Top Five Football Games in 2024

At times, the 2024 football season was unpredictable, and thanks to that, it led to some exciting games throughout the regular season and playoffs.

The following are the five best games I saw in person this year. There were many others that I wasn’t able to attend, and if you’d like to share yours, please feel free to do so in the comments.

No. 5: Nashua South 21, Bishop Guertin 15 (Sept. 7)

The first game of the season is usually far from pretty, and the was definitely the case in this matchup of rivals. South got out to a 15-0 lead, Bishop Guertin came back to tie it, and had a chance for the win late, but missed a field goal to send the game to overtime. The Panthers scored to open the overtime and then stopped the Cardinals to secure a season-opening win.

No. 4: Bedford 24, Alvirne 14 (Nov. 16)

Little did Alvirne know that getting out to a 14-0 lead was right where Bedford wanted to be. The comeback was the third time this season the Bulldogs came back from a two-score deficit in the first half to win, but the game was still tied at 14 with under five minutes to go in regulation. Brody Helton’s touchdown run with 4:14 remaining gave Bedford it’s first lead on the way to a playoff win over the Broncos.

No. 3: Pinkerton 27, Bedford 13 (Nov. 22)

These two teams played two memorable games this season (here are highlights from the regular-season meeting), with each side getting a win. In both games, Pinkerton got out to a two-score lead in the first quarter, and in the regular season, Bedford was able to come back for a 28-25 win. But in the playoffs, the Astros made it a 21-0 lead and held off the Bulldogs behind a three-touchdown performance from Matt Morrison.

No. 2: Souhegan 14, Pelham 11 (Nov. 23)

During the regular season, Souhegan dropped back-to-back games to Plymouth and Pelham. In the playoffs, the Sabers avenged both of those losses, upsetting the Bobcats in the semifinal and then holding off the Pythons in the championship game with a dominating defensive performance to capture the program’s first championship since 2020.

No. 1: Bishop Guertin 43, Nashua North 42 (Oct. 4)

I should probably just pencil this game in for the top spot every year since it’s now been my top game in each of the three seasons I’ve done this exercise. First, let’s start with the fact this game was played at Nashua North – the first time a varsity game was played at the school – because Stellos Stadium had been shut down two days prior. The teams traded big plays all afternoon, with the Titans going up 42-28 with just over six minutes to play, and the Cardinals found a way to come back for the win. Luke Peters scored four touchdowns for North, which also scored on a fumble return and a kickoff return. Nate Bowen was 33 of 54 passing for 456 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning pass to Cole Reeves with 19 seconds left.