To the final weekend of the season, we go. Today we will forecast the playoff seedings and match-ups in all four divisions and rank the contenders in each.

 Our Lakes Region partner, Kevin Shaw at Roche Realty, brings this column to you.

 Kevin has been the top producer in sales and rental volume since 2013 and will take you through every step of the sales process and beyond.

 Check out his video, produced by ‘The Franchise’ Jennifer Chick-Ruth above!

 We will be in Derry tomorrow night as the Pinkerton Astros host the Concord Crimson Tide.

 Brandon Bojarsky & Spencer Coronis will bring you all the play-by-play while Ian Melewski brings you all the highlights plus the post-game interview/celebration with the winners.

 

 Division I

 Division I Standings and Statistical Leaders

 Projected playoff seeding:

1. Londonderry (first-round bye)

2. Nashua North (bye)

3. Timberlane (bye)

 (13) Portsmouth-Oyster River at (4) Pinkerton Academy

 (12) Dover at (5) Bishop Guertin

 (11) Spaulding at (6) Exeter

 (10) Merrimack at (7) Bedford

 (9)  Concord at (8) Windham

 

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Brian Pafford of Portsmouth-Oyster River, Ryan Francouer of Winnacunnet, and Jack Bryne of Windham.

1. Londonderry- Drew Heenan (Drew Heenan Season Statistics) has made a very strong case for Division I player of the year. The Lancers need to beat Salem this weekend to hold off Nashua North for the top seed in the playoffs.

2. Nashua North- Toby Brown is a big loss to what has been a terrific defense and now they face a red-hot Dover offense on the road tomorrow night, having wrapped up a first-round bye next week. Their 35-28 win over Bishop Guertin last weekend was as good of a regular-season game as we have covered in a long time.

3. Bishop Guertin- Terrific effort by John Trisciani’s team. Jakob Baker was tremendous once again for BG; totaling nine tackles, three for a loss and two sacks of Titans QB Derek Finlay in the loss. Ethan Labbe stepped up with 109 yards rushing and four tackles for the Cardinals.

4. Timberlane- Dover was able to throw the ball all over the place on the Owls last weekend, as Ryder Aubin put up 432 yards through the air. They have the East title wrapped up but will face a good Portsmouth-Oyster River defense when they travel to Portsmouth tomorrow night.

5. Bedford- A home win over Merrimack tomorrow night would earn them a possible rematch on the same field next weekend in the playoffs. The Bulldogs have the look of a team that is not going to go out quietly.

6. Pinkerton Academy- No one is sleeping on the Astros. A win over a very tough Concord team would give them the 4-seed and a road to a rematch with arch-rival and defending champion Londonderry. 

7. Windham- The Jaguars win over Concord and the fact that their 28-27 Week 1 loss to Pinkerton looks more impressive by the week jumps them over Exeter and Concord into the 7-spot. Head coach Jack Bryne is one of the good guys in coaching and he & his staff have done a terrific job with his group.

8. Exeter- They are two wins away and the bracket breaking just right, but a Timberlane/Exeter quarterfinal rematch in Plaistow…. would be a heck of a match-up. 

9. Concord- The Tide jumped out on Windham 21-0, only to see the Jaguars score 30 unanswered to win the game. Now comes a big one in Derry that we will be covering. A victory over the Astros would erase the sting of last week's loss.

10. Merrimack- Running back Reimello Hyde went over the 1,000-yard mark in a win over Goffstown last weekend while Garron Brown (337) and Owen Sadowski (307) both rank amongst the receiving yards leaders in Division I.

 

 Division II

 Division II Standings and Statistical Leaders

 Projected playoff seeding:

 8) Milford at 1) Gilford-Belmont

7) Plymouth at 2) Pelham

6) Hanover at 3) Bow

5) Kennett at 4) Souhegan

 Gold Level Coaches/Programs: Robin Bowkett of Souhegan, Chris Sanborn of Plymouth, Sam Cavallaro of Hanover, Chris Lones of Hollis-Brookline, Keith Jones of Milford, and Scott Stearns of Kennett.

1. Gilford-Belmont- Michael Macione was a beast on the defensive line against a good Hanover team, disrupting the Bears running attack on one side of the ball and protecting Isaiah Reese, and creating running lanes on the other. A win over St Thomas this weekend makes Josh Marzahl’s team the top seed in next week's playoffs. Who saw that coming?

2. Pelham- The Pythons faced their first title contender of the season last Friday night and passed their test with flying colors. The defense was not only physical but was able to match the speed of the Sabers down the field. Tom Babaian’s defense was led by Aidan Lynch, Ethan Demmons, Memphis Patterson, Jake Cawthron, Connor Travis, and Derek Muise.

3. Souhegan- If you are Robin Bowkett and the Sabers coaching staff you take note of the areas Pelham exposed and lament some key turnovers/missed opportunities. Then you move forward and prepare for a playoff lineup that could see them square off with three run-heavy teams in Kennett, the Gilford-Belmont-Milford winner , and the Pelham-Bow winner. When Souhegan had to stop the Pelham rushing attack, they couldn't do it. Expect that to be a focus in practice as the calendar flips to November.

4. Bow- The Falcons defense has been absolutely terrific since their lone defeat, a blowout loss to Gilford-Belmont. The Bow defense, led by Hollis Jones, Austin Bouch, and Owen Walton, has given up only twenty-eight points in their last five games. An average of under six points per game.

5. Hanover- The Bears have lost two of their last three games and it gets no easier with a trip to Pelham this weekend. Still...Roger Lucas’s return makes them a dangerous team when the playoffs begin next week.

6. Kennett- The Eagles should wrap up the 5-seed this weekend against Hollis-Brookline. Noteworthy, the Eagles three losses to Gilford-Belmont, Bow, and St Thomas have come by an average of only eight points per contest. They’ve been in every game they’ve played this season and they’ve won a fair share of those games. That should help them when they get to the playoffs.

7. Plymouth- The Bobcats are not your typical Plymouth team and they shouldn’t be considered true title contenders. Still...they are extremely well coached, they have an all-state back in Dylan Welch and the aura of that program makes them dangerous when they get to the playoffs. A win over Sanborn this weekend punches their ticket.

8. St Thomas- A year ago Gilford-Belmont went to Dover on the last weekend of the regular season to face the Saints, needing a win to get into the playoffs. The Golden Eagles won a game no one expected them to win. Now, tomorrow night, the tables are turned. The Saints need a win for any chance at the playoffs next week.

 

Division III

Division III Standings and Statistical Leaders

Projected playoff seeding:

4) Inter-Lakes Moultonborough at 1) Trinity

3) Campbell at 2) Monadnock

Gold Level coaches/Programs:

1. Trinity- They have wrapped up the top seed and head to Claremont tomorrow night, one of our favorite spots to cover a game, to face a Stevens Cardinals team playing good football to close the season.

2. Monadnock- They will wrap up their regular season against Kingswood. Ethan Brown (133 yards rushing) and Ethan Jarvis (174) combined for over 300 yards rushing in a 36-12 win over Epping-Newmarket.

3. Campbell- Sophomore Scott Hershberger went over 1,500 yards rushing on the season in last week's 45-6 win over Kearsarge.

4. Inter-Lakes Moultonborough- Terrific season for the Lakers who can punch their playoff ticket this weekend with a win over Con Val.

5. Stevens- I expect Stevens to give the undefeated Pioneers a good game tomorrow night. The Cardinals have won five in a row and because they will likely miss out of the playoffs, this is essentially their bowl game.

 

 All of Division IV was on a bye last week.

 Projected playoff seedings:

 4) Raymond at 1) Somersworth

 3) Bishop Brady at 2) Newport