Vote: Who should be New Hampshire’s Coach of the Year for the 2024 high school football season?

Here are 10 candidates for your voting consideration

Exeter High School head football coach Bill Ball speaks to his team following practice Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. The Blue Hawks reached the NHIAA Division I semifinals. / Brandon Brown/Seacoastonline / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the 2024 New Hampshire high school football season now complete, we have identified 10 state coaches who deserve consideration for Coach of the Year honors and we would like your opinion. To help pick the winner, please review the profiles below and cast your vote(s) for the candidates you find most deserving.

Here are the nominations. Voting ends Dec. 24 at 11:59 p.m.

Bill Ball (Exeter)

Exeter was one of two Division I teams to finish the regular season unbeaten. The Blue Hawks (10-1) earned the No. 2 seed for the Division I playoffs and reached the semifinals before losing to third-seeded Londonderry 31-28 on the game’s final play.

Robin Bowkett (Souhegan)

Souhegan entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed in Division II, but upset top-seeded Plymouth in the semifinals and knocked off Pelham in the Division II championship game after losing to both teams during the regular season. The Sabers completed their season with a 10-2 record.

Glen Costello (Campbell)

Costello guided Campell to an 11-0 record and the Division III state championship. It was the program’s second title in the last three years. The Cougars were the only NHIAA team to finish the season unbeaten.

John Daley (Mascoma)

Daley led the Royals to an 8-1 record and the program’s first state championship. Mascoma beat Raymond 45-0 in the Division IV championship game and ended the season with eight consecutive victories after losing to Raymond 39-12 in Week 1.

Justin Hufft (Pelham)

Following John Trisciani’s resignation, Hufft took over as Pelham’s head coach two days before the season began and led the Pythons to a 10-2 record and a spot in the Division II championship game. Pelham was seeking its fifth straight championship, but lost to Souhegan 14-11 in the Division II title game.

Scott Knight (Nashua South)

Knight’s Nashua South team finished 8-3 and reached the Division I quarterfinals after winning two games in 2023. In terms of victories, the Panthers were the most improved team in the state from 2023 to 2024. Knight resigned following the 2024 season. He served as Nashua South’s head coach for 22 seasons.

Matt Lee (Alvirne)

In his second season as head coach, Lee guided eighth-seeded Alvirne to its first Division I playoff win when it beat ninth-seeded Concord 33-10 in the Division I first round. Alvirne’s other playoff wins came while the program competed in Division II. Alvirne finished the season with a 7-4 record following a 24-14 loss to Bedford in the quarterfinals.

Brian O’Reilly (Pinkerton)

O’Reilly steered Pinkerton to a 42-7 victory over Londonderry in the Division I championship game. It was the 12th championship the Astros have won with O’Reilly as the program’s head coach. The victory over Londonderry improved O’Reilly’s career coaching record to 357-130-0 He entered that game tied with former Plymouth Regional head coach Chuck Lenhan for career wins by an NHIAA football coach. Lenahan retired with a 356-70-1 record.

Andrew Provencher (Manchester West)

The Blue Knights advanced to the Division II quarterfinals, where they lost to second-seeded Pelham, 35-0. It was the first time West has qualified for the playoffs since the 2007 season. West also advanced to the Manchester city championship game on Thanksgiving for the first time since 2018, and finished its season with a 6-5 record following a 20-14 loss to Manchester Memorial.

Rob Sturgis (Manchester Memorial)

Sturgis helped Memorial qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Crusaders then beat Winnacunnet 22-13 in the Division I first round to collect their first playoff win since 1973. After losing to Exeter in the quarterfinals, Memorial (8-4) capped its season by beating West for the Manchester city championship.