Salem's Kyle Henrick (85) and the Blue Devils face fellow Division I unbeaten Nashua North on Saturday at Stellos Stadium. Josh Gibney photo.
It’s hard to believe, but we’re getting into crunch time for high school football in New Hampshire. Many teams have seemingly wrapped up playoff spots already, but there are plenty of other berths up for grabs. Not to mention playoff seeds.
It doesn’t get much better than Saturday’s Division I showdown between unbeatens Nashua North and Salem at Stellos Stadium. Two powerful offenses and a host of dynamic running backs figure to keep the scoreboard operator busy in Nashua. Not to be outdone, undefeated teams Winnisquam and Inter-Lakes will duel in Tilton for sole possession of first place in Division VI.
We take a look at those and other big upcoming games in this week’s edition of GameTracker:
Football
• Catholic Memorial at Bishop Guertin, Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m.:
If powerful Bishop Guertin is going to lose a game all season, perhaps it will be Friday’s contest against one of the top squads in the Bay State. Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury, Mass.) is the No. 4 team in this week’s CoachesAid.com Eastern Massachusetts Division I rankings. The Cardinals (6-0, 5-0 Division II) certainly haven’t been challenged much by their New Hampshire counterparts, winning their six games by an average margin of 39 points. BG hasn’t allowed more than seven points in any game this season.
• Winnacunnet at Alvirne, Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m.:
This is a key battle for playoff positioning in Division II, especially for the Warriors. Winnacunnet is 3-3 overall but only 1-3 in the division. A loss on Friday would likely prove fatal for the Warriors’ postseason chances, but a victory would get them right back in the mix. Winnacunnet played last week without leading rusher Jason Busfield due to a knee injury. The Broncos (4-2, 3-1) made a defensive stand to beat Dover, 20-19, last Friday. Alvirne stopped the Green Wave’s two-point conversion attempt in overtime to clinch the win.
• Inter-Lakes at Winnisquam, Saturday, Oct. 17, 1:30 p.m.:
Division VI football fans have had this game circled on the calendar for quite some time. The Lakers (6-0) and Bears (6-0, 5-0 Division VI) are two of the nine remaining undefeated teams in New Hampshire. They’ve also clearly been the two best teams in Division VI all season. Winnisquam has three shutout victories and is allowing just 6.3 points per game. Inter-Lakes has won its six games by an average margin of 36-10. Something’s got to give in Tilton, and the winner is likely to be the No. 1 seed for the Division VI playoffs.
• Timberlane at Exeter, Saturday, Oct. 17, 1:30 p.m.:
The Owls raised a few eyebrows when they nearly knocked off Division I unbeaten Salem last Friday. Timberlane fell short in overtime, 35-34, but that result was sure to grab the attention of Exeter’s excellent coaching staff. The Blue Hawks (6-0, 5-0 Division II) have been overshadowed by mighty Bishop Guertin this season, although it would be a mistake to discount Bill Ball’s team from the championship race. As always, it starts with defense at Exeter. The Blue Hawks are allowing only 6.5 points per game. Timberlane star Derek Furey, who ran for three touchdowns and threw for another last week, will test that stout defense.
• Salem at Nashua North, Saturday, Oct. 17, 3 p.m.:
Simply put, this is the game of the year in Division I. Salem (6-0, 4-0 Division I) and Nashua North (6-0, 5-0) are the only two unbeaten teams left in the state’s top division and have met all challenges so far this season. The Blue Devils avoided a big upset last week with a 35-34 overtime victory over Division II Timberlane. North, meanwhile, outlasted city rival Nashua South by a score of 56-49. Neither of these teams made the playoffs last season, but a victory on Saturday will give the winner an inside track on the No. 1 seed for the Division I playoffs. Standout running backs Max Jacques of Salem and Andre Williams of North each ran for over 200 yards and five touchdowns last week. Should be a good one.
Girls volleyball
• Oyster River at Portsmouth, Monday, Oct. 19, 5:30 p.m.:
Ever since Oyster River snapped Portsmouth’s 25-match win streak back on Sept. 28, it’s been all downhill for the defending Division II champion Clippers. Portsmouth is 2-4 in its last four matches, including a pair of 3-0 setbacks against St. Thomas and Hollis-Brookline. The Bobcats, No. 3 in the CoachesAid.com Division II rankings, are 11-1 on the season. Portsmouth is 9-4.
• Goffstown at Londonderry, Monday, Oct. 19, 5:30 p.m.:
The Lancers (12-2) figure to be riding high following Wednesday’s 3-2 upset victory over defending Division I champion Spaulding. Londonderry, No. 3 in the CoachesAid.com rankings, established itself as a title contender with the win. After a 9-1 start, Goffstown has dropped back to the pack a bit with losses in two of its last three matches. Still, the Grizzlies (10-3) will be a good test for the Lancers.
Boys soccer
• Wilton-Lyndeborough at Sunapee, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 4 p.m.:
Looking for some good late-season soccer? Try Tuesday’s game in Sunapee between the top two teams in the CoachesAid.com Class S rankings. No. 1 Wilton-Lyndeborough (11-1-1) has won six games in a row. No. 2 Sunapee (9-3-1) will be hungry for a victory after losing to fourth-ranked Derryfield School, 1-0, on Tuesday.
• Londonderry at Concord, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 6 p.m.:
The Lancers must still be scratching their heads over Tuesday’s 6-1 loss to Bishop Guertin. Londonderry (10-3) had lost just two games prior to that lopsided defeat and climbed to No. 3 in our Class L rankings. It won’t get any easier against 2008 Class L finalist Concord, which is 11-1-1 and ranked second behind unbeaten Exeter. The Crimson Tide have won five in a row.
Girls soccer
• Keene at Manchester Central, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 4 p.m.:
The defending champion Little Green could get a good test from Keene, which is the No. 5 team in this week’s Class L rankings. No. 1 Central (12-1) has won six straight games since a 2-1 loss to Londonderry on Sept. 28. Keene has reeled off five straight victories and stands 10-1-1 on the season.
• Oyster River at Hollis-Brookline, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 4 p.m.:
The only things separating fourth-ranked Oyster River from an unbeaten season are one-goal losses to St. Thomas and Portsmouth. The Bobcats (11-2) will be facing a Hollis-Brookline team that also has only two defeats on the season. The Cavaliers, No. 1 in this week’s CoachesAid.com Class I rankings, suffered a 1-0 setback to Bedford on Tuesday.
Field hockey
• The New Hampshire field hockey tournaments begin on Tuesday with the Class I preliminary round. Class L’s first round will be held on Wednesday, and Class M-S joins the party on Thursday. All games in the preliminary round and quarterfinals will be held at the home of the higher-seeded teams.
The field hockey semifinals in all classes will be held at Exeter High School. All three championship games will be played Sunday, Nov. 1 at Bedford High School.
Londonderry (Class L), Merrimack Valley (Class I) and Newfound (Class M-S) are the defending champions in each class.
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