NHIAA Previews: Division II

By rbrown
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Updated: August 30, 2018

Division II
2018 Preview

Division II North: Bow, Gilford/Belmont, Hanover, John Stark, Kennett, Kingswood, Merrimack Valley, Pembroke and Plymouth.

Division II South: Alvirne, ConVal, Hollis-Brookline, Manchester West, Milford, Pelham, Sanborn, Souhegan and St. Thomas.

2017 champion: Plymouth. The Bobcats completed an unbeaten season by beating Bow in the Division II championship game for the second consecutive season.

Top storyline: Can Plymouth three-peat? The Bobcats enter the 2018 season with the state’s longest winning streak (15 games).

Players to Watch: Noah Bellemore (John Stark) Sr.; Owen Brickley (Plymouth) Sr.; Jacob Cole (John Stark) Sr.; Shawn Dekorne, (St. Thomas Aquinas) Sr.; Edwin Estevez (St. Thomas Aquinas) Sr.; Kyle Gore (Alvirne) Soph.; Will Hamblet (St. Thomas Aquinas) Sr.; Trey Johnson (Souhegan) Jr.; Charlie Katin (Pelham) Jr.; John Lohnes, (Souhegan), Sr.; Jeremiah Lones (Hollis/Brookline), Sr.; Camden MacDonald (Plymouth) Sr.; Jaymeson Maheux (Manchester West) Sr.; Cameron Mann, (Kingswood) Sr.; Matthew Nichols (Bow) Sr.; Seamus O’Reilly (Bow) Sr.; Deven Ouellette (Kennett) Sr; Bobby Putnam (Hanover) Sr.; Steven Shute, (Plymouth) Sr.; Kegan Silovich (Hanover) Sr.; Trey Snowden (Kennett) Sr.; Jacob Stearns (Kennett) Sr.; Cole Sweeney (Kennett) Sr.; Gavin Urda (Milford) Jr.; Sander Wimmer (Hollis/Brookline) Jr.; Griffin Young (Hanover) Sr.

Key game: Plymouth at Hanover (Oct. 26). Two of the best teams in the division will meet on the regular season’s final weekend in a game that’s sure to have playoff implications.

Noteworthy: Windham’s move to Division I opened up a spot for Alvirne, which was dropped from Division I West to Division II South. The Broncos went 2-7 last season. … Former Merrimack coach Joe Raycraft is now the head coach at Merrimack Valley. Other new coaches in the division are Kevin McGinty (John Stark), Will Moher (Pembroke), Ray Puglisi (ConVal) and Tony King (Sanborn). … Quarterback Parker McQuarrie, who has scholarship offers from Boston College, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island and Rutgers, has transferred from John Stark to the St. Paul’s School in Concord. … Lebanon, Laconia and Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton all competed in Division II last season, but have dropped to Division III. … At least 12 teams in the 18-team division appear to have a realistic chance of earning a home game for the Division II semifinals. … St. Thomas will play four of its first five games on the road. … Seven of the eight teams that made the Division II playoffs last season are still in the division: Plymouth, Bow, Hanover, Hollis/Brookline, John Stark, St. Thomas and Souhegan. Windham earned the top seed for the Division II playoffs a year ago.

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Note: Here are links to the NHFR Top 50 (top 50 players in the state) and the NHFR Preseason Top 10 (top 10 teams in the state). These items are available to XTRA members only.