Early uncertainty ended in another trip to Durham for Plymouth football

Going into this season, there were a number of factors that made Chris Sanborn wonder how the Plymouth High School football team could possibly get back to the Division II championship game.

The Bobcats, coming off two straight D2 titles, had lost 19 players to graduation, many of which played key roles on one or both championship teams.

Depth looked like it would be an issue, especially considering the new shortened preseason implemented by the NHIAA this year. Add on that Plymouth's schedule in September included three playoff teams from a year ago, plus another that was returning a large number of players and expected to also compete for the postseason.

But the Bobcats made it through that tough early-season stretch unscathed, and then, against some of the North Conference's weaker opponents, started build their depth back up.

It all added up to another undefeated regular season and another trip to the D2 championship game, where No. 1 Plymouth (11-0) will go for its third straight title against No. 3 Alvirne (9-2). Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the University of New Hampshire.

"What these kids have done, it's impressive," Sanborn said. "Our theme this year was back to basics. We had to build back up the knowledge and understanding of our system. The coaches worked so hard to develop an understanding of this system with these kids, and not just the starters."

Plymouth did go into the year with a handful of players, like Owen Brickley, Steven Shute, Patrick Malm and Camden MacDonald, who had experienced previous trips to UNH.

But Sanborn believes the fact he has so many three-sport athletes on the roster as part of the reason why the Bobcats ability to hit the ground running.

"Playing other sports is huge," the coach said. "You can't tell me that it doesn't make for better athletes. Playing basketball is a free workout, making you more athletic. Being a competitor in one sport helps in other sports."

With those players leading the way through the first half of the season, Plymouth focused on creating depth in the second half. The coaching staff began by splitting up the starting offense, assigning players to different groups within their position and mixing them up in practices and games.

"We came out of September and we were lucky to get out undefeated," Sanborn said. "We went from there and said 'OK, we've got four weeks to build depth for the playoffs.' We did some of our hardest coaching in that stretch and the kids worked their tails off."

It was almost like having a second preseason for the Bobcats, as players moved around the field and saw time with guys they maybe hadn't in the early part of the season.

"We wanted to see who was ready to step up, to move into the depth chart or maybe beat a guy out," Sanborn said. "Some of those kids weren't getting much playing time. It's been impressive."

So has the run that the Bobcats have been on, as their win streak now sits at 26, and they're in the title game for the fourth time in six years.

"We're excited to be back in Durham," Sanborn said. "The kids have a mission. We had hopes for them and they've exceeded those expectations."