2024 New Hampshire Friday Night Football kickoff special: Part 1

WMUR NEWS NINE. INVESTIGATING THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO YOU. IT'S A NEW SEASON OF FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL WITH THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS ARE SAYING ABOUT ANOTHER TITLE RUN AND THE TEAMS MOVING UP TO HIGHER DIVISIONS. PLUS, WHICH PLAYERS ARE SET FOR A BREAKOUT SEASON? WE'LL HEAR FROM SOME OF THE NAMES WHO COULD HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT THIS YEAR. AND CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. THE BIGGEST MOMENTS FROM YEARS PAST AND THE COACHES WHO HAVE BEEN THERE FROM THE BEGINNING. WMUR FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL KICKOFF SPECIAL STARTS RIGHT NOW. I'M JACK LENIHAN, FORMER COACH OF THE PLYMOUTH HIGH BOBCATS. I WANT TO WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE 30TH SEASON OF FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. AND A LIVE LOOK FROM COACH JIM SHUBERT FIELD AT GILL STADIUM IN MANCHESTER, WHERE RIGHT NOW, THE DEFENDING D-1 CHAMPS BEDFORD BULLDOGS ARE PLAYING THE SALEM BLUE DEVILS. IT IS SCORELESS THIS GAME JUST KICKED OFF MOMENTS AGO. SALEM HAS THE BALL JUST FIVE SECONDS INTO THIS GAME. THIS IS THE THIRD GAME OF THE BEAU DIXON QUEEN CITY JAMBOREE. PINKERTON JUST BEAT BISHOP GUERTIN. AND WELCOME TO THE SIDELINES ALONGSIDE JONATHAN MARSHALL. I'M MIKE CRONIN, WELCOMING YOU BACK TO A NEW SEASON OF FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. AND JONATHAN, THIS ONE IS EXTRA SPECIAL. A HUGE YEAR. THE 30TH YEAR FOR FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. MIKE. WE'VE BEEN A PART OF IT FOR A COUPLE SEASONS NOW. SO THROUGHOUT THE SHOW, SOME CLASSIC MOMENTS, SOME SOME CLASSIC HISTORICAL COACHES AND PLAYERS AND HIGHLIGHTS, WE GOT A BIG SHOW PLAN. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS WEATHER. BECAUSE THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT WE'VE DONE THIS, IT'S BEEN TERRIBLE FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD. THIS IS, IF YOU ASK ME, WHAT A PERFECT DAY IS, THIS IS IT RIGHT HERE. THIS IS AWESOME. IT'S CRISP, BUT IT'S IT'S JUST OUTSTANDING. I WAS JUST THINKING, LIKE IT'S NOT TOO HOT. A NICE, CRISP BREEZE. IT FEELS LIKE FOOTBALL. IT FEELS LIKE FALL. AND WE'RE HERE. WE'RE READY. AND I'M A NEW ENGLANDER. I LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE WEATHER, BUT NO COMPLAINTS TONIGHT. THIS IS JUST PERFECT. PRETTY SOON THOUGH, TO BE FREEZING COLD OUT HERE FOR THESE PLAYERS. SO THEY WANT TO TAKE THIS IN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. WELL I'LL PUT A WORD IN WITH THE WEATHER DEPARTMENT. MAYBE WE CAN GET THIS FOR A FEW MORE WEEKS AT LEAST. THIS IS PERFECT. THIS IS PERFECT. BUT MIKE, AS WE DO EVERY YEAR, WE GOT TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT LAST YEAR'S DEFENDING CHAMPIONS. LET'S START IN THE D-1 LEVEL. WE TALK ABOUT THE TEAM PLAYING RIGHT NOW AGAINST SALEM. THE BEDFORD BULLDOGS. NOW THE BEDFORD PROGRAM HAS PROVEN TO BE THE STANDARD IN THE STATE'S TOP DIVISION. THE BULLDOGS HAVE WON TWO STRAIGHT STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. THIS RUN WAS LED BY A GREAT SENIOR CLASS. IT WAS A BIG CLASS TOO. SO NOW BEDFORD NEEDS NEW PLAYERS TO STEP UP THE BULLDOGS RETURN JUST TWO STARTERS ON DEFENSE AND FIVE ON OFFENSE. I MEAN, ANYTIME YOU START A NEW SEASON, IT'S REALLY EXCITING. SO WE'VE HAD GREAT ENERGY. KIDS ARE REALLY EXCITED. EVERY TEAM HAS A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT FLAVOR. SO I THINK THAT THIS GROUP IS REALLY COMING TOGETHER QUICKLY. WE'RE EXCITED. THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF GUYS BATTLING FOR PLAYING TIME AND NEW POSITIONS. IT'S A REALLY EXCITING TIME. WE LOST A LOT OF SENIORS LAST YEAR, BUT WE'RE STARTING OVER. WE'RE STARTING WITH NEW PEOPLE AND WE'RE GOING TO GET NEW PEOPLE ON THE E FIELD, SO IT'S JUST GOING TO TAKE HARD WORK, KEEP THE ENERGY AT PRACTICE AND I KNOW WE CAN GET THERE. I MEAN, WE'RE LOOKING PRETTY GOOD. THE ENERGY IS DEFINITELY THERE FOR THE TEAM THIS SEASON. AND I MEAN EVERYONE'S HERE TO BRING IT. WE KNOW WE HAVE A TARGET ON OUR BACKS. ALL RIGHT. TWO DIVISION TWO. NO PROGRAM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS BEEN MORE DOMINANT THAN THE PELHAM PYTHONS. 41 STRAIGHT WINS, FOUR STRAIGHT STATE TITLES. PELHAM HAS THE FOURTH LONGEST WIN STREAK IN THE COUNTRY. IT'S BEEN FIVE YEARS SINCE THESE GUYS LOST A GAME THAT IS INSANE. THERE'S A CHANGE IN COACH THIS SEASON. JOHN CRISTIANI SUCCEEDS TOM BABIN. CRISTIANI HAS DECADESS OF COACHING EXPERIENCE ON THE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE LEVELS, AND SAYS HE'S EXCITED TO LEAD THIS VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM, WHICH WILL TRY TO WIN ITS FIFTH STRAIGHT TITLE. CERTAINLY, THERE'S A TRADITION HERE AND LIKE I TELL THEM, TRADITION NEVER GRADUATES. HOPEFULLY I DON'T SCREW IT UP. THE TEAM'S LOOKING GOOD. WE GOT SOME KEY PLAYERS BACK WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF HARD WORK AND DEDICATION, BUT WE'RE GOING TO WORK HARD AND WE'RE GOING TO GET IT DONE AGAIN. THIS YEAR. ALL RIGHT, THE D3 REIGNING CHAMPS ARE MOVING UP A DIVISION AFTER LOSING IN THE TITLE GAME IN 2021 AND 2022 LAST YEAR. THE TRINITY PIONEERS WON THAT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. NOW THEY FACE A NEW CHALLENGE MOVING INTO DIVISION TWO THIS YEAR WILL BE YOUNGER. WE'RE PRETTY HEAVILY RELIANT UPON A JUNIOR CLASS THIS YEAR, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF TALENT IN THAT JUNIOR CLASS. IT REMINDS ME A LITTLE BIT OF OUR TEAM A FEW YEARS AGO STEPPING UP A DIVISION. IT'S A BIG CHALLENGE, BUT THE TEAMS REALLY COME TOGETHER. WE'VE BEEN COMING TOGETHER, WORKING HARD. IN THE OFF SEASON SEVEN'S WEIGHT ROOM. WE'RE NOT PUTTING ON OUR PUTTING OUR GOOD TIME AND YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE LOOKING GOOD FOR A FOR A COMEBACK TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR. WE'RE LOOKING REALLY STRONG. AND I THINK THIS IS A TEAM THAT WANTS TO WIN. SO I THINK WE'LL EXCEL AT THAT. PEOPLE DID NOT MISS A CHANCE TO GET AFTER WINNING THREE STRAIGHT TITLES AT THE D4 LEVEL, SOMERSWORTH IS MOVING UP TO DIVISION THREE. HEAD COACH JEREMY LAMBERT SAYS HIS GROUP IS YOUNG, WITH FRESHMEN MAKING ABOUT MAKING UP ABOUT HALF THE TEAM. BUT THEY'RE EMBRACING THIS NEW CHALLENGE. IT'S INCREDIBLY EXCITING. WHAT I LOVE IS THAT I'M STARTING TO PLAY TEAMS AGAIN THAT WE HAD RIVALRIES WITH WHEN I PLAYED FOOTBALL OR EVEN A FEW YEARS WHEN I FIRST STARTED COACHING. EARLIER IN 2008, TIME FRAME. SO GETTING TO REKINDLE THAT WITH LACONIA AND CAMPBELL AND MONADNOCK TEAMS LIKE THAT PLAYING SANBORN EPPING AGAIN, THAT WE PLAYED FOR A FEW YEARS IN DIVISION FOUR AND THEY MOVED UP. SO IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE. PLUS WE HAVE NEWPORT CAME UP WITH US TOO. WE LOVE THAT RIVALRY. KIDS LOVE PLAYING THAT GAME. IT ALWAYS BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN THEM AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT NEW HAMPSHIRE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL IS ABOUT. ALL RIGHT. WITH THE NEW YEAR USUALLY COMES, HEAD COACHING CHANGES. LOLONGTIME HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLE COACH JOHN CRISTIANI, AS WE JUST HEARD FROM, TAKES OVER AT PELHAM GOFFSTOWN HIRED JOHN PRESTON EAST TILTON NATIVE, WHO WAS AN ASSISTANT COACH IN INDIANA FOR THE LAST SIX SEASONS. A LOT OF EXCITEMENT FOR THAT PROGRAM. FORMER PLYMOUTH STATE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN IS AT GUILFORD, BELMONT, BELMONT, BY THE WAY, ISN'T A PART OF THE TEAM ANYMORE. THE PROGRAM HAS ALSO DROPPED DOWN TO DIVISION THREE. ANTHONY NOLAN IS NOW COACH AT BISHOP GUERTIN, FORMER SOMERSWORTH COACH DAN HODSON TAKES OVER AT SPAULDING. KINGSWOOD HIRED CARY WOODSUM. THE KNIGHTS ARE BACK IN DIVISION TWO. JAMES TREMBLAY ENTERS YEAR ONE OUT OF FALL MOUNTAIN AND A COOL STORY AT HOLLIS BROOKLINE. MITCHELL ROBINSON STARTED THE PROGRAM IN 2003. HE RETIRED AND NOW AFTER OVER A DECADE, ROBINSON IS BACK ON THE SIDELINES. THE MIKE AS WE CELEBRATE 30 YEARS OF FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, WE DIG INTO THE ARCHIVES A LOT OF MOMENTS TO LOOK BACK ON, AND WE FOUND SOME COOL THINGS. GOT A LOT OF COOL MOMENTS TO SHARE WITH YOU TONIGHT. LET'S START OFF WITH THE FIRST YEAR OF FNF 1994. WHERE WERE YOU IN 94? RIGHT? I WAS FAR FROM HERE, THAT'S FOR SURE. THIS WAS AN ALL TIME CLASSIC IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. RYAN DAY AND MANCHESTER CENTRAL MET A JUGGERNAUT PINKERTON ASTROS TEAM THAT WAS GOING FOR ITS FOURTH STRAIGHT STATE TITLE. RYAN DAY, LOOKING AT THE CORNER OF THE END ZONE FOR CHARLIE SCHUBERT. SCHUBERT IS ACROSS. YES! TOUCHDOWN! CENTRAL. SCHUBERT TAKES IT IN. CANAAN ASTROS HAVE THE BALL AT THE 12. BOUCHER UP THE MIDDLE. BOUCHER INTO THE END ZONE. TOUCHDOWN! PINKERTON! RYAN DAY LOOKING TO THE LEFT SIDE. THE PASS IS PICKED OFF BY URIAH DAVIS. DAVIS PICKS OFF THE PASS AND PINKERTON LOOKS AS THOUGH IT'S GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. SOME CLASSIC FOOTAGE NOW. STILL TO COME, WE'LL HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS SEASON. THE QUARTERBACK, POISED FOR A BIG SENIOR YEAR AND THE BEST FRIENDS MAKING AN IMPACT IN IN DERRY. NOTHING BEATS THE. FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP. PLUS, COACHING LEGENDS SHARE THEIR FAVORITE MEMORIES FROM THE PAST 30 YEARS. THE ALL-TIME RECORD THAT COULD SOON FALL.