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New Longo top 10 … Georgetown over Pinkerton? It could happen. Check out the logic behind the argument Astros.

Oct 28th, 2008 by Hector Longo

The Pinkerton lobby is too much. Too much.
You folks come off all high and mighty when defending your turf against the little guys, Pelham and Georgetown.
Then you reverse the rules when your state’s teams lay an egg in the Bay State.
BG, big, bad BG lost to Billerica, who was last seen down 40 at halftime against Dracut.
And Nashua South, a team that mighty, mighty Pinkerton was all-out to beat, suffered a similar fate against Lowell. The last time I looked, Lowell was headed to the middle of the pack or lower in the MVC.
So my answer is to all you pro-Astro bloggers out there, poo-pooing Timberlane and Georgetown and Pelham, is too bad. Beat somebody who matters.
Pinkerton vs. Central Catholic. I’ve said it over and over and over and over and over. You want legitimacy Astros, earn it.
Nope, you and your ridiculous six-division state, have you playing one crossover against teams that should be in your division any ways, and you choose to play Brockton, which isn’t Brockton any more.
This is not 1988.
Greg McMurtry isn’t walking through those doors, folks. The Boxers used to be the measuring stick for Mass. football. They haven’t been for a decade.
Brockton is a mediocre Mass. Division 1 program. Congrats, Astros you lost by a point to them.
Division 1 and 2 football in New Hampshire have done little to prove that they are legitimate.
So Astro backers lay off the “we’d beat Pelham with our JVs talk.”
You don’t know that. And you can’t say it, because you’re 6-2 and haven’t taken care of your own business.
And don’t think the one win over South, which has lost to Lowell, who lost to Malden Catholic, who lost to Winchester, who lost to Belmont, who lost to Wilmington, who lost to Lawrence, who lost to Amesbury, who get this LOST TO GEORGETOWN!!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry, Amesbury folks, just pointing out a fact here), means anything.
Basically, it puts Pinkerton and Georgetown on the same field. And they’re undefeated.
Look it up folks, I did. You remain at No. 4.
Maybe you couldn’t beat Georgetown after all.
That said, keep the comments coming. I flat-out love it.

A quick check of all the races:

MVC … Dracut’s an absolute lock after obliterating Billerica.
CAL large … Masco should roll, considering it waxed Lawrence, which beat North Andover Wilmington, which beat Pentucket.
CAL small … All eyes were thought to be on Georgetown, but 3-5 Newburyport, like the Royals, still controls its own destiny. The Clippers run the table and they’re in.
CAC large … Whittier now is the heavy favorite with only Lynn Tech posing a threat.
CAC small … Crown Manchester Essex champion now.
NH Division 1 … As expected the four playoff teams are just about set with Pinkerton, Central, Londonderry and South. The Astros just need to take care of business, not against Central, but against 2-5 North to lock down the No. 1 seed.
NH Division 2 … I foresee Timberlane, BG, Exeter and Keene locking down the four playoff spots. And don’t be surprised, if they don’t meet in the semis, for it to be a Keene-Timberlane finals. (Am I the only one to point out that all four teams are for the birds, get it … Owls. Blue Hawks, Blackbirds and Cardinals, tee hee.)

As for THE race, this is Longo vs. Dyer, my one-loss week allowed me to shave one loss off of his nine-game lead.

Here is the new Longo top 10.

1. Timberlane (5-2) … Erik Hatton, who is on a run of four straight games with two TD passes, now has 10 for the year, with just four interceptions.
2. Pelham (7-0) … So much for St. Thomas’ claim to the throne in Division 5.
3. Georgetown (6-0) … Pound for pound, the best team in the region.
4. Pinkerton (6-2) … Ho hum, a shutout win over South.
5. Londonderry (6-2) … This team puts out ground-gaining machines like Mike Shanahan churns out 1,000-yard rushers.
6. Amesbury (6-1) … All the Indians can do now is root for the Port, get a little more help then beat the Clippers on Turkey Day.
7. central (4-3) … An old-school Valley bloodbath with the Rangers lies ahead.
8. Lawrence (4-3) … A win at Pentucket won’t come easy but would be immense.
9. Methuen (3-4) … The Rangers had the bye before the battle with Central. Will it help or hurt?
10. Andover (3-4) … Hennessy and Co. are piling up the points.

Posted in Uncategorized | View Comments

  • Stead

    Hey Hector, very convenient of you to leave out the other half of the research that you should have done regarding the Astros. You are calling Brockton a mediocre program when all they did was beat three undefeated programs in a row leading up to the PA game including St. John’s (who had just beat undefeated number 1 Everett) and who also beat up your beloved Central Catholic. St John’s lost to Dracut in the first game of the year (we all catch lightning a bottle once in a while) They beat an undefeated Fitchburg team and just beat Durfee. I don’t know if you were at the Astro/Boxer game but PA absolutely handled them in the first half and miscues and ball protection blew the game. I am all for punishing them for blowing the win when it was in hand but please don’t compare it to South losing to Lowell or BG losing to Billerica in a decided fashion. I say this year a PA/Dracut game would be a great one to have but year in and year out (not every year, let’s not get crazy) PA would beat the Central’s, Dracut’s, and Andover/Chelmsford’s of the world. Regarding this poll they are easily better than the three ahead of them and they would most regularly destroy the Georgetown’s, Pelham’s, Timberlane’s, Wilmington’s and Amesbury’s of which you speak. Give me one of those teams above shooting for their fourth championship in a row in a competitive league. I would love to see PA playing in the MVC but it’s not going to happen although if it did, it would be bad news for your favorites more often than not. ps- I LOVE THE BLOG and all of the High school football chat and it is great to see passion in the area for this (PS I am a closet Amesbury, Exeter, and Reggie fan) don’t tell anyone

  • Fan of Hector

    Hector we miss you up in Derry, please come for a famous cheeseburger soon…Stead is the man!

  • George Smith

    Hector you must live in the land of rainbow and butterflies again you put a division 5 Nh team near the top of the poll. I feel sad for all the teams in MVC. It is time you come in out of the rain and put the poll in order. I am starting to think you are losing credibility in this blog. Well the cream all rises to the top and the top teams will be the top teams. Timbies lose in the semis and it really doesnt matter about what pelham does.

  • Granitom

    Brockton might very well be the most inconsistent team in Mass, not just game to game but quarter to quarter. Still, they beat Pink but lost to Dracut and were pounded by BC High and X. Dracut, btw, has beaten SJP three years in a row and, if they played ten times this year, Dracut might win all ten. All that said, and with all due respect, putting Timberlane, Georgetown, and Pelham ahead of PA is patently absurd. Hector, you said: “Beat somebody who matters.” So for #2 Pelham I guess that would be Trinity (who all but disbanded their program) and perrenial power Newfound Regional, while #3 G-town mixes it up with monsters Murdock (?), Marblehead, and Lynnfield. Please. Yes, Timberlane played well vs. Manchester Central, but still lost. Most years, PA would beat Dracut, but not this year. Most years, they’d be even with Central Catholic and Chelmsford. The disadvantage MVC schools have is that there is no Memorial, West, Spaulding, or Merrimack (i.e. predictable patsy) in the MVC. Can’t wait to see the hoops poll when Georgetown and Whittier are ranked ahead of Central and Lawrence. Keep up the great work!

  • Suzanne

    Whoa gentlemen…
    Keep it about the athletes out in the wind, rain and cold. You all had your chances years ago! I am curious what the avg. age of those “astro-bloggers” is. I am guessin’ it aint 17!!! All these teams are loaded with hard-working, devoted athletes. Thank goodness they put their butts on the line every week… otherwise what would all of you guys be griping about?!

  • Mark

    Hector

    Are you coming to the PA Central game if so, cheeseburger and hot chocolate is on me see ya in the press box and we will chat.
    Suzzanne the blog is actually more dignified with us old people having a little fun, look back at the comments from other sections when the players get ripping, Mr. Longo had to hand out a few spankings.

  • Hector Longo

    Granitom,
    I will state this again:
    Georgetown beat Amesbury, which beat Lawrence, which beat Wilmington, which beat Belmont, which beat Winchester, which beat Malden Catholic, which beat Lowell, which beat South, which played mighty tough against the twice-beaten, yet almighty Astros.
    Therefore, I can surmise the Astros and Royals are on a relatively similar plane, that is invoking, Einstein’s theory of relativity, Darwin’s thinking on evolution, and Dave Proulx’s most recent logical hypothesis on his “just for kicks” college football pool.
    As for Pelham, you have to appreciate the dominance this program has shown, even at its level.
    Finally, the hoops poll has the chance to be a little more accurate, remember a lot of these teams play summer ball together, which I happen to watch a lot of.
    You probably were the ones knocking Pelham back a couple years ago, then they went in and won the Lowell Christmas tourney and beat Andover by 20 in Hoops for Hope.
    Size doesn’t always matter.
    And Mr. Smith, my credibility is doing just fine, thank you.
    This is supposed to be fun, right?

  • George smith

    Hector, what you believe in this blog verse reality is huge. I know there is a lot people out there that think they can fly and you be one of them. On the other hand I wouldn’t suggest it. George

  • Gunga

    Where do private schools fit in on your top 10 rankings? You’ve had Phillips Academy in your top 10 in the past and they are 5-1 this year, on the road to another bowl game appearance.

    If you go by who would win head-to-head logically, they should be in the top 10.
    If you go by overall record and stats, they should be in the top 10.

    Why aren’t they in the top 10?

  • Hector Longo

    Great question.
    At first I included them, then I looked at it, with all the post grads, they really don’t belong. Since it’s my top 10, that was my thought process.
    I don’t know.
    Coach Mo runs such a great program there, he’s always good. They would be mighty tough against any team in our region, I know that.

    HL

  • gunga

    All right, thanks for your response. That makes sense. It’s tough to compare teams with postgrads to other local squads.

  • mark

    well all know pinkerton as the best telent all around they have the best of the youngest and the best of the oldest guinto handles the offense proulx handles the D. Both being junior leaders no one will be able to touch them for the next few years

  • Geo2

    Coach O’Reilly handles the info given out about his Pinkerton Team perfectly. Go Astros!

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