Aaaah November, a time where fields bog up and titles are often decided by the club that adjusts best.
This weekend promses to be your typical, annual advertisement for Field-Turf at all New England high schools.
Nowadays, with so many quality Turf sites in the Granite State, you wonder why the championships are still often decided in swamps, but that’s a beef for another day.
You don’t think a Division 1 twinbill at Stellos Stadium, Saturday at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. wouldn’t be something special?
Instead, we’ll all hike up that hill at Pinkerton, hopefully the trails will be in decent enough shape, and we’ll see how long the field, sure to be soaked, holds up.
As for the action on the field, Pinkerton-Londonderry II promises to be a great one.
Not sure if the off going benefits either team. Londonderry is bigger, but the strategy employed defensively the last time by the Astros, submarining inside and creating piles seemed to work pretty well for Tom Cruise and his Ampipe High teammates in the movie All the Right Moves. OK, the Bulldogs lost, but that was only because Craig T. Nelson didn’t have the Rifleman just fall on the ball. He ran a play. Cruise was right when he said, “We didn’t quit, you quit,” … but I digress.
Back to real life, Pinkerton has been mortal and has played in nothing but wars for the last month, without Eric Guinto for most of it.
I wish I could understand the “revolving running backs theory” being used at Londonderry.
Hey, what do I know?
I get the feeling this one lies in the hands of the QBs.
Which one, Conor McKinney or Ryan Simpson, can make the big play earlier, without the critical mistake, to give his team the lead.
If either club takes a two-score lead, this one is over.
PA has the quality wins over South and LHS.
Londonderry is 0-3 against playoff teams giving up a whopping 35.7 ppg and 6-0 against the teams it should have beaten, scoring 29.0 a game in the wins.
Are the Lancers just a buffer zone between the three haves and the five have-nots in D1? They have a chance to disprove that at PA Saturday.
Sorry, the Astros have been through this too many times.
PA 28-7.
We don’t cover them, but I’ll make the bonus pick and say that Manchester Central, which has allowed only 11.0 points a game in D! play, shackles David Zocco and Nashua South, 23-6.
In Division 2, it’s Timberlane hosting Exeter, a team that it handled rather easily in the regular year.
Timberlane has the best balance offensively in the division, with a 1,000-yard passer in Erik Hatton (12 TDs, JUST 5 picks) and the region’s top rusher with Derek Furey (1,417-yards).
Still, it’s tough to explain the Owls dropping the regular-season finale to Alvirne, regardless of how hungry the Broncos were for that last playoff spot.
Defending champ Exeter has the playoff history, the Owls don’t.
Exeter wins with guile and grit in a classic, 28-27.
Elsewhere in D2, I was a big believer in Keene from the opening snap of the season.
Jermaine McDay and Co. won’t let me down. They KO BG for the second time this year, 15-13.
Some other NH picks
In the Lenahan Division:
Steve Jellison and Souhegan dominate Portsmouth, 34-17.
In the Lenahan Division, Plymouth smothers Laconia, 28-0. How is Plymouth not in D2 or D3? They may never lose a D4 game.
Pelham looks to make it 21 straight in Division 5 when Kearsarge comes to town.
It says here that Bruce and the boys take care of business again. The tight regular season win over kearsarge means nothing this week.
Pelham 36, Kearsarge 6
I say Trinity will be the opposition in the D5 final after the Pioneers knock off St. Thomas, 16-6.
In D6, I like Franklin over Winnisquam and Campbell to upset Newport.
Over to Massachusetts
Friday’s games
All of a sudden, Lawrence vs. Haverhill takes on a handful of different story angles, besides the Lancers looking to send a message to the MVC for next year.
First, there is the angle that these two might soon be Thanksgiving Day rivals of the Reggies leave Lawtown hanging and swap back to their old rival Whittier.
Then there’s the news that broke Thursday about the loss of Anthony DeJesus to ineligibility.
Hmm. He grew up in Haverhill, went to Haverhill High and played there. And all of a sudden, somebody notifies Lawrence that he might be ineligible. How convenient, just days before the teams meet.
Simply put, for sure, someone in the Shoe City dimed out the Lancers and decimated the best season this program has seen in over a decade.
Do you think the Lawrence players might be fired up to play the snitchers? i do.
Lancers exact revenge, 16-9.
Andover at Methuen
The most intriguing game on the slate, because you can’t figure out Andover. No excuses, losing to Dover, N.H., last week, boys. If I hear one more coach tell me about the mighty MVC and how tough it is week in and week out, I’m going to suggest a move to Division 2 ball in NH, which owns you guys.
Methuen is rolling right now. I”ll stick with the battering ram Mike Bartlett and his free-flinging twin Matt.
Rangers 24, Warriors 21
Central at Chelmsford
Two wins and you give Central props for another solid year at 7-4. This one won’t be as easy as you might think.
Raiders 28, Chem-lies 21
Georgetown at Newburyport
Nobody’s hotter than the Port right now. This one is a chance for the CAL fans to shine. The Clip joint had better be packed for THE GAME.
I like Esposito over Clancy in the “Not Your Average Joe Bowl.”
Royalty 27, Cliptomaniacs 17
Pentucket Regional at North Andover
I’ll say it again, North Andover is better than it’s shown on the field. The fact that Brandon Walsh doesn’t have a Dylan or a Steve to throw to still bothers me. (It’s a 90210, the old version, reference, folks).
Knights, Knights, Knights 14, Sachems 11
Saturday’s games
Amesbury at North Reading
The Indians’ mood will depend an awful lot on what happens at Newburyport on Friday night. Will Amesbury be playing for pride on Turkey Day or a shot at the title?
The Hornets are limping to a conclusion.
Amesbury 35, NR 7
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Whittier Regional at Lynn Tech
One last hurdle in the Wildcats way to CAC large perfection. I’m not sure if the Whittier starters will see time after intermission.
WT 47, LT 7
Shawsheen Valley at Greater Lawrence Tech
Victory here goes a long, long way, like Great Wall of China long, in Greater Lawrence’s bid for a Vocational School title game. Go get it, Bamboo an Co!
Reggies 23, Rams 6
