Top Five Football Games in 2025

At times, the 2025 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: Winnacunnet 31, Exeter 21 (Sept. 27)

Exeter and Winnacunnet went back and forth for most of the day, trading scores and the lead throughout the afternoon. The Warriors led 10-7 at halftime, but the Blue Hawks retook the lead on their first possession of the second half. Winnacunnet responded with touchdowns on its final three possessions, securing the win with 1:03 left to play.

No. 4: Souhegan 19, Plymouth 9 (Oct. 18)

Souhegan found itself in an unfamiliar position at halftime, trailing Plymouth 9-7. With the team in need of a spark on offense, Michael Fiengo returned from injury in the second half to help lead the Sabers on two touchdown drives and the defense shut out the Bobcats in the second half to keep Souhegan undefeated.

No. 3: Salem 24, Manchester Memorial 17 (Nov. 14)

Salem looked like it was in trouble early, as Memorial scored on its opening drive and was winning the field position battle. But the Blue Devils’ defense stepped up, forcing two turnovers in the first half on the way to a 17-7 halftime lead. The Crusaders cut the lead to three in the third quarter, but couldn’t get any closer before Salem was able put the game away with a long drive that took up most of the fourth quarter.

No. 2: Laconia 15, Gilford 14 (Sept. 11)

Before these rivals played in the Division III final, they met on a Thursday night in Laconia. The game was tied 8-8 at halftime but Gilford took the lead on a long drive to open the third quarter. The Golden Eagles went for two after the score, but didn’t get it, to keep it a six-point game. The Sachems’ defense shut down Gilford the rest of the way and Laconia scored with 3:00 remaining, winning on the extra point.

No. 1: Manchester West 6, Hanover 3 (Oct. 31)

The Blue Knights struggled on offense all night, turning the ball over five times, but had managed to limit the Bears to just a field goal through three quarters. West took over inside its own 5-yard line with 9:10 remaining and went on a 19-play drive that ended with a Gio Doria touchdown run with 24.2 seconds left to give the Blue Knights the road win on a windy Halloween night.