Granite State grid coaches:
When they’re made available, please send the 2008 all-state football teams for Divisions I, II, III, IV, V and VI to mthaler@unionleader.com.
I’ll post the teams to “Moving the Chains.” And, of course, teams will also be published in print editions of the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Thanks, in advance, for your help. It’s much appreciated.
-MT
Now that all six state champions have been crowned for New Hampshire’s 2008 high school football season, I’ve noticed more media members providing their opinions on the current six-division setup.
The overwhelming theme is a desire to crown fewer champions by combining leagues.
The plea to the NHIAA football committee, in short, is to crown six “division” champions. Then, have the Divisions I and II champions play for a state title. Same for the champions of Divisions III and IV, and Divisions V and VI.
What’s my point?
Well, New Hampshire high school football traveled this road in the 1990’s.
During my microfilm study last week at the New Hampshire Union Leader, I came across some articles from the 1993 campaign.
Pinkerton Academy of Derry was the state’s most dominant Division I team. It enjoyed an undefeated season, steamrolling through the postseason to claim its third of four consecutive crowns.
But the Astros were forced to play both playoff games on the road.
That’s right.
Days before this year’s title game, I asked Pinkerton head coach Brian O’Reilly why his team didn’t play on its home turf.
“It had to do with what everybody wants done today,” O’Reilly said. “For those two years, Division I and Division II were together. It was a mega-conference. There was this super conference where you could not play everybody.”
The conference champions, Pinkerton (9-0) and Winnacunnet of Hampton (8-1) were not awarded home-field advantage.
Since all teams couldn’t play each other during the regular season to determine home-field advantage …
“The big problem was, ‘Where do you play the (postseason) games?’ That is one of drawbacks when you have more teams in your division than you get to play. Who gets to host a game?” O’Reilly said.
The title-game location — Londonderry — was pre-determined before the season, O’Reilly said.
However, Pinkerton ended up playing Londonderry for the state title. Pinkerton — forced to win its semifinal at Spaulding of Rochester, 51-12 — won the title in Tom Sawyer Country, 21-0. But you get the idea.
Second, here’s what O’Reilly thinks about the inaugural Union Leader/WGAM/WMUR Power Poll — relative to the six-divisions discussion:
“I think (the Power Poll) brought a lot of interest to football. And people have their opinions as to, ‘Should there be six divisions? Should there be three divisions?’ I will say that if people get their wish, and they drop down to three divisions, then your Power Poll becomes useless.
“You’ll have so many good teams in one division, why would you even want to have a Power Poll? You just let them play out at the end of the year.
“In some ways, you want to keep the six divisions and have all these arguments as to whether so-and-so should be considered up there with the other teams.”
Something to consider.
-MT
A food drive will take place during the Queen City Turkey Bowl on Thursday, Nov. 27, between Manchester Memorial and Manchester Central. Gridiron fans attending the game, which kicks off at 10:15 a.m. inside Gill Stadium, are encouraged to donate any non-perishable items.
“It is a contest off the field between Central and Memorial to see (which) school can bring in the most food for the New Hampshire Food Bank,” Dawna Gregoire of the Central booster club e-mailed.
Fans are encouraged to “bring as much food with them and place it in our bins to help out … this very worthy cause.”
-MT
Be sure to check out the New Hampshire Union Leader and/or UnionLeader.com today (Wednesday, Nov. 23). I wrote a special “First & 10″ that analyzed the final Union Leader/WGAM/WMUR Power Poll for the 2008 high school football season. In the column, I also presented my final ballot and explanations for my votes.
Fellow Power Poll voters Kevin Gray of the New Hampshire Union Leader, Mike Mutnansky and Pete Tarrier of WGAM-Radio, and Jamie Staton and Jason King of WMUR-TV also provided their final ballots — and thinking behind their votes — online and in print.
Here’s a little blog bonus.
Making its return is the “revealing resumes” post. It shows how the teams in the final Power Poll fared against opponents that were ranked when the game was played.
In order of the final 2008 rankings, each top-10 team is listed in bold. Each team’s “Power Poll record” is in parentheses.
No. 1 Nashua South, Division I champion (5-2)
Week 1: lost to No. 4 Exeter, 21-20
Week 4: beat No. 5 Manchester Central, 21-20
Week 5: beat No. 9 Salem, 7-0
Week 8: lost to No. 2 Pinkerton, 10-0
Week 9: beat No. 9 Londonderry, 42-25
Week 11 [Div. I semifinals]: beat No. 1 Manchester Central, 24-9
Week 12 [Div. I finals]: beat No. 1 Pinkerton, 33-32 (OT)
No. 2 Bishop Guertin, Division II champion (4-0)
Week 1: beat No. 1 Pinkerton, 10-3
Week 4: beat No. 10 Timberlane, 31-0
Week 10: beat No. 7 Exeter, 45-9
Week 12 [Div. II finals]: beat No. 7 Exeter, 14-7
No. 3 Pinkerton, Division I runner-up (4-3)
Week 1: lost to No. 2 BG, 10-3
Week 4: beat No. 8 Salem, 28-14
Week 5: beat No. 4 Londonderry, 31-12
Week 8: beat No. 3 Nashua South, 10-0
Week 9: lost to No. 2 Manchester Central, 24-21
Week 11 [Div. I semifinals]: beat No. 8 Londonderry, 19-15
Week 12 [Div. I finals]: lost to No. 2 Nashua South, 33-32 (OT)
No. 4 Manchester Central, Division I semifinalist (3-2)
Week 3: beat No. 9 Nashua North, 49-12
Week 4: lost to No. 7 Nashua South, 21-20
Week 6: beat No. 5 Londonderry, 34-22
Week 9: beat No. 1 Pinkerton, 24-21
Week 11 [Div. I semifinals]: lost to No. 4 Nashua South, 24-9
No. 5 Plymouth, Division IV champion (0-0)
N/A
No. 6 Souhegan, Division III champion (1-0)
Week 11 [Div. III finals]: beat Portsmouth, 28-14
No. 7 Exeter, Division II runner-up (2-3)
Week 1: beat No. 3 Nashua South, 21-20
Week 7: lost to No. 8 Timberlane, 21-7
Week 10: lost to No. 3 Bishop Guertin, 45-9
Week 11 [Div. II semifinals]: beat No. 9 Timberlane, 7-6
Week 12 [Div. II finals]: lost to No. 3 Bishop Guertin, 14-7
No. 8 Londonderry, Division I semifinalist (1-4)
Week 2: beat No. 7 Salem, 28-14
Week 5: lost to No. 2 Pinkerton, 31-12
Week 6: lost to No. 7 Manchester Central, 34-22
Week 9: lost to No. 5 Nashua South, 42-25
Week 11 [Div. I semifinals]: lost to No. 2 Pinkerton, 19-15
No. 9 Timberlane, Division II semifinalist (3-3)
Week 1: lost to No. 5 Manchester Central, 21-12
Week 2: beat No. 10 Dover, 34-13
Week 4: lost to No. 1 BG, 31-0
Week 5: beat No. 10 Keene, 13-12
Week 7: beat No. 3 Exeter, 21-7
Week 11 [Div. II semifinals]: lost to Exeter, 7-6
No. 10 Pelham, Division V champion (0-0)
N/A
Additional Power Poll notes:
Four teams ranked No. 1 during the 2008 season
* Pinkerton — Weeks 1, 9 and 12
* Bishop Guertin — Weeks 2 through 8
* Manchester Central — Weeks 10 and 11
* Nashua South — Final No. 1
Three No. 1 vs. No. 2 “mega-matchups” were played in 2008
* Week 1: No. 1 Pinkerton vs. No. 2 Bishop Guertin (BG won, 10-3)
* Week 9: No. 1 Pinkerton vs. No. 2 Manchester Central (Central won, 24-21)
* Week 12 [Div. I final]: No. 1 Pinkerton vs. No. 2 Nashua South (South won in OT, 33-32)
Sixteen teams appeared in the Power Poll in 2008
In addition to the final top 10 teams, these six squads made the cut at various points:
* Dover — Week 2
* Keene — Weeks 5 and 9
* Manchester West — Week 1
* Nashua North — Week 3
* Portsmouth — Weeks 6 through 8, 10 and 11
* Salem — Weeks 1 through 4
Bishop Guertin enjoyed the longest run at No. 1 (seven consecutive weeks), but was also the only No. 1 team that lost to an unranked opponent (18-14 home loss to Keene in Week 8 ).
Pinkerton appeared in all three mega-matchups — as the No. 1 team each time — and went 0-3.
Nashua South and Pinkerton, this year’s Division I finalists, played the most games against opponents ranked in the top 10 at the time of their respective contests (seven games apiece).
-MT
This is it, folks. The clock just struck noon on Monday, Nov. 24. The 2008 season’s final Union Leader/WGAM/WMUR High School Football Power Poll was just released.
New Hampshire’s No. 1 team for 2008: Division I champion Nashua South.
Among the poll’s six voters, South is the undisputed No. 1 team. Head coach Scott Knight & Co. swept all six first-place votes.
The Purple Panthers sure picked the perfect week to top the poll for the first time. Clearly, the Panthers’ thrilling 33-32 overtime win in Saturday’s state championship game at three-time defending champion Pinkerton Academy of Derry made a great impression on the voters.
Below is the Granite State’s final 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 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.
Please note: I will forgo my “3-and-out” analysis post, which would normally appear later in the day. Instead, I’ll be working on a special Power Poll “First & 10″ column for tomorrow’s New Hampshire Union Leader.
In addition to the column, the poll’s other five voters will provide their final top 10 — and thinking behind their votes — in tomorrow’s print editions of the newspaper.
Here’s New Hampshire’s final top 10:
Final 2008 Power Poll
1. Nashua South (9-1 Div. I, 9-3 overall; 6 first place) — No. 2
2. Bishop Guertin (9-1 Div. II, 10-2) — No. 3
3. Pinkerton (8-2 Div. I, 8-4) — No. 1
4. Manchester Central (8-2 Div. I, 9-2) — No. 4
5. Plymouth (10-0 Div. IV, 11-0) — Tied No. 5
6. Souhegan (10-0 Div. III, 11-0) — Tied No. 5
7. Exeter (7-3 Div. II, 8-4) — No. 7
8. Londonderry (5-4 Div. I, 6-4) — No. 8
9. Timberlane (6-3 Div. II, 7-4) — No. 9
10. Pelham (10-0 Div. V, 11-0) — No. 10
Honorable Mention
Franklin (11-0 Div. VI, 11-1)
Keene (5-4 Div. II, 5-5)
Portsmouth (8-2 Div. III, 9-2)
Bumped
N/A
-MT
Save for a few Thanksgiving Day football games, a very exciting 2008 high school football campaign came to a close this past Saturday, Nov. 22.
In frigid conditions, four champions were crowned in Divisions I, II, V and VI. They joined the two title winners from Divisions III and IV, which finished their seasons on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Here’s a look at the final scores of each title game. The number next to each team is its 2008 postseason seed. Winning teams are bolded.
Division I
#2 Nashua South — 33*
#1 Pinkerton Academy of Derry — 32
* Game won in overtime
Division II
#3 Exeter — 7
#1 Bishop Guertin of Nashua — 14
Division III
#2 Portsmouth — 14
#1 Souhegan of Amherst — 28
Division IV
#2 Laconia — 7
#1 Plymouth — 14
Division V
#3 St. Thomas Aquinas of Dover — 0
#1 Pelham — 22
Division VI
#3 Campbell of Litchfield — 0
#1 Franklin — 8
Congratulations to Nashua South, Bishop Guertin, Souhegan, Plymouth, Pelham and Franklin.
-MT
Another quick announcement/reminder for New Hampshire high school football fans:
The gang at New Hampshire Sports Radio WGAM “The Game” will have live coverage of the four NHIAA championship games in Divisions I, II, V and VI on Saturday, Nov. 22, from noon to 4 p.m.
Listen at 1250-AM (Manchester), 900-AM (Nashua), or online at wgamradio.com.
-MT
If you haven’t checked it out today (Wednesday, Nov. 19), there’s a great feature story on Nashua South senior standout and Player of the Year candidate David Zocco.
Perhaps the best two-way player in New Hampshire high school football, he will be a main attraction in the Division I title contest between No. 2 South and No. 1 Pinkerton Academy of Derry on Saturday, Nov. 22.
The story, written by Kevin Gray, appears in the print editions of the New Hampshire Union Leader.
-MT
Since posting my weekly “Power Poll: 3-and-out” earlier today (Monday, Nov. 17), two responses made the cut for a second “mailbag.”
The first post, from “Shane” said:
Hi Marc -
The Poll has sparked a great deal of conversation regarding the current division alignment. Personally, crowning six state championships in a state the size of NH seems to be a little ridiculous. How about this concept?
Maintain six divisions
Create a crossover playoff between divisions 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6.
For example take D1 and D2:
This season, if you kept the top 4 teams from each division, the first round would have featured Pinkerton/Keene, South/Timerblane, Central/Exeter and BG/Londonderry in the quarterfinals. This week the remaining teams would play the semis and the following week the finals would be played. If the state bought in, these final games could be played on a netural site over T-Day weekend or the season could be adjusted to complete the schedule prior to T Day.
If this doesn’t seem practical, how about keeping the system the same with one more playoff game between the champions of each division?
This year, we would see Plymouth play Souhegan and potentially a BG/Pinkerton rematch, an intra city game between BG/South or Exeter vs. Pinkerton or South.
This looks appealing to me, what do you think? Or, do you have another idea?
Shane: Throughout the course of the season, I have heard several ideas. I’d very much like to see a new system created that crowns fewer state champions. Six, in my opinion, is far too many for a state of this size.
The idea of crowning three champions is one I find very interesting. Some format that matches the best teams from D-I and D-II all the way down the line.
The most popular idea is to add one more week to the season — or eliminate a “non-league/bye” week — and match, for example, the D-I champion against the D-II champion. This would allow teams to compete against schools of comparable enrollment and then allow for the two divisional representatives to collide.
Of course, this would require the football committee — and fans, too — to place more importance on a “divisional” championship, of which six would be awarded.
The path taken to win a division — what is currently considered winning the “state” championship — would still be a tremendous feat. Coaches and players from six programs deserve to celebrate such an accomplishment every year.
From there, however, we can crown three true “state” champions.
All that said, I believe too many people are unwilling to sacrifice the recognition that comes with being a “state” champion under the current set-up. Perhaps I’m just a glass-half-empty guy. I sure wouldn’t mind being wrong.
Consider …
This year’s Week 1 non-league crossover games in D-I and D-II were a big success. But imagine a Bishop Guertin-Pinkerton matchup or Exeter-Nashua South clash — just two examples — that had actual implications.
Additionally, imagine a Plymouth-Souhegan clash of 11-0 teams.
The second post, from “Sam” said:
I hope Beliveau’s “Thaler” reference was just to frame some future Plymouth / Souhegan match up otherwise I just became quite obvious why Plymouth never got there due from MT.
Sam: Yes, the reference made by Souhegan head coach Mike Beliveau was to a possible future Plymouth-Souhegan matchup.
I have talked with Beliveau several times this season about the Power Poll, specifically why teams from Divisions I and II dominate my ballot. We’ve had some great — and respectful — conversations on the topic.
Again, my belief is teams that play the toughest competition possible, which I believe is found in D-I and D-II, should be rewarded with poll votes.
Beliveau used my name in connection with his team because he wants to schedule a large-school opponent. Beliveau used my colleague’s name in connection with Plymouth because my colleague’s position is the Bobcats don’t need to “play up” to prove they’re among New Hampshire’s elite.
Two programs — and two reporters — with different philosophies.
Season-long readers of “Moving the Chains” are well aware why Plymouth didn’t rank higher than No. 8 on my weekly ballot. It’s the same reason why Souhegan didn’t rank higher than No. 9.
Level of competition. Nothing more.
-MT
For the second consecutive month, the New Hampshire Union Leader’s top athletic honor goes to a top talent on the gridiron.
Plymouth State University senior running back Jeff Mack , a former star at Milford High, will be named the October Athlete of the Month in the newspaper tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 18).
Bishop Guertin of Nashua standout Andy Vailas won the September award.
PSU’s 5-foot-11, 215-pound rusher led the Panthers to a 4-0 record in October, including a big win over New England Football Conference power Curry College on Oct. 25.
-MT
