Top 20 most dominant New Hampshire high school football programs of last decade

By Staff Report May 19, 2020, 12:15pm

Pinkerton is Granite State's gridiron best from 2010s.

Video: Pinkerton vs. Londonderry recap
See the Astros in action from 2019.

Thanks in part to two state championships and five runner-up finishes, Pinkerton is the most dominant high school football team from New Hampshire over the last decade.

Based on MaxPreps methodology, the Astros amassed 298 points from play over 2010 to 2019 to edge Plymouth, which finished second with 274 points.  

Pinkerton won state titles in 2000 and 2014, the latter being a 12-0 run. It placed second in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018 and was ranked among the top three New Hampshire teams seven times.



Plymouth actually had five state titles in the decade and finished unbeaten in 2012, 2017 and 2018.

Our methodology includes:

• Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps state computer rankings (25 points awarded to the No. 1 team, 24 for No. 2 and so on).

• Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps national computer rankings (50 points for No. 1, 49 for No. 2 and so on).

• State championships (20 points).

• State championship game appearances (10 points).
Graphic by Ryan Escobar
1. Pinkerton (Derry) (298)
State championships: 2010 (DI), 2014 (DI)
State runner-up: 2011 (DI), 2012 (DI), 2013 (DI), 2017 (DI), 2018 (DI)
State Top 25: 2010 (2), 2011 (2), 2012 (3), 2013 (3), 2014 (1), 2015 (10), 2016 (17), 2017 (2), 2018 (2), 2019 (10)
Nationally ranked: N/A



2. Plymouth (274)
State championships: 2012 (DIV), 2013 (DIV), 2016 (DII), 2017 (DII), 2018 (DII)
State runner-up: 2011 (DIV), 2019 (DII)
State Top 25: 2010 (21), 2011 (8), 2012 (2), 2013 (2), 2014 (23), 2015 (21), 2016 (3), 2017 (3), 2018 (4), 2019 (9)
Nationally ranked: N/A

3. Bedford (242)

State championships: 2016 (DI), 2018 (DI)
State runner-up: 2011 (DIII), 2012 (DII), 2014 (DI)
State Top 25: 2011 (22), 2012 (7), 2013 (5), 2014 (3), 2015 (3), 2016 (1), 2017 (8), 2018 (1), 2019 (12)
Nationally ranked: N/A

4. Exeter (236)
State championships: 2011 (DI), 2012 (DI)
State runner-up: 2016 (DI), 2019 (DI)
State Top 25: 2011 (1), 2012 (1), 2013 (9), 2014 (6), 2015 (5), 2016 (4), 2017 (7), 2018 (18), 2019 (7)
Nationally ranked: N/A

5. Trinity (Manchester) (185)
State championships: 2011 (DIV), 2019 (DIII)
State runner-up: 2010 (DIV), 2012 (DIV)
State Top 25: 2010 (7), 2011 (3), 2012 (5), 2013 (6), 2014 (17), 2018 (17), 2019 (2)
Nationally ranked: N/A

6. St. Thomas Aquinas (Dover) (176)
State championships: 2011 (DV), 2015 (DII)
State runner-up: 2010 (DIV), 2014 (DIV)
State Top 25: 2010 (14), 2011 (6), 2012 (18), 2013 (16), 2014 (5), 2015 (2), 2016 (18), 2017 (11), 2018 (10), 2019 (24)
Nationally ranked: N/A

7. Windham (165)
State championships: 2014 (DII)
State runner-up: 2011 (DIV)
State Top 25: 2011 (16), 2012 (8), 2013 (12), 2014 (2), 2015 (7), 2016 (5), 2017 (12), 2018 (11)
Nationally ranked: N/A

8. Monadnock (East Swanzey) (150)
State championships: 2012 (DV), 2018 (DIII)
State runner-up: 2015 (DII), 2017 (DIII)
State Top 25: 2011 (17), 2012 (13), 2013 (18), 2015 (25), 2016 (7), 2017 (10), 2018 (3), 2019 (25)
Nationally ranked: N/A



9. Salem (148)
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2010 (8), 2011 (9), 2013 (23), 2014 (7), 2015 (11), 2016 (10), 2017 (5), 2018 (8), 2019 (5)
Nationally ranked: N/A

10. Winnacunnet (Hampton) (147)
State championships: 2012 (DII), 2017 (DI)
State runner-up: 2010 (DII)
State Top 25: 2010 (5), 2012 (4), 2013 (21), 2015 (15), 2017 (1), 2018 (13)
Nationally ranked: N/A

11. Bishop Guertin (Nashua) (143)
State championships: 2010 (DII), 2011 (DII)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2011 (1), 2011 (7), 2012 (11), 2013 (14), 2014 (14), 2015 (6)
Nationally ranked: N/A

12. Portsmouth (120)
State championships: 2011 (DIII), 2012 (DIII)
State runner-up: 2010 (DIII), 2013 (DII)
State Top 25: 2010 (24), 2011 (10), 2012 (10), 2013 (4), 2014 (16), 2017 (22)
Nationally ranked: N/A

13. Goffstown (118)
State championships: 2015 (DI)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2014 (10), 2015 (1), 2016 (9), 2017 (4), 2018 (19), 2019 (15)
Nationally ranked: N/A

14. Nashua South (109)
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2010 (11), 2011 (4), 2012 (16), 2013 (10), 2014 (15), 2016 (16), 2017 (13), 2018 (20), 2019 (20)
Nationally ranked: N/A

15. Londonderry (106)

State championships: 2019 (DI)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2010 (23), 2013 (24), 2014 (4), 2016 (24), 2017 (15), 2018 (5), 2019 (1)
Nationally ranked: N/A



16. Campbell (Litchfield) (105)
State championships: 2014 (DIII), 2017 (DIII)
State runner-up: 2018 (DIII)
State Top 25: 2014 (11), 2017 (6), 2018 (15), 2019 (17)
Nationally ranked: N/A

17. Nashua North (Nashua) (103)

State championships: N/A
State runner-up: 2010 (DI), 2015 (DI)
State Top 25: 2010 (10), 2011 (18), 2012 (23), 2015 (16), 2016 (15), 2017 (18), 2018 (12), 2019 (13)
Nationally ranked: N/A

18. Bow (101)
State championships: 2013 (DIII)
State runner-up: 2016 (DII), 2017 (DII)
State Top 25: 2013 (13), 2014 (12), 2016 (8), 2017 (9), 2018 (25), 2019 (8)
Nationally ranked: N/A

19. Manchester Central (99)
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2010 (9), 2011 (5), 2012 (12), 2013 (11), 2015 (18), 2016 (12), 2017 (16)
Nationally ranked: N/A

20. Concord (94)
State championships: 2013 (DI)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2010 (20), 2011 (19), 2012 (14), 2013 (1), 2014 (9), 2015 (19)
Nationally ranked: N/A