Football Notebook: Stretch run begins this week

With only four weeks remaining in the regular season, there’s plenty of jostling for playoff berths going on in all four football divisions.

Prior to Friday night kickoffs, conference leaders in Division I consisted of undefeated Winnacunnet (5-0) in the East and Londonderry (5-0) in the South, with Bishop Guertin (4-1) ahead out West and Bedford (3-2) atop the North. They all have teams nipping at their heels heading down the stretch.

BG head coach John Trisciani hears the footsteps.

“There’s still a long way to go,” the fourth-year Cardinals coach said prior to last week’s 35-7 win over Nashua South. “We’re in a tough conference and playing in what I think is the toughest overall cluster. So we can’t sit back and relax. I think our guys understand that. We’re looking at every week like a playoff game.”

It’s not much different in Division II. Undefeated Timberlane Regional (5-0) leads the East, while Lebanon (5-0) and Hanover (5-0) are at the top for the West crown. All three have at least one 4-1 team looking to make a move late in the season, but conference champs or not, all will likely finish in the playoffs minus a complete collapse on the field or issues surrounding a virus that shall remain nameless.

Division III and IV take the top four teams to the tournament. With the exceptions of Trinity (5-0) and Pelham (5-0) in DIII and Newport (4-0) in DIV, nothing seems locked up yet.

Here’s a divisional breakdown with key games to mark on your calendars for the last four weeks of regular season action.

Division I

The four conference winners earn top seeds entering the tournament. Based cluster scheduling for this season, the remaining quarterfinals teams will be selected by the two best win/loss records of non-conference champions in the North/East cluster and the two best from the South/West cluster.

Prior to kickoff on Oct. 8, three teams are set to come out of the East, with Winnacunnet (5-0), Portsmouth-Oyster River (4-1), Exeter (3-1) and Dover (3-2) all in the hunt. Bedford (3-2) and Goffstown (2-1) are fighting for the North crown and possibly the only playoff spot from that conference.

Bedford and Goffstown could play spoiler in the East while fighting for the North. Bedford travels to Exeter on Oct. 15 while Goffstown hosts Winnacunnet Oct. 16, visits Dover Oct. 22 and closes at home versus Portsmouth-Oyster River on Oct. 30.

Winnacunnet and P-OR have their own meeting Friday in Portsmouth to get through first as the East action heats up. P-OR still has to visit Dover on Oct. 15 and hosts Exeter on Oct. 22 before closing the regular season in Goffstown. While Winnacunnet and P-OR are squaring off, over in Exeter, the Blue Hawks, who still have Bedford on their schedule Oct. 15, are hosting Dover for a chance to move up one spot in the standings.

In the South/West cluster, Londonderry (5-0) makes its push to remain undefeated and with the South crown with games at Windham (1-4) Oct. 9, hosting a surging Keene (3-2) on Oct. 15, taking a short trip to Salem (2-2) on Oct. 22 and hosting Nashua North (3-2) on Oct. 29.

Right behind the Lancers in the South is Pinkerton Academy (4-1), who after losing to Londonderry 21-10 on Sept. 24, need a little help to win the conference title. A playoff berth is most important right now, and the Astros are focused on their schedule, which includes key matchups at Bishop Guertin (4-1) on Oct. 16 and at home with Nashua North on Oct. 21.

BG is looking to keep its one-game West Conference lead intact with back-to-back games at Stellos Stadium against Nashua North Friday night, and Pinkerton next week. The Cardinals need to stay focused with Nashua North and Keene right on their tail feathers. While North has the tougher of the two schedules, closing out with BG, Salem, Pinkerton and Londonderry, Keene wants to keep things rolling Friday at Salem and next week in Londonderry.

Division II

Securing one of the last two DII playoff spots will be hard. The conference winners will be locked in as the top two seeds, with the remaining six teams coming from either Division based on the NHIAA points rating system.

At the top of the heap are Timberlane, Lebanon and Hanover – all 5-0 at the moment.

Timberlane’s toughest of its remaining four games will come against a bubble team, with Sanborn Regional (2-3) visiting Plaistow Friday night and closing the season at home with Milford on Oct. 29. Lebanon and Hanover will square off Oct. 22 in Hanover, but Hanover still has Milford (4-1) at home Friday and its own bubble team, Souhegan (2-3), when visiting Amherst on Oct. 15.

Division III

The top four teams will reach the playoffs, and prior to Friday night kickoff, Trinity (5-0), Pelham (5-0), Campbell (4-1) and Monadnock (3-1) would be the semifinalists.

There’s still plenty of action to determine seeding, and if Campbell or Monadnock slip, Kearsarge (2-2), Laconia (2-3) and Stevens (2-3) are pushing to grab the fourth seed.

Friday night was supposed to be a battle for rights to the top seed, as Trinity was scheduled to host Pelham in a spotlight game to kickoff these final four weeks of regular season action. The game was cancelled because of COVID-19 issues within the Trinity program, which is now on a 10-day pause.

That break in team activities should end in time for the Pioneers to go bubble busting over their final three games – hosting Stevens Oct. 16, visiting Laconia Oct. 22 and hosting Kearsarge Oct. 24.

Pelham’s regular season wraps up with home games against Campbell on Oct. 15 and Monadnock on Oct. 22, and a road trip to Tilton on Oct. 30 to face Winnisquam Regional. Campbell and Monadnock square off for better playoff positioning Saturday afternoon in Litchfield. They both still have a key game with Pelham remaining.

Division IV

As is the case in DIII, DIV is a tight race for four playoff spots.

Newport (4-0), Epping-Newmarket (3-0), Somersworth (3-1) and Fall Mountain (2-2) are currently in the tourney, but Raymond (2-1) and Mascoma Valley (2-2) are out to change that.

Raymond might be out of the mix due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the school. They were forced to cancel last week’s game at Epping-Newmarket and this week’s scheduled matchup with Newport. It was reported by the Union Leader that 23 high school students had tested positive for the virus as of Oct. 1, roughly seven percent of the high school’s student population, with more tests pending. That leaves the Rams remaining schedule in limbo.

Mascoma Valley will take its shot with three of its four games against top four teams. The Royals visit Epping-Newmarket on Saturday, host Franklin Oct. 16, visit Newport Oct. 23 and close out their regular season Oct. 30 when Fall Mountain visits Canaan.

With the Raymond cancellation, Newport essentially gets a bye this week before hosting Epping-Newmarket Oct. 16 and Mascoma Valley Oct. 23, and then closing out at Newfound on Oct. 30.

Somersworth and Fall Mountain will square off for the third seed tonight in Langdon. They’ll both face lesser teams the next two weeks before closing with tough matchups – Somersworth hosting Epping-Newmarket on Oct. 29 and Fall Mountain visiting Mascoma Valley on Oct. 30.

Quick Hits

• Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton senior running back Jack Morrall was a workhorse in a 35-28 victory over John Stark on Oct. 2. Morrall carried the ball 36 times for 225 yards, five touchdowns and a two-point conversion. He also hauled in a pass for 25 yards receiving. Defensively, Morrall recorded an interception and nine tackles.
• Manchester West quarterback Icean Taylor rushed for 275 yards and four touchdowns, and threw another 22-yard TD pass, in a 54-28 victory over Hollis Brookline on Oct. 1.
• Milford’s Logan Barnhill scored five touchdowns – on runs of 26, 8, 7, 24 and 59 yards – in a 42-23 triumph over Bow on Oct. 1. Barnhill finished the game with 223 rushing yards to his name.

George Scione writes for NH-HighSchoolSports.com and has covered high school sports in New Hampshire since 1995. To report standout gridiron performances, or offer ideas for the football notebook, send an email to scioneg@gmail.com.