Nashua North's Joel Pacheco busts his way into the Winnacunnet backfield during Friday's game.

While the Nashua High School North football defense struggled at times with tackling Friday, there was one player who was consistently on the Winnacunnet side of the line  of scrimmage.

Anyone watching film of the game will see North’s Joel Pacheco getting through the line, either forcing plays in different directions or making a big stop himself. On one series, Pacheco had two tackles for a loss, including a sack of Winnacunnet quarterback Steve Cronan.

“We played pretty good up front,” North coach Jason Robie said of his defensive line’s play.

But there were too many breakdowns in other areas for the Titans in their 27-21 overtime loss to the Warriors, things that Robie was disappointed to see a veteran team do.

So what did we learn? With the 2009 title game contestants from Division II beating both their counterparts from Division I – Bishop Guertin also defeated Salem – the gap between the state’s top two classifications may not be as big as some would like to believe.

Nashua South 49, Portsmouth 14

With top running back Derek Paradis bottled up early, South coach Scott Knight knew he and his coaches needed to find another way to move the football against the Clippers on Saturday.

“They were pinching their tackles down and the linebackers were two yards off the ball,” Knight said. “I don’t care who you play, you can’t run inside. You can run a lot of other things and that’s what we did.”

Instead, the Panthers found ways to get Armand McRae the ball on the outside; answered the call with nearly 200 yards on offense. South also found early success in the passing game on a number of short throws from Keith Farkas, which his receivers were able to turn into big gains.

So what did we learn? South may not miss Nick Haskell and Nick Frederickson as much as it thought. Also, the Panthers and Clippers are a long way removed from the 1984 Division I championship game, which Nashua won 17-14 in overtime.

Manchester Memorial 38, Milford 17

The Spartans got a big game from John Forte, but struggle overall against the Crusaders. Forte had 124 of Milford’s 174 rushing yards and added two sacks on defense, but the rest of the Spartans gained a total of just 60 yards. Milford hosts Pembroke on Friday to open the Division III season.

So what did we learn? Not a lot, other than Memorial should be concerned about converting extra points. As for Milford, the Spartans should be fine as long as they have a consistent ground game and it looks they’ve found someone to carry the load for now.

Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

Perhaps the most surprising game of opening week, especially since the Sabers trialed 13-0 at halftime and 19-0 early in the third quarter. Souhegan got help from everyone on offense, as five different players scored and the defense held up despite being put in some tough spots early. The Sabers face another challenge on Friday, when they head to Portsmouth for the Division III opener.

So what did we learn? The faces may be new, but the cupboard certainly isn’t bare at Souhegan. And as only one of two Division III teams to win this weekend – Bedford was the other – maybe its still the Sabers’ title to lose after all.

Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

The Broncos had an early 7-0 lead in this one, but Alvirne couldn’t find a way to stop Central’s KK Haliburton, who had 228 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Despite being outgained 380-70, Alvirne was down just 13-10 in the fourth quarter before the Little Green went on a long drive to put the game away. The Broncos open Division II play on Friday when they host Keene.

So what did we learn? Alrine may not be on the same level as teams from Division I, but the Broncos – who made the playoffs last year – should be able to compete for a postseason spot in Division II.

Merrimack 28, Hollis/Brookline 14

Merrimack avoided what was a big trap game to open the season thanks to three touchdowns from Brody Williams, who finished with 102 yards on the ground. His 59-yard touchdown run just seconds after the Cavaliers pulled within a score helped solidify the win for the Tomahawks. While his numbers weren’t eye-opening, H/B’s Kyle Gervais completed 10-of-19 passes for 65 yards in his first varsity start. Merrimack heads to Dover on Friday for its Division II opener, while H/B has a bye week.

So what does it mean? It means both teams got what they needed out of a non-division game. Merrimack gained the confidence that comes with a win, while H/B should gain confidence knowing it hung with a school that has nearly double its enrollment.

Bishop Guertin 48, Salem 21

The Cardinals manhandled the defending Division I champs thanks to Mike Kelly’s 312 yards of total offense. At the same time, BG’s young defense was holding Salem’s running back duo of Max Jacques and Jerikson Fedrick to just 97 rushing yards combined. The Cardinals head to Timberlane on Friday to start their Division II schedule.

So what does it mean? Maybe the Cardinals aren’t as far removed from the team that won back-to-back Division II titles as everyone thought. Or maybe Salem – which also lost to Goffstown in the Queen City Jamboree – is suffering a bit of a championship hangover to start the 2010 season.

Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

This game was all about Bedford’s Jordan Garron. The junior running back carried the ball just 17 times, but rushed for 219 yards – 166 in the first half – and five touchdowns. Garron also returned the opening kickoff of the second half 85 yards for a touchdown. The Bulldogs host Goffstown on Friday in the Division III opener for both teams.

So what does it mean? The Bulldogs might already have a good understand of the new spread offense the coaching staff installed in the preseason. And maybe Manchester West hasn’t dropped down far enough.

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Brookline, football, Hollis, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua North, Nashua South, Souhegan

Nashua South's Connor Leary, right, strips the ball from Portsmouth's Bill Lane during Saturday's game at Stellos Stadium.

NASHUA – The Nashua High School South football team expected to come roaring out of the gate in Saturday’s season opener against Portsmouth.

That didn’t happen, but it didn’t stop South’s offense from turning in a strong performance.

After falling behind 7-0, the Panthers scored on their next three possessions. And although it took a little longer than they expected to get things in gear, South was still able to walk away with a 49-14 win over the Clippers in a non-division game at Stellos Stadium.

“I was kind of surprised,” South coach Scott Knight said. “I thought we’d get out of the gate a little better than we did. I’m not sure why. Sometimes that happens in the first game. We scrimmaged really well and we got out well in them. That’s why I thought we’d get out fast.”

Despite the slow start, South still piled up 506 yards of offense, led by quarterback Keith Farkas, who had 274 yards in the air and five touchdown passes, and running back Armond McRae, who added 196 yards of total offense and three scores.

[Go here for more photos from this game.]

The Panthers got touchdowns from five different players, and Farkas completed passes to six different receivers, going 15 of 20 with one interception. Four of his scoring tosses were plays of more than 20 yards, where the receiver turned a short pass into a big gain.

“We have that (big-play capability) in every single one of our receivers,” Farkas said. “There is just so many different weapons we have, it’s weird because we came into the season figuring we had lost Haskell and we lost Frederickson. Our players are stepping it up and working hard.”

Portsmouth coach Bill Murphy wasn’t too surprised by the outcome, and knew going in that has team, which was the runner-up in Division III three of the last four seasons, could be in for a long afternoon.

Nashua South's Brandon Gauthier runs with the ball.

“We haven’t seen the speed that some of their people have,” he said. “That was problematic. We would try to get an angle to tackle them, and our angle was five yards behind where he was. Stuff like that, we knew that probably would happen.”

Despite that, the Clippers were the ones to get on the board first. On the first play of Portsmouth’s second possession, quarterback Quinn McCann ripped through the South defense for a 53-yard run. Three plays later, with McCann on the sidelines after a hard hit, Billy Hartmann found Aidan O’Leary in the end zone on a 33-yard touchdown pass with 3:13 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers didn’t need much time to respond. A big kick return by Derek Paradis gave South the ball at midfield, and McRae (17 yards on the drive) and Brandon Gauthier (25-yard run) set up Farkas’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Pat Bolton to tie the game before the end of the quarter.

After a three-and-out by Portsmouth, South took the lead for good when Farkas found Chris Thistle for a 21-yard score less than two minutes into the second quarter.

An interception by Nilsson Basora ended Portsmouth’s next drive and gave South the ball at its own 38. With the Panthers facing third-and-5, Paradis ran for 15 yards to pick up the first down, and on the next play, McRae took a short pass 42 yards for another touchdown and a 21-7 lead.

“We worked hard on our downfield blocking with our receivers,” Knight said. “They were pinching their tackles down and the linebackers were two yards off the ball. I don’t care who you play, you can’t run inside. You can run a lot of other things and that’s what we did. We were gonna take what they gave us and that’s what they did.”

South made it 28-7 on a 53-yard catch-and-run by Gauthier with less than a minute to go in the half, and the Panthers almost added more when Dan McMormack recovered a Portsmouth fumble on the kickoff. South got down to the Clippers’ 3-yard line when the half ended.

Portsmouth opened the second half by going 67 yards on five plays, getting in the end zone on a 23-yard pass from McCann to Anthony Kurylak to make it 28-14.

Portsmouth's Aidan O'Leary makes a catch in front of South's Connor Rogowsky.

But McRae answered on South’s next play, taking a handoff and going 62 yards for another touchdown to take momentum back.

“You can’t let down in any part of the game or they’ll come back and bite you,” Murphy said. “We’re making mistakes that cannot be made and they took advantage of it. If we’re playing somebody else, maybe they don’t pick up as quickly on it. It got away from us later in the game.”

McRae added a 29-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter and Jack Lobrutto had a 17-yard scoring run late in the fourth to finish out the scoring.

Both teams open division play next week, as South hosts Pinkerton on Friday at 7 p.m. at Stellos Stadium. Portsmouth will host Souhegan, also on Friday.

Technorati Tags: Division I, football, Nashua South

Bishop Guertin's Mike Kelly runs with the ball during a scrimmage.

The success of the Bishop Guertin High School football team this season could come down to how well the kids play on defense.

The Cardinals graduated 34 seniors from last year’s undefeated championship team, and many of those players were on a defense that allowed just 57 points on the season and pitched six shutouts, including the team’s final four games.

This year, the players stepping in are either young, inexperienced, or both.

“This is the youngest group that I’m ever going to have,” BG coach Tony Johnson said. “There are 10 new positions that I had to fill. (Mike) Kelly is the only guy in his old spot and he’s comfortable with it. We’re starting to establish a bit of an identity for ourselves, but this is a brand new team.”

Kelly and Kyle Karaska are the only two returning starters, and Karaska was moved from outside linebacker to defensive end to fill one of the empty positions. With so many new faces on the defense, Johnson is looking for his offense to shoulder some of the load at times.

“Sometimes a good defense is predicated on a great offense,” he said. “The offense is much more of a veteran unit, so I expect them to score. The defense is not going to be the defense we had last year, nor should I expect them to be the defense that I had last year. We’ve just got to make sure we get better every week and that we get stingy.”

Kelly and quarterback Steve Cuipa are the key returners at the skill positions for BG, while offensive linemen Danny Folger and Nick Cook return to anchor that unit. Sophomore Andrew Crane has stepped up at one of the tackle positions and Johnson said he has looked “phenomenal.” The only question mark are the guard and tackle positions on Cuipa’s blindside, where a handful of players have been competing for time.

“We’ve got three or four kids we’re looking at,” Johnson said. “The good news is, we’re creating a lot of depth. We’re still not sure who we’re going with.”

No matter who the Cardinals end up with on the offensive line, it will come down to the defense.

“We can’t give up the big play,” Johnson said. “We hope that if you’re going to score against us, you’re going to have to give us a 15-play drive.”

Although BG remains one of the favorites in Division II, last year’s runner-up, Winnacunnet, is expected to be just as good as a year ago. Johnson expects teams with plenty of returning players – Keene, Merrimack and Alvirne – to be there, along with teams that are traditionally strong – Timberlane, Dover.

The Cardinals start their season with a non-division game at Salem on Saturday before opening division play at Timberlane on Sept. 10.

Technorati Tags: Bishop Guertin, Division II, football

Both Andrews and Vlachos had a goal and an assist, while goalie Alex Hiley stopped 11 shots. Rachel Gray, Cassie Sebas, Dina Pitsas and Brittney White played well and Amanda Clark, Brittney Cross, Ashley Federico and Jonna Gath also had solid games.

After a scoreless first half, Andrews put Milford on the board with 12 minutes left in the game. The Bobcats came right back two minutes later, and tied the game on a corner kick. But just a minute later, the Spartans (2-0) answered, as Vlachos sent a pass from Andrews into the top corner of the net.

Milford returns to the field on Tuesday to host Windham.

Technorati Tags: Division II, girls soccer, Milford

Nashua North's Jahmar Gathright walks off the field as Winnacunnet players celebrate after Friday's game.

NASHUA – It’s hard to win football games going scoreless for an entire half.

The Winnacunnet High School football team avoided its own goose egg by getting on the board late in the first half, and the Warriors didn’t allow a point in the second half, as they rallied from a 21-0 deficit to defeat Nashua North 27-21 in overtime Friday at Stellos Stadium.

The Titans led by three touchdowns in the first half, but the Warriors turned an interception into a score at the end of the second quarter and then went on a long drive to open the third – aided by a roughing-the-kicker penalty on the Titans – to make it a 21-14 game.

Penalties, dropped passes and poor tackling doomed North in the second half, as the closest the Titans came to the end zone was on their sole possession of overtime, which by rule started at the Winnacunnet 10-yard line.

“In my opinion, we gave them two touchdowns, and to their credit, they shut us out in the second half,” North coach Jason Robie said. “When you can do that to our offense … we need to look at the film and see where we were tipping our hat or how they were coming at us.”

Brandon Karkhanis threw for 203 yards and a touchdown, but completed just 13 of 28 passes, while Jahmar Gathright had 108 yards of offense. Andre Williams (94 total yards) and Mark Lavine each had a touchdown run, while Anton Marinchik had a 21-yard scoring catch-and-run for North.

North's Anton Marinchik gets away from Winnacunnet's Brent Edmunds.

Although the Titans piled up 323 yards on offense, only 93 of those came in the second half, when drives were repeatedly stalled by a penalty, a dropped pass or both.

“We let them in because we did some things that are uncharacteristic of us,” Robie said. “We had some drops, we had some penalties. We didn’t tackle well. We had them bottled up and their kids kept churning out yards.”

Winnacunnet ran for 249 yards, with 183 of those in the second half. Quarterback Steve Cronan led the way with 85 yards on the ground while Benjamin Fee (68 yards, touchdown), Brett Taylor (72) and Michael Trainor (23, two scores) got in the mix as well.

The Warriors were able to pick up those yards on the ground because coach Ron Auffant decided to stick with the game plan, and he was able to do that thanks to Trainor’s touchdown before halftime.

“The key play was that turnover at the end of the half because 21-0 and 21-7 (at halftime) is a big difference,” Auffant said. “Who knows, I could have got out of the game plan and spread it out and thrown the ball.”

Up 21-0, Williams intercepted a Cronan pass inside North’s 10-yard line; a personal foul on the Titans moved the ball inside the 5.

After Gathright ran for no gain on first down, Karkhanis was intercepted by Winnacunnet’s Michael Kean, giving the Warriors the ball on the 6. Two plays later, Trainor went in from 5 yards out with 1:19 left in the half.

“That’s on me,” Robie said. “We had a 21-0 lead and we’ve gotta get out of the half there.”

The Warriors got the ball to start the second half, and after two tackles for loss by North’s Joel Pacheco, Winnacunnet lined up to punt on fourth-and-16. The snap to Fee was off the mark, but he was able to regroup and got the kick off.

But North was called for roughing Fee and Winnacunnet got the ball back on the Titans’ 27. Four plays later, Trainor went in from 1 yard out to make it a 21-14 game.

Winnacunnet then went on a nine-play, 55-yard drive on its next possession to tie the game at 21 with 2:09 left in the third quarter.

North got the ball first in overtime, but Lavine missed a 25-yard field goal attempt wide left. Needing a score to win, Cronan scampered into the end zone from 4 yards out to give the Warriors the win.

“We had an opportunity and we let it slip out of our hands,” Robie said. “That’s not characteristic of a team of veterans. They scored on a broken play at the end and our inability to tackle cost us.”

The Titans open the Division I portion of their schedule on Sept. 10 when they travel to Londonderry, while the Warriors head to Spaulding to start Division II play.

Technorati Tags: Division I, football, Nashua North, Winnacunnet

Brandon Karkhanis and the Nashua North football team opens the season against Winnacunnet on Friday.

Whenever things get tough for the Nashua High School North football team and the players need some inspiration, they can just look at each other and think of “Coop.”

“We’re playing for Cooper Doucette,” North coach Jason Robie said of the sophomore who suffered a serious neck injury during practice Aug. 14. “He’s a terrific young man, he’s got a fantastic family and we think about him every day. We know what we’re playing for this year. When we think we can’t do that one more sprint, when we think we can’t toughen up for one more play, we think of that young man and that’s going to give us the focus that we need.”

The Titans hope to combine that focus with the talent they have returning to build off last year’s Division I championship-game appearance. In 2009, North not only reached the postseason for the first time, but advance to the title game before falling to Salem.

With a number of players back, the Titans will try to be in the mix in what should be a highly contested division.

“There are so many good teams, you’re not going to sneak up on anybody,” Robie said. “There are no guarantees other than that on Friday night, you’re going to step on the field and know that anything can happen.”

What did happen last year usually went the Titans way, according to the coach.

“We were a good football team, but we got lucky in a couple of situations,” Robie said. “You create your own luck, but we were in some games that could have gone either way. The year prior we were losing those games.”

Going into 2010, the Titans have few holes to fill, but the ones that are there are big.

North lost one of the best all-around players in the state last year in Dylan Brodeur, who saw time at quarterback and tight end on offense and linebacker on defense. Also gone are offensive linemen Nick Cummings and Mitch Gaffney, as well as receiver Trevor Rancourt.

After splitting time with Brodeur last year, senior Brandon Karkhanis takes over at quarterback and he’ll have offensive standouts Andre Williams and Jahmar Gathright, who returns from a broken collar bone that kept him out of the playoffs. Eric Muite and Anton Marinchik return as receiving options on offense as well.

Up front, North returns John Murphy, Zach Hunnewell and Tim Coy to the offensive line, which was a unit Robie described as “a strength” last season. Joining them is Adam Leith, who is stepping at center, while Eric Hazard, Jake Pollard, Everton Parkinson and Lucas Daigle battle for the right tackle position.

“We’ve seen some good things in camp,” Robie said. “We’ve got to find the right mesh.”

On defense, North looks to replace Kevin Rosenberg and David Duong, along with Brodeur, Rancourt and Jeff Taylor, from a unit that allowed 21 points per game.

“We’ve got some athletes on the field and we can do some things, but we’ve got some holes we need to fill,” Robie said.

Joel Pacheco and Wilson Pena will be counted on to shore up the inside of the line, while Tim Croteau returns at defensive end. Devin Blais is the lone returning linebacker and Cam Duval and Chris Anderson will by trying to step into those starting positions. Marinchik, Gathright and Williams will team up with Mark Levine in the secondary.

“It’s a team that has a lot of individual talent,” Robie said. “The big thing we’re going to have to do is come together as a team. They’re hard working kids and a lot of veterans that understand what they’re supposed to be doing. They’re ready to start the season.”

The year begins Friday against Winnacunnet, in a matchup of last year’s runners-up in Division I and II. North is on the road the following two weeks, going to Londonderry and Pinkerton, respectively.

“We face the iron right up front,” Robie said. “The schedule is difficult, but we get one game a week and we’ll prepare for one game a week.”

Technorati Tags: Division I, football, Nashua North

Members of the Bedford defense team up to make a tackle during a scrimmage against Sanborn.

The Bedford High School football team enters its third varsity season amidst change.

The coaching staff is still the same and the team still wears the Bulldogs logo on the helmet.

But for the first time, Bedford will be replacing graduated players, and that has made for an interesting preseason.

“The biggest thing we’ve had this year is competition amongst the players,” Bedford coach Kurt Hines said. “We have seniors who are fighting for a position from maybe a junior or a sophomore. That competition breeds success.”

The road to success starts Friday night with a non-division game against Manchester West. After that, the Bulldogs will look to improve on the 2-6 record they complied in Division III last season.

When the Bedford offense takes the field, it will run its plays out of a different formation, as Hines has installed a spread offense to better fit his personnel.

“We have seven sophomores starting on our varsity now,” he said. “Kids that in a two-back offense, wouldn’t have the size – they certainly have the speed – to run it. It was a personnel choice.”

Stepping in at quarterback is sophomore James Caparell, who saw varsity time as a freshman thanks to injuries to Max Hendrickx and Tyler Weber. With both those players gone, Caparell steps into the starting spot full time.

Joining him in the backfield is junior running back Jordan Garron, who Hines called the team’s workhorse. Also returning are senior captains, receiver Sam McClain, running back CJ Pederssen and lineman Jeremy Nault, along with seniors Justin Walsh and Jorge Vanegas and junior Nate Harrington.

“We’re getting a better feel for the offense,” Hines said. “We’ve got to make sure we hit the ground running, and not wait until another team punches us in the face. We’ve got to make sure we come out ready to play right out of the gate.”

A year ago, Bedford opened the season by defeating Milford in the first game of the year. The Bulldogs followed that up by winning just one of their final eight games.

“We have to get out there and get ready with a get go,” Hines said. “We need to do the basics. I know it sounds like such a blanket statement as far as tackling and ball control, but the biggest thing is we need to hit the ground running.”

Technorati Tags: Bedford, Division III, football

Coming off a championship season, the Panthers returned a handful of young, talented players – including quarterback Keith Farkas – but injuries and close loses drop South to 3-5 in the division and out of the postseason.

The good news for this season is that the Panthers are year older, and healthy heading into the season. The bad news – the division hasn’t gotten any easier.

Last year’s finalists, Salem and Nashua North, are expected to be in the mix. Pinkerton, Manchester Central and Londonderry seem to be in it every year. Manchester Memorial has improved and Exeter joins the party as well, having moved up from Division II.

“Hopefully we’re in the mix,” South coach Scott Knight said. “There will probably be a couple of good teams who don’t make the playoffs. We didn’t make the playoffs and we could have beat anybody on any given week if we had played four quarters. But you have to play really, really well to make the playoffs.”

The Panthers should continue to play well on offense. Despite losing Nick Haskell, Nick Frederickson and Pete Gill, South returns a strong offensive group that averaged 34 points a game in the division last year.

Farkas starts his third year on the varsity at quarterback and four starters – Ian Parson, Cody Mawn, Brad Carrier and John Bieren – return along the offensive line in front of him. Nick Marquis will also start on the line and Julier Rivera, a transfer from Lowell, will provide some depth.

Nick Puleo and Brandon Gauthier will try to fill the slot position occupied by Haskell last year, while Connor Leary and Ray Ramos will fill in for Frederickson. Nilsson Basora also returns at the wide out position and juniors Derek Paradis and Armond McRae return after seeing a lot of time as sophomores.

“We think we’ll be able to put points on the board, because we have a lot of those kids back,” Knight said. “We expected to look pretty good on offense and we’re where we want to be. Defense was going to be the big question mark.”

That was the problem for the Panthers a year ago, as they allowed an average of 28.1 points a game last year. In their five division loses, South scored an average of 29.6 points, but gave up almost 40.

A new commitment to that side of the ball – and to overall team chemistry – has the coaching staff feeling good about the defense’s chances of improving.

“We learned a lot and we totally refocused,” Knight said. “I’ve always been proud of our kids and our coaches do a great job of getting the most out of our kids, and I was embarrassed to say last year, we did not reach our potential for one reason or another. We did a lot of soul searching. I thought we did some good things last year.

“We’ve got a new defense as far as personnel goes. We’ve got a lot of unproven guys. So far we like how they’re flying around.”

Up front seniors Luke Beliveau and Allen O’Dell will be joined by junior Brandon Dupray. Mike Brannen moves from nose tackle to linebacker this season to join Dan McMormack, Jeff Carmona, Chris Thistle and John Bieren. In the secondary, Paradis will return to his safety position, and he’ll be joined by Ramos, McCrae, Puleo and Connor Rogowsky.

While a handful of those players were hurt throughout last season, some, like Beliveau, McMormack and Thistle, were on the field during the Panthers’ championship season two years ago.

“We have a lot of kids who are seniors who were on the field with that team,” Knight said. “Our goal is just to play well and we’ll see where the chips fall. It’s going to be a tough league.”

The Panthers start out with a non-division game against Portsmouth on Saturday, and then jump into division play by hosting Pinkerton on Sept. 10.

Technorati Tags: Division I, football, Nashua South

Welcome to the first edition of Pigskin Prophets. Each week, a group of high school football “experts” will try to successfully predict the outcome of handful of select games from around the state. Following are this week’s picks.

Home teams in ALL CAPS.

Mark Ouellette

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

Bishop Guertin over SALEM Bishop Guertin 48, Salem 21

Souhegan over LONDONDERRY Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

BEDFORD over Manchester West Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

Milford over MANCHESTER MEMORIAL Manchester Memorial 38, Milford 17

Portsmouth over NASHUA SOUTH South 49, Portsmouth 14

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE Merrimack 28, H/B 14

CAMPBELL over St. Thomas St. Thomas 34, Campbell 0

Mark Ouellette is the founder, co-owner, managing editor and web editor of NHReporter.com. His work has appeared in the New Hampshire Union Leader, Nashua Telegraph and The Cabinet Press’ four weekly newspapers.

George Scione

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

SALEM over Bishop Guertin Bishop Guertin 48, Salem 21

Souhegan over LONDONDERRY Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

BEDFORD over Manchester West Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

NASHUA SOUTH over Portsmouth South 49, Portsmouth 14

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE Merrimack 28, H/B 14

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL St. Thomas 34, Campbell 0

George Scione is the assistant sports editor for the Nashua Telegraph.

Mike Zhe

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

Bishop Guertin over SALEM Bishop Guertin 48, Salem 21

Souhegan over LONDONDERRY Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

BEDFORD over Manchester West Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

MANCHESTER MEMORIAL over Milford Manchester Memorial 38, Milford 17

NASHUA SOUTH over Portsmouth South 49, Portsmouth 14

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE Merrimack 28, H/B 14

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL St. Thomas 34, Campbell 0

Mike Zhe is a staff writer for the Portsmouth Herald and the editor of New England Hockey Journal.

Pete Tarrier

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

SALEM over Bishop Guertin Bishop Guertin 48, Salem 21

Souhegan over LONDONDERRY Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

Manchester West over BEDFORD Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

MANCHESTER MEMORIAL over Milford Manchester Memorial 38, Milford 17

NASHUA SOUTH over Portsmouth South 49, Portsmouth 14

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE Merrimack 28, H/B 14

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL St. Thomas 34, Campbell 0

Pete Tarrier is the host of Friday Night Lights-NH High School Football and Basketball shows on Sports Radio WGAM The Game.

John Doyle

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

Bishop Guertin over SALEM Bishop Guertin 48, Salem 21

LONDONDERRY over Souhegan Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

Manchester West over BEDFORD Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

Milford over MANCHESTER MEMORIAL Manchester Memorial 38, Milford 17

Portsmouth over NASHUA SOUTH South 49, Portsmouth 14

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE Merrimack 28, H/B 14

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL St. Thomas 34, Campbell 0

John Doyle is the Sunday sports editor and staff writer at Foster’s Daily Democrat and Laconia Citizen.

Joe Marchilena

NASHUA NORTH over Winnacunnet Winnacunnet 27, North 21 OT

SALEM over Bishop Guertin Bishop Guertin 48, Salem 21

LONDONDERRY over Souhegan Souhegan 34, Londonderry 19

Manchester West over BEDFORD Bedford 51, Manchester West 6

EXETER over Dover Exeter 17, Dover 14

MANCHESTER CENTRAL over Alvirne Manchester Central 21, Alvirne 10

Milford over MANCHESTER MEMORIAL Manchester Memorial 38, Milford 17

NASHUA SOUTH over Portsmouth South 49, Portsmouth 14

Merrimack over HOLLIS/BROOKLINE Merrimack 28, H/B 14

St. Thomas over CAMPBELL St. Thomas 34, Campbell 0

Joe Marchilena is the editor of nh-highschoolsports.com. Reach him at nhhighschoolsports@gmail.com.

Technorati Tags: football, Pigskin Prophets

As he enters his third season with the Division II Tomahawks, Batista has almost found what he was looking for.

Merrimack opens its 2010 season Saturday afternoon against Hollis/Brookline, and on the field and the sidelines will be nine players the coaching staff believes it can put at the line of scrimmage and see success against an opponent’s defensive line.

“I believe I’m up around nine linemen now that can play on (game) night,” Batista said. “My goal when I got to Merrimack was to find 11. I know that sounds crazy, because for most high school teams its six or seven. The first couple of years, we probably ran six.

“This year, I have nine quality linemen and the rest we can develop at the junior varsity level. I think a lot of that has to do with how hard they worked in the offseason.”

If finding linemen was the most important on-the-field aspect, getting players into the weight room was key off the field.

What was once unorganized has now become a workable weight room, complete with lifting and performance statistics hanging on the wall, and a shelf lined with photographs of players who have earned all-state honors while at Merrimack.

“The weight room has to be the foundation of this program,” Batista said. “The techniques that we teach, these guys have to have a certain level of strength. The offenses we run, we like ground and pound. You have to have the horses up to front to be able to do that. If they don’t have a certain level of strength, then you have to get away from that. I like to tell them the heart of the program is the weight room.”

This year, the Tomahawks have three key cogs returning to that offensive line – seniors Jimmy Bigwood and Tyler Baulier and junior Sam Prive. Those players will be doing the blocking for senior Zach Harris, who starts at quarterback, along with senior running backs Chris Smith, Mike Giampietro and Brody Williams and junior Jackson King, who saw time at receiver last year.

“I have some concerns with the depth at the skill positions and about the kicking game,” Batista said. “We have to avoid injuries at the skill positions.”

Despite the strides Merrimack has made, it still only won three games in 2009. Batista is hopeful the Tomahawks can get off to a fast start and find ways to build confidence.

“We have to do well early to gain confidence,” he said. “My senior class was very good as a junior varsity team, but we haven’t seen that success at the varsity level yet to where we have the confidence that when we talk onto the field, we’re going to win. A quick start is crucial.”

The Tomahawks get going at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Hollis/Brookline.

Technorati Tags: Division II, football, Merrimack