0-1 D-V, 1-1)
This Division V game, originally scheduled to take place tonight (Friday, Sept. 26) at Concord’s Memorial Field, has been moved to Sunday. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Plymouth (3-0 D-IV) at Milford (3-0 D-III)
This non-league game, originally scheduled to take place tonight in Milford, has been moved to Sunday. Kickoff is 3 p.m.
Trinity of Manchester (1-1 D-V, 2-1 overall) at Kearsarge of North Sutton (1-1 D-V, 2-1)
This Division V game, originally scheduled to take place tonight in North Sutton, has been moved to Sunday. Kickoff is 1 p.m.
Keene (1-0 D-II, 1-1 overall) vs. Alvirne of Hudson (0-1 D-II, 1-2)
This Division II game, originally scheduled to take place tonight in Hudson, has been moved to Tyngsboro (Mass.) High. The game will now take place tomorrow. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Bedford (0-3 D-III) vs. Souhegan of Amherst (2-0 D-III, 3-0 overall)
This Division III game, originally scheduled to take place in Amherst, has been moved to Bedford. The game will still take place tonight. Kickoff remains the same — 7 p.m.
Lebanon (1-2 D-IV) vs. Laconia (2-0 D-IV, 2-1 overall)
This Division IV game, as reported yesterday, was originally scheduled to take place tonight in Laconia. It has been moved to Sunday. Kickoff is 1 p.m.
Should additional changes be announced, I’ll post the information.
-MT
Tomorrow night’s game between Lebanon (1-2 Division IV) and Laconia (2-0 D-IV, 2-1 overall) has been postponed due to the threat of heavy rain.
The game will take place at Laconia on Sunday, Sept. 28. Kickoff is 1 p.m. The game was originally slated for Friday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m.
-MT
Londonderry High, led by first-year head coach Jon Rich, is sizzling in September. The No. 4 Lancers are 2-0 in Division I and 3-0 overall.
The Lancers will definitely be heavy favorites in Week 4. They travel to the Queen City for a Friday night matchup with winless Manchester West (0-2 D-I, 0-3 overall).
Take a look at Londonderry’s Week 5 foe. The Lancers host No. 2 Pinkerton Academy of Derry (2-o D-I, 2-1 overall) on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Knowing Londonderry-Pinkerton is always a much-hyped matchup, I asked Rich if he was worried his players may overlook the struggling Blue Knights. That date with three-time defending D-I champion Pinkerton is rapidly approaching.
“I think it’s a natural reaction for kids to look ahead to Pinkerton. They’re one of our rivals,” Rich said earlier this week. “But we are not by any means overlooking West. They’re pretty big up front. They’ve got a good athlete at quarterback (senior Beau Breton). That’ll be the job of our staff, to keep the kids focused.”
-MT
Exeter High head coach Bill Ball certainly doesn’t lack depth in the backfield. And, the third-ranked Blue Hawks (2-0 Division II, 3-0 overall) are operating in a backfield-by-committee fashion thus far.
Take, for example, Exeter’s 14-0 Week 3 win over league foe Alvirne High of Hudson. Seven Blue Hawks carried the football 48 times for 227 yards (4.7-yard average) and a touchdown.
The “committee” included senior quarterback Andrew Kukesh (17 carries, 100 yards, TD), junior Zach Kelleher (12-48), junior Ben Callahan (8-34), junior Bryan Dunn (3-26), senior Rob Kisiel (3-8), junior Jason Monroe (3-6) and senior Jeff Rowe (2-5).
Ball said he’s pleased to have several capable ball-carriers. However, he’d very much like to see one or two committee members separate themselves from the pack.
“We’re experimenting, still. We’re six-and-a-half weeks into (the experiment) and we’re still waiting for someone to (emerge),” said Ball, the reigning New Hampshire Union Leader Coach of the Year. “It’s pretty competitive all week (during practice). But I’ll be honest with you. I’d like to see someone come in and take it.”
No doubt Ball would like to see a Blue Hawk “take it” in Week 4. Exeter hosts its chief rival this Saturday, Winnacunnet High of Hampton (0-2 Division II, 0-3 overall). Last season, the Warriors worked a 28-26 regular-season upset.
-MT
The Week 4 Union Leader/WGAM/WMUR High School Football Power Poll was released today (Monday, Sept. 22). Division II juggernaut Bishop Guertin of Nashua is New Hampshire’s No. 1-ranked team for the third consecutive week. This, of course, isn’t a shocking development.
For the first time this season, however, there’s some shake-up in the top half of the poll. I find this interesting, and mostly correct.
But we’ll cover all that in a moment. First, a look at the Power Poll vs. my votes.
Week 4 Power Poll
1. Bishop Guertin (2-0 D-II, 3-0 overall; 6 first place) — No. 1
2. Pinkerton (2-0 D-I, 2-1) — No. 3
3. Exeter (2-0 D-II, 3-0) — No. 2
4. Londonderry (2-0 D-I, 3-0) — No. 5
5. Manchester Central (1-0 D-I, 3-0) — Tied No. 6
6. Plymouth (3-0 D-IV, 3-0) — Tied No. 6
7. Nashua South (1-0 D-I, 1-2) — No. 4
8. Salem (1-1 D-I, 2-1) — No. 10
9. Souhegan (2-0 D-III, 3-0) — No. 8
10. Timberlane (2-0 D-II, 2-1) — N/A
My votes
1. Bishop Guertin
2. Pinkerton
3. Exeter
4. Londonderry
5. Nashua South
6. Manchester Central
7. Salem
8. Keene
9. Timberlane
10. Dover
The first thing I noticed: Bishop Guertin secured all six first-place votes. That’s a first-time feat in the first-year poll. I believe it’s deserving. Scoring all their points in the first half, the Cards beat Spaulding of Rochester Friday, 35-0.
I voted for Pinkerton and Exeter to swap places in this week’s poll. Yes, the Astros, previously No. 3, beat a struggling Queen City squad for the second consecutive week (Manchester West, 34-14). But the defending D-II champion Blue Hawks, previously No. 2, slipped a spot in the poll after a far-too-close 14-0 win over Alvirne of Hudson.
No doubt, Alvirne has improved since last year’s winless campaign. But given Exeter’s roster depth, size and strength, and status as one of the state’s powerhouse teams, the Blue Hawks were penalized in the poll for Saturday’s final score.
Londonderry appears in the correct spot. The Lancers, courtesy of their punishing ground game, are the fourth-best squad in the state.
I completely disagree with the placement of the next three teams: Central at No. 5, Plymouth at No. 6, and Nashua South at No. 7.
On Friday, Central certainly dominated in its 49-12 win over previous top 10 team Nashua North. But let’s not go crazy. Given the level of ease with which Central won, North was prematurely placed in the top 10 (for which I’m partially responsible). The Little Green, who I voted No. 6, have an even bigger contest this Friday against Nashua South. Should Central win at Stellos Stadium, then there’s reason to go bonkers.
Plymouth still should not be in the top 10. I continue to be amazed by other voters who feel, this week, the No. 6 Bobcats can beat No. 7 South, No. 8 Salem and No. 10 Timberlane. That’s what they’re saying by voting certain teams into particular places in the top 10.
South took an unfair hit, falling from No. 4 to No. 7. I voted the Purple Panthers, bitten by the injury bug, No. 5. They lost to a tough out-of-state opponent, Lowell, Mass., 21-0. But similar to my thoughts regarding Central’s ranking, let’s not get carried away just yet. At least wait until the score goes final from this Friday’s matchup with Central.
No. 8 Salem was my No. 7 selection. Granted, the Blue Devils beat severely overmatched Manchester Memorial, 65-20. But to score 65 points against any team in high school, especially when playing with running time (a second-half margin of 35 or more points keeps the game clock running), is impressive.
Keene, which I voted No. 8, had a bye week. The Blackbirds have been in my poll in the past. Penalizing them for not playing makes no sense.
D-III Souhegan of Amherst had a very nice 26-17 win at D-IV Laconia. But my argument against Plymouth appearing in the top 10 also applies to the No. 9 Sabers. It’s simply too early in the season to rank them ahead of other squads.
Lastly, I ranked Timberlane and Dover in the Nos. 9 and 10 slots, respectively. Congratulations to Timberlane for earning the No. 10 spot.
Dover, which didn’t quite make it, scored a 55-34 win over Winnacunnet of Hampton. It’s worth noting the Green Wave built a 41-0 lead late in the first half. Defense is Dover’s weakness. It’s just a guess, but I’d imagine maintaining intensity with such a massive lead factored into the final score, too.
Your thoughts?
-MT
It’s midday on Monday, Sept. 22. Hungry for the Week 4 Union Leader/WGAM/WMUR High School Football Power Poll? You’re in luck. It was released minutes ago.
Below is the Granite State’s new top 10, as voted by six individuals, two apiece from the New Hampshire Union Leader, WGAM-Radio and WMUR-TV sports staffs.
Team records and, if applicable, first-place votes, appear in parentheses. Each team’s previous ranking appears after the long dash.
The “Honorable Mention” list is for teams that received votes, but didn’t total enough points to qualify for the top 10. “Bumped” is for teams that dropped from last week’s top 10.
The Week 4 rankings are the most interesting yet. There are several items to discuss, something I’ll do later today when I post my Power Poll analysis. In the meantime, see if you can find the same things that jumped out to me.
And, of course, feel free to post your thoughts in the “comments” section. In the last few weeks, I’ve received several e-mails from readers offering feedback (very positive, by the way) and opinions. For that, a big thanks. However, let’s also have some discussion on “Moving the Chains” where all readers can exchange thoughts, etc.
And now, New Hampshire’s top teams …
Week 4 Power Poll
1. Bishop Guertin (2-0 D-II, 3-0 overall; 6 first place) — No. 1
2. Pinkerton (2-0 D-I, 2-1) — No. 3
3. Exeter (2-0 D-II, 3-0) — No. 2
4. Londonderry (2-0 D-I, 3-0) — No. 5
5. Manchester Central (1-0 D-I, 3-0) — Tied No. 6
6. Plymouth (3-0 D-IV, 3-0) — Tied No. 6
7. Nashua South (1-0 D-I, 1-2) — No. 4
8. Salem (1-1 D-I, 2-1) — No. 10
9. Souhegan (2-0 D-III, 3-0) — No. 8
10. Timberlane (2-0 D-II, 2-1) — N/A
Honorable Mention
Dover (1-1 D-II, 2-1)
Keene (1-0 D-II, 1-1)
Milford (2-0 D-III)
Pelham (2-0 D-V, 3-0)
Bumped
Nashua North (1-1 D-I, 2-1) — No. 9
-MT
