Division I

Deep D1 should make for plenty of surprises this football season

Joe Marchilena

— 4 min read
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Deep D1 should make for plenty of surprises this football season

There is one team that Division I coaches point to as the clearcut favorite this football season.

But that question that almost everyone follows that up with is just how much better might the Pinkerton Academy football team be than the rest of the division?

The answer will begin to come on Friday, when the regular season gets underway, but right now, it appears there could be at least a dozen teams that have a legitimate shot at joining the Astros at the top of D1. 

The NHIAA made one change to the division this cycle, swapping out Alvirne, which moved to Division II, for Windham. The Jaguars will play in the South Conference with the Astros, Salem, Londonderry and Timberlane, while Merrimack moves to the West Conference to take Alvirne’s spot.

Here’s a look at the teams that may have the best chance to be playing at the University of New Hampshire on Nov. 17.

Favorites

  • Pinkerton (10-2): The Astros made a run to the championship game a year early perhaps, as they are loaded with experienced seniors. That group includes quarterback Aiden Goujon, running back Gannon Fast and lineman Robert Fahey, plus two starters, Ryan Auger and Gennaro Marra, who helped the boys lacrosse team pull off one of the biggest championship upsets in quite some time. 
  • Manchester Central (6-4): It’s hard to believe the Little Green haven’t made the playoffs since 2013 because of how close they’ve been to getting in since then. Last year, Central lost out on a spot in the final week of the season, but with quarterback Alex Hawkom and receiver Nick Olibrice returning, the Little Green are poised to make a run.

Contenders

  • Nashua North (5-5): The Titans graduated about a half-dozen players from last year’s team that battled for a playoff spot. North returns plenty of key players, including seniors in quarterback Mike Loveless, receiver/defensive back Austin Ouellette and athlete Brian Montminy.
  • Winnacunnet (12-0): Hard to not call the defending champions a favorite, but losing a large senior class, including quarterback Patrick MacDougall, will do that. The Warriors do return one of the best athletes in the state in Joe MacDougall, Patrick’s younger brother, and running back Brendan Kacmarcik returns from an injury to join Jordan Fuller in the backfield. 
  • Exeter (7-3): Like Pinkerton, the Blue Hawks just reload every season and will always be a threat to make the postseason. In fact, since the division format change in 2013, Exeter is the only D1 team to never miss the playoffs. 
  • Bedford (6-4): Much like Exeter and Pinkerton, Bedford’s program has the depth to keep the Bulldogs competitive year in and year out. Thomas Morgan enters the year as the starting quarterback after taking over the job midway through last season after an injury to Connor Robert. With fellow seniors Ryan Toscano, Harrison LeGoullon and Lucien Mumpini, Bedford has a core as talented and tough as anyone in the division.
  • Londonderry (6-4): The Lancers got back into the postseason and year ago and will be in contention again this year, but could still be a season away. Evan Cormier is back at full strength at quarterback and Jeff Wiedenfeld is one of the top running backs in the state.
  • Salem (10-1): The Blue Devils once again will be led by a strong backfield that includes Dom Paci and Riley Mulvey. The status of junior Josh Maroun appears up in the air after he left last Friday’s scrimmage early with what looked like a knee injury.
  • Goffstown (9-2): The Grizzlies lost a lot of players to graduation, including most of an outstanding defense. But back in the mix are quarterback Charlie Keith and running backs Jack Stinnett and Josh Juneau to try to get Goffstown into the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

Dark Horses

  • Windham (8-1 in D2): The new team on the block should be able to compete with the big boys from the start, thanks to returning players like Tommy Emrick, Cody Potter, Cody Stevens, Ryan Marotta and Seth Maffeo. While the Jaguars will compete, it might take time for them to get into the postseason.
  • Timberlane (3-6): The Owls could be the seventh or eighth best team in the division, but because of the conference they play in, it might be tough to tell. It’s hard to count out Timberlane when it has a three-year starter like Dan Hayes returning at quarterback. 

East Conference

(Predicted order of finish, last year’s record)

  1. Exeter (7-3, lost in quarterfinals)
  2. Winnacunnet (12-0, won title)
  3. Portsmouth-Oyster River (4-5)
  4. Dover (3-6)
  5. Spaulding (1-8)

South Conference

  1. Pinkerton (10-2, lost in final)
  2. Londonderry (6-4, lost in quarterfinals)
  3. Windham (8-1, lost in D2 quarterfinals)
  4. Salem (10-1, lost in semifinals)
  5. Timberlane (3-6)

West Conference

  1. Nashua North (5-5)
  2. Merrimack (4-5)
  3. Nashua South (8-3, lost in quarterfinals)
  4. Keene (0-10)
  5. Bishop Guertin (1-8)

North Conference

  1. Manchester Central (6-4)
  2. Bedford (6-4, lost in quarterfinals)
  3. Goffstown (9-2, lost in semifinals)
  4. Concord (2-7)
  5. Manchester Memorial (0-9)

Playoff Predictions

The division is divided into two clusters (East-South and North-West for 2018) and the top teams from each conference make the postseason as the top two seeds in the cluster. The next two best teams in each cluster also advance.

East-South cluster: Pinkerton, Exeter, Londonderry, Winnacunnet.

North-West cluster: Nashua North, Manchester Central, Bedford, Goffstown.

Championship: Pinkerton over Manchester Central.

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