A lot on the line for Cards, Warriors

The game that many felt would be the game of the year in Division II might have even more riding on it than originally thought.

When the schedule came out this summer, many New Hampshire high school football fans circled Oct. 22 over and over again, highlighting the regular-season meeting between Bishop Guertin and Winnacunnet.

The two teams met a year ago in the division title game – the Cardinals won 31-0 – and knowing the recent history of Bishop Guertin and the number of returning players for the Warriors, their game in this regular season seemed like it would be for home-field in a championship game rematch.

It still could be, but right now there’s no guarantee that both of them will make it that far.

“This game is for first place, in theory,” Bishop Guertin coach Tony Johnson said. “If we lose it, we’re in trouble. If Winnacunnet loses it, they’re in trouble. It’s a must win for us.”

The Cardinals (5-2 overall) and the Warriors (6-1) are two of four teams tied for first place in the division at 4-1. The other two, Timberlane and Keene, also play each other this week; Dover (4-2) plays Londonderry in a non-division game while Merrimack (3-3) hosts Manchester West.

By the end of the weekend, all six could have at least four wins and still have a shot at the postseason. Only the top four teams advance to the playoffs.

A loss by Bishop Guertin would put the Cardinals a game behind two teams and in a three-way tie for third. A win would just about assure a home game in the semifinals, and could likely mean home-field in the championship game as well.

Both teams have had to battle injuries this season. Bishop Guertin, which has been playing without senior running back Mike Kelly for most of the season, has been down more than a dozen players the last few weeks and doesn’t expect any of them to return this week.

Winnacunnet has been without running backs Mike Trainor and Brett Taylor, however both could be returning to face the Cardinals.

With those two out of the lineup last week, the Warriors suffered their first loss of the season, a 26-14 setback against Timberlane in which Owls’ running back Nick Lawrence rushed for more than 300 yards.

Johnson believes there was more than just poor run defense at fault.

“It was a muddy track,” he said. “Lawrence is a very good back. It was a freezing, rainy, raw day where nothing went right.”

Bishop Guertin was able to avoid the worst of the elements, beating Manchester West 55-0 on Saturday to snap a two-game losing skid. The Cardinals followed that up with what their coach called a great week of practice.

“It has been one of the best weeks all year,” Johnson said. “This week, we’ve been pretty focused. It’s been up-tempo and just a very good week.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night in Hampton.