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# New Hampshire goes for 11th straight against Vermont in Shrine game
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/new-hampshire-goes-for-11th-straight-against-vermont-in-shrine-game/
- Published: 2011-08-06T11:00:47.000Z
- Updated: 2011-08-06T11:00:47.000Z
- Description: MERIDEN - The pressure is on New Hampshire, as the Granite State football team goes for its 11th consecutive win over Vermont in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Division II, Division III-IV, Fall Sports, football, New Hampshire, Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, Vermont, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/northpinkfball1120-1-nn65-1.jpg "NorthPinkFball1120-1 NN65-1")

MERIDEN - The pressure is on New Hampshire, as the Granite State football team goes for its 11th consecutive win over Vermont in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl.

It's pressure not so much to achieve anything great by winning the game. It's pressure to not be the team that has the streak snapped. New Hampshire has won 20 of the last 22 meetings and is 42-13-2 overall.

"We better win or we’re going to be shunned from the society of Shrine teams," Bedford's Sam McClain joked when asked about the streak.

One thing is for sure, Lebanon coach Chris Childs might have put together one of the most talented New Hampshire teams in recent years. Childs, the New Hampshire coach for this year's game, had two criteria for the players he wanted on the team.

"They had to be good kids and then fit into our system," he said. "There were some kids that didn’t fit into our system and I feel bad because they’re good kids, they just didn’t fit into what we’re trying to do. I think we picked the right kids."

Childs plans to run the offense from the wing-T formation, and picked a talented group of running backs, but they've taken a bit of a beating during practice. Both Bishop Guertin's Mike Kelly and Lebanon's Cody Patch [suffered injuries during an intra-squad scrimmage](http://www.nhfootballreport.com/2011/08/shrine%5Fcamp%5Fday%5F6%5F3.html?ref=nh-highschoolsports.com) last Saturday, and while Kelly appears to be ready to play, Patch is likely to be a game-time decision.

Those two were picked along with Salem's Max Jacques and all three will be playing at the FCS (Division I-AA) level in the fall. With Patch's injury, Hollis/Brookline's Brian Liamos will get the start at fullback for New Hampshire. Joining them in the backfield is Winnacunnet quarterback Steve Cronan.

"Cronan is a specimen," Childs said. "He throws the ball well, he can run. He’s used to running something similar to the wing-T. It is a lot of talent. They’re all great kids who can run and that makes it great as a coach."

Kelly and Jacques are two small, quick backs who will be playing behind a line that doesn't have a starter shorter than 6-4 and weighing less than 255 pounds. New Hampshire's starting offensive line will consist of Nashua North's Zach Hunnewell (left tackle) and James Murphy (left guard), Keene's Matt Ammann (center) and Taylor Russell (right guard) and Nashua South's Ian Parsons (right tackle).

"It’s pretty amazing when you see those kids between the Parsons kid and the Hunnewell kid," Childs said. "The funny thing is, the running backs are all like 5-8, so they’re going to be small guys running behind them. I think it will be harder for the defense to see them."

McClain and Souhegan's Brendan McKenna will also see time on the offense at tight end.

Defensively, Childs wanted players who could get keep up against Vermont's Christian McCormick, who threw for 37 touchdowns and seven interceptions last year at Rice, and a spread offense. That meant getting fast players in the secondary and guys who could get after the quarterback in a hurry.

"You can only rush four kids, so you’ve got to have kids that can get after the football," Childs said. "If they’re going to be in a spread formation, you’ve got to have kids that can run."

Two of those players, Souhegan's Nick Hession and Merrimack's Tyler Baulier, will start on New Hampshire's defensive line.

"We thought (Hession) could fit in that mold," Child said. "(Baulier) is a big, strong kid. Same thing, we tried to get kids that can get up field and get after the quarterback. That’s what we saw in him."

New Hampshire and Vermont will take the field at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Windsor (Vt.) High School.

For the rest of the New Hampshire starting lineup, [go here](http://www.nhfootballreport.com/2011/08/shrine%5Fcamp%5Fday%5F8%5F3.html?ref=nh-highschoolsports.com).