Bulldogs Eye First Championship

This time, last year, the Bedford High School football team was preparing to play for its first state championship against Portsmouth, a team it had beaten earlier in the season.

Head Coach Kurt Hines said his squad, which dropped a 41-6 decision in that title matchup, may have been a little overconfident entering the contest.

That was 2011, and that was Division III.

This year, the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs (9-1), playing their first season in D-II, are once again on the threshold of a state championship.

This time, they play the one team that defeated them this season, the top-seeded Winnacunnet Warriors (9-1), which won the teams' Sept. 7 clash, 13-6.

Hines, in his fifth year as Bedford head coach, said his team has learned from past mistakes.

"I think that loss, last year, from coaching standpoint and a player perspective, really taught us we need be prepared for anything the other team might show you," he said.

Along similar lines, Hines said his team – which may have been a bit overwhelmed by Winnacunnet's speed and size during the Bulldogs' D-II debut – has matured as the season has progressed.

"I definitely feel we have a better grasp of what to expect. I think, going into that first game, we knew they were big, but had no idea how fast they were," said Hines. "We've made a lot of adjustments, which have kind of been a year-long process in terms of putting our personnel in different positions to make sure we are executing better in all areas."

Winnacunnet coach Ron Auffant has certainly taken notice.

"They've been outstanding," he said. "I give them a lot of credit, to make the jump to Division II and get to this game ... Coach Hines has built a great program there. They battle, they've won from ahead and they've come from behind in several games. After we played them the first time I had a feeling we might play these guys again. They've just done a tremendous job to get here."

Hines also recognized the outstanding season his team has pieced together in order to reach this point.

Not only did the Bulldogs lose star running back/wide receiver Mike Gardiner (who moved to Texas in the offseason), but they returned three of 11 starters on offense and six on defense.

"I think it speaks volumes to the dedication of all those involved in this program," he said, "from the players working out in the offseason to the coaching staff realizing which hurdles we would face ... having our best player move to Texas ... it's just a tremendous accomplishment.

"But our goal this season was not to get to the state championship, but to win it," Hines added.

Though Hines said his team is equipped to win another defensive battle or a shootout, if necessary, Auffant said he prefers the former.

"I don't think a high scoring game would be good for us," he said. "We've been playing pretty good defense all year ... so we don't want a track meet. A low-scoring, ball-control game suits us better. Obviously teams tend to know each other better and make adjustments when they play a second time, so you never know. I'm hoping we don't see a lot of points scored, but we'll see what happens."

Regardless of type of game, Hines said he expects the contest to be competitive and hopes Bedford fans come out to support the team.

"With today's technology, a lot of players and fans have been doing a great job generating excitement through social media and Facebook event pages and that type of thing," said Hines. "We haven't played out there before, but I hear they have a great crowd as well, so it should be fun."

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