Playoff Preview: Division I football

The regular season is history and the matchups are set for the Division I football playoffs. Here's a look at each other quarterfinal games.

South/East Bracket

1. Pinkerton (7-2) - South Conference champion
2. Exeter (7-2) - East Conference champion
3. Salem (7-2)
4. Timberlane (7-2)

Quarterfinals: Timberlane at Pinkerton

The Owls pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the football season when they went into Derry and beat the Astros 31-28 on Oct. 16. Timberlane's reward: the opportunity to do it again. The Owls won that game in a wild finish that saw Timberlane's Travis Hall return an interception for what appeared to be a game-finishing touchdown, only to have Pinkerton's Nico Buccieri return the kickoff 70 yards for a score. That was part of a six-game winning streak to end the season for the Owls, while it was Pinkerton's second loss in a row, something that hadn't happened since 2009. Timberlane is in the postseason for the first time since 2008, while Pinkerton hasn't missed the playoff since 2002. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Derry.

Quarterfinals: Salem at Exeter

In one of the more controversial games of the season, Exeter scored on fourth down in the game's final seconds after officials stopped the clock in order to spot the football. Kyle Ball's 1-yard touchdown run with 7.6 seconds left gave the Blue Hawks a 14-10 win in a game played at Salem. This time, the teams will shift to Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter, where the Blue Hawks lost just once this year. Salem has won four in a row since the loss, and running back Charles Sibanda has been leading the way, although he had just 52 yards rushing in the first meeting. Exeter has lost two in a row after starting 7-0. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. in Exeter.

North/West Bracket

1. Goffstown (9-0) - North Conference champion
2. Bishop Guertin (6-3) - West Conference champion
3. Bedford (8-1)
4. Nashua North (6-3)

Quarterfinals: Nashua North at Goffstown

These teams met back on Sept. 18, with Goffstown getting a 35-6 win. The Titans were the only team to score on the Grizzlies' first-team defense through the first five weeks of the season, and it took Goffstown until the second half to put the game out of reach. The loss dropped North to 1-2, but the Titans won five of their final six games, thanks in part to the emergence of running back Devin Leonard. Goffstown has been battling injuries and illness of late, but should have quarterback Casey Gervais back after he missed last week's win over Manchester Memorial. Both teams are ending playoff droughts, as Goffstown is in for the first time since 2012, when it was in Division III, and North is making its first appearance since 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Goffstown.

Quarterfinals: Bedford at Bishop Guertin

The Bulldogs and Cardinals also met in the third week of the season, with Bedford needing a second-half rally to win 43-22. Nicholas Leahy had four touchdowns for the Bulldogs and Connor Robert threw for three more scored 22 unanswered points. That game was also one of seven this year in which Bedford scored 40 or more points. Like North, Bishop Guertin was 1-2 after the loss, but went on to win five of its final six games to win the West Conference for the second straight year. Cardinals' quarterback JT Hiscoe returned last week from an injury suffered against Goffstown and helped lead an offense that has scored 50 or more points six times this year. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.

Preseason picks

Here are the predictions we made before the season started.

Playoff teams: Pinkerton, Salem, Exeter, Winnacunnet, Goffstown, Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Concord. Put Timberlane in for Winnacunnet and Nashua North for Concord.

Final four: Pinkerton, Exeter, Bishop Guertin, Goffstown.

Championship: Pinkerton over Goffstown.