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# Cavs face Sabers in program's first playoff game
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/cavs-face-sabers-in-programs-first-playoff-game/
- Published: 2010-11-13T16:00:09.000Z
- Updated: 2010-11-13T16:00:09.000Z
- Description: History will be made Saturday when the Hollis/Brookline High School football team takes the field for the first playoff game in the program’s history.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division III-IV, Fall Sports, Brookline, Division III, football, Hollis, playoffs, Souhegan, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/shsfball1009-shs7-1.jpg "SHSfball1009 SHS7-1")

History will be made Saturday when the Hollis/Brookline High School football team takes the field for the first playoff game in the program’s history.

Souhegan is hoping that’s where the history ends.

The top-seeded Sabers will host the fourth-seeded Cavaliers Saturday at 1 p.m. in Amherst in the Division III semifinals. Souhegan will be looking to make it to the championship game for the fourth straight year, while H/B is trying to continue what has been the best season in its short history. A win would also be the Cavs’ first against the Sabers.

Souhegan won the regular-season meeting this year 36-15 on Sept. 24 and coach Mike Beliveau believes H/B has improved greatly since that game.

“They have gotten better as a program in a year a tremendous amount,” he said. “They continue to get better as the season has gone on. They’ve bought into the weight room as a team and look stronger. They’ve bought in the running game to keep the other team’s offense on the sideline. They’re functioning at a high level on offense and their defense has done an excellent job.”

H/B’s defense recorded three shutouts on the season, the most in New Hampshire football along with Dover, Kennett and Lebanon. That includes a 28-0 win over Goffstown last week in a game that the Cavs needed to win in order to get into the postseason.

“They’re in a must-win game last week and pitch a shutout,” Beliveau said. “They have to be a confident bunch riding high and excited about being in the playoffs for the first time. We’re working extra hard and we certainly expect it to be a difficult test.”

Offensively, H/B (5-3 in division) has also put together its best season statistically, putting up records in rushing yards (2,262) and total yards (3,002). Leading the way have been running backs Colin Pellerin (1,006 yards, eight touchdowns) and Brian Liamos (798 yards, 10 touchdowns).

“They have a few running backs,” Beliveau said. “Liamos really runs tough. Pellerin has emerged as another excellent runner. Sometimes they put Liamos at quarterback and he runs from there. We have to have a great emphasis at doing a good job against the run and force them to the air. (Quarterback) Kyle Gervais is a very good player, but we need to stop the ground game.”

The Sabers (8-0) have done a good job stopping just about everyone. Since losing to Manchester Central in a non-division game on Oct. 2, Souhegan was won five straight and allowed more than seven points just once during that stretch.

The offense had been averaging 42.5 points during that stretch before scoring just 14 in last week’s win over Bedford.

“We were improving offensively,” Beliveau said. “Last game, our opponent played us tough and we hurt ourselves.”

Souhegan also enters Saturday’s game a little banged up, but Beliveau was hopeful some of those players will be ready to go by kickoff.

“We took on a few injuries against Bedford,” he said. “I’m hopeful that we get them all back.”