When the current version of Division IV football was created, it looked like the league’s center of power might run along Route 4 between Tilton and Franklin. That’s just how it’s played out as No. 1 Winnisquam (8-0) and No. 3 Franklin (6-2) will take their border rivalry to the D-IV championship Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bank of NH Stadium in Laconia.
“Everybody is excited and they’re more excited that it’s Winnisquam, absolutely,” Franklin coach Jeff Davis said. “Everybody had blown it up in the media previous to the season even starting, so I think it’s kind of cool that it unfolded that way. It’s your next-door neighbor. These are kids that grew up together playing sports. So everybody knows each other and it’s for bragging rights, 100 percent.”
The preseason predictions seemed especially spot on during the first half of the season as the Golden Tornadoes and Bears both rolled through their first five opponents. The Tornadoes hiccupped on Oct. 20 when they committed nine turnovers in an 18-0 loss to Newfound, but Franklin avenged that loss in its 12-6 semifinal win at Newfound. And Davis is sure his team has its ball security issues under control.
The Tornadoes’ other loss was in the regular-season finale to, that’s right, Winnisquam. The Bears came away with a 20-0 decision in that one just two weeks ago, but the game was played in pouring rain on a sloppy field in Tilton, so it’s tough to take much from it.
“It was hard for both teams,” Winnisquam coach Pat Riberdy said. “We couldn’t do what we wanted to do and the same for them because of the weather.”
There have been no hiccups for the Bears. They needed a last-minute touchdown pass from Philip Nichols to Gunnar Horman to pull out a 20-12 win at Fall Mountain on Sept. 14. After that, no team came within three scores of Winnisquam, which averaged 32.9 points per game this season while giving up just 7.5.
Riberdy likes his offense to be balanced, and he certainly has it with this team. Running back Angelo Glover, a bruising 250-pound senior, has rushed for 1,056 yards and 16 touchdowns on 147 carries. Nichols, an athletic sophomore, is 54-for-99 for 988 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he also has nine touchdowns and 531 yards on 34 rushes, a 15.6 yards-per-carry average. Nichols’s favorite passing targets are juniors Gorman (29 catches, 570 yards, eight touchdowns) and Garrett Mango (12 catches, 282 yards, one touchdown).
Middle linebacker Kobe Briand leads the Bears defense with 67 tackles, but he suffered a groin injury in the 40-0 semifinal win against No. 4 Raymond and has been limited at practice this week.
“He’s a senior, so I know he’s going to give everything he has on the field Saturday night,” Riberdy said of Briand. “How much he plays is up to him and how he feels, but he’ll be there, that’s for sure.”
Brycen Wiles (52 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles), Evan Judkins (47 tackles), Caden Remillard (43 tackles, two sacks) and Cam Roberts (34 tackles, five fumble recoveries) have also had very productive seasons for the Winnisquam defense.
That unit will have to contend with a Franklin running game that is finally healthy. Running backs Caleb Vigue and Travis Perry were out with injuries for the Tornadoes’ regular-season losses to Newfound and Winnisquam, and back Kainan Clark missed the first half of the season with his own health concerns. But all three will be ready to run on Saturday night behind Franklin’s big offensive line.
Defensively, the Tornadoes like to mix up formations and play aggressive. The return of Vigue and his twin brother, Braden, who was also injured, gives Franklin a pair of effective defensive ends. Nick Franson (325 pounds) and Simon Pitman (300 pounds) provide plenty of size in the middle of the defensive line, which is also where Dawson LaFrance, the team’s sack leader, has been getting into the backfield.
That line is supported by some outstanding linebackers in Taryn Laramie, Ben LaFrance and C.J. Gaslin.
“Laramie has been an absolute stud for us this year,” Davis said. “Ben LaFrance is a leader for us, I love his enthusiasm, and he’s all over the field … same with Gaslin, he’s just a little quieter, but he plugs all the holes we need plugged and does a fantastic job.”
While everyone is amped up to play their rival in the final, both coaches emphasized how important it would be for the players to remain centered amid the hype.
“We had a little talk with them on Monday to make sure they were focused,” Riberdy said. “So they’re excited, but they’re super focused on what they’ve learned in practice and keeping their nerves down and then getting ready to play a big football game on Saturday night.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20)