Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: This weekend's high school football previews

October 01, 2008

This weekend's high school football previews

The Portsmouth High School football team will put its unbeaten record on the line this weekend when the Clippers play at fellow unbeaten Souhegan in Amherst. Here's a closer look at all the local high school games this weekend.

EXETER VS. MERRIMACK
* When and where: Friday (7) at Merrimack High School.
* Team records: Exeter is 4-0 overall, 3-0 in Division II. Merrimack is 1-3 overall, 0-2 in Division II.
* 2007 result: Exeter won, 34-21, in Merrimack.

* Noteworthy: The Blue Hawks stretched their winning streak to 12 games by beating rival Winnacunnet, 38-0, Saturday. Exeter's last loss came against Winnacunnet during the 2007 regular season. … Joe Battista, a former assistant coach on Mike Beliveau's Souhegan staff, is in his first season as Merrimack's head coach. The Tomahawks handed Battista his first victory as a head coach last weekend, when a late field goal pushed Merrimack past Manchester Memorial, 16-14. … Merrimack's two Division II losses came against 4-0 Bishop Guertin (49-7) and 2-2 Timberlane (20-8). Memorial is one of two Division I teams Merrimack has played. The Tomahawks opened the season with a 38-10 loss to Nashua North. … Exeter's has five backs who are averaging at least 5 yards per carry. Zach Kelleher leads the team in yards rushing (258) and yards per carry (7.37).

WINNACUNNET VS. CONCORD
* When and where: Friday (7) at Concord's Memorial Field.
* Team records: Winnacunnet is 0-4 overall, 0-3 in Division II. Concord is 2-2 overall, 1-2 in Division I.
* 2007 result: The teams did not meet.

* Noteworthy: Concord is the second Division I opponent on Winnacunnet's schedule. The Warriors opened the season with a 26-13 loss to Londonderry, which is 4-0 entering Saturday's game against Pinkerton Academy. … Defense continues to be a problem for the Warriors, who have allowed 119 points in their three Division II contests. … This is the second of three consecutive road games for the Warriors. … Winnacunnet was held to 72 yards of offense on 38 offensive plays in Saturday's 38-0 loss to Exeter. The Warriors gained 43 yards on 27 rushing attempts and had another 29 yards of offense through the air. … Concord is 2-0 on the road and 0-2 at home. Its victories came against winless Spaulding (35-7), a Division II program; and Nashua North (16-15). A late safety handed Concord the victory against Nashua North. … The outcome of this game will not be reflected in the Division I or Division II standings.

PORTSMOUTH VS. SOUHEGAN
* When and where: Friday (7) at Portsmouth High School.
* Team records: Portsmouth is 4-0 overall, 4-0 in Division III. Souhegan is 4-0 overall, 3-0 in Division III.
* 2007 result: Souhegan won, 20-7, in Amherst.

* Noteworthy: This looks like one of the best matchups on the New Hampshire high school menu this weekend. Both teams appear headed for the playoffs and a victory Friday would be a huge step toward securing home-field advantage for the Division III semifinals. … Souhegan has outscored its three Division III opponents 118-13. Laconia, last year's Division IV champion, is the only team that has tested Souhegan. The Sabers overcame an early 10-0 deficit to win that game, 26-17. … Portsmouth has scored at least 20 points in each of its four games. The Clippers have scored nine touchdowns through the air in those four contests. … Souhegan runs a spread offense, but will often go to the Straight-T when it's near the goal line. The biggest threat in the Souhegan backfield is 245-pound junior fullback Steve Jellison, who is getting looks from several Division I schools. Jellison's brother, Sean, is a running back at the University of New Hampshire.

MARSHWOOD VS. DEERING
* When and where: Friday (7) in Portland, Maine.
* Team records: Marshwood is 2-2 in Western Maine Class A. Deering is 4-0 in Western Maine Class A.
* 2007 result: Deering won, 37-6, in South Berwick.

* Noteworthy: Deering is one of four unbeaten teams in Western Maine Class A. Bonny Eagle, Massabesic and Thornton Academy are the others. … The Rams may have the top offensive threat in Maine in senior tailback Jack Heary, who rushed for 2,027 yards and scored 33 touchdowns last season. Heary had a 300-yard rushing performance against Gorham earlier this season and scored five TD in last Friday's 34-7 victory over Portland. … The Rams are among the Maine high school teams who play their home games on a turf surface. … Marshwood has been outscored 119-101 this season. The Hawks are coming off a 42-14 loss to Thornton Academy. … After Friday's contest, Marshwood will play back-to-back home games against Scarborough and Biddeford before it completes the regular season with a road contest against Noble. … The Hawks may catch the Rams looking ahead to next weekend's game against Bonny Eagle.

YORK VS. GREELY
* When and where: Friday (7) in Greely.
* Team records: York is 3-1 in Western Maine Class B. Greely is 3-1 in Western Maine Class B.
* 2007 result: York won, 27-14, in York.

* Noteworthy: The Wildcats will be trying to win their fourth game in a row since opening the season with a 32-12 loss against Cape Elizabeth. … This matchup may carry huge playoff implications. York, Greely and Wells are in a three-way tie for third place in Western Maine Class B, which will send four teams to the postseason. … Greely got off to a 3-0 start and scored 124 points in those three contests, but suffered a 30-13 loss to Wells in the rain last weekend. Greely running back Erik Thayer gained 137 yards on 11 carries in the loss. Wells benefited from six Greely turnovers. …York has outscored its four opponents, 94-61, and is coming off a 19-0 victory over Falmouth. .. York's next two games are against Lake Region (0-4) and Fryeburg (1-3).

EPPING-NEWMARKET VS. BISHOP BRADY
* When and where: Saturday (1:30 p.m.) at Epping High School.
* Team records: Epping-Newmarket is 1-2 overall, 0-2 in Division V. Bishop Brady is 2-1 overall, 1-1 in Division V.
* 2007 result: Bishop Brady won, 24-0, in Epping.

* Noteworthy: This will be the first home game of the season for the Blue Devils, who opened the season with road games against Mascoma, Somersworth and Stevens. … Epping-Newmarket's victory came against Mascoma (32-20), a Division VI program. The Blue Devils have been outscored 67-13 against Division V competition. … Bishop Brady, a team that many have penciled in as a Division V playoff team, rushed for 416 yards in last weekend's 44-20 triumph over Somersworth. Travis Begin was one of five Green Giants who scored at least one touchdown in the game. Begin rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. … Unbeaten St. Thomas is up next for the Blue Devils. St. Thomas has a bye this weekend.

TRAIP ACADEMY VS. OLD ORCHARD BEACH
* When and where: Saturday (1:30 p.m.) at Kittery's Memorial Field.
* Team records: Traip is 0-4 in Western Maine Class C. Old Orchard Beach is 3-1 in Western Maine Class C.
* 2007 result: Traip won, 20-12, in Old Orchard.

* Noteworthy: The Rangers will need a significant improvement on the defensive side of the ball if they're going to pick up their first victory this weekend. Traip has allowed 150 points in its four losses. No team in Western Maine Class C has surrendered more points this season. … Old Orchard has been battling injuries for much of the season. The Seagulls won their first three games, but dropped a 21-14 decision to Lisbon last weekend. Dean Perrone, who is in his third year as Old Orchard's starting quarterback, missed Old Orchard's 46-35 victory over Yarmouth two weeks ago, but was back in the lineup last weekend. … A 55-yard TD run by Mike Collins and a 65-yard TD run by Robert Ficke were the Traip highlights in last Friday's 39-14 loss to Jay. … Old Orchard's Brandon Ouellette is one of the most versatile high school players in Maine. He's played tight end, fullback, tailback and quarterback this season. He threw four TD passes and ran for two others in the victory over Yarmouth.

— Capsules by Roger Brown

Posted by Frank Coppola at October 1, 2008 09:26 PM

Comments

Hey Frank, just testing the comments feature on your blog. This seems like it was pretty easy.

Howard

Posted by: Howard Altschiller at October 3, 2008 01:25 PM

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