On the Gridiron: New class already benefiting Milford football

Football programs that continue to be successful year after year don’t typically just get solid play from the juniors and seniors on the roster.

Every couple of years, there’s got to be a group of sophomores that can contribute, in some way or another, right away in order to keep that success going.

That’s how its worked for coach Keith Jones at Milford High School, and this year seems to be one of the ones with a super crop of sophomores.

But it goes back beyond the class of 2018.

A handful of this year’s seniors were also getting plenty of varsity playing time two years ago. Kody Palladino is a three-year starter on Milford’s offensive and defensive lines, while quarterback Max Urda started on defense as a sophomore and eventually took over at quarterback at the end of that year when his older brother, Harrison, was hurt. Harrison Urda did the same before his brother, starting on defense as a sophomore before moving into the quarterback position.

This year, however, there are sophomores stepping in every where.

“We’ve got a tremendous sophomore class,” Jones said. “They’re good from top to bottom and they all do different things. We starting one at right guard, one at center, we’re getting a lot of looks from a lot of young kids.”

On the offensive line, Michael Boucher has stepped in at right guard while Jaxson Mims success at center has allowed Palladino to move to left guard.

Defensively, Ricky DeBernardo and Dylan Salisbury, two sophomores who are next in line on the depth chart behind senior running backs Bryce Walker and Mark Madigan, are getting lots of time on defense.

In all, there are 24 sophomores listed on the varsity roster. So not only are the Spartans one of the top teams in Division II this season, they should be for a while.

Middle of the pack

There are 10 teams in Division I that will enter Week 3 of the regular season with a record of 1-1. Four of those teams reside in the West Conference, all tied for first place.

The question is, how much can have we learned from exactly who is 1-1?

For example, Bishop Guertin opened the year scoring 54 points against Manchester Central, while Concord allowed 42 to Goffstown in Week 1. So what happens in Week 2? Concord holds Bishop Guertin to two touchdowns and comes back late to win 17-14.

And not all 1-1 records are equal. Take Londonderry, which blew out Dover in its opener, and Timberlane, which lost a battle with Exeter in Week 1. The teams played last week, with the Owls grabbing a 28-7 win.

Comeback kids

How long does it take for something to become a trend? Bishop Brady might be close to finding out.

The Giants trailed 14-0 against Epping-Newmarket in the season-opener, but behind 263 yards rushing from Moses Murenzi, Bishop Brady rallied for a 20-14 win over the Blue Devils.

Last week, the Giants trailed Franklin 7-6 at halftime, and then after snapping the ball into the end zone on a punt, were down 9-6 in the third quarter. Again, Bishop Brady scored 15 unanswered points in the final 15:30 of the game to win 21-9.

It doesn’t get easier for the Giants this week, as they’ll host Bow (2-0), which has outscored opponents 83-6 this season.

Ups…

• Bedford: Through two games, the Bulldogs – who have a lot of new faces in important roles – have scored 117 points against Nashua North and South.
• St. Thomas: The Saints haven’t lacked for points as well, scoring 101 in wins over Sanborn and Pembroke.
• Newport: The Tigers are 2-0 after beating Mascoma Valley 35-0 and Campbell 48-6.

… And downs

• Campbell: The defending Division III champs are 0-2 and have been outscored 90-12 in those two games. The good news? Those might have been the Cougars’ toughest opponents this season.
• Hollis Brookline: Last year’s West Conference champion had hopes of contending for a playoff spot, but is also at 0-2 after losses to Windham and Milford.
• Alvirne: The margin between winning and losing can be so slim. The Broncos led Keene in the second half of Week 1 before falling 23-19, and were tied with North 7-7 before giving up the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds left.

Madden Stat of the Week: Lebanon’s Ryan Milliken rushed for 306 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries for an average of 13.9 yards per carry.