What we learned about 7 Seacoast NH high school football teams on Day 1 of practice

High school football is back for 2022. Friday was the first day for practice for the upcoming season in New Hampshire, and seven Seacoast teams were among those hitting the field.

Exeter, Dover, Portsmouth-Oyster River, Spaulding, Somersworth, St. Thomas and Winnacunnet are all undefeated for now and holding high hopes with three weeks to prepare for the start of the NHIAA regular season schedule Sept. 2.

Our reporters visited each of the seven teams Friday. Here's what we learned:

Dover has four players vying to be quarterback

DOVER — Dover High School football coach Eric Cumba approached part of Friday’s first day of practice with an eye toward the future.

“First days are always important, especially when you introduce a whole group of new kids to the program,” he said. “You try to get them to understand where they need to be and where they need to go. It takes a little bit of time. There’s a big emphasis this year on us developing the younger groups in the program … so a lot of attention is going to be given to them right now.”

As for the present, Cumba said many of the returning players Friday “didn’t seem to miss a beat.”

“I thought it was pretty rough but we all accomplished a good amount today and I just hope we can push through and have a great season,” said senior Cam Barrett. “We lost a lot of seniors last year and hopefully we’ve got a bunch of people to step up.”

Barrett is listed as a running back on offense and a linebacker on defense.

“Everyone was hustling and always on the hop,” he said of Friday’s practice. “Communication is a really big thing with this team and I think if we have good communication then we’ll be a good team this year.”

With the graduation of the dynamic Darien Lopez-Sullivan one of the more intriguing tasks the Green Wave face this preseason is finding a new quarterback.

It’s a four-way battle led by seniors Jackson Carroll and Spencer Rhyne.

“You’d like to have a choice made at quarterback by opening week, but who knows how things will go,” Cumba said. “I think the one thing that’s great is all those kids in the running at QB can also play other positions. So they’re versatile enough that if they're not the person playing behind the center, they’re going to help us in other spots, which is critical at this level.”

Dover finished 5-4 last season and missed the playoffs by one game. A one-point loss to Portsmouth-Oyster River midway through the season came back to haunt the Green Wave.

“It was a bummer,” Barrett said. “It was definitely emotional. That was a rough loss. After that game we all knew but we still had hope.”

Cumba is optimistic this year with Division I going to three conferences of seven teams each and 13 teams making the playoffs.

“It gives you a little more of a chance to kind of put yourself in position to taste that,” Cumba said. “We got a little bit of that two years ago in that COVID season and making the playoffs and being 3-0 that year. I think this group is ready to take that step and get back there.”

— Al Pike

Exeter emphasizes full-speed football from start

EXETER — Energy. Focus. Fast.

Those three words describe the theme, mindset and atmosphere of Friday's opening practice as the Blue Hawks hit the field running at Exeter High School beginning at 8  a.m.

Exeter was 7-3 in 2021, reaching in the Division I semifinals last season before losing to rival Winnacunnet, 21-14.

Friday morning, the tone was clear as Exeter turned the page to 2022 immediately. Being the first day wasn't an excuse to not attempt to click on all cylinders as coaches reminded players to "play faster" and complimented the team when the plays it was practicing were executed at game speed.

Exeter wide receiver and strong safety Ethan Moss said practicing at game speed will work wonders for the Blue Hawks when September rolls around.

"It's everything. They preach that a lot," Moss said of the practice intensity. "You play how you practice, and we really make sure to try to emphasize that."

"All the time, all the time," Exeter head coach Bill Ball said of the team mindset.

By the time the team huddle broke for the players to head back to the locker room for a quick couple hours of break before walkthrough later in the day, Ball was satisfied with the team's effort in all three of the emphasized areas.

"It was a good day and a good morning; glad to be out there," Ball said. "We got to get it going early, and we're back for a walkthrough this afternoon. Just keep stacking the wood."

Ball added, "effort and conditioning, guys came in good shape and I thought we held up pretty well," he said. "Back at it this afternoon."

Senior tight end and defensive lineman Ryan Graney echoed Ball's statements as he also thought the team was full of high energy and laser-sharp focus.

"We had a lot of guys flying around," Graney said. "Really good day overall."

Exeter is preparing to play host to Portsmouth/Oyster River in three weeks on Sept. 2 to open the regular season.

"It was a good day and we had a lot of guys working hard," Moss said. "It's just good to get out here and have a rolling start once the season rolls around so we're ready for Portsmouth."

"That kind of goes into muscle memory," Graney said. "If you're really practicing out here at full speed, you're going to come into the game and play even faster."

— Brandon Brown

More: 20 Seacoast football defensive players to watch in 2022

Winnacunnet football shifts focus to 2022 after oh-so-close title run

HAMPTON — Friday signaled the end and a beginning for the Winnacunnet High School football team.

The Warriors have flipped the page from the 2021 season, a magical run when they were undefeated at 11-0 before falling to Londonderry, 24-14, in the Division I state championship game. Now they are focused squarely on the 2022 season.

"We had a very successful overall year last year, disappointed in how it ended, but we've had a number of months to lick out wounds now," Francoeur said. "We're turning the page today officially."

It'll be quite the challenge for Francoeur and the Warriors this season due to the loss of a lot of graduating seniors and a very tough Division I schedule.

"Everyone has a tough schedule in Division I, but sometimes it's just the luck of the draw and kind of how they realigned it this year," Francoeur said.

Winnacunnet is expecting a tough schedule. But it's a challenge Francoeur is ready to tackle with a group that is ready.

"We're happy about that and if you want to be the best, you have to play the best," he said. "We won't back down from any of that."

It will be a mostly new group on the field.

"Not many guys with experience from last year, but we had a lot of juniors good enough to be playing varsity football last year and were patient behind a very strong senior class last year." Francoeur said. "I'm excited about those guys getting the opportunity that they've been patient for and worked for."

Two of those rising seniors are offensive and defensive lineman Jake Fredericks and safety Kevin Tilley.

"Leading by example is the biggest thing," Fredericks said. "Just doing what I do, and if I do everything right, most of these guys will listen and follow by example."

Tilley said he isn't ready to make prediction.

"One step at a time," Tilley said. "We have a lot of new guys and we have to see what we're made of. We have to push them to be the best and make what we can out of the new team."

Fredericks and Tilley share the same confidence in the team Francoeur has. The coach is excited to see how they step up as leaders.

"Jake and Kevin are the two guys who have proven themselves so far; they've been playing since they were sophomores," Francouer said. "They've won a lot of games in this program already coming into this season."

— Brandon Brown

More: 20 Seacoast football offensive players to watch in 2022

Portsmouth-Oyster River football players support each other on and off field

PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth High School and Oyster River student-athletes have come together as the ClipperCats joint football team for five years. This year, that involves raising funds to ensure all 84 players can play.

"It's been a seamless transition for the last five years," head coach Brian Pafford said. "The kids hang out in the offseason together and have become really great friends."

On Friday, 27 students from Oyster River turned out for the first day of practice, including two who are having difficulty paying the $500 per-player fee to participate, according to Pafford. That's the fee charged to the out-of-district Oyster River students to play in Portsmouth.

The cost hasn't been an issue in previous years, Pafford said, with gaps in funding covered by the booster club and scholarships. This year, a total of about $1,000 is needed by a Labor Day deadline, though the coach and his players are determined to ensure everyone can play.

Pafford and the Clippers are holding a car wash fundraiser on Sunday afternoon in front of the school fieldhouse.

The car wash is part of the ClipperCats' team- building exercise that was already planned for Sunday,. There will be a cornhole tournament and food truck, too.

"Guys who aren't going to be playing (in the cornhole tournament) , they'll be up washing cars and we'll kind of rotate them around and keep them moving," Pafford said. "See if we can make a few bucks to help some of these kids."

Pafford announced the event to the team on Friday, and the support from the group was strong.

"No question, super supportive and ready to go and rally around these kids and make sure we're all apart of this family and all a part of this team," Pafford said.

Dan Doherty, a Oyster River student and wide receiver/safety, said the willingness to help shows teammates how much they care.

"We want everyone as included as they can be," Doherty said. "Being a family, it just means a lot. We want everyone here."

Rory Flynn, an Oyster River student and wide receiver/cornerback, said everybody should have the right to play.

"It's just important to make sure they all can," Flynn said. "We're going to do whatever we can to make sure that happens. It's important that we come together as a team to support our teammates, it's a big family."

Portsmouth senior running back and middle linebacker Gunner Jackson added, "We want them out here and that we want them to play no matter what."

Portsmouth went 5-4 last season and narrowly missed the Division I playoffs after to a loss to Goffstown in the season finale.

— Brandon Brown

Spaulding football team hopes weight room work leads to wins in 2022

ROCHESTER — TJ Taveras showed up at fall camp Friday leaner and meaner, and several of his fellow linemen followed suit.

It was one of the more noticeable takeaways during the first day of practice for the Spaulding High School football team.

“I felt my weight was holding me back,” said Tavares, a senior two-way lineman. “Once I lost the weight, my speed went up and my strength went up. I’ve been doing really good in the weight room. I’ve been lifting for a year straight.”

“We’re not going to be the biggest team by far out there, but you hope that the speed and athleticism can make up for some of the size,” Hebert said. “In this game, it’s usually the strong man wins. We’re not going to get better until we get stronger, and a lot of kids took that challenge and did a good job with it.”

In addition to shedding unwanted pounds the Red Raiders also hope to do something about the losses that have been piling up in recent years. They went 0-8 last season and weren’t competitive in most of their games.

“I’d say the first day of practice was a big success actually,” Taveras said. “Everybody’s disappointed with how the season went last year. Not a single person was happy about it and I just feel like the energy this year, everybody is going to try and turn it around as best they can.”

“Last year was obviously a struggle in a lot of areas,” Hebert said. “It’s kind of being able to turn the page from the offseason and see the kids’ faces and see their excitement again.”

Spaulding hosts Alvirne in its season opener Sept. 2.

“We talk about taking steps forward every day,” Hebert said. “I think the schedule this year for us is much more palatable in the sense that we’ve got some games in the beginning of our schedule that on paper are probably more competitive, where last year we kind of had some of those games at the end of the season and by the time we even got there we were just so physically banged up it was hard.”

The Red Raiders are still searching for an identity.

“What we want to become is a team that can play against a team for four quarters a game every week,” Hebert said. “You want to win games obviously but last year there were times in the first quarter and it was almost over. The goal is to be competitive, play hard and be in games.”

— Al Pike

Somersworth motivated to repeat as Division IV state champions

SOMERSWORTH — It had been 24 years since the Somersworth High School football program had won a state championship until the drought was broken last November when the Hilltoppers climbed to the top of Division IV.

After the initial celebration of Somersworth’s 40-13 victory over Fall Mountain in the title game, the team immediately switched its focus to repeating in 2022.

“Right after we won the state championship I was like, ‘this is cool, but we’re not done’,” senior defensive end/split end Dante Guillory said. “I was a junior last year, but senior year is going to be our year. ... I was thinking about people are going to be coming for us and I’m ready for that because that’s what drives me.”

The Hilltoppers' quest shifted from offseason workouts to the football field for the first time Friday.

“It feels great to have the team back and ready to go, we’ve been working hard in the offseason, so it’s going to be great to see how we can do,” senior running back/linebacker Calvin Lambert said. “We’ve got a great core and all of these guys with experience coming back, so we’re going to be dangerous.”

Lambert rushed for more than 1,200 yards and scored 24 touchdowns, including a five-touchdown effort in the title game, won 2021 Division IV Player of the Year honors. Tayshan Shepard gives Somersworth’s backfield a formidable duo. He rushed for more than 800 yards last season.

“The only thing that feels better than one is two,” Lambert said. “That’s pretty much been our mentality. We’re ready for it and going to do whatever it takes.”

Lambert’s father, head coach Jeremy, was a standout on the last Somersworth team that won back-to-back titles in 1996 and 1997. Those were two of the five championships current assistant coach Jim Keays guided Somersworth to in the 1990s.

“I don't think they even took a week off before they were in the weight room, but that’s the core of who these kids are,” Jeremy Lambert said. “They are a great group of kids who are dedicated and are focused on each other. They work.”

Somersworth graduated only four seniors from last year’s 8-1 squad, meaning they’ll have plenty of experience returning to this year's roster of 35-40 players. Senior quarterback/safetyJeff Dekorne is one of those returnees.

“It feels crazy to be back,” Dekorne said. “I know this team has a lot of skills and it’s nice to get back on the field and see what we’ve got.”

Jeremy Lambert feels like his team is approaching this season like it still has a lot to prove, as many expected defending champion Newport would be Somersworth’s opponent in last year’s title game before Newport was upset by Fall Mountain in the semifinals. Newport defeated Somersworth, 42-0, in the 2020 championship game. Somersworth played only three games that season due to COVID-19.

“Last year they had a goal of proving themselves and even though they have that target on their back, I still think they have that same goal,” Jeremy Lambert said. “They feel like they have to prove it wasn’t fluke.”

— Dan Doyon

St. Thomas Aquinas seniors want to set hard-working tone for team

DOVER — St. Thomas Aquinas Coach Ed McDonough said what impressed him most about the first day of practice was how many of his players had done conditioning and put in the work to be ready for Friday.

“Great to have them all back,” McDonough said. “A lot of them came in in good shape. They worked out over the summer and came in ready to go, which is good.”

Some of the Saints' senior leaders said it was easy to stay motivated to do offseason conditioning.

“(Being back at practice) is excellent,” said senior wide receiver/cornerback Devon Paquette. “The whole summer we’ve been itching to get back out here. It should be an exciting season.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this all summer,” added wng back/cornerback Spencer Lessard. “The camaraderie of being on a team, being in the leadership role, as a senior it’s different. You’ve got to take charge. It’s a big responsibility, but it’s something I’m looking forward to.”

There is a lot to look forward to for the Saints, who went 8-3 in 2021, reaching the Division II semifinals, losing to Timberlane, 34-7.

Paquette, Lessard and Joseph Pickett said the senior class has to set the tone for 2022.

“This is the most excited I’ve ever been for football season,” Pickett said.

Pickett said the seniors have to be vocal leaders to support the growth of the younger players on the team.

“It definitely feels different coming back as a senior,” Pickett said. “You’ve got to make sure the younger guys aren’t knocking off. Make sure they’re always running.”

Lessard added making sure teammates are taking in the coaching and continuing to improve is also important.

“You’ve gotta have fun out there playing football,”Lessard said. “But there’s got to be order to it. You’ve gotta have focus on the drills, listen and pay attention all the time.”

The most important thing to making the team click this season, however, according to Paquette, is a sense of camaraderie.

“It’s great to be back out here with our buddies,” he said. “We went to the semifinals last year. If we stay together as a team and work hard we can get back there.”

McDonough said the energy that his players brought to the first practice is a great sign, and he feels like there is a lot to build off of already.

“I told them, I love them all,” he said.

— Terrill Covey

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seacoast NH high school football teams open practice for 2022 season