Nashua North's Derek Finlay (4) and John Barry, Jr. combine on a tackle during Friday night's 35-28 loss to Salem at Stellos Stadium. North is at Pinkerton next in a rare Thursday night contest. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Week Eight of the local high school football season is upon us.

What’s left?

To be honest, not a lot of drama.

That was earlier in the season, especially when Bishop Guertin had to beat all its conference opponents. It was last Friday, when Nashua North needed to win to stay alive vs. Salem and just fell short.

There may be some intrigue in Division II, thanks to Souhegan’s big win over Hanover last Friday. And there’s a biggie between Milford and Timberlane in just less than two weeks.

Division III, it seems after what was seen this past Friday with Pelham’s domination over Campbell, it’s clearly the Pythons world and everyone else is living in it.

Even Saturday night’s cross-conference game between BG and Pinkerton, won by the Astros 22-12, had that dress rehearsal feel.

“I’m happy that on paper we put ourselves in a position on paper to win the conference and put ourselves in the playoffs,” Guertin coach John Trisciani said, “but it’s like, the potential of these (final) three games, someone might say there’s not a lot of weight to them, right?

I don’t like that. We want to be playing meaningful games in October. I don’t think it’s good for New Hampshire high school football, to be honest. But it is what it is … the situation is what it is, and we’re going to try to do the best that we can and hopefully be a lot better with it, hopefully for next week (at Stellos vs. Alvirne on Saturday night).

NORTH FORGES AHEAD

Nashua North would love to have meaningful games (for the post season) but that doesn’t appear to be the case unless the NHIAA changes any formats at this late stage, always possible with COVID cancellations (recently ruled no contests). The Titans are 3-4, theoretically can’t win the West Conference, and now in any cross conference situation likely lose out to Salem in a tiebreaker after losing to the Blue Devils Friday night, 35-28.

As Salem coach Steve Abraham, one of the more quotable coaches in the state, said, “We needed it. In essance one of us was going to end the other guy’s postseason chances.”

On the bright side for the Titans, their junior dominated roster will be that much better next year with players like QB Derek Finlay, backs Jack Peters and Jordan Raisanen-Andino getting valuable experience.

“You hope,” North coach Dante Laurendi said. “You try to gain experience, get real game experience, and these guys have played just about every game down to the wire and have been in it, so I like the way we’re competing.

“Now we just have to learn the little things mean a lot. The mental mistakes, missed alignments, missed assignments, things that we’re doing, we can’t do. It catches up to you. We play in a league of good football against some really good teams, and they don’t give you many chances. It’s the team that takes advantage of those chances the most that typically come out (on top).”

HARD TO TACKLE

Guertin’s Matt Santosuoso proved once again how hard it is to tackle him solo, especially in the open field, as longtime Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly said the other night said the Cardinal’s 60-yard TD run down the left sideline “might be one of the more embarrassing defensive situations I’ve seen in my program over the years.”

Players like that, he said, have to be defended a different way.

“Cole Yennaco is similar for us,” O’Reilly said. “Curtis Harris (–Lopez) last year, they have balance. When you knock a leg off its side, you and I would fall flat on our face. They just go and go and go.

“The only way you get guys like that is mid-section, wrap them up, other guys come in.”

SHORT WEEK FOR PA, NORTH

Ready for some Thursday Night Football? FOX won’t be involved, but with all the live streaming these days you’ll be able to watch Nashua North at Pinkerton somewhere on your computer or phone. The game, in Derry, was moved to Thursday as Pinkerton is having one of its proms on Friday.

Will the short week make much of a difference? O’Reilly thinks so for his team.

“After what happened here tonight,” he said after Saturday’s win, “yeah that’s killing us. I already know three starters (two linemen) aren’t playing. There’s no way they’ll be recovered by Wednesday.

“So it is what it is. It’s our doing, we have a prom on Friday, we’re the ones who moved it to Thursday.”

Laurendi doesn’t think it will be too much of a factor for his team, but it has a little bit of an impact.

“We have a JV game (today) that we couldn’t move, so it definitely affects some practice stuff,” he said. “But at this point in the year, we’re in Week Eight in the season. At this point in the year, it shouldn’t affect us too much. ..It’s a short week for them too.”

BELLAVANCE SHOULD RETURN

Trisciani said if it were up to him, top running back Charlie Bellavance would have played Saturday night if it were up to him, but he deferred to the decision made by the training and medical staff to hold out the junior, who is nursing a sore shoulder.

O’Reilly’s Astros are basically down to Yennaco and maybe one other back, so it will be interesting to see who’s around for the rematch.

“I had a four back offense and now I have a two-back offense,” O’Reilly said. “Bellavance makes a big difference, and so do my two guys. … I’m sure he’ll be back in two weeks, let’s see if my guys are.”

COVID COMPLICATIONS

With the Manchester West football team put on a 10-day pause dating back to this past Friday, Souhegan will certainly not play the Blue Knights in Manchester this Friday.

But, could the teams possibly play next Monday or Tuesday in Manchester? A Monday night game perhaps? Word is there has been some talk of it, only because the teams aren’t scheduled to play their final regular season game until that Saturday, Oct. 30. Souhegan is slated to finish at John Stark on Oct. 30 while West is at Bow, both 2 p.m. games.

However, practice time has to be considered for West. Usually, a team on pause is not allowed to gather for practice, and it’s unlikely they’d play without some kind of preparation unless virtual work would be considered enough.

Monday games have been done before. A few years ago, Bishop Guertin played Keene on a Monday night at Stellos Stadium after the weekend game was cancelled due to a staph infection issue with the Blackbirds.

Both teams would benefit from the game being played, especially with a win, with regards to getting into the postseason. Souhegan is 4-3 but gained valuable points with their win over Hanover on Friday night, and West is 4-2 and could certainly benefit from a win over the Sabers. And fans would benefit because it looks like it would be a good matchup. Stay tuned.

WEEK EIGHT

Two games are in Nashua: Windham at Nashua South on Friday night, and Alvirne at Bishop Guertin on Saturday night. Hollis Brookline hosts St. Thomas on Friday, but everyone else is on the road. Saturday Milford, after the week off due to the West cancellation, is at Hillsbor-Deering-Hopkinton; Merrimack, fresh off a win over Windham, is at Keene, while Campbell is at Stevens on Friday night. Both of those teams will try to recover from a combined 89-0 in losses to Pelham and Trinity, respectively.

Newsletter