Football schedule for Week 1

Here’s a look at the schedule of games for the first week of New Hampshire high school football.

Friday games

Alvirne at Keene, 7 p.m.

The big question for Alvirne is can it build on last year’s success of making the postseason for just the second time in program history. The Broncos lost some talent, but return three solid players in quarterback Dan Brown, running back Ethan Rainville and lineman Bennett Parkinson. Keene ended last season with its lone win of the year, and it could be another long one for the Blackbirds. Last year, Alvirne’s 54-21 win snapped a three-game losing streak to Keene, and was the Broncos’ second win in the last 10 games against the Blackbirds.

Nashua North at Bedford, 7 p.m.

Dante Laurendi returns to the Titans and gets to open up with a Bedford team that has a lot of talent, despite graduating some key players from last year’s runner-up. North returns some experience on the offensive and defensive lines and in the backfield, but quarterback remains a question mark. After putting up 24 points on Londonderry in one quarter at the Queen City Jamboree, Bedford appears to have two quarterbacks in Connor Robert and Zach Tucci. The Bulldogs also have five seniors on the offensive line, led by center Bobby Heald.

Londonderry at Dover, 7 p.m.

After making the postseason for two straight years, Londonderry lost a lot of its offense in quarterback Eric Fairweather, the Gatorade Player of the Year. David Wiedenfeld could be the first guy in line to take over that load. Dover, which was winless a year ago, has seen its numbers go from 42 in 2013 to 90 this year. The Green Wave have a handful of returning players, led by quarterback Jack Priester and linemen Morgan Dudley and Nathan Stegman.

Timberlane at Exeter, 7 p.m.

Timberlane returns some key skill players, including quarterback Jason Hughes and running back Tyler Furey, from a team that ended the year by winning three of four. Exeter had over 140 players out at the start of the preseason, among them were returners Kyle Ball, Jackson Allen and Hunter Long. Since going winless in its first year in Division I in 2010, Exeter has won two championships (2011 and 2012) and reached the semifinals in each of the last two years. This is the first meeting between the teams since 2009.

Manchester Central  at Bishop Guertin, 7 p.m.

The Jeff Moore era begins for the Cardinals against a Central team that wouldn’t mind getting off to a quick start this season. The Little Green have started 0-2 in each of the last two seasons. Bishop Guertin was a surprise 0-2 team a year ago, thanks in part to injuries, but bounced back to go 5-6 and reach the semifinals. This year, quarterback J.T. Hiscoe and company could ride an up-tempo offense back to the playoffs.

Nashua South at Manchester Memorial, 7 p.m.

A year ago, South had all but one starter back on offense, but had a disappointing season at 4-5 and out of the postseason. This year, Colin Morrow is one of the few returning seniors and will need to provide a lot of leadership. Memorial proved to be a dangerous team as the season went on last year, staying in the postseason hunt before finishing the year at 5-4. The teams haven’t played since 2012, and South has won nine in a row against Memorial since a unified Nashua High School split before the 2004-05 school year.

Portsmouth at Merrimack, 7 p.m.

Points could be easy to come by between a Portsmouth team that’s inexperienced on defense and a Merrimack team that’s struggled in recent years to stop opponents. The Clippers turn their offense over to sophomore Cody Graham, who started as a freshman for the basketball team. Merrimack has its third head coach in four years in Kip Jackson, but he’s got returning starters in quarterback Justin Grassini and back Tyler DeNeill.

Winnacunnet at Salem, 7 p.m.

The emergence of sophomore Patrick MacDougall at quarterback will allow Winnacunnet to use Brian Auffant and Liam Viviano on both sides of the ball. Auffant was the starter at quarterback a year ago, but missed a large portion of the season with a back injury. Salem has nine starters back from a team that went 7-2, but missed out on the postseason. Included among those is Johnny Bartose and Charles Sibanda, who combined for 19 touchdowns.

Spaulding at Pinkerton, 7 p.m.

Spaulding might have the toughest two weeks of the season, with Pinkerton and Exeter on the schedule. The Red Raiders lost 18 seniors from a team that went 2-7 a year ago, and lost 22 from the 2013 playoff team. Pinkerton took a hit this week, finding out that senior running back T.J. Urbanik will likely be out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus. The Astros are also replacing a good chunk of their offensive and defensive lines.

Pelham at ConVal, 7 p.m.

These two combined for just three wins a year ago, and one of those was Pelham’s 49-8 win over ConVal in the first game of the season. The Pythons, who moved up to Division II last year, had three losses decided by 10 points or fewer. ConVal’s win over Hollis Brookline last year snapped a 15-game losing streak, and the Cougars are 4-20 in their last 24 games.

John Stark at Milford, 7 p.m.

Rod McQuarrie takes over as head coach for John Stark after spending the last five years as an assistant. The new coach is very familiar with his quarterback, his son Drew McQuarrie, who enters his second season as the starter. Milford has one of the top lineman in the state back in Kody Palladino, who will help make running room for seniors Mark Madigan and Max Urda.

Merrimack Valley at Kennett, 7 p.m.

Merrimack Valley graduated one of the most recognizable players in the state last year in quarterback Ivan Niyomugabo. But with Niyomugabo hurt for most of the year, Ian Curtain stepped into the lineup and led the Pride to the postseason. Curtain is back, as are receivers Evan Martin and Ryan Neylon. Kennett also returns a pretty good quarterback in Will Pollard, who has been starting since he was a freshman.

Lebanon at Laconia, 7 p.m.

One of these teams seemed destined for the playoffs last year, but then Lebanon lost two of its final three games, and Laconia lost its final three. Each team returns a solid running back, as Ryan Milliken is in the backfield for Lebanon and Kyle Chiasson returns for Laconia.

Trinity at Manchester West, 7 p.m.

This cross-town rivalry was renewed last year for the first time since 2006, which was the last year Trinity was in Division I. The two programs have gone in opposite directions since. The Pioneers have one of the most explosive offensive players in the state in Saikou Bah.

Monadnock at Souhegan, 7 p.m.

These two teams have met to open the previous two seasons, with Monadnock winning 40-7 in 2013 and Souhegan taking a 27-20 victory last year. Since finishing the 2013 regular season undefeated, the Huskies have lost seven of nine. The Sabers look to return to the postseason this year for the first time since 2012. After winning its third straight Division III title in a row in 2010, Souhegan has made just one playoff appearance.

Plymouth at Rutland (Vt.), 7 p.m.

Plymouth will spend its bye week over the boarder in Vermont, taking on a Rutland team that opened its season last week with a 28-7 win over Champlain Valley Union. Plymouth got off to a slow start last year under coach Chris Sanborn, but after an 0-3 start, the Bobcats won four of five to end the season. The one loss was a 28-27 defeat at the hands of Laconia, which likely kept Plymouth out of the postseason.

Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough at Fall Mountain, 

The Lakers went 5-3 and made the postseason a year ago, and hope to improve on that behind Nick Brothers, who should lead ILM at running back and linebacker. Fall Mountain is in its third year back with varsity football after having just a freshmen team in 2012. The Wildcats have a new head coach in John Callahan.

Farmington-Nute at Somersworth, 7 p.m.

Andrew Szendre takes over as head coach at Farmington-Nute after leading Newfound last season. The Tigers were 1-7 a year ago – one of 12 wins in the program’s 10-year history – and have a long road ahead in what should be a tough South Conference. Somersworth has some big shoes to fill with the graduation of running back Elyjah Dejoie, who led the state in rushing a year ago. Numbers are down for the Hilltoppers, with just 32 players on the opening-night rosters. Matt Menz makes the switch from running back to quarterback for Somersworth.

Newfound at Stevens, 7 p.m.

After a winless season a year ago, Newfound is on its second head coach of the 2015 season without taking a snap. Tony Catalano, who replaced Szendre, stepped down a little more than a week before the start of the season and was replaced by Brad Archer. Stevens has just four seniors on its roster, but returns seven players on the offensive side of the ball.

Winnisquam at Raymond, 7 p.m.

Christian Serrano leads the Winnisquam offense in what the Bears hope will be a playoff year. They were 3-0 a year ago before losing four of their final five games to miss out on the postseason. Raymond’s offense was feast or famine a year ago. In five games, the Rams scored a total of 58 points and went 0-5, while in the other three games (2-1), Raymond scored 100.

Saturday games

Concord at Goffstown, 1:30 p.m.

What a way to have the start the season for both teams. Two contenders for the Division I North crown and after the first week, one will be guaranteed of a loss and a little less room to maneuver. While Concord has one of the state’s top players in Sudieh, Goffstown returns a big senior class that came close a lot of times last year. All four of the Grizzlies’ losses were by a combined 20 points.

Hollis Brookline at Windham, 1:30 p.m.

It’s a rematch of semifinalists on the opening weekend, as Windham ended HB’s season with a 30-7 defeat on the way to the Jaguars’ first title. The Cavaliers won’t take up much room on the visitor’s sideline, as they have just 34 players in the program this year. Windham was hit hard by graduation, but still returns some standout players, like backs Matt Shea and Shane Lafond.

Kearsarge at Pembroke, 1:30 p.m.

Kearsarge opened some eyes finding its way into the postseason a year ago. Leading the way for the Cougars is senior running back Riley Antle, who has rushed for over 1,900 yards the last two seasons. Pembroke has a new coach in Rob Cathcart, who started the Goffstown program in 2002 and had been an assistant at Bishop Guertin the last couple of years. The Spartans have just one player returning – Isaac Abbott – who has any varsity experience.

St. Thomas at Sanborn, 12:30 p.m.

St. Thomas enters the season with a bull’s eye thanks to its runner-up status last year in Division II and the return of senior quarterback Stephen Hedberg. All Hedberg did last year was throw for a state-record 35 touchdowns while leading the Saints to an 9-2 record. Sanborn won the West Conference during the regular season, but couldn’t return to the semifinals, falling to Hollis Brookline in the championship game.

Bow at Campbell, 1:30 p.m.

Another rematch of last year’s semifinal, when Campbell upset Bow and ended the Falcons’ 19-game winning streak. Both teams could very likely meet in the postseason again, but this year, it could be in the championship game. Chris Robbins returns at running back for Bow, while Campbell is moving Harrison Vedrani from the line to the backfield.

Epping-Newmarket at Bishop Brady, 2 p.m.

Epping-Newmarket has switched to a spread offense this season and will look to quarterback Brad George and receivers Matt Furey and Alex Souvannaseng. Bishop Brady lost record-setting quarterback Brendan Johnson to graduation, and gone with him is the spread the Giants used last year. Mario Fusco takes over at quarterback with Aidan Plumpton and Moses Murenzi in the backfield behind him.

Franklin at Gilford, 1:30 p.m.

Franklin’s numbers have nearly doubled from a year ago, as there are now 48 players in the program, and in the weaker North Conference, that could help the Golden Tornadoes improve on their 3-5 record from last year. Gilford lost a lot from a team that went 7-1 in the regular season and reached the semifinals. The Golden Eagles turn to Carter Mercer at quarterback.

Newport at Mascoma Valley, 1:30 p.m.

Newport returns a lot from last year’s runner-up, including a backfield of C.J. Lawrence and Noah Wade. The Tigers will have to replace quarterback Tom Hogan, but Lawrence and Wade should be able to carry the load to open the season. Mascoma made it into the playoffs last year at 4-4 and lost in the quarterfinals to Newport, 34-14. The Royals returns all but four starters on both sides of the ball.