Bedford takes the top spot in the inaugural NHHSSports Football Coaches Poll
The Bedford High School football team goes into Friday night’s season opener as the two-time defending Division I champions.
The Bedford High School football team goes into Friday night’s season opener as the two-time defending Division I champions.
The Bulldogs also lay claim to being the top team in the first NHHSSports Football Coaches Poll.
Bedford took the No. 1 spot by getting eight first-place votes to finish just ahead of Londonderry, last year’s D1 runner-up, which received five first-place votes. Plymouth, last year’s runner-up in Division II, also took a first-place vote.
The defending champs open up the 2024 season on the road, as the Bulldogs take on Nashua North, which came in at No. 6, on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at Stellos Stadium. Londonderry took the No. 2 spot and will also open on the road against Salem, which finished fourth in the opening poll. That game will kick off at 7 p.m. in Haverhill, Mass.
Pinkerton was the No. 3 team in the poll and will start the year by playing an out-of-division game at Andover, Mass., Friday at 7 p.m. Exeter rounded out the top five and the Blue Hawks open the season on the road against Dover at 7 p.m. Friday.
Plymouth opens the D2 season by hosting Milford at 1 p.m. on Saturday, while Alvirne, which came in at No. 8, goes on the road to play Manchester Central at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Pelham, the No. 9 team in the poll, puts its 41-game win streak on the line to start the year at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bow.
Nashua South finishes out this week’s top 10 and the Panthers start the season at 6 p.m. Saturday against Bishop Guertin at Stellos Stadium.
Here is the preseason NHHSS Football Coaches Poll for the 2024 season. These are the top 10 football teams in the state, with last year’s record and first-place votes/points (T=tie).
- Bedford (13-0), 8/124
- Londonderry (11-2), 5/115
- Pinkerton (10-1), 99
- Salem (7-4), 93
- Exeter (7-4), 85
- Nashua North (7-4), 39
- Plymouth (10-2), 1/33
- Alvirne (5-5), 31
- Pelham (11-0), 23
- Nashua South (2-8), 17
Others receiving votes: Souhegan (8-3), 15; Windham (4-6), 14; Bishop Guertin (7-4), 12; Portsmouth-Oyster River (10-1), 11; Keene (5-5), 10; Bow (5-5), 10; Trinity (10-1), 7; St. Thomas (7-4), 6; Manchester West (1-7), 5; Campbell (10-1), 4; Merrimack (3-7), 4; Winnacunnet (1-9), 3; John Stark (5-4), 3; Hanover (4-4), 2; Manchester Central (2-8), 1; Timberlane (5-5), 1; Merrimack Valley (4-5), 1.
The coaches poll is voted on by football coaches from around the state. If you would like to sponsor the poll, send an email to nhhighschoolsports@gmail.com.
