Justin McIsaac's Top 10 on anything...and everything...brought to you by The Southside Tavern
2014-11-17
As we all know, Power Polls are silly- some of the voters don’t even watch any games! But people love lists, which is why Buzzfeed is a thing, so here’s Justin McIsaac’s TOP TEN!
10. THE ASTROS ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE
No surprise to see Pinkerton rolling over BG on their way to yet another championship game – I think most people had Pinkerton getting to Durham way back in August; I know I did. Pinkerton only had one real test so far, and that was against Salem back in September, and the Astros are primed for another NHIAA Plaque.
9. MEANWHILE, IN BEDFORD
Next man up is a cliché that’s quickly wresting the “most overused” title away from “It is what it is”, but when you lose your starting QB & starting RB over the course of the season, you better hope your kids have heard it once or twice. Kurt Hines’ Bulldogs have, and with a 14-7 win over Exeter, they’re hoping to spoil the party for Pinkerton. Bedford has reached the title game in D3, and in D2, but have yet to taste championship victory. Is this the year for the Bulldogs?
8. WADE-ING INTO THE TITLE GAME
Noah Wade and Newport had defeated Gilford in the regular season 27-20, in a game that ended up deciding where the D3 North Title game would be played (I think? There was probably a sub-clause of a rule that awarded points for hot dogs eaten by an opposing team on Thursdays that counted before head-to-head). This one wasn’t so close, with Wade busting off TD scampers of 53 and 34 yards to get the Tigers back into a State Title game for the first time since 2010. More on the Tigers foe in a few…
7. #PRAY4DAVE
I know all too well what it’s like watching your Alma Mater bite the dust in a semi-final game, having been on the air for Spaulding’s 2nd half collapse against BG in the D1 basketball semi a few years back. So reading Dave’s increasingly despondent tweets from the Gilford – Newport showdown, I needed to bury the onset of PTSD and call for the nation, nay, the world, to implore whatever higher power they subscribe to (mine is Pedro Martinez) for mercy for Dave. I think he’s ok. I think.
6. HOW GOOD WOULD SALEM HAVE BEEN…
… if they had all those Windham kids still attending Salem high? I mean Salem was very good anyway, but Windham has been a monster, beating Hollis-Brookline once again to reach the D2 Finals. Brendan McInnins tossed 3 TD passes in the Jags win, where they get a rematch with the only team they’ve ever faced in a football title game.
5. GOOD NEWS, SERGIO BROWN JUST WOKE UP A MINUTE AGO AND LEFT THE FIELD UNDER HIS OWN POWER
I don’t know what else there is to be written about Gronk. I really don’t. He’s unstoppable, he’s fun, he’s a hell of a dancer. Last night the Pats used him mainly as a blocker, and he showed once again that he’s the best blocking TE in the league, in addition to being the pass catching TE. He might be the MVP of the league. Also, it would take 10 years off my life, but I’d like to hang out with him for just one weekend.
4. HOW THE HELL DID WE EVER LOSE TWO SUPER BOWLS TO ELI MANNING?
This is what I mutter when I’m working the remote like a master, trying to watch as much of every game possible with my Directv Sunday Ticket package. I try not to watch the Giants, since I’m still trying to repress the memory of Wes Welker dropping the pass that WOULD’VE SEALED THE GODDAMN SUPERBOWL (deep breath…. Deeeeeeeeeeeeep breeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaath…..), but occasionally I’ll stumble across Eli throwing 5 picks, and the muttering begins. God he’s awful.
3. HEY, WE GET TO WATCH ALL THE TITLE GAMES THIS YEAR!
For all the grief we shovel the NHIAA’s way for silly point systems, and seeds that nobody knows until 5 pm on a Monday, they finally got this one right. Playing all 3 Title games in one spot is heaven for football junkies, and get ready to OD on pigskin this Saturday, because all 3 games look great. In fact, I’ll make my picks RIGHT NOW:
D3: Campbell 31 Newport 28
D2 STA 38 Windham 28
D1 Bedford 17 Pinkerton 14
2. ALL SAINTS DAY
Atop the press box in North Conway, where Pete Tarrier and I considered building a bivouac fire to keep warm, I expected a game that would go down to the wire between Saint Thomas and Kennett in the D2 Semi-Final. What I got instead was an avalanche from STA in the first 4 minutes. The crowd was still filing in when Charlie Pollack took the opening kickoff 80 yards to make it 7-0.
They were still asking “What happened?” when the bruising STA D caused a fumble inside the Kennett 20 that set up a Stephen Hedberg to Kevin Gould TD pass to make it 14-0.
They were thinking they should’ve gone to the outlets when Nate Grunbeck took a punt 50 yards to the house to make it 21-0 after a Kennett 3 and out.
21-0. With less than four minutes elapsed.
The rest was just a matter of time, as STA beat Kennett 48-22 to meet Windham in the D2 Title game, in a rematch of the 2011 D5 game, which STA won 49-28. That year’s Freshman are this year’s Seniors, and it features the two best teams in D2, without a doubt.
1. HOLY S%@#, CAMPBELL DID IT!
Last week in this space, I called the D3 Tourney “The Bow Invitational”. I’d like to apologize to the fine kids at Bow for putting my stink on them. (I also said Campbell would now win by 14 to show I’m an idiot, so I count that as calling a Campbell win. Woooooooooooo me!!!!!)
Campbell played stout D, and forced 4 turnovers, and Kyle was BY FAR the best Manning QB of the weekend in leading the Cougars to maybe the most surprising outcome of the season. Campbell beat Newport by a single point in the regular season, and no team is hotter right now. I’ll stop right here before I jinx them….
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Saints fan stealing the ball from Bengal fan was the best defender in New Orleans Sunday, Dave on double suicide watch after ND lost as well, Jonas Gray reviving Weezer’s blue album all by himself, Kevin Gould of STA did a good Gronk impression complete with the 87 on his back
No surprise to see Pinkerton rolling over BG on their way to yet another championship game – I think most people had Pinkerton getting to Durham way back in August; I know I did. Pinkerton only had one real test so far, and that was against Salem back in September, and the Astros are primed for another NHIAA Plaque.
9. MEANWHILE, IN BEDFORD
Next man up is a cliché that’s quickly wresting the “most overused” title away from “It is what it is”, but when you lose your starting QB & starting RB over the course of the season, you better hope your kids have heard it once or twice. Kurt Hines’ Bulldogs have, and with a 14-7 win over Exeter, they’re hoping to spoil the party for Pinkerton. Bedford has reached the title game in D3, and in D2, but have yet to taste championship victory. Is this the year for the Bulldogs?
8. WADE-ING INTO THE TITLE GAME
Noah Wade and Newport had defeated Gilford in the regular season 27-20, in a game that ended up deciding where the D3 North Title game would be played (I think? There was probably a sub-clause of a rule that awarded points for hot dogs eaten by an opposing team on Thursdays that counted before head-to-head). This one wasn’t so close, with Wade busting off TD scampers of 53 and 34 yards to get the Tigers back into a State Title game for the first time since 2010. More on the Tigers foe in a few…
7. #PRAY4DAVE
I know all too well what it’s like watching your Alma Mater bite the dust in a semi-final game, having been on the air for Spaulding’s 2nd half collapse against BG in the D1 basketball semi a few years back. So reading Dave’s increasingly despondent tweets from the Gilford – Newport showdown, I needed to bury the onset of PTSD and call for the nation, nay, the world, to implore whatever higher power they subscribe to (mine is Pedro Martinez) for mercy for Dave. I think he’s ok. I think.
6. HOW GOOD WOULD SALEM HAVE BEEN…
… if they had all those Windham kids still attending Salem high? I mean Salem was very good anyway, but Windham has been a monster, beating Hollis-Brookline once again to reach the D2 Finals. Brendan McInnins tossed 3 TD passes in the Jags win, where they get a rematch with the only team they’ve ever faced in a football title game.
5. GOOD NEWS, SERGIO BROWN JUST WOKE UP A MINUTE AGO AND LEFT THE FIELD UNDER HIS OWN POWER
I don’t know what else there is to be written about Gronk. I really don’t. He’s unstoppable, he’s fun, he’s a hell of a dancer. Last night the Pats used him mainly as a blocker, and he showed once again that he’s the best blocking TE in the league, in addition to being the pass catching TE. He might be the MVP of the league. Also, it would take 10 years off my life, but I’d like to hang out with him for just one weekend.
4. HOW THE HELL DID WE EVER LOSE TWO SUPER BOWLS TO ELI MANNING?
This is what I mutter when I’m working the remote like a master, trying to watch as much of every game possible with my Directv Sunday Ticket package. I try not to watch the Giants, since I’m still trying to repress the memory of Wes Welker dropping the pass that WOULD’VE SEALED THE GODDAMN SUPERBOWL (deep breath…. Deeeeeeeeeeeeep breeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaath…..), but occasionally I’ll stumble across Eli throwing 5 picks, and the muttering begins. God he’s awful.
3. HEY, WE GET TO WATCH ALL THE TITLE GAMES THIS YEAR!
For all the grief we shovel the NHIAA’s way for silly point systems, and seeds that nobody knows until 5 pm on a Monday, they finally got this one right. Playing all 3 Title games in one spot is heaven for football junkies, and get ready to OD on pigskin this Saturday, because all 3 games look great. In fact, I’ll make my picks RIGHT NOW:
D3: Campbell 31 Newport 28
D2 STA 38 Windham 28
D1 Bedford 17 Pinkerton 14
2. ALL SAINTS DAY
Atop the press box in North Conway, where Pete Tarrier and I considered building a bivouac fire to keep warm, I expected a game that would go down to the wire between Saint Thomas and Kennett in the D2 Semi-Final. What I got instead was an avalanche from STA in the first 4 minutes. The crowd was still filing in when Charlie Pollack took the opening kickoff 80 yards to make it 7-0.
They were still asking “What happened?” when the bruising STA D caused a fumble inside the Kennett 20 that set up a Stephen Hedberg to Kevin Gould TD pass to make it 14-0.
They were thinking they should’ve gone to the outlets when Nate Grunbeck took a punt 50 yards to the house to make it 21-0 after a Kennett 3 and out.
21-0. With less than four minutes elapsed.
The rest was just a matter of time, as STA beat Kennett 48-22 to meet Windham in the D2 Title game, in a rematch of the 2011 D5 game, which STA won 49-28. That year’s Freshman are this year’s Seniors, and it features the two best teams in D2, without a doubt.
1. HOLY S%@#, CAMPBELL DID IT!
Last week in this space, I called the D3 Tourney “The Bow Invitational”. I’d like to apologize to the fine kids at Bow for putting my stink on them. (I also said Campbell would now win by 14 to show I’m an idiot, so I count that as calling a Campbell win. Woooooooooooo me!!!!!)
Campbell played stout D, and forced 4 turnovers, and Kyle was BY FAR the best Manning QB of the weekend in leading the Cougars to maybe the most surprising outcome of the season. Campbell beat Newport by a single point in the regular season, and no team is hotter right now. I’ll stop right here before I jinx them….
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Saints fan stealing the ball from Bengal fan was the best defender in New Orleans Sunday, Dave on double suicide watch after ND lost as well, Jonas Gray reviving Weezer’s blue album all by himself, Kevin Gould of STA did a good Gronk impression complete with the 87 on his back