Current Nashua North sophomores Derek Finlay, left, and Jack Paters (44) will be big components of the Titans' future. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories the next few weeks looking back at this fall and ahead to next year’s high school football season.)

NASHUA – What’s next for The Champs?

It would be great to be able to say the Nashua High School North football team has a strong, steady pipeline of players – and even another Curtis Harris-Lopez waiting in the wings – but that’s not always reality.

Reality tells you you see next August what you have and go from there. Good players, unfortunately, graduate, and the Titans have by the count on this year’s roster, 18 of them.

Ouch.

“That’s called high school football,” North coach Dante Laurendi said with a slight laugh. “It happens every year. It’s graduation, it’s high school football. You know, that’s what makes it fun, that’s what makes it what it is.”

It certainly will be different without the state’s best player, Harris-Lopez, who developed into a generational talent that the area hadn’t seen in ages. He’ll be headed to the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.after a brilliant high school career that saw him shine on both offense and defense.

At first, the Titans had him as mainly a running back as a sophomore, then he played quarterback late that season after injuries made it necessary. The Titans kept him there at QB the last two years, figuring it was perfect to have the ball always in the hands of their best player.

And now? Sophomores Derek Finlay and Jack Peters likely look to vie for the spot. Finlay was the backup this year and showed his stuff on a trick play pass in the title game.

“We’ll see,” offensive assistant Zach Harris said. “Obviously it’s going to be good competition between him and Jack Peters coming back. He was our backup QB this year and we had confidence in him to throw (on that play).”

Peters was also good defensively. They are two mainstays from a sophomore class that the Titans are counting on when they become juniors next season.

There were no less than 25 sophomores on this year’s roster, an incredible amount. The Titans will miss a lot of strength up front, but one of the players who was huge defensively for them, especially down the stretch, was linebacker Toby Brown, Jr.

There were just 11 juniors, with only two really being familiar names – back Isaac Smith, who returned after not playing as a sophomore, and tackle Evan Soares.

Smith had a great title game with a kickoff return for a TD, a rushing TD and run for a two-point conversion. His speed could be a key if he comes back for 2021.

Either way, it will be tough and perhaps a wait before this senior group can be matched. It was one for the ages.

“These guys, they really wanted it, they didn’t just say it,” Laurendi said. “They knew we were close last year, and they knew we had talent coming back, and they responded.

“That was the biggest thing. They said it right from the beginning, they knew we could make a run at this thing. It wasn’t just lip service. They talked the talk, they were able to walk the walk.”

Now the Titans will be ready for a walk that may not be as easy.

“Every year’s a new year,” Laurendi said. “There’s always surprises, and guys always step up.

“We’ll start over when we get there.”

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