New Hampshire Football Report

NHIAA Division IV preview

Division IV 
2019 Preview

Teams in the Division: Bishop Brady, Fall Mountain, Farmington/Nute, Franklin, Mascoma Valley, Newfound, Raymond and Winnisquam.

2018 champion: Winnisquam. The Bears capped a 9-0 season by beating Franklin in the championship game.

Top storyline: Can Fall Mountain earn a playoff berth? The Wildcats haven’t competed in the postseason since 1994, but return nine defensive starters.

Players to Watch: Kyle Beane (WR/DB) Bishop Brady; Aaron Blair (RB/LB) Fall Mountain; Patrick Brust (QB/S) Bishop Brady; A.J. Cipriano (WR/DB) Bishop Brady; Jack Compton (RB/LB) Bishop Brady; Tyler David (LB) Mascoma; Mike Evans (QB) Mascoma; Mason Fellows (OL) Winnisquam; Alex Flynn (DE/TE) Fall Mountain; Richie Gibby (QB) Raymond; Fermin Gomez (FB/LB) Fall Mountain; Gavin Gregoire (OL) Raymond; Anthony Gromko (OL/DL) Newfound; Matthew Hanchette (DL) Farmngton-Nute; Gunnar Horman (WR) Winnisquam; Colby Kissane (LB) Raymond; Leroy Laflamme (RB/DB) Newfound; Garrett Mango (WR) Winnisquam; Brandon Marcoux (FB/LB) Newfound; Dylan Martein (WR) Raymond; Sean McAllister (OT/DT) Fall Mountain; Philip Nichols (QB) Winnisquam; Brett Pidgeon (RB/QB/LB) Newfound; Simon Pitman (OL) Franklin; Ismael Rivera (WR/DB) Bishop Brady; Aidyn Robbins (QB/DB) Newfound; Dillon Simpkins (C/LB) Fall Mountain; Oceanne Skoog (OL/DL) Newfound; Tyler Swain (WR/DB) Fall Mountain; Rolando Sylvain (RB/DE) Newfound; Izaak Westover (RB/LB) Fall Mountain; Morgan Wilbur (FB/DE) Fall Mountain; Isiah Williams (QB) Farmington-Nute; Cody Wright (OT/DT) Fall Mountain.

Key game: Winnisquam at Newfound (Sept. 21). Expect both of these teams to finish in the upper half of the division. The outcome of this game could be the difference between a home playoff game, or a postseason game on the road.

Noteworthy: Four teams will make the playoffs in this division. Although the teams will play a balanced seven-game schedule, the football point-rating system will be used to select the four playoff teams. The head-to-head result will be the tiebreaker for a two-team tie. It should be noted that a tie occurs when teams have the same rating, NOT the same record. Two teams that are each 5-2 are not “tied” in the eyes of the NHIAA if their rating is different. … The Division IV championship game will be played Nov. 16 — one week earlier than the three other title games — at Laconia High School.  …  Johan Rosario, an all-state selection as a freshman at Raymond, transferred to Pinkerton Academy last year but is reportedly back at Raymond. … Derek Hunt was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach when Pat Riberdy resigned as Winnisquam’s head coach following the 2018 season.  Hunt is the only new head coach in the division. Quarterback Philip Nichols and receivers Gunnar Horman and Garrett Mango are among Winnisquam’s returning starters. …  Newfound went 6-2 last season and returns five starters on each side of the ball. … Farmington/Nute is seeking its first winning season in the program’s 14-year history. The Tigers finished the 2018 season with back-to-back victories. … Bishop Brady returns seven starters on offensive and seven more on defense. … Franklin graduated 13 seniors from last year’s team, which lost to Winnisquam in the title game.

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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 (teams), which includes the Preseason Player of the Year in each division. (These are available only to XTRA members.)

If you would like to help New Hampshire Football Report promote football in the Granite State you can do so by purchasing a NHFR XTRA membership.

 

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