The land of the unbeaten, 2013 edition

“The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing,” - Eugene Delacroix, French Romantic painter, 1798-1863.

It's Feb. 1, playoffs for the high school winter season begin in a few weeks, and there are a handful of teams left in the state who are gunning for an undefeated season.

Going into Friday's games, there are 11 teams in boys and girls basketball and boys and girls hockey with a perfect record. Will any of them finish the season that way? Let's take a look.

Division I boys basketball

The lone division in any sport where two teams remain undefeated, but its guaranteed that only one can stay that way. Both Manchester Central (10-0) and Trinity (9-0) enter Friday's games with an unblemished record, and both face good competition. The Little Green host rival Manchester Memorial (7-2) while Trinity is hosting Alvirne (6-4).

Of the two, it would appear that Trinity has the better chance of pulling off perfection. The Pioneers have already tussled with some of the division's contenders and come out on top, and after the game against Alvirne, Trinity's toughest will be on Feb. 5 at Merrimack (7-3).

Central also goes on the road on Feb. 5, making the trek out to Spaulding (10-1). On Feb. 19, the Little Green host Nashua South (8-1) and they end the season on March 1 at Bedford (5-5).

Both teams could fall from the ranks as early as Friday, but one will certainly fall on Feb. 26. That's when the teams will meet at Central.

Chances: At best, it's 50-50, but the guess is that neither team makes it through the regular season unscathed.

Division II boys

As expected, Pembroke Academy (11-0) is at the top of the standings, and so far, has had enough to beat every other contender.

And it really has been every contender. The Spartans have already beaten Lebanon (7-3), Portsmouth (7-2), Souhegan (5-3), Pelham (6-5), Hollis Brookline (6-3), Goffstown (4-6), John Stark (5-4), Merrimack Valley (4-6) and Windham (4-5). If the season ended Friday, all of those teams would be in the playoffs.

The rest of the schedule isn't much easier. Pembroke plays at Plymouth (6-3) on Friday and at Bishop Brady (6-3) on Feb. 8. Other potentially tough games include a rematches with Goffstown on Feb. 12 and Lebanon on Feb. 28, plus Coe-Brown (7-2) on Feb. 15 and at Oyster River (6-3) on Feb. 26.

Of its 18 games, Pembroke could potentially play all but one against other playoff teams.

While there have been some blowouts of good teams - Portsmouth by 17, Lebanon by 23 - there have been close games for the Spartans as well. They beat Souhegan by four and Goffstown and Hanover by three each.

Chances: All the teams left on Pembroke's schedule are good, but are any of them good enough? The gut feeling is no. Although Pembroke is beatable, the guess is the Spartans make it to the tourney undefeated.

Division III boys

If anyone had predicted that one team would remain unbeaten in the division on Feb. 1, not many would have guessed it would be Newport (13-0). There are three one-loss teams right in the standings, and the Tigers will make it to the playoffs without playing any of them.

In fact, Newport will play just five games all year against teams that currently have a winning record. The Tigers have already won the first four, beating Stevens (8-5) and Mascoma Valley (7-4) twice. The final one is scheduled for Feb. 4 against Hopkinton (7-4).

There are two other potential speed bumps for the Tigers. On Feb. 15, they'll head to Monadnock (3-6), a team Newport beat by three points on Jan. 25. The Tigers will finished the regular season on Feb. 22 at Kearsarge (4-8), who they beat by five on Jan. 9.

Chances: Not good. Someone knocks off Newport before the tourney. The guess its one of the road games at Monadnock or Kearsarge.

Division IV boys

Unlike Newport, Newmarket (12-0) entered the season as the favorite in the division, and the Mules have a trio of tough games - all rematches - down the stretch.

First up is a game against Concord Christian (8-4) on Feb. 1; the Mules won the first meeting 62-42 on the road. Then its Derryfield (9-3) on Feb. 12; Newmarket won the first time 49-36 on Jan. 4. Finally, the Mules host Pittsfield (9-2) on Feb. 20; when the teams first played, Newmarket won 58-38.

The Mules have three other games against teams in the bottom half of the standings: at Sunapee (4-7) on Feb. 5; home to Nute (0-9) on Feb. 7; hosting Moultonborough (4-8) on Feb. 15.

Chances: Very good. The guess is that Newmarket makes it to the tournament undefeated.

Division I girls basketball

It's the first day of February and Pinkerton (12-0) stands as the only undefeated team in the division, but the Astros still have a daunting schedule left to play.

Pinkerton's next four games are all against the other teams in the top five in the division. The gauntlet starts on Feb. 1 in Derry with rival Londonderry (9-2). Then its another home game on Feb. 8 against Nashua North (10-1), followed by road contests at Bishop Guertin (10-1) on Feb. 12 and at Bedford (11-2) on Feb. 15.

The Astros finish up the regular season at home against Manchester Memorial (3-8) on Feb. 19 and Salem (6-5) on Feb. 21, but they could already have one loss - maybe more - by then.

Chances: Not good. That four-game stretch will tell the rest of the division if Pinkerton is for real, but the guess is the Astros go 2-2, at best.

Division II girls

Lebanon (12-0) is the remaining undefeated here, and like the Pembroke boys, the Raiders have a two-game advantage in the loss column over everyone.

Unlike Pembroke, Lebanon has been dominating the competition. The Raiders have outscored their opponents this year by a total of 346 points, an average of over 28 points per game. No team has been within single digits of Lebanon this year; in fact, the closest games this year for the Raiders were 23-point wins over Goffstown (9-3) and Windham (9-2).

The Raiders will play Goffstown again on Feb. 8. Before that, they have home games against Coe-Brown (6-5) on Friday and Hanover (7-4) on Feb. 6. Lebanon won the first meeting with Hanover by 25 points.

While Lebanon has posted wins over Windham, Goffstown, Hanover and Milford, it won't play a couple of other teams currently in the top eight. Any meeting with Kennett (9-2), Portsmouth (9-2) or Hollis Brookline (8-3) will have to wait until the playoffs.

Chances: As close to a sure thing as possible. After losing in the final and semifinals that last two years, Lebanon's seniors are determined to get that elusive title this year. Unless something catastrophic happens, the guess is the Raiders get it done in perfect fashion.

Division IV girls

Anyone who knows where Hinsdale (13-0) is gets a gold start (its half an hour to the southwest of Keene). The Pacers were a bit of a surprise last year, bursting onto the scene with a very young squad. With most of them back for this year, Hinsdale entered the season as one of the favorites.

The Pacers have an interesting schedule because of their location. They play the same nine teams twice, including three Division III schools. Of those teams, only two have winning records.

Hinsdale's unbeaten run could end on Friday, when the Pacers travel to Pittsfield (10-3); they won the first meeting 30-21 on Dec. 12. After that, Hinsdale is at Monadnock (4-8 in D3) on Feb. 5, Nute (3-9) on Feb. 8 and Mascenic (6-7 in D3) on Feb. 12. The Pacers finish off the regular season against Sunapee (11-1) on Feb. 15; they handed the Lakers their only loss, 43-36, on Jan. 3.

Chances: If the Pacers survive Friday's road trip, their chances of going undefeated are very good. But don't be surprised if they drop one, or both, against Pittsfield and Sunapee.

Division II boys hockey

For the third straight year, Merrimack (10-0) has a hold of the top spot in the division, but the Tomahawks have a long way to go to keep it. They avenged last year's playoff upset to Spaulding (10-1-1) last Saturday with a 6-3 win.

Merrimack's next big test comes this Saturday, when the Tomahawks go on the road to face Goffstown (7-4). They've already beaten the Grizzlies, 3-0 in the season-opener, but Goffstown has been one of the pleasant surprises in the division this year.

The Tomahawks still have three games left against two of the other contenders. On Feb. 9, they'll host defending-champion Bedford (9-1-1), a team many considered a favorite going into the season. The two teams will meet again to end the regular season on Feb. 23.

Merrimack will also host Dover (7-3-1) in a game that was originally schedule to take place a few weeks ago. The teams will meet on Feb. 11 at West Side Arena.

Chances: 50-50. The three goals allowed against Spaulding was the most the Tomahawks have allowed in a division game all year, and  is a third of the goals they've given up all year. How the defense holds up against Bedford (5.45 goals per game) will determine if Merrimack stays unbeaten.

Division III boys

When Berlin (12-0) dropped from Division I, you had to figure the Mountaineers would fare a little better. But this much better?

The Mountaineers are benefiting from the kind of individual performance most players can only dream about. In 12 games, Connor Jewett has 40 goals and 23 assists for a team that is averaging better than seven goals per game.

Berlin has already beaten everyone in the division once, and is working on its second go-round now. The Mountaineers next face Belmont-Gilford (8-4) on Saturday, their second meeting four days. Berlin won 6-5 on Jan. 30.

Other big games include at Kennett (8-4) on Feb. 13 - Berlin won the first meeting 4-0 - and Feb. 20 at Souhegan (9-3), whom the Mountaineers already beat 4-3.

Chances: Berlin has played close games against the best teams in the division, but when you have a player like Jewett anything is possible. The guess is the Mountaineers make it to the tournament without a loss.

Division I girls hockey

Hanover (12-0) has dominated the field since the NHIAA first recognized the sport six years ago. The Marauders have won four of the first five championships, and this year, they've outscored opponents 69-6, with eight shutouts. That includes two wins over Bishop Guertin (9-3) and Oyster River (7-3-1) and one over Lebanon (9-2-1).

Hanover and Lebanon are scheduled to meet again on Saturday, and the Marauders must also play at St. Thomas-Dover (6-6-1) on Feb. 12 and at Berlin/Gorham (8-4) on Feb. 16.

Chances: As close to a sure thing as there is in this world. It would be a bigger surprise if Hanover isn't an undefeated champion at the end of the season.