Breakdown of the 2018 Division I football schedule

It may not seem like it yet, but the start of the high school football season is just around the corner, with the 2018 regular season set to get underway on Aug. 31.

There were a couple of changes to Division I for the upcoming season, with Alvirne moving down to Division II and Windham coming up to take the Broncos' place. Windham moves into the South Conference, with Merrimack sliding over to fill Alvirne's spot in the West.

This season, the North and West conferences will play each other while the South and East faceoff.

Here’s a week-by-week look at some of the key games coming up in Division I this season. Schedules are subject to change.

Week 1

North/West Cluster

• Bedford at Nashua North, Aug. 31, 6:30 p.m.: An early potential playoff matchup between two teams with a lot of returning players. Bedford won the only previous meeting between the two in 2015.
• Nashua South at Concord, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.
• Goffstown at Merrimack, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.: Another potential playoff matchup in the first week of the season, the Tomahawks won the last two meetings in 2016, including a quarterfinal win.
• Manchester Memorial at Keene, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.: Someone starts the year off with a win, as Memorial has lost 27 straight games and Keene was 0-10 a season ago.
• Manchester Central at Bishop Guertin, Sept. 1, 6:30 p.m.

South/East Cluster

• Dover at Timberlane, Aug. 31, 6:30 p.m.
• Exeter at Salem, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.: These two teams last met in the quarterfinals in 2015, with the Blue Hawks picking up their fourth straight win - and second of that season - against the Blue Devils.
• Londonderry at Portsmouth, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.
• Spaulding at Pinkerton, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.
• Winnacunnet at Windham, Sept. 1, 1:30 p.m.: The Jaguars move up and get to host the defending champions in their inaugural game in Division I.

Week 2

North/West Cluster

• Bishop Guertin at Nashua South, Sept. 7, 6:30 p.m.: The Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak against the Cardinals in 2017. In the past five meetings, the winner of this matchup has averaged 39.8 points.
• Merrimack at Manchester Memorial, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.
• Concord at Bedford, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.
• Keene at Manchester Central, Sept. 7, 7:15 p.m.
• Nashua North at Goffstown, Sept. 8, 1:30 p.m.: These two programs have only ever met twice, with both games in 2015, and both won by Goffstown by an average of 33 points.

South/East Cluster

• Winnacunnet at Portsmouth, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.: The Warriors' win in last season's meeting evened the series between the two teams to 2-2 since the Clippers moved up to D1 in 2014.
• Windham at Spaulding, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.
• Pinkerton at Dover, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.
• Salem at Londonderry, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.: The Blue Devils handed the Lancers two consecutive losses last year, winning the regular-season finale and then repeating the feat in the quarterfinals. That stretched Salem's win streak against Londonderry to four.
• Timberlane at Exeter, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.

Week 3

North/West Cluster

• Manchester Memorial at Nashua North, Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m.
• Goffstown at Bedford, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.: Since 2008, these teams have played 10 times, with Goffstown winning six of them, including the lone playoff meeting. Half of those games have been decided by seven points or less.
• Nashua South at Keene, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.
• Manchester Central at Merrimack, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.: The two teams have split two meetings since 2013, with Merrimack holding a 90-75 edge in points. However, neither game was close, as Central won 56-35 in 2013 and the Tomahawks returned the favor, 55-19, in 2016.
• Bishop Guertin at Concord, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.

South/East Cluster

• Londonderry at Timberlane, Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m.
• Dover at Windham, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.: The Jaguars will bring in lights for their annual Blackout Cancer Game, and will face a Green Wave team that has sniffed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
• Spaulding at Winnacunnet, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.
• Exeter at Pinkerton, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.: Two perennial playoff teams meet in what could be a game for the top seed in the cluster. Since 2010, the two have combined to win four division titles and 10 title-game appearances, and each has made the playoffs seven out of eight years in that span.
• Salem at Portsmouth, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.

Week 4

North/West Cluster

• Merrimack at Nashua South, Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m.: A year ago, the Panthers got a much needed win in the third week of the season against the Tomahawks, starting them on a seven-game win streak. Merrimack coach Kip Jackson, a long time South assistant, coaches his first game from the visitors' sideline at Stellos Stadium.
• Bedford at Manchester Memorial, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.
• Nashua North at Manchester Central, Sept. 21, 7:15 p.m.: Another game that could potentially be for the top seed in the cluster. Could turn into a shootout, as both teams will be capable of putting up a lot of points this season.
• Concord at Goffstown, Sept. 22, 1:30 p.m.
• Keene at Bishop Guertin, Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m.

South/East Cluster

• Winnacunnet at Dover, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.: The Warriors pulled away from the Green Wave in the fourth quarter in the first game of the season a year ago, Winnacunnet's fifth win against Dover in the last six games.
• Windham at Exeter, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.
• Portsmouth at Spaulding, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.
• Pinkerton at Londonderry, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.: The Astros will look to make it 19 wins in a row against the Lancers as the two meet for Mac Plaque Weekend. Pinkerton has won every meeting since 2003.
• Timberlane at Salem, Sept. 22, 2 p.m.

Week 5

North/West Cluster

• Nashua North at Nashua South, Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m.: This rivalry was back-and-forth for a while, but South has won 11 of the last 14 meetings, including both the regular-season meeting and on Thanksgiving Eve last year.
• Manchester Central at Bedford, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.: Since the Little Green won the regular-season finale in 2013, the Bulldogs have won four in a row against Central, including last year's finale, which clinched a playoff spot for Bedford.
• Bishop Guertin at Merrimack, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.: After losing 12 straight to the Cardinals, the Tomahawks have now won two in a row following last year's victory.
• Keene at Concord, Sept. 29, 1 p.m.
• Manchester Memorial at Goffstown, Sept. 29, 1:30 p.m.

South/East Cluster

• Timberlane at Portsmouth, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.
• Dover at Spaulding, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.: The state's oldest rivalry resumes, with the Green Wave looking for their fourth straight win over the Red Raiders. Dover holds a 68-46-6 lead in the series, which dates back to 1906.
• Salem at Pinkerton, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.: The Astros' win in the semifinals last year snapped a two-game losing streak against the Blue Devils. Before that, Pinkerton had won every meeting since 2010.
• Windham at Londonderry, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.
• Exeter at Winnacunnet, Sept. 29, 1:30 p.m.: The Warriors have beaten the Blue Hawks just three times since 2008 - in 2010, 2012 and 2017 - and each time, Winnacunnet has eventually advanced to the title game. Last year was just the second time in six meetings that the game was decided by more than a touchdown.

Week 6

North/West Cluster

• Bedford at Nashua South, Oct. 5, 6:30 p.m.
• Merrimack at Keene, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.: The Tomahawks have won the last two meetings, including last year, after the Blackbirds had won the previous seven games against Merrimack.
• Manchester Memorial at Concord, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.
• Goffstown at Manchester Central, Oct. 5, 7:15 p.m.
• Nashua North at Bishop Guertin, Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m.: The Titans have won three in a row against the Cardinals, scoring an average of 60 points in each game.

South/East Cluster

• Pinkerton at Timberlane, Oct. 5, 6:30 p.m.
• Winnacunnet at Londonderry, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.
• Windham at Salem, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.: The first meeting in what could become the state's newest rivalry, as Windham's high schoolers used to attend Salem before the new high school opened in 2009.
• Portsmouth at Dover, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.: The Clippers and the Green Wave have split their last four meetings, with Portsmouth averaging 32 points per game and Dover scoring an average of 30.3.
• Spaulding at Exeter, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.

Week 7

North/West Cluster

• Keene at Nashua North, Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m.
• Merrimack at Concord, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.
• Nashua South at Goffstown, Oct. 13, 1:30 p.m.: The Grizzlies handed the Panthers one of the worst losses in the program's history when they played in 2015.
• Manchester Central at Manchester Memorial, Oct. 13, 2 p.m.: For the second year in a row, the Little Green needed a second-half comeback to beat the Crusaders, their third win in a row against Memorial.
• Bishop Guertin at Bedford, Oct. 13, 5 p.m.: The Cardinals and Bulldogs meet for the first time since Bedford's remarkable comeback in the 2015 quarterfinals. Bedford has won all three meetings with Bishop Guertin.

South/East Cluster

• Salem at Winnacunnet, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.: The last time these teams met in 2015, the Blue Devils scored a late touchdown to best the Warriors in a game that propelled Salem to its first playoff berth since 2009.
• Exeter at Dover, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.: Since both teams moved into D1 in 2013, the Blue Hawks have won all five meetings by an average of four touchdowns. Last year's 28-10 win by Exeter was the closest of the five games.
• Pinkerton at Portsmouth, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.
• Londonderry at Spaulding, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.
• Timberlane at Windham, Oct. 13, 1:30 p.m.

Week 8

North/West Cluster

• Manchester Memorial at Nashua South, Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m.
• Nashua North at Merrimack, Oct. 19, 7 p.m.: For the second year in a row, North coach Dante Laurendi returns to Merrimack to face the Tomahawks team he used to coach. Last year, the Titans grabbed a 45-20 win.
• Concord at Manchester Central, Oct. 19, 7:15 p.m.: Last season, the Little Green needed to make a defensive stand late to come away with a two-point win, 28-26, over the Crimson Tide. The last four games between the two have been decided by an average of 6.3 points.
• Bedford at Keene, Oct. 20, 1:30 p.m.
• Goffstown at Bishop Guertin, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m.

South/East Cluster

• Winnacunnet at Timberlane, Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m.: The Owls rumbled to a 24-13 win over the Warriors in 2015 on the way to Timberlane's only playoff berth since 2008.
• Windham at Pinkerton, Oct. 19, 7 p.m.
• Portsmouth at Exeter, Oct. 19, 7 p.m.
• Spaulding at Salem, Oct. 19, 7 p.m.
• Dover at Londonderry, Oct. 19, 7 p.m.: These teams have met three times since 2010, despite being in different divisions and conferences during that stretch. The Lancers have won two of the three games, including a 55-24 win in 2015.

Week 9

North/West Cluster

• Concord at Nashua North, Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m.: The Titans have won the last five meetings with the Crimson Tide, including come-from-behind wins in both 2012 and 2015, the last two times they've played.
• Nashua South at Manchester Central, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.
• Merrimack at Bedford, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.: The first meeting between these two teams since the Bulldogs' comeback win over the Tomahawks in the 2016 semifinals. Merrimack has never beaten Bedford.
• Bishop Guertin at Manchester Memorial, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.
• Keene at Goffstown, Oct. 27, 1:30 p.m.

South/East Cluster

• Pinkerton at Winnacunnet, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.: A rematch of last year's championship game, which the Warriors won to cap an undefeated season and capture their first title since 2012.
• Timberlane at Spaulding, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.
• Salem at Dover, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.
• Londonderry at Exeter, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.: Potentially a game that could have playoff implications in the final week of the regular season. The Blue Hawks needed a goal line stand on the final play to beat the Lancers in the teams' last meeting in 2015.
• Portsmouth at Windham, Oct. 27, 1:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals

• Saturday, Nov. 3, at the home of the higher seed

Semifinals

• Saturday, Nov. 10, at the home of the higher seed

Championship

• Saturday, Nov. 17, at the University of New Hampshire