Division II

Playoff preview: Division II football

The regular season is history and the matchups are set for the Division II football playoffs.

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

Playoff seedings

St. Thomas (8-0) - East Conference champion
Windham (7-1) - South Conference champion
Kennett (7-1) - North Conference champion
Souhegan (7-1)
Milford (7-1)
Kearsarge (6-2)
Lebanon (5-3)
Monadnock (5-4) - West Conference champion

Quarterfinals: Monadnock at St. Thomas

It's pretty simple: the Huskies are in the postseason because they were allowed to play a ninth game (that counted) within the division during their bye week. If that game didn't count, John Stark would be heading to Dover to face St. Thomas. Monadnock started the season 4-1, but dropped three of its final four games to fall down to the eighth seed. The Huskies will be the first team with a winning record that the Saints have played this season. St. Thomas quarterback Stephen Hedberg has thrown for 24 touchdowns and four interceptions. Last year, when the Saints reached the final, he had a state-record 35 passing TDs, giving the senior 59 in the past two seasons. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at St. Thomas.

Quarterfinals: Lebanon at Windham

Both teams have hit some late-season struggles, as Lebanon dropped two of its final three games to end the regular season. Windham bounced back from its only loss by narrowly getting past Monadnock in the finale and the Jaguars will likely again be without quarterback Griffin Lippold on Saturday. Lebanon's offense centers around running back Ryan Milliken, who leads the state in rushing with over 1,400 yards. The two teams haven't played since the 2012 season, when both were in Division IV. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Windham.

Quarterfinals: Kearsarge at Kennett

One of two games between conference foes, and of course, teams that played in the regular season. And there weren't many games closer than this regular-season game, which Kennett won 34-33 in overtime. Kearsarge is coming off a high-scoring win over Laconia in which the Cougars won 54-48. They've got two running backs - Riley Antle and Justin Norris - who have both gone over a thousand yards rushing for the season. The Eagles have won five in a row and have lost just once in their last 12 games at home. Of course, that one loss was to St. Thomas in last year's semifinals. Quarterback Will Pollard leads the Eagles' offense with 16 touchdowns this season. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. at Kennett.

Quarterfinals: Milford at Souhegan

These teams will meet in the postseason for the fourth time, with Souhegan having won the first three, including the 2004 Division III championship. Both were in the playoffs every year from that season until 2010, but this is just the second time since then they've both advance, the other in 2012. Souhegan hasn't won a playoff game since the 2010 D3 championship, while Milford has lost its last eight straight playoff games. The Sabers won the regular-season meeting, 41-13, in the third week of the season. The Spartans have won five in a row since, including handing Windham its only loss. Souhegan has won four straight since its lone loss of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Souhegan.