Division 1 Week 3

HELLO??? Anyone here?? I miss seeing everyone have conversations here! Hope everyone's summer went great!

Here is the slate for Week 3 in Division 1 Football: Pick the winner and why!

Friday 9/20
Dover @ Alvirne
North @ Spaulding
Bedford @ Londonderry
Man Central @ Man Memorial
Concord @ Merrimack
Timberlane @ Nashua South

Saturday 9/21
Man West @ Goffstown
Pinkerton @ Salem
Keene @ BG
Winnacunnet @ Exeter

Again another THUD - looks like many of the previous bloggers children have moved on and there's no one to pick up the void - that too bad...  Even one of our more boisterous bloggers seems to have decided to not play in the current sandbox even though a few of his thoughts are ringing true... Merrimack football anyone?  Think about this their former coach joined the Memorial sideline and lost to Merrimack in a wild game this past week...

Anyway...

Alvirne over Dover - From what I read Dover's depth is suspicious. It'll be close, but Alvirne should prevail. The key might be Alvirne's secondary. Does Dover have a back like Furey?  

Spaulding over North - Anyone believe Winnacunnet overlooked North in preparation for their showdown this week with Exeter?  If not you may want to check last weeks score and game story for the great escape.  Although North changed its offense, I think Spaulding will have actually prepared for that...

Bedford over Londonderry - Bedford is for real... They've kept their athletes at home now and have just reloaded after last year. Londonderry's only advantage - grass vs. turf and keeping the game slow grinding out long drives with their big line.

Memorial over Central - It's an upset special. Nothing like a little intracity rivalry to get the juices flowing - the winner of this probably gets to play in the Turkey Day game against Trinity...  Does anyone believe West has a reasonable chance to win this year?

Concord over Merrimack - An intriguing matchup for sure, but I think Concord has the athletic edge here.

South over Timberlane - So South proves they are not a one man show... Even with Trevor out their offense kept moving and their defense shut out Alvirne - something Timberlane didn't do in week 1.  Timberlane will give them a better game though - the wheel route has been quite successful for them and then running Furey more in the second half is draining.  If it's a close game, then watch out...

Goffstown over West - Poor West - not given the time to recover... Slid right back into D1.  Goffstown should be able to take this one.

Pinkerton over Salem - Pinkerton isn't as great as thought preseason, but they are better and deeper than Salem...

Keene over BG - Even in all the (he who shall not be named) years, Keene gave BG the toughest games.  They fared very well against the erstwhile top team in the state last week.  I doubt very much coach Luopa won't have the team prepared - this game could be the difference between making or not making playoffs for each team although either against South won't be a gimme for South...

Exeter over Winnacunnet - Even with two weeks preparation, as coach Auffant might say it's awfully tough to win a game "over there" in Exeter... Phantom holds, pass interferences, or whatever else can go wrong for the visitors seems to happen in Exeter.  Exeter just reloads and as long as they get ahead, they are a tough team to beat with that grind it out offense.  One advantage Winnacunnet has - they got a crash course last week in defending the straight T double tight end offense...

JAF you said memorial vs Concord. It is suppose to be memorial vs central

I love some good olde fashion football talk. . . I was disappointed last week that no one was discussing the Keene v. Exeter game. Keene is going to be tough to beat late in the season.

Here are my picks. . .

Dover @ Alvirne- These are two teams that must be very upset about the new divisions. They were average programs in D2 and now they are below average in D1. I think it will be a tight game, but home field advantage will help the Broncos sneak out a close one. Alvirne over Dover

North @ Spaulding- North is still struggling to find their identity with their new offense. I think it will take a bit before they are able to run effectively on all cylinders. Take that into consideration with the long trip to Rochester. Spaulding over North

Bedford @ Londonderry- Londonderry is in the top ten for the first time in a long time, but unfortunately the clock will hit midnight for my alma mata. Bedford is for real and they are going to be a team we are talking about in Early November. Bedford over Londonderry

Man Central @ Man Memorial- Central has had a tough start to the season, but they will bounce back in this city match up in a big way. Central over Memorial

Concord @ Merrimack- Merrimack is 2-0, I was getting ready to clear the DW Highway for the parade last Sunday morning. Besides Exeter; Concord is the team to beat in D1. They have experience, toughness and talent, a deadly combination. Concord over Merrimack

Timberlane @ Nashua South- Even without Knight South is a good team. They are well coached and have a lot of talented players that are bought into a program. South over Timberlane

Saturday 9/21
Man West @ Goffstown-- West is attempting to bounce back from a brutal loss at the hands of Bedford. Goffstown lost a heart breaking to the Lancers last week. Goffstown has some talent, but not a lot of experience. I think their talent will take this game. Goffstown over West

Pinkerton @ Salem-- I was at the Pinkerton game last weekend, Lattimore is an impressive athlete. I don't think Salem has the depth or ability to account for him. If Pinkerton can keep the turnovers down they will easily handle Salem. Pinkerton over Salem

Keene @ BG-- Here comes the team I am really high on, Kenne. I think Keene has the size and toughness to compete for a championship this year. It is a shame that Luopia wasn't a year younger, if he was they would be really dangerous. I don't think BG has enough bullets in the gun to battle this massive team for 4 quarters. Keene over BG

Winnacunnet @ Exeter-- Exeter is huge and their entire team goes in one direction FORWARD! Winnacunnet can't match up without putting 11 in the box. Exeter over Winnacunnet.

I'm excited for a great weekend.

Interesting comments from nh12345 about Keene with respect to BG not having enough bullets in the gun given what I watched last night at Stellos... Keene leaned very heavily on one player - going many times with direct snaps to big #21 Alex Parenteau. As much of a bull that he is - he didn't make as much impact in the 4th quarter. Perhaps Keene relies on two players - whomever the QB was that wasn't playing and #21... BG on the other hand had enough bullets and made some key plays in order to grasp the victory even without CJ Boykin on the field. While BG didn't score in the 2nd half, much of that was due to the Keene having possession for much of the 3rd running Parenteau left, right, up the middle, and even having him make a few throws. Oh and he's their punter too! BG was able to counter with a number of backs getting carries and spreading the wealth a bit more. Getting two key first downs to close out the game I think had more to do with being deeper and wanting it more. I was impressed with a few of those backs who keep the legs churning and grind out a few more yards or somehow sneak through a hole in the defense for a larger gain. It was a good win for BG going into a bigger test next week with an old nemesis Exeter. Keene needs to right their ship with Spaulding coming in.

JAF, you are right. Bishop Guertin continues to be impressive. It was completely the other way around. Keene ran out of bullets long before Guertin and Boykin did not even play. If he was in the line up it could have turned into an extremely long night for Keene. Overall I was 8-2 on the week. I was also wrong about Alvirne and Dover. I still think if Parenteau can stay health, although they rely on him heavily, he can carry them. He is an impressive athlete.