Folks, I started this site, 11ish weeks ago in an attempt to give some recognition to a Division of New Hampshire football that has been overlooked (along with D V and D VI) in the statewide media. This site will go over 10,000 hits today and that is just fantastic. Thank you to EVERYONE of you who visits and reads my ramblings...you've given this old guy more than 1 smile over the past couple months.
I'll continue to update Posts with news around NH Football during the off season. Specifically though look for the following:
Player Highlights:
I have received several emails from guys letting me know they'll be sending me links to their highlights on Youtube when they're up. So, check the Player Highlights from time to time and remember you can email new links to:
ftballnh@gmail.com
Subject should read Player Highlights and please include name and team.
Announcements Label:
Also, I know that some teams tend to pick next year's Captains or they have special Announcements and Awards and so on this time of year. So, I've created an Team Announcements Label. If anyone wants to give a special note or Announcement make note of this Label over to the right. This can be any comment you want...maybe announcing new Captains, or a Freshman's first letter. Whatever you want. Just be sure to post the Team along with the Announcement itself.
All State Picks -
When they are announced I will post the All State picks under their own Label and open it up for positive comments and congratulations.
Facebook -
I've got a Facebook page that I will update as new Posts or Player Highlights are added. You can Friend me if you want to get these updates, just go search for Henry Coachman http://newhampshirehighschoolfootball.blogspot.com/.
Lastly, I'd like to thank all 10 teams of D IV NH Football. This site has been visited by someone from basically every team in the division at some point, as you spread the word, more and more people will get to read about the kids that make this game that we love, so great! Maybe next season we'll get 100,000 hits :) Or since I know there's already a D VI website, maybe we get into D V as well. Long time between now and then though!
If you want, please feel free to comment below, consider this a guestbook, sign in and let us know where you're from, just initials and team/town are fine :) !
In any event, thanks again! Until next time...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
D IV Team Announcements -
Got new Captains, new Coach, get your first Varsity letter or do you just long for next years football season to start?! Post your positive Team Announcements or Comments here!
D IV, D V and D VI Champions!
Just a quick congratulations to your champions! Shout them out!
D IV - Lebanon Raiders
D V - Kearsarge Cougars
D VI - Newport Tigers
D IV - Lebanon Raiders
D V - Kearsarge Cougars
D VI - Newport Tigers
Sunday, November 14, 2010
D IV Championship showdown - Lebanon overcomes 14-0 deficit to stay perfect and win their first ever State Championship 24-14. Congratulations to your new D IV CHAMPION Lebanon RAIDERS!
The sign read Barker, Patch, Drew, our Trinity. Next to it was another that said Welcome to RAIDER NATION. Well, it took a while for the Lebanon Trinity to get going but when they did, they did it in style, as the Raiders defeated the visiting Pioneers in convincing fashion, in front of a thousand plus strong, Raider Nation presence. But it didn't look very promising at the get go.
Trinity got off the bus, and got off quick. They opened with the ball and proceeded to march 60+ yards down the field in convincing fashion. Capped by a 2 yard Rob Hoaglund TD as he pounded up the middle. A failed 2 pt conversion left the Pioneers up 6-0 with 6+ minutes left in the 1st quarter. The Raiders then received the ball and despite a nice 12 yard pass and catch from Roth to Micah Morton were forced to punt around midfield. The Pioneers then proceeded to methodically pound the ball with Hughes, Chambers and Hoaglund sharing carries throughout. Ending with a 3 yard plunge by big Josh Hughes for the TD. The 2 point conversion was converted with a sweep off the left side by Adam Chambers. Trinity up 14 - 0. The Trinity cowbells were clanging and their crowd was roaring. But that was the end of the scoring for the visiting Trinity Pioneers.
Taylor Sanborn grabbed the ensuing (squibbed) kickoff and plowed into the careening Pioneers giving the Raiders excellent field position at midfield with 5 minutes to go in the half. The Raiders then shuffled carries to Chis Barker and Cody Patch including a nice 25 yard scamper through the middle by Barker, who might have scored were it not for a TD saving tackle by Pioneer LB Andrew Lauderdale. Raider ball inside the Trinity 5 yard line. After a couple attempts at pounding it in, Barker then put the Raiders on the board on a sweep from 2 yards out. Justin Judd's PAT put the Raiders on the board 14-7.
Trinity had a nice little drive going before the half, however, the Lebanon D was able to tighten up and force a 4th down punt pinning them deep inside the 5 yard line. They took a knee to end the half. It was never close after that.
The second half was entirely the Raiders. Lebanon started with the ball and after a short gainer and a monster stuff by Josh Hughes as Barker tried moving off Tackle, Roth connected with Micah Morton again on 3rd and long to convert the 1st down. Patch then had 3 successive carries chewing up 18 yards. Roth then connected with Cody Pelletier on a 10 yard pass to keep the drive moving. On the very next play, Patch found a hole up the middle and barrelled 7 yards into sprinting Pioneer safety Romeo Masuku and an epic collision. As both players continued to chug the rest of the teams picked a side and a scrum ensued, pushing the ball a further 5 yards down the field.
On the very next play the Raiders caught the Pioneer D sleeping and gave the ball to FB Dylan Drew (his first carry of many on the day) who pounded the ball 12 yards down field inside the Trinity 10. 2 Plays later Patch skirted through the interior of the Defense diving into the end zone for the TD. Judd's PAT good, 14-14.
The Pioneers took over on the Raider 35 yard line. On their first play from scrimmage in the second half Chambers got the pitch and was absolutely leveled by LB Dylan Drew for a 5 yard loss. 2nd play from scrimmage, DL Alexander Morril met Hughes as he was getting the handoff and dropped him for a 2 yard loss. 3rd play resulted in Goldstien's first pass attempt of the game sailed over the head of Chambers. 4th and forever from their own 28 the Pioneers lined up for their second punt of the game. As the ball was snapped Chris Barker and Mark Davidson fired off the line and Davidson soared through the air blocking the punt of Trinity kicker Carmen Giampetruzzi. Phil Hwang recovers the ball on the Pioneer 6 yard line. On the next play Patch dove into the endzone with Chambers on his back to put the Raiders ahead for good. PAT good 21-14 Raiders and Raider Nation was rocking.
Masuku took the kickoff 20 yards out to the Pioneer 30 yard line for decent field position, but they would not answer. A slew of Raiders led by Roth, Morril, Geno and Henry stocked up the line collapsed on Hughes at the line of scrimmage. Morril went solo on the next play and smothered Hughes for a 2 yard loss. Chris Henry then came barreling in from D End to swat Goldstein's 3rd down pass attempt. Time running down, but Trinity pinned deep in their own end had to punt.
The Raiders took over at their own 45 yard line. They went back to Drew again who went untouched and was finally brought down 13 yards later by Masuku. A couple runs by Patch and Roth kept the drive going as the Raiders plowed into Pioneer territory again. The Raiders then went for it on 4 th and short and Pioneer End Tristian Theroux came up big with a 4th down tackle as Patch attempted to shoot off tackle. Pioneer ball on their own 35 yard line 8 minutes to go in 4th quarter.
Hoaglund then drove around the edge for a 5 yard gainer. On the second play Hughes was met by Drew at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Chambers was then stacked up by Henry, Patch and Geno forcing 4th and long and a Nice punt. It looked as though Chris Barker was on the sideline at this point with a stomach issue of some kind and was replaced by Judd.
Raider ball at their own 20 time ticking down. Pioneers needed a stop. Patch 2 yard gain, Drew 2 yard gain and then a back breaker. Facing 3rd and long, Roth (who did not throw an incompletion this day) connected with Judd over the middle for a 25 yard pass and a Raider 1 st down. Then it was Patch 10 yards, Drew 5 yards, Patch twice for 5 yards a pop, Drew twice for 3 yards a pop, driving deep into Trinity territory. This continued, Patch, Drew, and so on until 1st and goal. The Trinity D would not surrender though. Lauderdale met Patch off tackle on first down and Theroux made a TD saving tackle on Drew forcing a Field goal attempt. Judd was perfect on the day, including the game sealing Field goal with under 3 minutes to go. Raiders up 24-14.
On their next possession the Pioneers attempted two passes both incomplete. Hughes took it up the middle for a short gainer, and Mark Davidson left no doubt about the Raider's victory by dropping Goldstein with a sack on 4th down, allowing the Raiders to take a knee and with it, their first ever D IV Championship and perfect 11-0 season.
NOTES: Patch rushed for 2 TDs and over 100 yards again this game. Drew, Morril, Davidson, all had huge games defensively. In fact the second half the Raider Defense was simply suffocating allowing Trinity maybe 10 yards of offense. Roth did not throw an incomplete pass the entire game. Every pass (and they were all 3rd and long) was complete and they were great catches (Morton, Judd, and Pelletier).
Josh Hughes, Rob Hoaglund, and Chambers all had great 1st halves running the ball. Hughes was a force in the first half led by that monster Trinity line. Throughout the day Masuku, Hughes and Theroux were making plays, in fact for his part Masuku had (from my vantage piont) MANY TD saving tackles, the kid was simply everywhere and played his tail off. Congratulations on a wonderful season Trinity!
Congratulations to your new D IV Champion Lebanon Raiders, you finished your dream season in style!
Trinity got off the bus, and got off quick. They opened with the ball and proceeded to march 60+ yards down the field in convincing fashion. Capped by a 2 yard Rob Hoaglund TD as he pounded up the middle. A failed 2 pt conversion left the Pioneers up 6-0 with 6+ minutes left in the 1st quarter. The Raiders then received the ball and despite a nice 12 yard pass and catch from Roth to Micah Morton were forced to punt around midfield. The Pioneers then proceeded to methodically pound the ball with Hughes, Chambers and Hoaglund sharing carries throughout. Ending with a 3 yard plunge by big Josh Hughes for the TD. The 2 point conversion was converted with a sweep off the left side by Adam Chambers. Trinity up 14 - 0. The Trinity cowbells were clanging and their crowd was roaring. But that was the end of the scoring for the visiting Trinity Pioneers.
Taylor Sanborn grabbed the ensuing (squibbed) kickoff and plowed into the careening Pioneers giving the Raiders excellent field position at midfield with 5 minutes to go in the half. The Raiders then shuffled carries to Chis Barker and Cody Patch including a nice 25 yard scamper through the middle by Barker, who might have scored were it not for a TD saving tackle by Pioneer LB Andrew Lauderdale. Raider ball inside the Trinity 5 yard line. After a couple attempts at pounding it in, Barker then put the Raiders on the board on a sweep from 2 yards out. Justin Judd's PAT put the Raiders on the board 14-7.
Trinity had a nice little drive going before the half, however, the Lebanon D was able to tighten up and force a 4th down punt pinning them deep inside the 5 yard line. They took a knee to end the half. It was never close after that.
The second half was entirely the Raiders. Lebanon started with the ball and after a short gainer and a monster stuff by Josh Hughes as Barker tried moving off Tackle, Roth connected with Micah Morton again on 3rd and long to convert the 1st down. Patch then had 3 successive carries chewing up 18 yards. Roth then connected with Cody Pelletier on a 10 yard pass to keep the drive moving. On the very next play, Patch found a hole up the middle and barrelled 7 yards into sprinting Pioneer safety Romeo Masuku and an epic collision. As both players continued to chug the rest of the teams picked a side and a scrum ensued, pushing the ball a further 5 yards down the field.
On the very next play the Raiders caught the Pioneer D sleeping and gave the ball to FB Dylan Drew (his first carry of many on the day) who pounded the ball 12 yards down field inside the Trinity 10. 2 Plays later Patch skirted through the interior of the Defense diving into the end zone for the TD. Judd's PAT good, 14-14.
The Pioneers took over on the Raider 35 yard line. On their first play from scrimmage in the second half Chambers got the pitch and was absolutely leveled by LB Dylan Drew for a 5 yard loss. 2nd play from scrimmage, DL Alexander Morril met Hughes as he was getting the handoff and dropped him for a 2 yard loss. 3rd play resulted in Goldstien's first pass attempt of the game sailed over the head of Chambers. 4th and forever from their own 28 the Pioneers lined up for their second punt of the game. As the ball was snapped Chris Barker and Mark Davidson fired off the line and Davidson soared through the air blocking the punt of Trinity kicker Carmen Giampetruzzi. Phil Hwang recovers the ball on the Pioneer 6 yard line. On the next play Patch dove into the endzone with Chambers on his back to put the Raiders ahead for good. PAT good 21-14 Raiders and Raider Nation was rocking.
Masuku took the kickoff 20 yards out to the Pioneer 30 yard line for decent field position, but they would not answer. A slew of Raiders led by Roth, Morril, Geno and Henry stocked up the line collapsed on Hughes at the line of scrimmage. Morril went solo on the next play and smothered Hughes for a 2 yard loss. Chris Henry then came barreling in from D End to swat Goldstein's 3rd down pass attempt. Time running down, but Trinity pinned deep in their own end had to punt.
The Raiders took over at their own 45 yard line. They went back to Drew again who went untouched and was finally brought down 13 yards later by Masuku. A couple runs by Patch and Roth kept the drive going as the Raiders plowed into Pioneer territory again. The Raiders then went for it on 4 th and short and Pioneer End Tristian Theroux came up big with a 4th down tackle as Patch attempted to shoot off tackle. Pioneer ball on their own 35 yard line 8 minutes to go in 4th quarter.
Hoaglund then drove around the edge for a 5 yard gainer. On the second play Hughes was met by Drew at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Chambers was then stacked up by Henry, Patch and Geno forcing 4th and long and a Nice punt. It looked as though Chris Barker was on the sideline at this point with a stomach issue of some kind and was replaced by Judd.
Raider ball at their own 20 time ticking down. Pioneers needed a stop. Patch 2 yard gain, Drew 2 yard gain and then a back breaker. Facing 3rd and long, Roth (who did not throw an incompletion this day) connected with Judd over the middle for a 25 yard pass and a Raider 1 st down. Then it was Patch 10 yards, Drew 5 yards, Patch twice for 5 yards a pop, Drew twice for 3 yards a pop, driving deep into Trinity territory. This continued, Patch, Drew, and so on until 1st and goal. The Trinity D would not surrender though. Lauderdale met Patch off tackle on first down and Theroux made a TD saving tackle on Drew forcing a Field goal attempt. Judd was perfect on the day, including the game sealing Field goal with under 3 minutes to go. Raiders up 24-14.
On their next possession the Pioneers attempted two passes both incomplete. Hughes took it up the middle for a short gainer, and Mark Davidson left no doubt about the Raider's victory by dropping Goldstein with a sack on 4th down, allowing the Raiders to take a knee and with it, their first ever D IV Championship and perfect 11-0 season.
NOTES: Patch rushed for 2 TDs and over 100 yards again this game. Drew, Morril, Davidson, all had huge games defensively. In fact the second half the Raider Defense was simply suffocating allowing Trinity maybe 10 yards of offense. Roth did not throw an incomplete pass the entire game. Every pass (and they were all 3rd and long) was complete and they were great catches (Morton, Judd, and Pelletier).
Josh Hughes, Rob Hoaglund, and Chambers all had great 1st halves running the ball. Hughes was a force in the first half led by that monster Trinity line. Throughout the day Masuku, Hughes and Theroux were making plays, in fact for his part Masuku had (from my vantage piont) MANY TD saving tackles, the kid was simply everywhere and played his tail off. Congratulations on a wonderful season Trinity!
Congratulations to your new D IV Champion Lebanon Raiders, you finished your dream season in style!
Friday, November 12, 2010
D IV Championship - HC's Keys to the game - and my picks for the 3 Title games.
Yes I know these are obvious. But hey, there are no more games to review and we need something to talk about :)
Trinity -
Offensively
In my opinion Trinity did a nice job in their first meeting with Lebanon. They actually mixed the pass up more than usual to compliment their running game and had a few opportunities for big plays off the pass, that they were just unable to execute. Now, it's not clear to me if this was by design or if it was due to the defense putting them in a position where they felt calling a pass was the best way to go, however, I say stick to what got you here. Run the Ball.
Control the line of scrimmage. On their 94 yard scoring drive, it seemed as though the O-Line was really exerting their will on what must have been a tired defensive front of Lebanon. Establish this early and maintain it and you'll be okay.
If you're going to pass, execute.
Lose the jitters early. Based on the numbers I saw travel to watch the battle for 9-0 down in Manchester, I can only imagine how many people will be at the Championship game at home in Lebanon. There fans are rowdy (that's a good thing in football) and you're gong into a hostile environment. You have the experience, you've been in a game like this before, take a few plays, shake the jitters get down to business.
Defensively
They played well defensively in game 1. However, it is safe to say, there was a bit of shell shock at play (especially in the 2nd half). No one, this year (and probably last) had been able to move the ball effectively against the Trinity D. Get over it, Lebanon is going to score and they are going to get yards on you, they didn't go 10-0 for no reason. Relax and play your game, forget the last play, there's a new one to deal with.
Stack the box. On numerous (I'd call them big) runs, the defense was spread a bit to wide for my taste. Lebanon seems to like to runs most plays up the gut. They have a good line just like you, so it's not always going to be enough to simply rely on your D Line and ILBs to make plays, get them some help inside. You're quick enough to get outside when needed.
Lebanon -
Offensively -
Get it going early. Set the tone and score first. Establish a presence up front and work your way outside. Fire up the troops and let them bang away at the line of scrimmage and give that powerful Trinity front something to think about.
Patch, Patch, Patch. It's his senior year and last game of a superstar season. Let him explode as often as possible and finish in style. Give him 30 carries if needed, but let him have every opportunity to help bring a Title home to Lebanon and champion your dream season in front of the home town crowd.
Catch every ball thrown to you. Receivers. Lock down the football, when Roth throws (and we've seen Lebanon is not afraid to throw the ball) bring it in.
Defensively -
You MUST attack the line of scrimmage. In my opinion Lebanon's Defense (while it was outstanding) in the first meeting, sat back and rode the line initially and waited for the football to show up. That's fine to do against the Trinity Offense since they make it so very difficult to find the football. However, this allowed Trinity to cut away yardage bit by bit. Lebanon's defense came up big with turnovers, big 4th down plays and of course the tide turning stop on the attempted 2 point conversion. But I'd like to see them more aggressive this time around.
Be ready for the pass. If you play like you did in the first meeting, Trinity is going to be forced to shift their gameplan, and if they go up top to Lauderdale, he's a big target, so you'll have to be in position to make a play.
Find the football. I said this the last time around and it's much easier said than done. The misdirection and sheer size differential between the Trinity O Line and their backs makes it incredibly difficult to locate the football.
Lastly use the home town crowd to your advantage. Lebanon Fans you will need to FEED the Beast. The skill sets (for the most part) are not so far apart regardless of who you are playing and certainly these teams are close to one another. I'd wager that half of what they do on the field is driven by how much adrenaline they've got going at that point in time. The crowd in this game will be the 12th man on the field for Lebanon.
Overall -
Well, unfortunately, for Trinity you're kind of in a no win situation. You come into this game still the favorite in most people's eyes, even though you were defeated in Manchester. You're clearly bigger, your offense continues to roll (even if you don't come out on top), Defense is extremely sound and were it not for a couple miscues in game 1 you could very well well be the 10-0 team. In all the articles I've read and comments that are posted, people just expect you to win this game. I keep drawing the example of Friday Night Lights, and the Pioneers being big bad Dallas Carter. Obviously they are not bad, but they are BIG and have a polished squad who will be gunning to mar the perfect record and bring home their 2nd consecutive title back to Manchester.
Lebanon is basically in a Win/Win situation. NOBODY saw this season coming. Everyone labels them the best story in NH Football this season, the cinderella story :) They've defeated a slew of teams that they've never beaten before, Ever. Made the playoffs for the 3rd time Ever and the 1st time in 6 ish years. Hosting your first playoff game, winning your first playoff game, hosting your first championship game, and lest we not forget your first undefeated regular season while playing in NH Divisional football. Even if you were to bring home the runner up trophy, you are no doubt heroes in your community and an inspiration to small town football teams across the state of NH. You are my Permian :)
Regardless of what happens on Saturday, both of these teams should be commended for all the hard work they've put in this year and no doubt over the summer and off season. They are both teams deserving of the title and I almost hope for a tie :) However, there must be a winner and a loser and as such I've consulted with the Spirits one last time this season and my picks for the Championship games this weekend are:
D VI - Gilford will contain Josh Stout and Brendon Murphy will explode Gilford wins 32-21.
D V - Unfortunately, this game will not be as close as the first one. Kearsarge over St. Thomas 28 - 14.
D IV - The spirits have told me that they think Trinity is too good and too well coached to be beaten by the same team twice in one season. However, football fan in me thinks these kids from small town NH have one more game in them. The fan base will be the difference in this battle. Lebanon goes 11-0 and defeats Trinity 21-20.
Trinity -
Offensively
In my opinion Trinity did a nice job in their first meeting with Lebanon. They actually mixed the pass up more than usual to compliment their running game and had a few opportunities for big plays off the pass, that they were just unable to execute. Now, it's not clear to me if this was by design or if it was due to the defense putting them in a position where they felt calling a pass was the best way to go, however, I say stick to what got you here. Run the Ball.
Control the line of scrimmage. On their 94 yard scoring drive, it seemed as though the O-Line was really exerting their will on what must have been a tired defensive front of Lebanon. Establish this early and maintain it and you'll be okay.
If you're going to pass, execute.
Lose the jitters early. Based on the numbers I saw travel to watch the battle for 9-0 down in Manchester, I can only imagine how many people will be at the Championship game at home in Lebanon. There fans are rowdy (that's a good thing in football) and you're gong into a hostile environment. You have the experience, you've been in a game like this before, take a few plays, shake the jitters get down to business.
Defensively
They played well defensively in game 1. However, it is safe to say, there was a bit of shell shock at play (especially in the 2nd half). No one, this year (and probably last) had been able to move the ball effectively against the Trinity D. Get over it, Lebanon is going to score and they are going to get yards on you, they didn't go 10-0 for no reason. Relax and play your game, forget the last play, there's a new one to deal with.
Stack the box. On numerous (I'd call them big) runs, the defense was spread a bit to wide for my taste. Lebanon seems to like to runs most plays up the gut. They have a good line just like you, so it's not always going to be enough to simply rely on your D Line and ILBs to make plays, get them some help inside. You're quick enough to get outside when needed.
Lebanon -
Offensively -
Get it going early. Set the tone and score first. Establish a presence up front and work your way outside. Fire up the troops and let them bang away at the line of scrimmage and give that powerful Trinity front something to think about.
Patch, Patch, Patch. It's his senior year and last game of a superstar season. Let him explode as often as possible and finish in style. Give him 30 carries if needed, but let him have every opportunity to help bring a Title home to Lebanon and champion your dream season in front of the home town crowd.
Catch every ball thrown to you. Receivers. Lock down the football, when Roth throws (and we've seen Lebanon is not afraid to throw the ball) bring it in.
Defensively -
You MUST attack the line of scrimmage. In my opinion Lebanon's Defense (while it was outstanding) in the first meeting, sat back and rode the line initially and waited for the football to show up. That's fine to do against the Trinity Offense since they make it so very difficult to find the football. However, this allowed Trinity to cut away yardage bit by bit. Lebanon's defense came up big with turnovers, big 4th down plays and of course the tide turning stop on the attempted 2 point conversion. But I'd like to see them more aggressive this time around.
Be ready for the pass. If you play like you did in the first meeting, Trinity is going to be forced to shift their gameplan, and if they go up top to Lauderdale, he's a big target, so you'll have to be in position to make a play.
Find the football. I said this the last time around and it's much easier said than done. The misdirection and sheer size differential between the Trinity O Line and their backs makes it incredibly difficult to locate the football.
Lastly use the home town crowd to your advantage. Lebanon Fans you will need to FEED the Beast. The skill sets (for the most part) are not so far apart regardless of who you are playing and certainly these teams are close to one another. I'd wager that half of what they do on the field is driven by how much adrenaline they've got going at that point in time. The crowd in this game will be the 12th man on the field for Lebanon.
Overall -
Well, unfortunately, for Trinity you're kind of in a no win situation. You come into this game still the favorite in most people's eyes, even though you were defeated in Manchester. You're clearly bigger, your offense continues to roll (even if you don't come out on top), Defense is extremely sound and were it not for a couple miscues in game 1 you could very well well be the 10-0 team. In all the articles I've read and comments that are posted, people just expect you to win this game. I keep drawing the example of Friday Night Lights, and the Pioneers being big bad Dallas Carter. Obviously they are not bad, but they are BIG and have a polished squad who will be gunning to mar the perfect record and bring home their 2nd consecutive title back to Manchester.
Lebanon is basically in a Win/Win situation. NOBODY saw this season coming. Everyone labels them the best story in NH Football this season, the cinderella story :) They've defeated a slew of teams that they've never beaten before, Ever. Made the playoffs for the 3rd time Ever and the 1st time in 6 ish years. Hosting your first playoff game, winning your first playoff game, hosting your first championship game, and lest we not forget your first undefeated regular season while playing in NH Divisional football. Even if you were to bring home the runner up trophy, you are no doubt heroes in your community and an inspiration to small town football teams across the state of NH. You are my Permian :)
Regardless of what happens on Saturday, both of these teams should be commended for all the hard work they've put in this year and no doubt over the summer and off season. They are both teams deserving of the title and I almost hope for a tie :) However, there must be a winner and a loser and as such I've consulted with the Spirits one last time this season and my picks for the Championship games this weekend are:
D VI - Gilford will contain Josh Stout and Brendon Murphy will explode Gilford wins 32-21.
D V - Unfortunately, this game will not be as close as the first one. Kearsarge over St. Thomas 28 - 14.
D IV - The spirits have told me that they think Trinity is too good and too well coached to be beaten by the same team twice in one season. However, football fan in me thinks these kids from small town NH have one more game in them. The fan base will be the difference in this battle. Lebanon goes 11-0 and defeats Trinity 21-20.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Head Coach Player Picks - 2010 Season
Okay, so let me start by saying, the Head Coach selections below are just my opinion. I obviously hold no clout anywhere, but with the season now at a close for most teams, here are my guesses at who will be D IV All State selections. I'll tell you straight out, I saw Kennet, Kingswood, MV and Stark play only one time. So obviously when the REAL selections are made they will all have players on this list that I don't have. The players below have caught my attention with their statistics, play and leadership on the field.
Some of the picks are pretty obvious based on the seasons they have had, I've listed those players first under my Locks section. Others who have had great seasons who I think have a shot at All State or Honorable Mention have been listed under Offensive and Defensive sections accordingly.
Finally, if I've missed someone that you feel deserves recognition, please comment with their name, position and whatever detail you have. Like I said, I'm a fan and I haven't seen every game, so I'm sure I'm going to miss players. Relax and don't take it personal. However, I WILL NOT POST ANYTHING NEGATIVE about any kid, this is not about that...so don't bother commenting negatively on any of these guys because it won't be posted. Positive comments ONLY. Thanks and congratulations to everyone on a great year of D IV football, regardless of what team you played for :) Without further ado:
Head Coach's anticipated Offensive All State Selections -
Locks - These are the selections I think are no brainers based on performances I've seen.
Cody Patch - Lebanon - RB - There can be little debate here. Anyone who has seen him play has found themselves just shaking their head at things this young man can do on the football field.
Sam Carney - Hanover - QB - despite his team's tough luck record, there can be little debate that Sam is the man! Mobile, great vision, good arm.
J. Roth - Lebanon - QB - As the general of a primarily running team, has shown he's more than able to throw when called on..and does so with accuracy and discretion and has shown exceptional decision making.
Josh Hughes - Trinity - RB - Not a whole lot of dance to his style, he just smacks you in the mouth and keeps on trucking...a North/South guy with good speed and exceptional power. He could go Defensively as well, but I think he'll be recognized for the running game he had this year.
Ryan Geno - Lebanon - OL - Geno had an outstanding year on both sides of the ball but I think will be recognized for his skill on the O-line.
Blake "the Bus" Bolewski - Monadnock- RB - Outstanding year running the ball. No brainer All State selection.
David Mahoney - Laconia - RB - Break out year for this sophomore. Will be fun to watch as he gets older.
Nick Massa - Kennett - RB - Another sophomore standout. Powerful runner will be fun to watch. Largely responsible for Kennet's early season run.
Brandon Goodale - Plymouth - RB - Good season for this sophomore. Another standout in the class of 2013.
Jeff Gratiano - Trinity - OL - This kid is the real deal. No question here.
Billy Mahoney - Laconia - OL - Solid Lineman who had a great year despite being briefly injured.
M. Gadomski - Kennett - Had a solid year and deserves recognition.
R. Hoaglund - Trinity - RB - one of the 2 speed guys.
Adam Chambers - Trinity - RB - the other of the speed guys, though he could go defensively.
May go All State or Honorable Mention Offensively.
Jake Holmes - Laconia - RB
Jacob Goldstein - Trinity - QB
Ian Harris - Laconia - WR
Jack Ringlein - Plymouth - QB
Isaac Horton - Kingswood - RB
S. Bednar - Monadnock - QB
Dan Gorman - Hanover - WR
Cyrus Rothwell-Ferraris - Hanover
Taylor Newberry - Plymouth - RB
Justin Abbot - Merrimac Valley
Jared Barczak - Trinity - OL
Chris McCarthy - Trinity - OL
Head Coach's anticipated Defensive All State selections -
Note to Kennett, Stark, Kingswood, I'm sure that you will have players on this list, when All State selections are released.
Locks - it will be very surprising if these guys are not All State selections.
Doran Logsdon - Laconia - LB - A Beast in the middle #42 was the mainstay of the Lacnia Defense.
Tony Havonglasan -Laconia - LB - Solid defender.
Raige Hollis - Laconia - DL - Force in the middle, aggressive and emotional leader on the field.
Chris Barker - Lebanon - LB - Fast aggressive on the outside and makes great reads and finishes tackles.
Dylan Drew - Lebanon - LB - Another of the 2013 class. A flat out Playmaker in the middle of the Raider Defense. Very fun to watch this kid.
Andrew Lauderdale - Trinity - DE - An absolute monster on the defensive side of the ball.
Kristian Astwood - Lebanon - DB - might be the hardest hitting DB in D IV.
Alexander Morril - Lebanon - DL - Another All State Year despite being injured early on.
Dylan Sargeant - MV - A real playmaker who stands out on a struggling team.
Ryan Carrier - Trinity - Injured in the last game, a defensive force and should be recognized.
Nick Dragon - Monadnock- DL - Hits like a truck.
John Staiger - Hanover - Great Senior year for this 2 way starter.
Romeo Masuku - Trinity - Quick strong Good tackler
Nick Reisert - Plymouth - LB Very good Senior year.
May go All State or Honorable mention -
Mike Leonard - Trinity
Cole Brooker - Plymouth
Will Horan - Plymouth
Mark Davidson - Lebanon
Chris Henry - Lebanon
Micah Morton - Lebanon
Jake Poulin - Monadnock
Ethan Hinch - Hanover
NOTE: #80 from Stark might get in as well. He made some big plays when I was able to watch them, if anyone has the name to go with the number please let me know.
Before anyone comments...yes I know that the defensive list is dominated with Lebanon players and the Offensive list is dominated by Trinity players. However, if anyone has seen either team play, this list rings true. Trinity in reality has very few (if any) weak spots, they just don't. Literally they are strong at every position. The same is true of Lebanon's defense, it's difficult to find a weak position.
Like I said, I'm sure there are others and I may edit this list as I review notes and the year, however, this list should be fairly solid and is just my opinion.
Ultimately, the above players all had great seasons and deserve to be recognized. Again, if you'd like to recognize a player that was left off this list, perhaps from one of the teams I wasn't able to see very often, that's the great thing about blogs, feel free to Comment away :) Just be positive!
Some of the picks are pretty obvious based on the seasons they have had, I've listed those players first under my Locks section. Others who have had great seasons who I think have a shot at All State or Honorable Mention have been listed under Offensive and Defensive sections accordingly.
Finally, if I've missed someone that you feel deserves recognition, please comment with their name, position and whatever detail you have. Like I said, I'm a fan and I haven't seen every game, so I'm sure I'm going to miss players. Relax and don't take it personal. However, I WILL NOT POST ANYTHING NEGATIVE about any kid, this is not about that...so don't bother commenting negatively on any of these guys because it won't be posted. Positive comments ONLY. Thanks and congratulations to everyone on a great year of D IV football, regardless of what team you played for :) Without further ado:
Head Coach's anticipated Offensive All State Selections -
Locks - These are the selections I think are no brainers based on performances I've seen.
Cody Patch - Lebanon - RB - There can be little debate here. Anyone who has seen him play has found themselves just shaking their head at things this young man can do on the football field.
Sam Carney - Hanover - QB - despite his team's tough luck record, there can be little debate that Sam is the man! Mobile, great vision, good arm.
J. Roth - Lebanon - QB - As the general of a primarily running team, has shown he's more than able to throw when called on..and does so with accuracy and discretion and has shown exceptional decision making.
Josh Hughes - Trinity - RB - Not a whole lot of dance to his style, he just smacks you in the mouth and keeps on trucking...a North/South guy with good speed and exceptional power. He could go Defensively as well, but I think he'll be recognized for the running game he had this year.
Ryan Geno - Lebanon - OL - Geno had an outstanding year on both sides of the ball but I think will be recognized for his skill on the O-line.
Blake "the Bus" Bolewski - Monadnock- RB - Outstanding year running the ball. No brainer All State selection.
David Mahoney - Laconia - RB - Break out year for this sophomore. Will be fun to watch as he gets older.
Nick Massa - Kennett - RB - Another sophomore standout. Powerful runner will be fun to watch. Largely responsible for Kennet's early season run.
Brandon Goodale - Plymouth - RB - Good season for this sophomore. Another standout in the class of 2013.
Jeff Gratiano - Trinity - OL - This kid is the real deal. No question here.
Billy Mahoney - Laconia - OL - Solid Lineman who had a great year despite being briefly injured.
M. Gadomski - Kennett - Had a solid year and deserves recognition.
R. Hoaglund - Trinity - RB - one of the 2 speed guys.
Adam Chambers - Trinity - RB - the other of the speed guys, though he could go defensively.
May go All State or Honorable Mention Offensively.
Jake Holmes - Laconia - RB
Jacob Goldstein - Trinity - QB
Ian Harris - Laconia - WR
Jack Ringlein - Plymouth - QB
Isaac Horton - Kingswood - RB
S. Bednar - Monadnock - QB
Dan Gorman - Hanover - WR
Cyrus Rothwell-Ferraris - Hanover
Taylor Newberry - Plymouth - RB
Justin Abbot - Merrimac Valley
Jared Barczak - Trinity - OL
Chris McCarthy - Trinity - OL
Head Coach's anticipated Defensive All State selections -
Note to Kennett, Stark, Kingswood, I'm sure that you will have players on this list, when All State selections are released.
Locks - it will be very surprising if these guys are not All State selections.
Doran Logsdon - Laconia - LB - A Beast in the middle #42 was the mainstay of the Lacnia Defense.
Tony Havonglasan -Laconia - LB - Solid defender.
Raige Hollis - Laconia - DL - Force in the middle, aggressive and emotional leader on the field.
Chris Barker - Lebanon - LB - Fast aggressive on the outside and makes great reads and finishes tackles.
Dylan Drew - Lebanon - LB - Another of the 2013 class. A flat out Playmaker in the middle of the Raider Defense. Very fun to watch this kid.
Andrew Lauderdale - Trinity - DE - An absolute monster on the defensive side of the ball.
Kristian Astwood - Lebanon - DB - might be the hardest hitting DB in D IV.
Alexander Morril - Lebanon - DL - Another All State Year despite being injured early on.
Dylan Sargeant - MV - A real playmaker who stands out on a struggling team.
Ryan Carrier - Trinity - Injured in the last game, a defensive force and should be recognized.
Nick Dragon - Monadnock- DL - Hits like a truck.
John Staiger - Hanover - Great Senior year for this 2 way starter.
Romeo Masuku - Trinity - Quick strong Good tackler
Nick Reisert - Plymouth - LB Very good Senior year.
May go All State or Honorable mention -
Mike Leonard - Trinity
Cole Brooker - Plymouth
Will Horan - Plymouth
Mark Davidson - Lebanon
Chris Henry - Lebanon
Micah Morton - Lebanon
Jake Poulin - Monadnock
Ethan Hinch - Hanover
NOTE: #80 from Stark might get in as well. He made some big plays when I was able to watch them, if anyone has the name to go with the number please let me know.
Before anyone comments...yes I know that the defensive list is dominated with Lebanon players and the Offensive list is dominated by Trinity players. However, if anyone has seen either team play, this list rings true. Trinity in reality has very few (if any) weak spots, they just don't. Literally they are strong at every position. The same is true of Lebanon's defense, it's difficult to find a weak position.
Like I said, I'm sure there are others and I may edit this list as I review notes and the year, however, this list should be fairly solid and is just my opinion.
Ultimately, the above players all had great seasons and deserve to be recognized. Again, if you'd like to recognize a player that was left off this list, perhaps from one of the teams I wasn't able to see very often, that's the great thing about blogs, feel free to Comment away :) Just be positive!
Monday, November 8, 2010
D IV Championship game -
Well, with all the talking done and the preliminaries out of the way, we get to see what everyone has been talking about since around Week 7. Trinity and Lebanon in (as it's so affectionately called) the SHIP. Trinity was able to defeat a tough Laconia team over the weekend while Lebanon locked down "the Bus" and defeated Monadnock at home. Congrats to both Laconia and Monadnock on great seasons this year.
On to the championship game...round 2. While Lebanon came out on top in the first match up and convincingly defeated the Huskies over the weekend. This is NOT a done deal. Make no mistake, the precision with which they run their Double Wing causes problems for defenses. It doesn't matter how much film you watch, when it's run correctly it can be one of the toughest Offenses to stop. And what's more, they've got to deal with Josh Hughes running the ball. Hughes has a established himself this year as a workhorse. When he gets a head of steam he will run you over. Most of their stuff is coming off-tackle or up the middle in your grill. Defensively, they will miss Ryan Carrier, and I know it's been said many times on this site and others, we wish you a quick and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing you next year. Word has it they've shifted 6'7 Lauderdale to LB, which should give them a different look defensively. The Raiders come into the game mostly healthy as well. Patch and Barker both had big games against Monadnock and will look to have a repeat performance this Saturday. Senior Jon Roth also had a big game both on offense and Defense picking off a pass and getting in on numerous tackles.
In the end though, I expect that this game is going to be an all out slugfest just like before. Trinity will be gunning for payback that much is a certaintly, the question will come down (as it did in their last meeting) to who can control the line of scrimmage. While Trinity is bigger, Lebanon did a nice job opening holes in their first matchup and pursuing the play defensively. They'll need to do that again to finish perfect. I can't wait! More on this match up as we get closer. Thoughts...
On to the championship game...round 2. While Lebanon came out on top in the first match up and convincingly defeated the Huskies over the weekend. This is NOT a done deal. Make no mistake, the precision with which they run their Double Wing causes problems for defenses. It doesn't matter how much film you watch, when it's run correctly it can be one of the toughest Offenses to stop. And what's more, they've got to deal with Josh Hughes running the ball. Hughes has a established himself this year as a workhorse. When he gets a head of steam he will run you over. Most of their stuff is coming off-tackle or up the middle in your grill. Defensively, they will miss Ryan Carrier, and I know it's been said many times on this site and others, we wish you a quick and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing you next year. Word has it they've shifted 6'7 Lauderdale to LB, which should give them a different look defensively. The Raiders come into the game mostly healthy as well. Patch and Barker both had big games against Monadnock and will look to have a repeat performance this Saturday. Senior Jon Roth also had a big game both on offense and Defense picking off a pass and getting in on numerous tackles.
In the end though, I expect that this game is going to be an all out slugfest just like before. Trinity will be gunning for payback that much is a certaintly, the question will come down (as it did in their last meeting) to who can control the line of scrimmage. While Trinity is bigger, Lebanon did a nice job opening holes in their first matchup and pursuing the play defensively. They'll need to do that again to finish perfect. I can't wait! More on this match up as we get closer. Thoughts...
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Round 2 Trinity @ Lebanon for the D IV Championship !
Every great fight, warrants a second fight. We'll get to see that as #2 seed Trinity (on the merits of their win over Laconia) will travel to Lebanon next Saturday to battle the Raiders for the D IV championship. The Raiders sealed their trip with their first ever playoff win, in their first ever playoff game and earned the right to host their first ever championship game with a 35 - 7 victory over Monadnock. More later....
Thursday, November 4, 2010
D IV, D V, D VI playoff picks -
First let me start by saying that a while back I had some requests for and had talked about doing some kind of player ranking for D IV. It doesn't look like that's going to happen. Having said that, I've had the chance to see every team at least once and most of them multiple times over the course of the season. So, next week I'll be consulting with the spirits of football yore again for their All State selections and post a thread to that subject!
Now on to this weeks match-ups. For overviews of the 2 playoff games this week see my comments on each game under the D IV Commentary category. Last week, we went 4-1 in division and 3-2 out of Division leaving us at a respectable 7-3 for the week and overall for the season at a healthy, 47-23..not too bad. Once again, I've had the Spirits of Football Yore put their playoff hats on and come up with the following picks for this weeks playoff action!
D IV -
Monadnock @ Lebanon - It will take a quarter or so for Lebanon to get past the playoff jitters. I expect that the "Bus" Bolewski will leaving it all on the field on Saturday and will have a big game. The Huskies will give it to him all day long and he'll put up big numbers. In the end though, the Raider defense will do what they've done all year and rise to the occasion and move on to the championship game. Lebanon wins this one 32-14.
Laconia @ Trinity - The question in this game for Laconia will be their ability to play unselfish defense. They will have to do this to stop the Pioneer offensive machine. If they can do that and get some output from Mahoney, Steele, Holmes and Lanphear they'll keep themselves in this game. If not, Hughes, Hoaglund, will chunk away yardage behind a wall of bodies led by Gratiano and Rainey and it will be a long day for the Sachems. The spirits tell me this will be close game...Trinity on top in OT 20-14.
D V -
Somersworth @ Kearsarge - Doug Gregory is the best all around player in D V and he showed why last week when they outlasted the Saints in 3 OTs. He'll come up big in this one Kearsarge will win in convincing fashion 44-12.
Stevens @ St. Thomas - After a tough loss on the road last week, the Saints need to regroup. Can they rebound after having your perfect season broken in such a tough fight. The Spirits tell me if they win this game they could get some payback in the championship. But I'm going against the spirits on this one. I think the Cardinals are up for this game. Batchelder is going to have a monster day and the Cardinals will shut down the ever dangerous Macnevin and pull out the upset 32-28. You heard it here first :)
D VI -
Newfound @ Gilford - Newfound has had a great year, but they seem to struggle somewhat when playing the tougher teams of the division. Gilford has the best back in D VI in Brendon Murphy and he will shine this day. Gilford wins big 38-16.
Franklin @ Newport - The Tigers have been on a mission this year. They take that mission one step closer to fruition as they defeat Franklin in a tight one 21-20.
Thoughts...
Now on to this weeks match-ups. For overviews of the 2 playoff games this week see my comments on each game under the D IV Commentary category. Last week, we went 4-1 in division and 3-2 out of Division leaving us at a respectable 7-3 for the week and overall for the season at a healthy, 47-23..not too bad. Once again, I've had the Spirits of Football Yore put their playoff hats on and come up with the following picks for this weeks playoff action!
D IV -
Monadnock @ Lebanon - It will take a quarter or so for Lebanon to get past the playoff jitters. I expect that the "Bus" Bolewski will leaving it all on the field on Saturday and will have a big game. The Huskies will give it to him all day long and he'll put up big numbers. In the end though, the Raider defense will do what they've done all year and rise to the occasion and move on to the championship game. Lebanon wins this one 32-14.
Laconia @ Trinity - The question in this game for Laconia will be their ability to play unselfish defense. They will have to do this to stop the Pioneer offensive machine. If they can do that and get some output from Mahoney, Steele, Holmes and Lanphear they'll keep themselves in this game. If not, Hughes, Hoaglund, will chunk away yardage behind a wall of bodies led by Gratiano and Rainey and it will be a long day for the Sachems. The spirits tell me this will be close game...Trinity on top in OT 20-14.
D V -
Somersworth @ Kearsarge - Doug Gregory is the best all around player in D V and he showed why last week when they outlasted the Saints in 3 OTs. He'll come up big in this one Kearsarge will win in convincing fashion 44-12.
Stevens @ St. Thomas - After a tough loss on the road last week, the Saints need to regroup. Can they rebound after having your perfect season broken in such a tough fight. The Spirits tell me if they win this game they could get some payback in the championship. But I'm going against the spirits on this one. I think the Cardinals are up for this game. Batchelder is going to have a monster day and the Cardinals will shut down the ever dangerous Macnevin and pull out the upset 32-28. You heard it here first :)
D VI -
Newfound @ Gilford - Newfound has had a great year, but they seem to struggle somewhat when playing the tougher teams of the division. Gilford has the best back in D VI in Brendon Murphy and he will shine this day. Gilford wins big 38-16.
Franklin @ Newport - The Tigers have been on a mission this year. They take that mission one step closer to fruition as they defeat Franklin in a tight one 21-20.
Thoughts...
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
D IV Playoffs Part 2 - Lebanon Raiders (9-0) hosts Monadnock Huskies (5-4) -
At the beginning of this season, with Plymouth riding the nation's longest winning streak and power programs like Laconia and Kennett gearing up for 2010 grind you'd have found few people outside their local towns that gave Monadnock and Lebanon a real chance at making the playoffs. At best you'd hear them mentioned as the "teams to watch" or "outside chance". Yet, here we are, with both teams playing in November, making a run at the D IV Championship. One of them riding an undefeated regular season record of 9-0.
So, let's start with what everyone is calling 'the story of NH football'. The Lebanon Raiders, that no one had heard of until this season. Well, they've heard of you now. Before I begin, let me just say in my own defense, that good 'ol HC has been riding the Raider bandwagon since week 3 or 4 and I've been paying them props ever since. Raiders get and have been getting their love from HC. Everyone else is just late to the party :)
Offensively, the Raiders bring a lot to the table. Primarily they run out of the Wing - T, but give you multiple looks from the Offensive side of the ball. They don't have the biggest O-Line, but every one of them comes to play and does their job every single play. Alexander Morrill and Ryan Geno anchor the line and these guys will move bodies wherever they need to. Logan DeFelice and Mark Davidson are warriors in the trenches. Chris Henry is the Center and is exceptionally quick at this position. Taylor Sanborn will line up at tight end and when he's not blocking has a great set of hands and is a big target that Roth has been known to throw to. Overall, rarely will you see one of these guys walking from the off-side of a play. They chase the play to the other side of the field and look to make a block if the RB happens to back cut. The little things that make a 'good' O-line 'Great'.
Behind them you have John Roth, a big, strong QB with a good arm and who doesn't make mistakes. He's quick for his position when called on to run and is not afraid to throw solid blocks to help spring his RBs. You'll see Pelletier and Morton at wide out, both have good speed and hands to match. Lebanon is not afraid to throw the ball. They will throw short and medium range passes and will also let Roth take a shot deep every now and again. Their backfield consists of Drew (FB) an in your face, run you over type of RB. Chris Barker who has a fast, aggressive style to his running and has a second gear that allows him to break the big play. Their workhorse is Cody Patch. Patch is electric. He'll get the ball 20+ times and if you don't wrap him up, he will burn you and do it in a big way. He's strong, has great vision, and is exceptionally difficult to bring down.
Defensively, the Raiders shine. They don't miss many tackles and subsequently don't give up many big plays. Teams have had some success sustaining drives this year, only to see them falter when they get in the red zone. Their front four are as good as they come, Davidson and Henry attack the edges, while Geno and Morril clog the middle. They have 3 of the best Linebackers in D IV, in Barker, Drew and Patch and their cover guys Judd, Astwood and Morton are solid, big hitters in the secondary.
Monadnock -
The Huskies come into the playoffs as the 4th seed (5-4) coming off a tough loss at home against visiting Laconia. Don't let the record fool you though, the Huskies played Lebanon very tough in their first game and were it not for a plague of penalties may have come out winners in their first meeting against the Raiders.
Offensively, the Huskies run out of a base wishbone offense but will also throw different looks at you. They have a massive O-Line. These guys are big, physical, and disciplined in what they do. Their line that is led by Zach Underwood and Nick Dragon (who is 300+ pounds) and make no mistake these guys will move you upfield. Brandon Wilfore (250), Nick Skrocki (250), Nick Patterson round out their front line and these guys mean business. Perhaps not as quick as some other teams, they have the size and strength to go toe to toe in the trenches with the best of them.
Leading the team at QB is Bednard. Forced into the starting role early on in the season due to injury, the sophomore has begun to find his stride.
Running behind the line is Blake "the Bus" Bolewski. What a Senior year this kid has had. Surpassing the 1000 yd mark for the 2nd straight year, he's rattled off almost 750 yards and (I think) 12 TDs in the last 4 games. His low center of gravity combined with his strength, speed and vision make him exceptionally difficult to tackle. Like Patch, if you don't wrap him up, he will make you pay. Accenting Bolewski out of the backfield is Corey Brown. Defenses need to be careful not to focus to much on the Bus, or this kid can bite you as well. He's got good speed, great feet and can get to the edges welll.
Defensively, the O-Line shifts over to D-line and can really cause a bottleneck inside. They typically run out of a 4-4 Defense, so it should be fun to see who wins the battle on the line. If the Monadnock D can get penetration, Lebanon could be in for a long day. Clogging up the middle is going to mean they'll have to go outside where Linebackers Bolewski and Patterson have had success chasing down ball carriers. The one thing I can see where the Huskies need to have some caution is in the secondary. Teams have had some success throwing on them this year.
All in all, this shapes up to be a great game in Lebanon and if last weeks game at Trinity was any indication I can only guess how many fans will be packed at Raider field as they host their first home playoff game in ...um well, that would be EVER! Good luck to both teams! Thoughts...
So, let's start with what everyone is calling 'the story of NH football'. The Lebanon Raiders, that no one had heard of until this season. Well, they've heard of you now. Before I begin, let me just say in my own defense, that good 'ol HC has been riding the Raider bandwagon since week 3 or 4 and I've been paying them props ever since. Raiders get and have been getting their love from HC. Everyone else is just late to the party :)
Offensively, the Raiders bring a lot to the table. Primarily they run out of the Wing - T, but give you multiple looks from the Offensive side of the ball. They don't have the biggest O-Line, but every one of them comes to play and does their job every single play. Alexander Morrill and Ryan Geno anchor the line and these guys will move bodies wherever they need to. Logan DeFelice and Mark Davidson are warriors in the trenches. Chris Henry is the Center and is exceptionally quick at this position. Taylor Sanborn will line up at tight end and when he's not blocking has a great set of hands and is a big target that Roth has been known to throw to. Overall, rarely will you see one of these guys walking from the off-side of a play. They chase the play to the other side of the field and look to make a block if the RB happens to back cut. The little things that make a 'good' O-line 'Great'.
Behind them you have John Roth, a big, strong QB with a good arm and who doesn't make mistakes. He's quick for his position when called on to run and is not afraid to throw solid blocks to help spring his RBs. You'll see Pelletier and Morton at wide out, both have good speed and hands to match. Lebanon is not afraid to throw the ball. They will throw short and medium range passes and will also let Roth take a shot deep every now and again. Their backfield consists of Drew (FB) an in your face, run you over type of RB. Chris Barker who has a fast, aggressive style to his running and has a second gear that allows him to break the big play. Their workhorse is Cody Patch. Patch is electric. He'll get the ball 20+ times and if you don't wrap him up, he will burn you and do it in a big way. He's strong, has great vision, and is exceptionally difficult to bring down.
Defensively, the Raiders shine. They don't miss many tackles and subsequently don't give up many big plays. Teams have had some success sustaining drives this year, only to see them falter when they get in the red zone. Their front four are as good as they come, Davidson and Henry attack the edges, while Geno and Morril clog the middle. They have 3 of the best Linebackers in D IV, in Barker, Drew and Patch and their cover guys Judd, Astwood and Morton are solid, big hitters in the secondary.
Monadnock -
The Huskies come into the playoffs as the 4th seed (5-4) coming off a tough loss at home against visiting Laconia. Don't let the record fool you though, the Huskies played Lebanon very tough in their first game and were it not for a plague of penalties may have come out winners in their first meeting against the Raiders.
Offensively, the Huskies run out of a base wishbone offense but will also throw different looks at you. They have a massive O-Line. These guys are big, physical, and disciplined in what they do. Their line that is led by Zach Underwood and Nick Dragon (who is 300+ pounds) and make no mistake these guys will move you upfield. Brandon Wilfore (250), Nick Skrocki (250), Nick Patterson round out their front line and these guys mean business. Perhaps not as quick as some other teams, they have the size and strength to go toe to toe in the trenches with the best of them.
Leading the team at QB is Bednard. Forced into the starting role early on in the season due to injury, the sophomore has begun to find his stride.
Running behind the line is Blake "the Bus" Bolewski. What a Senior year this kid has had. Surpassing the 1000 yd mark for the 2nd straight year, he's rattled off almost 750 yards and (I think) 12 TDs in the last 4 games. His low center of gravity combined with his strength, speed and vision make him exceptionally difficult to tackle. Like Patch, if you don't wrap him up, he will make you pay. Accenting Bolewski out of the backfield is Corey Brown. Defenses need to be careful not to focus to much on the Bus, or this kid can bite you as well. He's got good speed, great feet and can get to the edges welll.
Defensively, the O-Line shifts over to D-line and can really cause a bottleneck inside. They typically run out of a 4-4 Defense, so it should be fun to see who wins the battle on the line. If the Monadnock D can get penetration, Lebanon could be in for a long day. Clogging up the middle is going to mean they'll have to go outside where Linebackers Bolewski and Patterson have had success chasing down ball carriers. The one thing I can see where the Huskies need to have some caution is in the secondary. Teams have had some success throwing on them this year.
All in all, this shapes up to be a great game in Lebanon and if last weeks game at Trinity was any indication I can only guess how many fans will be packed at Raider field as they host their first home playoff game in ...um well, that would be EVER! Good luck to both teams! Thoughts...
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
D IV Playoffs 2010
Well, it came down to 6 teams fighting for spots in the playoffs. In the end the seeding ended with Lebanon (9-0) locking down the #1 seed. Trinity at (8-1) as the #2, Laconia at (7-2) at #3 and Monadnock (5-4) as the #4 seed respectively.
This seeding means that Lebanon will host Monadnock and Trinity will host Laconia this upcoming weekend. We'll preview the games in separate posts.
First, the Laconia / Trinity matchup
Two great teams with outstanding coaches face off on Saturday as the Sachems travel to Manchester to face the Pioneers. The 2 and 3 seeds battle for a spot in the 2010 championship game. In the regular season, Laconia allowed the Pioneers 284 yards of offense compared to 46 yards of their own. And yet even with those lopsided numbers, the Sachems held the lead midway through the 4th quarter due to outstanding special team play. Ronnie Steele (we love this guy) ran back a kickoff for a TD, Holmes ran back a Punt, Mahoney blocks a punt, Steele then scores...it took a Goldstein to Lauderdale pass with just over 6 minutes to go, to seal the victory for the visiting Pioneers that night. What a game...
Laconia:
You hear it a lot from football fans, "Get the Offense on the field to give the D some rest!". In D IV that just doesn't matter as most of these kids go both ways and teams have minimal substitutions. What does matter is momentum, adrenaline, that feeling you get when you're so amped up you can't even speak or you might throw up. Well you get the point. The Trinity offense has a tendency to simply beat that feeling right out of you. They take your momentum, your adrenaline and like a chemist out of a cartoon show, they convert it into energy to feed their double wing machine.
In this game, the key for the Sachems will be figuring out how to stop the Pioneer double wing and get their offense on the field to rack up a little yardage of their own. It won't even necessarily matter if they score right away, but the kids NEED to know they can move the ball effectively against the Pioneers defense. This will keep them up, amped, and able to dig deep and play defense much more effectively when the time comes. In order for them to be effective, the backs need to hit holes quickly. This Pioneer D is no joke. When a hole opens, it is typically only momentary. So, when it appears, Mahoney, Steele and Holmes need to get through to the second level.
Also be patient. The Pioneer D is big, fast and intimidating. They won't give up a big play all that often...so don't look for one. Take the 3 yard gain, line up and do it again. Maintain control of the ball, stay focused and put sustained drives together. Scoring will come.
Laconia has the weapons to come out on top in this game. Mahoney has really matured into a go to type RB for the Sachems. He is quick tenacious and has the speed to break the big play. Steele is back and healthy as is Jake Holmes. Briggman runs his offense well and has shown the ability to throw the ball well in the past few games. The O-line is back and healthy and with Mahoney and Hollis opening holes for you, the Sachems have the tools to come out on top on Saturday.
Defensively, team, team team. One guy will not and cannot stand-out defensively against the machine that is the Pioneer Offense. It will take a team effort, all 11 guys on each and every play, going hard until the whistle. Those of you who have seen a double wing offense run properly will know that it is simply a mess. That's not an insult, it's simply what it is, smoke and mirrors, controlled chaos by design, and the Pioneers run it like no one else in D IV.
They will mis-direct, ball fake with their RBs going in three different directions, while Goldstien rolls out and throws the ball, but wait, he doesn't have the ball...Hughes has it and he's 25 yards up field with a safety riding his back being dragged along for the ride. If it's not that, then it's one side of the line looking at 5 guys wall blocking while the back jogs behind waiting for an opening.
IMO, first, you need everyone to be fearless and unselfish. Find the football and when you do, sacrifice yourself to stop the mack truck that's coming your way. Meet the blockers with force and conviction while your teammates pursue from the back side. It's imperative to chase the play from the back side...and they need to do it at full speed whistle to whistle. Don't assume the RB is down, everybody tackles and chases until they hear the whistle. The Pioneer backs (in particular Hughes) are not going down easy. Finally be patient. They will get their yards, but if you play tough and close down in the red zone, you will be okay.
Trinity:
The key for Trinity will be to forget last week and do what you've done all year. There are so many story lines here that could effect the mentality of a successful team, (winning streak broken, no longer undefeated, etc...). Get your heads right, be mentally tough and stay on course.
Offensively, keep on trucking. Gratiano, Rainey, Lauderdale and company will simply smack you in the mouth and move your butt downfield. This line will hit you, move you where they want, and move on to the next guy. They're big quick and as fundamentally sound as they come. The Pioneers won't throw many looks at you. They run an A formation Double Wing set, with some slight variations every now and again, and while I'm not a fan of the double wing, these guys run it to perfection. If you've ever watched the Pioneers play, you will have found yourself (more than once) following the play and then giggling to yourself when you realize the back you're following doesn't have the ball and half the defensive is tackling/chasing him with reckless abandon.
Goldstien knows the offense and runs is incredibly effective in what he does. He hides the ball well, follows through on ball fakes and has decent speed when called upon to keep it. Hoaglund and Chambers provide speed out of the wing positions while Hughes will pull most snaps as the FB. Hughes is the power guy, and he has decent speed, but his low center of gravits and the power in which he runs make him very difficult to take down. The Pioneers must hold on to the football, especially in the Red zone.
Defensively- they've been extremely good on Defense all year. They must account for the loss of Ryan Carrier on Defense in this game. Carrier was a leader and a beast at inside backer and his presence inside will be missed by the Pioneers. M. Leonard will most likely fill in and will need to step up to the challenge. That said the battle on the line should be epic, with Hollis and Mahoney banging with the likes of Gratiano and Lauderdale it should be fun to see how this unfolds the second time around. Thoughts...
This seeding means that Lebanon will host Monadnock and Trinity will host Laconia this upcoming weekend. We'll preview the games in separate posts.
First, the Laconia / Trinity matchup
Two great teams with outstanding coaches face off on Saturday as the Sachems travel to Manchester to face the Pioneers. The 2 and 3 seeds battle for a spot in the 2010 championship game. In the regular season, Laconia allowed the Pioneers 284 yards of offense compared to 46 yards of their own. And yet even with those lopsided numbers, the Sachems held the lead midway through the 4th quarter due to outstanding special team play. Ronnie Steele (we love this guy) ran back a kickoff for a TD, Holmes ran back a Punt, Mahoney blocks a punt, Steele then scores...it took a Goldstein to Lauderdale pass with just over 6 minutes to go, to seal the victory for the visiting Pioneers that night. What a game...
Laconia:
You hear it a lot from football fans, "Get the Offense on the field to give the D some rest!". In D IV that just doesn't matter as most of these kids go both ways and teams have minimal substitutions. What does matter is momentum, adrenaline, that feeling you get when you're so amped up you can't even speak or you might throw up. Well you get the point. The Trinity offense has a tendency to simply beat that feeling right out of you. They take your momentum, your adrenaline and like a chemist out of a cartoon show, they convert it into energy to feed their double wing machine.
In this game, the key for the Sachems will be figuring out how to stop the Pioneer double wing and get their offense on the field to rack up a little yardage of their own. It won't even necessarily matter if they score right away, but the kids NEED to know they can move the ball effectively against the Pioneers defense. This will keep them up, amped, and able to dig deep and play defense much more effectively when the time comes. In order for them to be effective, the backs need to hit holes quickly. This Pioneer D is no joke. When a hole opens, it is typically only momentary. So, when it appears, Mahoney, Steele and Holmes need to get through to the second level.
Also be patient. The Pioneer D is big, fast and intimidating. They won't give up a big play all that often...so don't look for one. Take the 3 yard gain, line up and do it again. Maintain control of the ball, stay focused and put sustained drives together. Scoring will come.
Laconia has the weapons to come out on top in this game. Mahoney has really matured into a go to type RB for the Sachems. He is quick tenacious and has the speed to break the big play. Steele is back and healthy as is Jake Holmes. Briggman runs his offense well and has shown the ability to throw the ball well in the past few games. The O-line is back and healthy and with Mahoney and Hollis opening holes for you, the Sachems have the tools to come out on top on Saturday.
Defensively, team, team team. One guy will not and cannot stand-out defensively against the machine that is the Pioneer Offense. It will take a team effort, all 11 guys on each and every play, going hard until the whistle. Those of you who have seen a double wing offense run properly will know that it is simply a mess. That's not an insult, it's simply what it is, smoke and mirrors, controlled chaos by design, and the Pioneers run it like no one else in D IV.
They will mis-direct, ball fake with their RBs going in three different directions, while Goldstien rolls out and throws the ball, but wait, he doesn't have the ball...Hughes has it and he's 25 yards up field with a safety riding his back being dragged along for the ride. If it's not that, then it's one side of the line looking at 5 guys wall blocking while the back jogs behind waiting for an opening.
IMO, first, you need everyone to be fearless and unselfish. Find the football and when you do, sacrifice yourself to stop the mack truck that's coming your way. Meet the blockers with force and conviction while your teammates pursue from the back side. It's imperative to chase the play from the back side...and they need to do it at full speed whistle to whistle. Don't assume the RB is down, everybody tackles and chases until they hear the whistle. The Pioneer backs (in particular Hughes) are not going down easy. Finally be patient. They will get their yards, but if you play tough and close down in the red zone, you will be okay.
Trinity:
The key for Trinity will be to forget last week and do what you've done all year. There are so many story lines here that could effect the mentality of a successful team, (winning streak broken, no longer undefeated, etc...). Get your heads right, be mentally tough and stay on course.
Offensively, keep on trucking. Gratiano, Rainey, Lauderdale and company will simply smack you in the mouth and move your butt downfield. This line will hit you, move you where they want, and move on to the next guy. They're big quick and as fundamentally sound as they come. The Pioneers won't throw many looks at you. They run an A formation Double Wing set, with some slight variations every now and again, and while I'm not a fan of the double wing, these guys run it to perfection. If you've ever watched the Pioneers play, you will have found yourself (more than once) following the play and then giggling to yourself when you realize the back you're following doesn't have the ball and half the defensive is tackling/chasing him with reckless abandon.
Goldstien knows the offense and runs is incredibly effective in what he does. He hides the ball well, follows through on ball fakes and has decent speed when called upon to keep it. Hoaglund and Chambers provide speed out of the wing positions while Hughes will pull most snaps as the FB. Hughes is the power guy, and he has decent speed, but his low center of gravits and the power in which he runs make him very difficult to take down. The Pioneers must hold on to the football, especially in the Red zone.
Defensively- they've been extremely good on Defense all year. They must account for the loss of Ryan Carrier on Defense in this game. Carrier was a leader and a beast at inside backer and his presence inside will be missed by the Pioneers. M. Leonard will most likely fill in and will need to step up to the challenge. That said the battle on the line should be epic, with Hollis and Mahoney banging with the likes of Gratiano and Lauderdale it should be fun to see how this unfolds the second time around. Thoughts...
Monday, November 1, 2010
Week 9 Shout Outs!
1. We'll give 3 shout outs this week. First, here at Head Coach headquarters, we love heart. Monadnock has an outstanding RB in "the Bus", however, after dropping their first 2 contests of the season and losing their starting QB (also for the season) these guys sucked it up and have battles all year and put themselves in a position to do something special and make a run at the championship. Big props to the Swanzey warriors. Go getem Huskies!
2. Lebanon fan-base. I've seen a lot of high school games. The number of fans that you brought to the contest on Saturday Night was in a word "impressive". You get props from HC!
3. Ryan Carrier - this kid was a load in the first half of Sat nights game on both sides of the ball...a real champion. He was helped off the field with a concussion early on in the second half. These injuries are serious business at any level, especially in our young adults. We wish you well Ryan and may you have a speedy recovery!
Let's hear your shout outs!
2. Lebanon fan-base. I've seen a lot of high school games. The number of fans that you brought to the contest on Saturday Night was in a word "impressive". You get props from HC!
3. Ryan Carrier - this kid was a load in the first half of Sat nights game on both sides of the ball...a real champion. He was helped off the field with a concussion early on in the second half. These injuries are serious business at any level, especially in our young adults. We wish you well Ryan and may you have a speedy recovery!
Let's hear your shout outs!
Week 9 Recap -
What a weekend of Football. First let me start by touching on a D V game. Kearsarge outlasted St. Thomas in OT and QB Doug Gregory was simply outstanding. Great job by both teams!
In D IV action Hanover ended their season on an up note with a 42-7 victory over MV. Nice to see the Marauders finish out like this. For Carney, Staiger, Hinch and the other seniors on this team, this was their last game in a Marauders uniform, but who knows maybe we'll see them playing in college somewhere.
Laconia defeats the Huskies in Swanzey to take 3rd seed 37-27. Backed by another outstanding performance from Sophomore star David Mahoney, the Sachems withstood a comeback from the revitalized Huskies and pull out a victory on the road. Laconia will travel to Manchester to take on the 2nd seed Pioneers in a rematch of their tough regular season contest while the Huskies will head to Lebanon to take on the 1st seed Raiders.
Plymouth finishes the season at 5-4 after defeating John Stark 33-12 to end their season. Plymouth will look to the future as they should again have a strong unit next year, with both Newberry and Goodale returning for their Senior and Junior years respectively.
Kennet wins big over Kingswood 44-0. The Eagles rebounded to close the season off strong putting up big points combined with an impressive defense, shutting out Kingswood. They too will be strong next season bringing back a slew of young talent not the least of which is Nick Massa who established himself as a legit RB this year.
Finally Lebanon defeats Trinity in what many would call an upset (hey I got it right :)) in a slugfest of 2 quality teams on Saturday night 14-6 to set the 1 and 2 seeds in the division. See my recap posted/edited yesterday for more on this contest.
So now the table is set #1 Lebanon will host #4 Monadnock on Sat while #2 Trinity will host #3 Laconia. We should see some good competitive football this weekend to decide who will play for the D IV championship. More later...
In D IV action Hanover ended their season on an up note with a 42-7 victory over MV. Nice to see the Marauders finish out like this. For Carney, Staiger, Hinch and the other seniors on this team, this was their last game in a Marauders uniform, but who knows maybe we'll see them playing in college somewhere.
Laconia defeats the Huskies in Swanzey to take 3rd seed 37-27. Backed by another outstanding performance from Sophomore star David Mahoney, the Sachems withstood a comeback from the revitalized Huskies and pull out a victory on the road. Laconia will travel to Manchester to take on the 2nd seed Pioneers in a rematch of their tough regular season contest while the Huskies will head to Lebanon to take on the 1st seed Raiders.
Plymouth finishes the season at 5-4 after defeating John Stark 33-12 to end their season. Plymouth will look to the future as they should again have a strong unit next year, with both Newberry and Goodale returning for their Senior and Junior years respectively.
Kennet wins big over Kingswood 44-0. The Eagles rebounded to close the season off strong putting up big points combined with an impressive defense, shutting out Kingswood. They too will be strong next season bringing back a slew of young talent not the least of which is Nick Massa who established himself as a legit RB this year.
Finally Lebanon defeats Trinity in what many would call an upset (hey I got it right :)) in a slugfest of 2 quality teams on Saturday night 14-6 to set the 1 and 2 seeds in the division. See my recap posted/edited yesterday for more on this contest.
So now the table is set #1 Lebanon will host #4 Monadnock on Sat while #2 Trinity will host #3 Laconia. We should see some good competitive football this weekend to decide who will play for the D IV championship. More later...
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