Midseason report: Division III football

An eight-game regular season and unbalanced schedules has created an interesting race for the playoffs in Division III, with one conference – the South – featuring four teams that all have winning records.

Heading into Week 7, Pelham (5-0) remains the only undefeated team, a bit of surprise in the division, considering it was just a year ago the Pythons ended a 20-game losing streak. But here they are, with one of the best defenses, not only in the division, but in the state, giving up an average of 5.4 points per game.

With a third of the season left, Pelham is the favorite to take home the new D3 title. Where does everyone else fall? Find out below, where each of the 17 teams in the division are ranked, based on record, strength of schedule (SOS), points score per game (PS) and points allowed per game (PA). The * denotes the current division leaders.

Team rankings

Playing for next year:

17. Franklin (Record: 0-6; SOS: 5; PS: 16; PA: 16).

16. Raymond (Record: 0-5; SOS: 4; PS: 12; PA 17).

15. Farmington-Nute (Record: 0-5; SOS: 6; PS: 17; PA: 15).

The best news for Raymond and Farmington-Nute is that one of them won’t go winless this year; they play each other on Oct. 25. Meanwhile, Franklin, which won the Division VI championship last year, went through a lot of turmoil in the offseason regarding its head coaching position.

One up, one down

14. Newfound (Record: 2-3; SOS: 16; PS: 8; PA: 14).

13. Fall Mountain (Record: 2-4; SOS: 9; PS: 14; PA: 12).

Considering it didn’t have a varsity program a year ago, having two wins through six games is a success for Fall Mountain. The Wildcats have faced a fairly tough schedule thanks to playing in one of the tougher conferences (West). Newfound was a playoff team a year ago, but has slipped to fourth in the North Conference. The only thing keeping Newfound out of the basement is Franklin.

In the picture

12. Epping-Newmarket (Record: 2-3; SOS: 12; PS: 15; PA: 5).

11. Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough (Record: 3-3; SOS: 10; PS: 13; PA: 11).

10. Winnisquam (Record: 3-3; SOS: 11; PS: 11; PA: 7).

Epping-Newmarket has been competitive this season, but at the moment, the Blue Devils would be in the playoffs as the second team in the East Conference with a losing record. With games against Campbell and Bishop Brady – the top team in the conference – coming up, it could be worse by the end of the year. ILM and Winnisquam both have a bye this Friday and will determine who gets the second playoff spot in the North when they meet on Oct. 26 in Tilton.

Realignment casualties

9. Mascoma Valley (Record: 3-2; SOS: T13; PS: 1; PA: 10).

8. Campbell (Record: 4-1; SOS: 17; PS: 2; PA: 4).

7. Somersworth (Record: 3-2; SOS: 1; PS: 7; PA: 8).

These three teams have better records than the potential playoff teams previously listed, but would be on the outside looking in if the postseason started today. Remember, only the top two teams from each conference make it in this year. Campbell and Somersworth are third and fourth, respectively, in the South Conference, quite a feat considering both have a winning record; the Hilltoppers also own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Mascoma Valley’s loss to Stevens means it would lose out if the teams finished tied, which they are right now.

Playoff bound

6. Bishop Brady* (Record: 3-2; SOS: 15; PS: 3; PA: 9).

5. Stevens (Record: 3-2; SOS: T2; PS: 6; PA: 6).

Both teams control their own destine as far as making the postseason. Bishop Brady has a game lead over Epping-Newmarket in the East Conference, and would solidify that standing with a win in their head-to-head matchup on Oct. 25. The Giants have one of the top offenses in the division, scoring 32.6 points per game. Stevens is a game behind first-place Newport, but could win the West Conference with a win over the Tigers on Oct. 26, and the Cardinals own the tiebreaker with Mascoma Valley, thanks to a 42-22 win on Oct. 5.

Contenders

4. Gilford* (Record: 4-2; SOS: 8; PS: 9; PA: 13).

3. Newport* (Record: 4-1; SOS: T13; PS: 10; PA: 3).

2. Bow (Record: 4-1; SOS: 7; PS: 5; PA: 2).

So far, Bow has come the closest to knocking off Pelham, falling 7-0 to the Pythons in the season’s opening weekend. That puts the Falcons a step ahead of the Tigers, who were blown out by Pelham by 50 points. Meanwhile, Gilford is at the top of the North Conference, with games against winless Raymond and Franklin left on the schedule, and its two losses have come against Bow and Newport.

The Favorite

1. Pelham* (Record: 5-0; SOS: T2; PS: 4; PA: 1).

The Pythons have come a long way since the last time they were in Division III, a two-year experiment that saw them go winless for two seasons. After a 3-6 season a year ago in Division V, Pelham is currently the cream of the crop in D-III, having handed Bow and Newport their only losses. The Pythons have the best defense in the division, holding opponents to an average of 5.4 points per game, and have scored over 30 per game. With games remaining against Fall Mountain, Campbell and Farmington-Nute, Pelham is well on its way to being the top overall seed in the division.