Second weekend of football playoffs about to get underway

There are five unbeaten teams still alive in the high school football playoffs and one of those is playing for a title this weekend.

Raymond earned the top seed in Division IV, running the table in the regular season to finish 7-0. A 34-0 win over No. 4 Franklin in the semifinals last week has the Rams at 8-0 heading into Saturday’s 1 p.m. championship game against No. 2 Mascoma Valley (7-1) at Laconia High School.

The other four undefeated appearances consist of semifinal matchups for Plymouth (9-0) in Division II and Campbell (9-0) in Division III, and Division I quarterfinal games for Bedford (9-0) and Exeter (9-0).

Division IV

Championship

No. 2 Mascoma Valley (7-1) vs. No. 1 Raymond (8-0), Saturday, 1 p.m., at Laconia High School

Raymond is hoping the last game of the season ends in similar fashion to its opener.

The Rams traveled to Canaan and beat Mascoma Valley 39-12 all the way back on Sept. 14, and now just over three months later, they have a chance to hoist the Division IV plaque in their first ever championship-game appearance with another win over the Royals.

Mascoma has won seven straight since that opening loss, including a 44-6 thrashing of No. 3 Hillsboro-Deering in last week’s semifinal.

Led by quarterback Ethan Deroche and his top targets Dre Duffaut and Dennis Glidden, Raymond has scored a minimum of 34 points in seven of its eight wins. However, it’s the Rams defense that is in the spotlight. Raymond’s defense has allowed just 39 points combined this season. The Rams pitched three regular-season shutouts, and the most points allowed in a game was 12, to Mascoma and Hillsboro-Deering.

Mascoma’s offense caught fire after that opening loss. Led by quarterback Brody Goulette, the Royals scored at least 28 points in each of their victories, but also recorded five wins with 40 or more - including a 60-point effort at Winnisquam and 48 versus H-D.

Unlike first-timer Raymond, Mascoma has been in a final. The last title game appearance didn’t end well, as the Royals lost 42-22 to Franklin in the Division VI final in 2012.

Division II

Semifinals

No. 3 Trinity (9-1) at No. 2 Pelham (9-1), Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Pelham fans have been champing at the bit for this matchup since Oct. 18. That was the day that Trinity came into the Pythons home and left with a 41-28 win to snap Pelham's historic winning streak at 47.

Pelham, which owned the third longest winning streak nationally before losing that game, hopes this home game isn’t as welcoming to the Pioneers - who are the lower seed despite that regular-season win because the Pythons won the West Conference to automatically earn one of the top two seeds. Undefeated Plymouth beat out Trinity for the East Conference crown.

Pelham head coach Justin Hufft isn’t as focused on that regular-season game as maybe those outside the locker room are.

“They were the better team that day,” Hufft said. “It’s really as simple as that. They beat us up front and it opened up some explosive plays that we didn’t stop. So much has changed for both teams since that game. What we’ve been working on this week is trying to neutralize them up front and limit the explosive plays. We know they are going to hit on a few, but limiting those is key.”

Trinity head coach Rob Cathcart agrees that the teams facing off this week aren’t the same ones from that regular-season matchup. He also knows it’s tough to beat a team as good as Pelham is twice in one season.

“You have to play to cover every area of the field,” Cathcart said. “Justin is a terrific coach, he’s coached for a while, and has had success. I kind of figured as the season wore on, we were going to start to see more spread. We did (last Friday) against West.

"We’re prepared for that, but then you have to be prepared for the double wing, which they’ve had success at already. It’s a matter of trying to figure out what your best defensive look is against each formation.”

Trinity and Pelham are led by two of the 10 semifinalists for this year’s Joe Yukica Player of the Year Award, with Anthony Digiantommaso pacing the Pioneers and Junior MacKinnon leading the Pythons.

Both squads reached the semis in relatively easy fashion, Pelham topping No. 7 Manchester West 35-0 and Trinity blanking No. 6 Bow 28-0 in last week’s quarterfinals.

With that streak over, Pelham’s main focus is on a fifth straight title. Before jumping up a division, the Pythons won Division III titles in 2020 and 2021, the latter being a win over Trinity. Pelham has since won the last two Division II titles.

The Pioneers jumped up a division this year after winning last year’s Division III title.

“We’re excited to be playing another week,” Hufft said. “Players and coaches are excited and we’re going to put our best effort on the field for an opportunity to play one more week.”

No. 4 Souhegan (8-2) at No. 1 Plymouth (10-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Fourth-seeded Souhegan pushed top-seeded Plymouth to the brink of its only loss in the third-to-last week of the regular season.

The Bobcats needed overtime to pull out that 28-21 win in Amherst - a game that ended with the Sabers falling just three yards short of tying it up in the extra session. This weekend, they’re looking to avoid another close one with the Sabers in what is a rematch of last year’s semifinal round. Plymouth eked out a 21-20 win in that one.

The Bobcats haven’t lost a home playoff game since 1999 - Laconia in the Division III semifinals - and they’re hoping to keep that streak alive by leaning heavily on running backs Robbie Thorne and Tristan Patridge. Eating up yardage and the clock would limit the amount of time Souhegan quarterback Michael Fiengo can work his magic with receiver Aidan McGrath and running back Ryan Raudelunas.

Division III

Semifinals

No. 4 Gilford (6-3) at No. 1 Campbell (9-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Yes, there’s a playoff game between two teams in Litchfield this weekend. Yes, Campbell is undefeated as a unit. Yes, all eyes will be focused on Cougars running back Scott Hershberger.

The senior has 5,875 career rushing yards entering the semifinal game against Gilford. He needs 16 yards to break the NHIAA career rushing yards record currently held by former Souhegan star Sean Jellison, who also holds state records for career touchdowns (103) and touchdowns in a season (41).

Hershberger took over Campbell’s school record during the Cougars’ 50-14 regular-season win over Gilford on Oct. 5. That record was previously held by Keegan Mills (5,148).

First-year head coach Brandt O’Hara knows exactly what his fourth-seeded Gilford squad is up against.

“Of course all the talk heading into this game is about all the things that Campbell can do,” O’Hara said. “They’re the No. 1 seed for a reason. And that Hershberger kid is a big reason why. He’s going for the rushing record, and it’s our job to limit his big plays.”

Gilford has reached the Division III semifinals in its first season since dropping from Division II. It beat No. 5 Newport 40-20 in last weeks quarterfinals.

The Golden Eagles are no slouch. They’ve won four straight, including that quarterfinal, since suffering consecutive losses to Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough (14-6) and Campbell. Gilford’s other loss came in its Week 2 rivalry game against Laconia (28-12).

“We are confident,” O’Hara said. “We are always going to be confident. We’re always looking to take the field and play a complete game. I think we have a new identity on defense since that regular-season loss and we’ll go out on that field and give our best every down and see what happens.”

No. 3 Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough (8-1) at No. 2 Monadnock (8-1), 1 p.m.

ILM’s defense allowed 61 points to the opposition this regular season. While that seems like a lot, researching the number brings clarity to why the Lakers’ defense is considered top tier.

ILM’s only loss this season was courtesy of top-seeded Campbell. The Cougars accounted for more than half of that points against total in a 34-12 win back on Sept. 21. Other than that lopsided affair, ILM posted three shutouts and three more wins allowing seven or less points - including a 14-6 win over No. 4 Gilford. The Lakers allowed 13 points in last week’s quarterfinal win over No. 6 Stevens (18-13).

Monadnock has only lost one game this year as well. Like ILM, the Huskies fell to Campbell in a blowout. The Cougars won that regular-season finale 50-26.

Using the respective meetings with Campbell is the best comparison, as Monadnock and ILM didn’t meet in the regular season. The game is in East Swanzey because Monadnock won the West Conference to lock in the No. 2 seed.

The victor travels to Amherst for the title game at Souhegan High School against the Campbell-Gilford winner.

ILM is looking to get back to the Division III final for the first time since losing 46-20 to Stevens in 2016. The program did win a Division VI title back in 2009. Monadnock’s last final appearance was a 15-12 win over Campbell for the Division III crown in 2018.

Division I

Quarterfinals

No. 7 Manchester Memorial (7-2) at No. 2 Exeter (8-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Manchester Memorial head coach Robert Sturgis is feeling good heading into this weekend. His Crusaders know they are facing one of the best teams in the state, but they also have confidence in their game plan and each other.

“The kids and coaches have all put in the time to be prepared for this game,” said Sturgis, whose team advanced with a 22-13 first-round win over No. 10 Winnacunnet last week. “The biggest thing is going out there and having the confidence to be in the game and know you have a chance.”

If the regular-season result on Oct. 18 is any indication, Memorial does have a chance. The Crusaders’ defense held the Blue Hawks, led by senior quarterback Michael Caron, to just 13 points in a 13-6 loss. Exeter put up at least 21 points in every other win this season to earn the second seed and a first-round bye.

“This is what you want as a coach and as a player,” Sturgis said. “A chance to play a top dog in the playoffs, and go out there and prove you belong on the same field.”

No. 6 Nashua South (7-2) at No. 3 Londonderry (6-2), 1 p.m.

Nashua South and Londonderry didn’t face off this regular season, but Panthers head coach Scott Knight knows what the Lancers can do.

“I’ve taken a good look at them,” Knight said. “They’ve got a couple of dudes up front. They’re pretty physical. They get their hands on you and fold you in half. We’re going to have to deal with that. We’ll have to play well up front. They’re a good team. I know Bedford has won the last two, but I think Londonderry went in as the favorite at the start of the season.”

South started strong, winning seven straight. It dropped the last two of the regular season to Bedford (38-14) and Goffstown (14-6), but the Panthers bounced back with a 59-26 throttling of No. 11 Bishop Guertin in last week’s first round.

Londonderry, which has reached the Division I title game in four of the last five seasons - winning in 2019 and 2021 - lost to No. 4 Pinkerton 38-15 on Mack Plaque rivalry weekend back in September, and then dropped its regular-season finale to No. 2 Exeter 21-10.

No. 8 Alvirne (7-3) at No. 1 Bedford (8-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Michael Landmesser rushed for 160 yards and four touchdowns to power Alvirne past No. 9 Concord in late week’s opening round. The Broncos didn’t have much time to celebrate winning their first ever home playoff game. In fact, they’re going to need another big showing from Landmesser and receiver Ryan Rocheleau, who is one of 10 semifinalists for this year’s Joe Yukica Player of the Year Award.

Alvirne head coach Matt Lee knows the challenge ahead for his Broncos. Bedford is led by a pair of Yukica semifinalists in Bennett Matthews and Brody Helton.

“It's been a while (since Alvirne has played Bedford),” Lee said. “They’re really good. They’re as advertised. They haven’t done a lot of losing the last three years.”

No. 12 Windham (4-5) at No. 4 Pinkerton (7-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

The Brearley brothers were on a mission last week. The duo helped propel No. 12 Windham into the quarterfinals with an 8-7 upset win over No. 6 Salem in first round action.

Michael Brearley scored on a 1-yard run with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, setting the stage for his brother Chris to punch in the 2-point conversion. It was enough offense as the Jaguars defense shut down a normally high-powered Blue Devils offense.

Now Windham’s defensive unit has the task of shutting down another high-scoring offense when it faces Joe Yukica Player of the Year Award semifinalist Matt Morrison and No. 4 Pinkerton Academy in the quarterfinals Friday night.

The Astros won the regular-season meeting over Windham 24-8 back on Sept. 21.