Concord High may not be playing at home on Memorial Field on Friday, but that doesn’t change the significance of the game nor its outlook on the new football season.
Opening night at the National Guard field at the Edward Cross Training Complex in Pembroke is a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff game. Concord held a 14-0 lead through most of the night then, but Windham found a way back and eliminated the Crimson Tide in overtime, 20-14.
But this is a new season, and Concord has new leadership at the helm with a large returning roster. Mike Leonard, an assistant coordinator for two years, took over the Crimson Tide in the spring after Jim Corkum was elevated to school principal.
Leonard is familiar with the system and is retaining all of last year’s assistant and position coaches. His motto, he told the Monitor in the spring, is to “be great every day.”
Effort and focus have been evident during practice and preseason. The players are hungry to return to the playoffs and build off last year’s foundations. Concord’s time is now.
Rhys Craigue returns as a junior quarterback ready to take a leap after one year of starting experience under his belt. Next to him, senior running back Colin Savard is prepared for an even bigger season. As a junior last season, he lead Division I with 1,382 yards in the regular season and 16 touchdowns with an efficient 7.1 yards per carry.
In front of them, the Tide should be stacked with experience and talent, as Raider Agan and Jax Diachenko anchor the offensive line. They will be tasked with leading the younger linemen and developing the depth, something Agan has experience with.
Ethan Dunbar, Eddy Harerimana and Finn Gfroerer will lead the defense this season. Concord held opponents to fewer than 20 points six times last year and will look to repeat that feat again this year.
Elsewhere, look out for Hillsboro-Deering football as the Hillcats embark on a title-defending season. The team’s roster has increased to 32 and should be a tough out for everyone in Division IV after going undefeated last year.
There’s a new team at the Division III, as Bishop Brady and Hopkinton have joined forces to return football to both schools. Although there are no lofty expectations for a first-year program, the GiantHawks will be an interesting addition as head coach Evan Jacobsen develops his program.
Concord
Division: I Central.
Coach: Michael Leonard (first year).
Last year: 4-4 NHIAA, 4-5 overall, fell in first round.
Returning starters: Seniors — Colin Savard, RB/DB; Raider Agan, OL/DL; Curtis Cooper, RB/DL. Juniors — Rhys Craigue, QB/DB; Jax Diachenko, OL/DL; Ethan Dunbar, LB/OL; Edison Harerimana, DB/WR; Nick Marquis, WR/DB; Finn Gfroerer, DB/WR; Lucas Jefferson, WR/DB.
Top newcomers: Juniors — Chase Haskell, WR/LB; Sebastian Telus, OL/DL. Sophomores — Methusela Doe, WR/DB; Mike Gamache, TE/LB.
Outlook: “Coming into this season, we feel confident in our group of returning players that have had a lot of varsity experience. This has translated into learning lessons, both good and bad, that we will take into this season. Our players showed great commitment in the weight room during the entire offseason, and we will look to continue that mentality of hard work every day as we roll into fall camp. The offense will run through Colin Savard and our entire offensive line. Defensively, we will look to be a unit that flies to the ball and plays with intensity on every play. The Central Division is loaded with talent every season, and we are excited to compete with the some of best programs in the state on a week-to-week basis.
Our players have bought in to our mentality of having mental toughness. Our field situation is out of our control and we will play our brand of football no matter where we are playing.” – Leonard
Teams to beat: Pinkerton, Londonderry, Windham and Salem.
Head Coach Mike Leonard will lead Concord in 2026 after taking over for Jim Corkum. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Junior quarterback Rhys Craigue prepares to snap the ball during practice as the Crimson Tide looks forward to opening night on Friday, Sept. 4. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Colin Savard (7) celebrates his fifth touchdown of the game against Alvirne in 2025. Credit: Chip Griffin / Photos by Chip
John Stark
Division: II West.
Coach: John Daley (first year).
Last year: 2-7.
Returning starters: Seniors — Cooper Twombley, RB/DB; Phineas Twomey, OL/DL; David Canney, OL/DL; Jason Young, OL/DL; Parker Hamel, OL/DB; Jack Sheppard, QB; AJ Bellen, RB/DB.
Top newcomers: Camden Towles, WR/TE.
Outlook: Head coach John Daley joins the Generals after leading Mascoma High to a state title at the Division IV level in 2024 followed by a return to the final against Hillsboro-Deering last year. Many of his skill positions and offensive line return lots of experience, and in total the Generals have increased their roster to 40 players.
Bow
Division: II East.
Coach: Rob Clauss (second year).
Last year: 3-6.
Returning starters: Seniors — Dale Berg OL/DL; Callum Richardson WB/OLB; Mason Vose OL/DL; Shayne Rabalais RB/DB; Brayden Brown RB/LB; Luke Santas RB/DB; Ryan Mckerley OL/DL; Luke Darling WR/DB. Juniors — Ryan Tassias, QB/S; Colby Cloutier RB/LB; Anthony Albushies WR/DB; Caden Phillips C/LB; Brian Vance QB/DB; Brody Hinck OL/DL; Bode Totten OL/DL; Kevin Mullen OL/DL. Sophomores — Jack Urban WR/DB; Brecken Wurster WR/DB; Ethan Trott RB/DB; Jack Bland OL/DL.
Outlook: “We have had a very productive offseason in the weight room. We look to be competitive in a very tough Division II. Our goal is to improve every game and every rep. Excited to kick things off against Souhegan in Week 1.” – Clauss
Merrimack Valley
Division: II East.
Coach: Matt Shaw (fourth year).
Last year: 1-8.
Returning starters: Seniors — Nate Wallace RB/LB; Hunter Dukette OL/LB/DL; Kingston Claremont RB/DB; Owen Turner, TE/DE/LB/K; Juniors — Kash Fawcett, TE/DE, Liam Burch, OL/LB/DL/LS; Brandon White, OL/DL/LB/K; Caleb Nelson, OL/DL. Sophomore — Jeb Tubbs, QB/DB.
Top newcomers: Freshmen — Brady Brodeur OL/LB. Cameron Imondi QB/DB.
Outlook: “Last year with a new offense, we made some great strides every week, which I don’t think our record showed. The players have bought in over the offseason; we have a really good coaching staff that have gelled together and look forward to the upcoming season.” – Shaw
Teams to beat: Plymouth, Souhegan, Pelham and Trinity.
Pembroke
Division: II East.
Coach: Will Moher (ninth year).
Last year: 0-9.
Returning starters: Seniors — Nate Poulin, OL/DL; Nate Lawrence, QB; Cole Demers, RB; Porter Brown, WR; Connor Ryan, WR. Sophomores — Dom Brady, QB, Liam Tanguay, WR.
Outlook: Dom Brady and Nate Lawrence were in a competition for the starting job at quarterback this preseason. The Spartans retained most of their players from last year and are hoping to right the ship after a winless season.
Kearsarge
Division: III West.
Coach: Sam Cavallaro (first year).
Last year: 0-8.
Returning starters: Seniors — Aidan Ruckman, WR/DB; Cameron Brand, RB/LB; Wyatt Brothers-Totosian, OL/DL; Zack Phylliddes, OL/LB; Caleb Moyer, WR/LB; Jacote Ryder, RB/LB; Ethan St. Clair, DB/WR. Junior — Will Bennett, OL/DL. Sophomores — Chad Hemingway, QB; Coleman Joshpe, OL/DL.
Outlook: Former Hanover High head coach Sam Cavallaro is taking over the Cougars after a winless season. The team has 12 seniors on the roster but will be led by sophomore Chad Hemingway under center. The strong supporting cast of returners should yield better results for Kearsarge this season.
Bishop Brady-Hopkinton
Division: III West.
Coach: Evan Jacobsen (first year).
Top newcomers: Because the GiantHawks are a brand new team, only a few faces have seen varsity football action. The team will need to rely on its big guys in the trenches and its physically developed seniors. In order to protect freshman quarterback Colby LeBlanc and make space for backs Chase Thomas and Chuck Wilkinson, the team will have to battle hard against opposing fronts.
Key players: Seniors — Chase Thomas, RB/DB; Cristain Nielson, OL/LB; Miles Noble, OL/DE; Kolton Gaudreault, WR/DB; Josh Simpson, FB/LB; Indy Madden, OLB. Juniors — Chuck Wilkinson, HB/DB; Mason Gilman, TE/LB. Freshman — Colby LeBlanc, QB.
Outlook: “We are truly building this program from scratch, and with a young and relatively inexperienced roster facing a challenging schedule in a highly competitive Division III, our goal is to compete to the best of our ability every week and continue to grow throughout the season. Success for us this year will be measured beyond wins and losses. We want to build a strong, scalable foundation that can be built upon for years to come while giving our players a real high school football experience and establishing the culture and identity of the Gianthawks.” – Jacobsen
Bishop Brady senior Chase Thomas is one of the few on the GiantHawks who played varsity football a few years back, he will be key to leading the new co-op during its first season. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
GiantHawks Head Coach Evan Jacobsen talks with his staff during a practice at Bishop Brady during the preseason. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
Hillsboro-Deering
Division: IV.
Coach: Jay Wood (11th year).
Last year: 8-0, D-IV champions.
Returning starters: Seniors — Jonathan King, TE/LB; Jack Anderson, OL/DE; Dominic Robinson, OL/DT; Keagan Lamos-Garon, OL/DT; William Martin, OL/DE; Matthew Jouvelakas, OL/DT. Juniors — Noah Welch, TE/DE; Mason Poland, QB/CB; Brody White, OL/DT. Sophomore — Haven Porter, TE/CB.
Top newcomers: Tucket Thibault, Conor Dumais, Sam Gundersen, Dillon Noiles, Jayden Lopez, Owen Boyle, Logan Simard and Cole Smead.
Outlook: “The Hillcats are looking to compete in D-IV and accountability will be a major theme when it comes to knowing plays and schemes and then executing them properly.” – Wood
