New Hampshire Football Report

Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl preview

69th SHRINE MAPLE SUGAR BOWL
New Hampshire vs. Vermont

When and where: Saturday (noon) at Castleton (Vt.) University.
Coaches: Craig Sleeman (BFA-Fairfax) is Vermont’s head coach. Chris Childs (Lebanon) is coaching New Hampshire.
2021 Result: New Hampshire won, 21-0.
Series: New Hampshire leads the series 49-17-2.
Noteworthy: Perhaps the most interesting storyline entering this year’s game is Vermont’s choice of offense. More often than not, Vermont tries to beat New Hampshire with an offense that relies heavily on pass plays, but Vermont head coach Craig Sleeman has opted to run the Wishbone this year. “I think if he can run the ball on us that’s what he’ll stay with,” New Hampshire coach Chris Childs said. “If he doesn’t have success (on the ground) he’ll probably try to throw it up a little bit and try to get us on our heels.” … Londonderry’s Aidan Washington is expected to take most of the snaps at quarterback for New Hampshire. Backup QB Luke Gay of Fall Mountain will be used primarily on defense at linebacker. New Hampshire will operate out of the Wing-T. … Rutland’s Slade Postemski, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound wide receiver/defensive back, was named Vermont’s Gatorade Player of the Year last season and is on the Vermont roster. He caught 46 passes for 776 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, when Rutland (8-1) reached the Division I state semifinals. He also recorded 32 tackles and intercepted four passes, returning one for a score. Postemski is also expected to handle the punting duties for Vermont. … Childs said defensive back Matt Goetz (Salem) and safety Garrett Arnold (Campbell), defensive end Cam Davio (Lebanon), outside linebacker Justin Decarlo (Lebanon) and outside lineback Nico Zaino (Winnacunnet) will be among the New Hampshire players who will have large roles on defense. … Ben Serrantonio (Essex) and Jon Terry (Bellows Falls) will take snaps at QB for Vermont. Serrantoni surpassed 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing last season. … Childs played in the 1995 Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, a 28-21 New Hampshire victory. Ironically, Herb Hatch coached New Hampshire that year. Hatch has replaced Childs as Lebanon’s head coach. … Milford’s Colin Gregg will handle the punting and place-kicking duties for New Hampshire. . … The New Hampshire coaching  staff includes assistant coaches Todd Bircher, Doug Drew, Brandon Lahaye, Rich Rogers and Paul Grant. … Tickets for Saturday’s game can be ordered online at www.shrinemaplesugarbowl.com. … A free internet stream of the game can be accessed at nsnsports.net. … The game will feature 12-minute quarters. … Former Clemson baseball coach Jack Leggett played for Vermont in the 1972 Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl. … Vermont has won three of the last five games. … “I think the biggest thing in these games is execution and turnovers — don’t turn the ball over,” Childs said. “If we don’t turn the ball over and execute then we’ll be in a good spot.”

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