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# A way-too-early look at the 2020 football season
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/a-way-too-early-look-at-the-2020-football-season/
- Published: 2019-12-06T13:00:56.000Z
- Updated: 2019-12-06T13:00:56.000Z
- Description: Here's to hoping you didn't get too comfortable with the way things were during the last two high school football seasons. With the end of the 2019 season means the end of another two-year cycle for the NHIAA, and with the start of a new cycle come a few changes to the football landscape for the 202
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Fall Sports, 2020 predictions, Division I, Division II, Division III, Division IV, football, NH High School Sports Insider, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

Here's to hoping you didn't get too comfortable with the way things were during the last two high school football seasons.

With the end of the 2019 season means the end of another two-year cycle for the NHIAA, and with the start of a new cycle come a few changes to the football landscape for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

While there are no major shakeups - there will still be four divisions - there is plenty of movement among programs.

The least amount of change appears to be happening in Division I, where Alvirne is moving back up after two years in D2, and Timberlane will be dropping down for the next two seasons. Whether Alvirne will take the Owls' spot in the South Conference, or if the Broncos will return to the West Conference, where they originally were, with Merrimack moving back to the South, remains to be seen.

In D2, there will again be 18 teams, and along with the addition of Timberlane, Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton and Lebanon move up after spending the last two seasons in Division III.

Both D3 and D4 will now be 10-team divisions (instead of 12 and eight, respectively), with ConVal and Pelham moving into D3 from D2, and Winnisquam moving up from D4\. Three teams drop down to D4 - Newport, Epping-Newmarket and Somersworth. With only 10 teams in each division, it likely means that only four teams will make the playoffs in both divisions; D3 had eight the last two years.

Now that we've got the basics sorted out, here are some way-too-early predictions for the 2020 football season.

### Division I

While Londonderry was this scribe's No. 1 team in the Union Leader Power Poll throughout the 2019 season, this year started out with the feel of a wide-open division. The same could be the case for the 2020 season, as both the Lancers and runner-up Exeter, along with a few other playoff teams, will suffer some big losses to graduation.

Continuing the NHIAA's rotating schedule clusters, the conference matchups for next year should be East vs. North and South vs. West.

All three Gate City teams suffered through injuries at quarterback this year, and with the players who stepped in all returning, Bishop Guertin, Nashua South and Nashua North should all be in the mix. North might be at the top of the list, assuming Curtis Harris is a hundred percent after a knee injury cost him the end of the 2019 season.

Pinkerton should come back strong after sneaking into the playoffs with a roster full of juniors and sophomores, while it's impossible to count out Salem and Londonderry. Windham should be improved in its second season under coach Jack Byrne, while Merrimack - whichever conference it ends up in - potentially has enough returning to be in playoff contention.

In the other cluster, Goffstown and Bedford should again be the teams to beat in the North, with the Grizzlies returning a lot of underclassmen from this year's conference winner.Manchester Central had a young core this season and could contend for a playoff spot. While Exeter loses many of the players who helped it get back to the championship game, the depth of the program will keep the Blue Hawks in the playoff mix.

Here’s the way-too-early prediction of what the D1 postseason will look like in 2020.

**North/East cluster:** Bedford, Exeter, Goffstown, Manchester Central.

**South/West cluster:** Nashua North, Nashua South, Pinkerton, Salem.

### Division II

With two "Northern" teams from D3 moving up to replace two "Southern" teams going down, the division's two conferences had to be restructured to keep them both at nine teams each.

Instead of a geographic breakdown, the two conferences will look like this:

- **Conference A:** Gilford-Belmont, Kennett, Kingswood, Merrimack Valley, Pembroke, Plymouth, Sanborn, St. Thomas, Timberlane.
- **Conference B:** Bow, Hanover, Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton, Hollis Brookline, John Stark, Lebanon, Manchester West, Milford, Souhegan.

As for who will be contending out of this new configuration, look no further than a familiar face. After coming up short of its fourth-straight D2 title, Plymouth looks like it should be right back in the thick of things in 2020\. The Bobcats will have to replace some holes on the line, but quarterback Cody Bannon will be back to lead a team that exceeded expectations this season.

Despite the loss of some key seniors, Souhegan looks like it can be a team with championship aspirations with several starters set to return, while Kennett and St. Thomas also look to have a lot of key contributors returning.

Many of last year's playoff teams, including champion Hollis Brookline, will be hit hard by graduation and could struggle to return to the postseason. And then there's Timberlane, which takes over the role of dark horse from Alvirne.

Here’s the way-too-early prediction of what the D2 postseason will look like in 2020.

**Playoff teams:** Plymouth, Souhegan, Bow, Milford, Timberlane, St. Thomas, Kennett, Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton.

### Division III

With Pelham and Winnisquam moving into the division, and with perennial contenders Campbell, Monadnock and Stevens still around, and champion Trinity returning plenty, the margin for error is incredibly small. If only four teams make the playoffs, its possible a team that could be championship-caliber misses out completely.

Despite key losses to graduation, Pelham, Campbell and Monadnock have enough returning to stay in the mix, while Winnisquam has all but three players returning from its back-to-back championship teams, including quarterback Phil Nichols. Trinity takes a big hit with the graduation of John Thibault, but James Thibault, John's younger brother, and quarterback Peter Alisandro will help the Pioneers try to make it two titles in a row.

Assuming the number of playoff teams will be four, here’s the way-too-early prediction of what the D3 postseason will look like in 2020.

**Playoff teams:** Trinity, Pelham, Campbell, Monadnock.

### Division IV

With a solid group returning from this year's runnerup, it's possible Fall Mountain enters next season as a favorite in this new-look division. Newport, which was a playoff team in D3, and Somersworth, which was battling for a spot, could also be in the mix, as should this year's other playoff participants Raymond and Bishop Brady.

The team that could make the biggest jump is Franklin, which will likely return running back Jake Beaupre along with a number of other young players.

Here’s the way-too-early prediction of what the D4 postseason will look like in 2020.

**Playoff teams:** Bishop Brady, Fall Mountain, Franklin, Newport.

Only 36 weeks until the start of the 2020 preseason.

*Editor's note: A previous version of this story had Division II broken into three scheduling clusters for the next two-year cycle. That plan has been changed back to two conferences. The story has been updated to reflect that change.*