Playoff Picture: Division II Conference Championships

The postseason has arrived for Division II football. Here's a look at the final standings and the matchups for Saturday's conference championship games.

East Conference

1. St. Thomas (7-1, 15.00)*
2. Merrimack Valley (5-3, 10.00)*
3. Kingswood (3-5, 4.75)
4. Pembroke (2-6, 3.00)
5. Manchester West (1-7, 1.75)

Conference Championship: Merrrimack Valley at St. Thomas, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. St. Thomas won the regular-season meeting, 17-12, back on Sept. 20. In that game, MV quarterback Ivan Niyomugabo, who has verbally committed to UNH, injured his wrist and hasn't played since. The Pride went 4-1 in its final five games without Niyomugabo and averaged 32.4 points in those games. The Saints' lone loss came in a 35-28 defeat at Laconia on Oct. 3. In its other seven games, St. Thomas allowed 9.6 points per. The winner will likely be on the road for the semifinals.

North Conference

1. Kennett (8-0, 17.25)*
2. Kearsarge (5-3, 9.75)*
3. Lebanon (5-3, 9.50)
4. Plymouth (4-4, 9.00)
5. Laconia (4-4, 8.25)
6. Hanover (1-7, 2.00)

Conference Championship: Kearsarge at Kennett, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. Kennett won the regular-season meeting 38-21 on Sept. 12, the most points the Eagles have allowed all season. Kennett has averaged 35.1 points this season, including 39.8 in its last five. Kearsarge started the season 2-2, but won three of its final four, including wins over Lebanon (41-6) and Laconia (33-30) to get into the postseason.

South Conference

1. Windham (8-0, 17.50)*
2. Milford (5-3, 10.00)*
3. Trinity (5-3, 9.75)
4. Souhegan (5-3, 9.75)
5. Pelham (2-6, 3.25)

Conference Championship: Milford at Windham, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. Windham won the regular-season meeting 41-0 on Oct. 24. The Jaguars led 21-0 at halftime and scored on their first six possessions, but the Spartans dominated time of possession in the first half and had three drives stall inside the Windham 20. The Jaguars had three shutouts on the season and allowed more than 12 points just twice. Milford averages 32.2 points when it wins, but just 6.7 when it loses.

West Conference

1. Sanborn (5-3, 9.00)*
2. Hollis Brookline (4-4, 7.50)*
3. John Stark (2-6, 3.25)
4. Monadnock (2-6, 3.25)
5. ConVal (1-7, 2.25)

Conference Championship: Hollis Brookline at Sanborn, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. Sanborn won the regular-season meeting 14-13 on Sept. 20. The Indians closed the regular season with a three-game winning streak, with wins over Monadnock, Pelham and John Stark. HB had the final week of the season off, and after scoring just 21 points in a three-week stretch, the Cavaliers scored 44 in their final two games. When using rating to rank teams in the division, Sanborn is tied for 10th and HB is 12th. The winner will likely be on the road for the semifinals, regardless of what happens in the other conference games.

Semifinals: Nov. 15 at the home of the higher seed. (Seeding will be determined by the ratings of the four remaining teams, not including the result of the conference championship).

Championship game: Nov. 22, 2:30 p.m. at UNH.