New Hampshire Football Report

NHIAA Division II Preview

Division II 
2019 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.

2018 champion: Plymouth. The Bobcats completed an unbeaten season by beating Alvirne 29-18 in the Division II championship game. It was Plymouth’s third straight Division II title.

Top storyline: Can Plymouth do it again? The Bobcats enter the 2019 season with the state’s longest winning streak (27 games).

Players to Watch: Cody Bannon (QB) Plymouth, Andrew Berube (OL) Bow; Nikos Biskaduros (DB) John Stark; Colton Burrows (OT/DT) Milford; Alex Cheek (QB) Gilford/Belmont; Stone Compton (RB/DE) St. Thomas; Quin Connors (G/LB) Hollis/Brookline; Joe D’Ambruoso (LB) Plymouth; Austin Etchells (OT/DT) Hollis/Brookline; Jordan Escabi (SB/LB) Manchester West; Alex Giuffrida (RB/LB) Alvirne; Kyle Gora (QB/DB) Alvirne; Bobby Graustein (DL) Kennett; Steve Guerrette (RB) Bow; Sam Hodges (OT/DT) Milford; Grady Hudson (RB/CB) Alvirne; Austin Johnson (WR) Hollis/Brookline; Kevin Johnson (DL) Manchester West; Randy Johnson (OT/DT) Manchester West; Dom Jones (LB) Kennett; Tom Keegan (OT) Alvirne; Hunter Lessard (RB/LB) St. Thomas; Jack Loftus (DE) Hanover; Will MacLean (WR/SS) St. Thomas; Luke Manning (SE/CB) Souhegan; Mike Maroun (OT/LB) Souhegan; Jonathan Mitchell (LB) Gilford/Belmont; Caleb Morse (QB/S) Hanover; Justin Olson (DB) Kennett; Jacob Ridenour (LB) John Stark; Marc-Andre Thermitus (RB) Hollis/Brookline; Emmanuel Ughu (FB/DL) Milford; Ben Wagner (OL/DL) Hanover; Peter Wetherill (WR/DB) ConVal; Christopher Wheeler (LB) Bow; Morgan Williams (SE/CB) Alvirne; Quentin Wimmer (WR) Hollis/Brookline; Sander Wimmer (QB) Hollis/Brookline. 

Key game: Alvirne at Milford (Nov. 1). The Broncos and Spartans could be the two best teams in Division II South, perhaps all of Division II.

Noteworthy: The gap between Plymouth Regional and the rest of Division II may have narrowed a bit since the Bobcats were hit hard by graduation and have a small senior class. Those who departed include halfback/defensive back Owen Brickley, who was the Division II Player of the Year last season. Plymouth returns three offensive starters and two defensive starters from last year’s team. … Plymouth’s toughest competition in the North may be Bow, which returns seven starters on each side of the ball. Kennett is another team that could make noise in that half of the division. … Gilford/Belmont returns 16 starters, including junior quarterback Alex Cheek, who passed for more than 1,400 yards last season and accounted for 13 touchdowns (running and passing). … Division II South isn’t lacking depth. Alvirne and Milford may be the favorites in that half of the division, but Hollis/Brookline, Pelham, Souhegan and St. Thomas could be playoff material as well. Milford (Gavin Urda) and Alvirne (Kyle Gora) both bring back experienced quarterbacks. … Souhegan slotback/defensive back Trey Johnson sustained a season-ending knee injury at a UNH prospect camp. Johnson would have been one of the top offensive threats in the division, but even without him the Sabers looked like contenders when they beat Division I Concord 13-0 in the Queen City Jamboree. … Eight teams will make the playoffs in this division. The top team from each conference receives an automatic berth. The other playoff spots are determined by the NHIAA football point-rating system, which rewards teams for beating strong opponents.

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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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