Football Rewind: Week 9

While everyone else in Division I and II was battling it out on the football field in games that would decide the postseason, the high school football teams from Nashua North and Merrimack were playing what amounted to a mid-season exhibition game last Friday in the next-to-last week of the regular season.

The Tomahawks won a game in which both teams had pulled their regulars by the start of the second quarter. Although both sides made a move typically only seen in blowouts and preseason games, neither North coach Jason Robie nor Merrimack coach Joe Battista could be blamed for it. Both teams are very much alive for a playoff spot in their respective divisions, and risking injury or fatigue to a key player in a meaningless game would be ridiculous.

But not nearly ridiculous as having to play a game that doesn't count right in the middle of the stretch run.

Now, on to the playoff picture in the top three divisions.

Division I

Hard to believe, but the playoff scenarios in the large-school division got cloudier last week, thanks to Concord's upset win over Salem.

Nashua South took care of business, beating Exeter 42-19, to pull even with North in the standings. Both teams sit at 5-2 behind Pinkerton, which is 6-1 after holding off Manchester Central (4-3) 20-13. Salem (4-3) is still in the mix, but the Blue Devils' loss opens the door for Londonderry (3-4), which knocked out Manchester Memorial last week and could still get in with a win over Salem this week and a lot of help.

Going into this week, the top three teams - Pinkerton, North and South - are all in the playoffs. What order they'll be in remains to be seen. The Astros take the No. 1 seed with a win over Memorial, and the only way Pinkerton wouldn't end up as the top seed is if it finishes in a tie with North at 6-2. For that top happen, the Titans would need to beat Exeter on Saturday, while South would have to lose to Central on Friday.

As for that fourth playoff spot, Salem is in with a win, regardless of what happens in the Central-South game and the Exeter-North game. If the Blue Devils lose, and Central beats South, the Little Green are in. If Salem and Central both lose, that opens the door for Londonderry, depending on the tiebreakers.

Our best guess? 1. Pinkerton (7-1); 2. Nashua South (6-2); 3. Nashua North (6-2); 4. Salem (5-3). That would mean semifinal games of Salem at Pinkerton and North "at" South.

Division II

Only two things are certain here - a win by Bishop Guertin (6-1) gives the Cardinals the No. 1 seed, and a loss by Merrimack (4-3) eliminates it from the postseason.

Other than that, a number of different things could happen. BG is the only team that's already in the playoffs, as the top six teams all play each other. The Cardinals, who used a big second half to beat Alvirne last week, will host Keene (5-2) on Saturday. Timberlane (5-2) plays at Dover (5-2) and Merrimack is at Winnacunnet (5-2), with both games Friday.

A win by Bishop Guertin gives it the No. 1 seed, while a loss drops the Cardinals down to at least No. 2 or as low as No. 4 if they finish tied at 6-2 with Keene, Dover and Winnacunnet.

Keene is in with a win over Bishop Guertin, or a loss and wins by Dover and Winnacunnet, or Dover and Merrimack. If they get in, the Blackbirds could finish as high as No. 1 or as low as No. 4.

Winnacunnet is in with a win over Merrimack, or a loss combined with a Keene loss and a Dover loss.  If the Warriors get in, they could finish as high as No. 1 or as low as No. 4.

Dover is in with a win over Timberlane, or a loss combined with a Keene loss and a Merrimack loss. If the Green Wave gets in, it could finish as high as No. 1 and as low as No. 4.

Timberlane is in with a win over Dover, or a loss combined with a Winnacunnet loss. If the Owls get in, they could be as high as No. 2 or as low as No. 4.

Merrimack needs to beat Winnacunnet, and gets in only if combined with a loss by Dover. If the Tomahawks get in, they would be either the third or fourth seed.

Our best guess? It's as good as yours.

Division III

This seems to be the division with the most figured out, just because Souhegan will be the No. 1 seed no matter what it does against Bedford on Friday. The Sabers took care of business themselves last week, pounding Pelham 56-6 to improve to 7-0 in Division III.

With a two-game lead over Portsmouth (5-2) and Milford (5-2), Souhegan could lose to Bedford and still get that top spot.

Bedford (4-3) is in a bit of a tailspin after losing to Portsmouth last week, the Bulldogs third straight loss. Milford was able to hold off Hollis/Brookline (4-3) to put itself in good position heading into the final week.

Both Portsmouth and Milford would seem to be virtual locks to get into the postseason, as the Clippers will play at Pembroke (2-5) and the Spartans travel to Pelham (0-7) in the regular-season finale. If both teams win, Portsmouth would get the No. 2 seed because of the head-to-head tiebreaker with Milford, meaning a semifinal game between the two would be played on the seacoast.

As for the final playoff spot, it will come down to either Bedford, which plays at Souhegan, and H/B and Goffstown (4-3), who face each other on Saturday in Hollis. H/B holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with Bedford, while the Bulldogs have the tiebreaker with the Grizzlies.

H/B gets in with a win no matter what Bedford does, while the Bulldogs need to beat Souhegan and have Goffstown beat H/B to get the final playoff spot. Goffstown needs to win and have Bedford lose to get in. Of course, that's all assuming that both Portsmouth and Milford take care of business.

Our best guess? 1. Souhegan (8-0); 2. Portsmouth (6-2); 3. Milford (6-2); 4. Hollis/Brookline (5-3). That would make for semifinal matchups of H/B at Souhegan and Milford at Portsmouth.