FOOTBALL FRIDAY: New opponents for some locals

Telegraph photo by TOM KING Bishop Guertin's Daniel Fleming (3), Connor Guibord (5) and Matt Santosuosso (13) head to Manchester tonight to take on the Trinity Pioneers, the first time the two schools have met in football in several years.
This week’s high school football games have been ever changing, thanks to the pandemic related issues surrounding Nashua High School South, North, and their games with Merrimack and Alvirne, both of which are now cancelled.
Then Pinkerton Academy had a reported outbreak and shut down fall sports, opening the door for Merrimack to play at Salem.
But there are some new opponents for teams with several inter-divsional matchups, highlighted by Bishop Guertin at Trinity.
Also, there is a time change for one of tonight’s games due to heavy rain in the forecast: Milford at Pelham has been moved up to 6 p.m., and Campbell at Sanborn is now moved back Saturday to 3 p.m.
Here’s our weekly capsule look at the local schedule:
DIVISION I
MERRIMACK (1-0) at SALEM (1-1)
WHEN: Tonight, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Salem High School’s Grant Field.
LAST YEAR: Did not play.
LAST WEEK: Neither team played.
FYI: Both teams have to be thrilled to get back on the field, Merrimack and Salem quickly making plans to play after Nashua South was still awaiting protocols from local health officials and Pinkerton shut down fall sports. The Tomahawks will have QB Kyle Crampton (191 yards passing in the opener) ready to run the show with Dylan Sadowski leading the defense.
Salem has some offensive standouts, including backs Aidan MacDonald and Dante Fernandes.
DIVISION II
SOUHEGAN (3-0) at MANCHESTER WEST (0-2)
WHEN: Tonight, 7 p.m.
WHERE: West High School
LAST YEAR: Souhegan 35, West 14.
LAST WEEK: Souhegan 42, Milford 0; Manchester Memorial 41, West 6.
FYI: The Sabers are rolling, with an offense led by QB Austin Jain and back Riley Lawhorn, but defensively they have given up just one touchdown in three games, or 12 quarters. And given how the Blue Knights have struggled, that number doesn’t look to have any big increase. West is paced offensively by quarterback Icean Tayor, receiver Edwen Rodriguez and back Xavier Burpee.
TIMBERLANE (2-1) at HOLLIS BROOKLINE (1-2)
WHEN: Saturday, 3 p.m.
WHERE: HBHS
LAST YEAR: Did not play.
LAST WEEK: Timberlane 37, St. Thomas 7; Hollis Brookline 40, Sanborn 7.
FYI: This will be the first game for the Cavaliers on their new turf field, which unfortunately they still can’t get power to for it to be played under the lights. But the Cavs’ offense, led by dynamic running back Marc Andre Thermitus, who has over 600 yards combined the last two weeks, should provide plenty of electricity. The Owls are led by QB Ethan Stewart, who rushed for 104 yards and threw for a TD last week in his first varsity start. Watch out too for back Dominic Pallaria (108 yards and three TDs rushing last week).
INTER-DIVISION
BISHOP GUERTIN (0-3) at TRINITY (2-1)
WHEN: Tonight, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Trinity High School/Derryfield Park
LAST YEAR: Did not play.
LAST WEEK: Nashua North 34, Bishop Guertin 6; Pelham 25, Trinity 0
LAST YEAR: Did not play.
FYI: The Pioneers have come a long way after not playing varsity football in 2017; they won the Division III title last year. Guertin, meanwhile, is starving for a win, led by quarterback Dylan Santosuosso and flanker Brendan Callahan. But they’ve struggled offensively. Trinity is paced by quarterback Peter Alisandro and back James Thibault. Alisandro has scored five TDs on the season, two on defense.
MILFORD (1-1) at PELHAM (3-0)
WHEN: Tonight, 6 p.m.
WHERE: Pelham High School
LAST YEAR: Milford 14, Pelham 13
LAST WEEK: Souhegan 42, Milford 0; Pelham 25, Trinity 0.
FYI: To quote one area coach, “Pelham is the real deal.” The Pythons are paced by quarterback Jake Travis and linebacker Noah Coppinger. Remember, the Pythons dropped down to Divison III and have been dominant in three games, unscored upon so far while racking up 105 points, including a lopsided win over Campbell. Kind of makes you wonder why the move down a division.
CAMPBELL (1-2) at SANBORN REGIONAL (0-3)
WHEN: Saturday, 3 p.m.
WHERE: SRHS
LAST YEAR: Did not play.
LAST WEEK: Campbell 41, Laconia 24; Hollis Brookline 40, Sanborn 7.
FYI: The Cougars unleashed a solid big play attack last week through the air and on the ground, as Nathan Perry and Ayden Lessard got untracked to help out mainstay Hunter Caron. The Cougars will be looking for a good day on both sides of the ball.