Teams remain the same in the NHHSSports Football Coaches Poll as playoffs begin
The regular season has come to an end and the teams in the NHHSSports Football Coaches Poll are holding their spots as the playoffs are set to begin.
The regular season has come to an end and the teams in the NHHSSports Football Coaches Poll are holding their spots as the playoffs are set to begin.
All top 10 teams held their ground this week, with Bedford remaining a unanimous No. 1, getting all 13 first-place votes. The Bulldogs will be the top seed in the Division I playoffs after winning the West Conference and will have a bye into the quarterfinals.
Exeter, which held on at No. 2, also went undefeated in the regular season and earned the No. 2 seed, winning the D1 East Conference, and received a first-round bye. Pinkerton remained at No. 3 and will be the No. 4 seed for the D1 playoffs, hosting No. 13 Merrimack on Friday.
Londonderry came in at No. 4 and received the third first-round bye in D1 by winning the Central Conference. Salem again rounded out the top five and will be the N0. 5 seed in the D1 playoffs, hosting No. 12 Windham on Saturday.
Nashua South stayed at No. 6 following its second straight loss. The Panthers are also the sixth seed in D1 and host No. 11 Bishop Guertin in the playoffs Friday night at Souhegan High School.
Plymouth remained at No. 7 in the poll after getting the top seed in Division II. The Bobcats will host eighth seed Merrimack Valley on Saturday.
Alvirne was once again No. 8 this week and the Broncos will also be the No. 8 seed in the D1 playoffs, hosting No. 9 Concord on Saturday. Memorial held on at No. 9 after making the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The Crusaders will be the No. 7 seed and host No. 10 Winnacunnet in the D1 first round.
Pelham closed out the top 10 for the second week in a row, as the Pythons are the two seed in D2 and will host No. 7 Manchester West, which is making its first playoff appearance since 2007, in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Here is this week’s NHHSSports Football Coaches Poll. These are the top 10 football teams in the state, with overall record, first-place votes/points (T=tie) and last week’s ranking.
- Bedford (9-0), 13/130, 1st
- Exeter (9-0), 116, 2nd
- Pinkerton (7-2), 98, 3rd
- Londonderry (6-3), 92, 4th
- Salem (7-2), 84, 5th
- Nashua South (7-2), 50, 6th
- Plymouth (9-0), 48, 7th
- Alvirne (6-3), 44, 8th
- Manchester Memorial (6-3), 26, 9th
- Pelham (8-1), 17, 10th
Others receiving votes: Bishop Guertin (5-4), 3; Campbell (8-0), 3; Concord (4-5), 2; Trinity (8-1), 1; Souhegan (7-2), 1.
The coaches poll is voted on by football coaches from around the state. There will be no poll during the playoffs and the final poll will be released on Dec. 2.
