Justin Leonard knows the number. Fifteen, as in straight wins for New Hampshire over Vermont in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, dating all the way back to 2000.
That’s a long time. And Leonard, the Granite State coach and Kingswood High boss, doesn’t want to be the one facing a different kind of welcome home.
“We want it to be competitive for the fans and the kids,” said Leonard, a Concord resident. “But at the same time, no coach wants to be the coach to end the streak.”
Last year, however, Vermont showed that the oft-ridiculed divide between the two states could be closing. The Green Mountain side took a late 12-7 lead over New Hampshire, and had its neighbor to the east against the wall in a 4th-and-10 jam to start the fourth quarter.
N.H. scored on the play, however, taking the lead for good in a hard-fought 27-12 win – the kind of closer-than-it-looks result that has Leonard knowing he can’t take the streak, or Vermont, for granted.
“We’re always going to respect our opponent,” Leonard said. “We don’t fear anyone, but we certainly respect the heck out of this Vermont team. … We expect an extremely tough game, and we expect this to be hard-fought throughout all four quarters. It’s going to be a dogfight.”
Vermont has the players in place to indicate this could be the year. Quarterback Ryan Alexander ran for more than 2,500 yards last year, and will be throwing to former teammate Lucas Czarnecki, who brought back 12 kicks for touchdowns. Alexander can also hand off to UNH-bound running back Carson Leary, the state’s Player of the Year.
And if you’re into signs, their coach, Brian Grady, was the last Shrine victor from Vermont. And just as was the case in 2000, he’ll have his quarterback in Alexander to rely on.
“They definitely have an explosive offense, and we have to be prepared for that,” Leonard said.
As usual, however, N.H. comes in stocked for another repeat. On offense, Merrimack Valley’s Ian Curtin will split duties with St. Thomas’s Stephen Hedberg running a spread offense from the quarterback position, and they’ll be throwing to a group of receivers led by Winnisquam’s Tim Harmon and also consisting of Spaulding’s Blake Barbin and Epping/Newmarket’s Alex Souvannaseng, as well as Bishop Brady’s Chris Thurber at tight end.
Kearsarge’s hard-charging Riley Antle leads the running back stable, which will run behind a deep offensive line led by Brady’s Matt Fogarty.
On defense, Franklin’s Patrick Kaplan is an anchor on a deep line and Bishop Guertin’s menacing T.J. Hart, a Concord resident, will lead the linebacking corps along with Kingswood’s Jake Overall. Windham’s Ben Emrick and Milford’s Bryce Walker are the starters at corner, while Souhegan’s Mike Mancini is a fearless presence at safety.
“We have a very fast football team. … We have a lot of team speed overall. Part of the way I picked the team was for speed,” Leonard said. “Right now, the defense is playing exceptionally well. Hopefully that can translate.”
Leonard won’t have to worry about communication issues when it comes to extending the streak. As much as physical talents of the players have stood out, the coach said their quick grasp of a new series of play calls, schemes and scenarios has left the biggest impression.
“They’re meshing together. For being together for a week, it’s been awesome,” Leonard said. “I teach it to them once, and they seem to get it right away. … The kids are picking it up in a matter of minutes. They’re grasping it right away, and that’s pretty impressive considering not all of these kids have played in a spread offense before.”
A look at some of the local players lining up for New Hampshire on Saturday, with quotes from Leonard:
Riley Antle, Kearsarge, HB: “He’s a big boy. He’s probably going to start at running back for us. He’s a load to bring down, he runs hard and he runs hard every single play.”
Ian Curtin, MV, QB: “He’s been a great fit for us. He’s a great kid to have around. He has a cannon for an arm, and he brings a lot of mobility to the quarterback position.”
Tim Harmon, Winnisquam, WR: “He’s been amazing. He catches everything. He goes up and grabs it.”
T.J. Hart, Bishop Guertin, LB: “He is a big, big linebacker, and he’s pretty fast for his size. I think he’s 6-foot-2, 245 pounds. He’s definitely a thumper in the middle.”
Patrick Kaplan, Franklin, DT: “He’s been a beast for us. … He’s going to be a captain for us. He’s an extremely well-respected leader on the offensive and defensive lines. He spends time after practice working with his linemen, working on different techniques, whether it be pass rushing, pass blocking techniques.”
Cody Ross, Winnisquam, DB: “He’s a fiery player, he’s going to see some time at cornerback. He’s been a great addition. He has very high expectations for himself, and rightfully so.”
The talent on the roster only amounts to part of determining which team wins Saturday. Another factor in the equation is which team has enough energy left to make the crucial plays late.
Leonard knows getting that edge is accomplished even before the play calls and schemes get rolled out.
“We’ve actually been pretty good. We’ve had pre 7-on-7 sessions where we did some conditioning together,” he said. “We’ve also been running in the mornings so we don’t condition during the practices.”
One doesn’t have to look far for an example of conditioning making a difference. In last year’s game, N.H. seized command in the fourth by scoring 20 unanswered points as Vermont players looked visibly slowed.
“We ran them hard up here, because we knew perhaps in the fourth quarter we were going to have to have some legs,” then-Coach Greg Gush said. “I think it helped us. We were pretty fresh in the fourth quarter.”
The hot, humid August weather can sap players of strength during the week, and if the sun’s out, playing on the Castleton University turf field becomes like playing on a stove top.
Leonard and his staff have taken care to make sure the players beat the heat once again – though it hasn’t been the smoothest process.
“The first day, it was definitely a shock for some of the guys,” Leonard said, laughing. “But after the first day, and once we started running in the morning, they started getting in shape pretty quickly.”
(Drew Bonifant can be reached at 369-3340, abonifant@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @dbonifant.)