We are down to the final weekend of the regular season, and several games this weekend will impact who gets in and who has home-field advantage in the playoffs.

 Let's look at the playoff picture in each division.

 Thirteen teams will make the playoffs in the new (2022 was the first year) expanded tournament format.

 Eight teams make the playoffs in Division II and four teams will make the tournament in Divisions III and IV.

 Division I

 IN (9): Pinkerton Academy, Bedford, Portsmouth-Oyster River, Londonderry, Salem, Exeter, Dover, Nashua North and Bishop Guertin.

 IN today but still work to do (3): Alvirne, Spaulding and Keene (all three are tied)

 Still Alive: Timberlane and Windham.

The best team that isn’t going to get in: Merrimack.

 Your thirty-second breakdown:

 - Timberlane needs to beat Portsmouth or have Windham lose to get in.

 - If Timberlane loses and Windham wins, Windham will get in.

 - The Londonderry/Salem winner will get the 4-seed, and the winner of Exeter/Dover will get the 6-seed.

 - The 4-7 seeds will be Londonderry, Salem, Exeter, Dover in some order.

-  Nashua North will most likely get the 8-seed and Bishop Guertin will get the 9-seed.

- 10-seed will be either Spaulding or Keene.

- 12 & 13 seeds will be Alvirne, Windham, or Timberlane.

 

 Division II

 IN (6): Pelham, Souhegan, Plymouth, Sanborn, St Thomas and John Stark.

 IN today but still work to do: Gilford-Belmont and Kennett.

 Still Alive (2): Bow, Hanover and Laconia

 The best team that isn’t going to get in: Merrimack Valley

 

 Division III

 IN: Campbell, Trinity and Inter-Lakes Moultonborough

 IN today but still work to do: Fall Mountain.

 Still Alive: Monadnock

 The best team that isn’t going to get in: Stevens

 

  Division IV

 IN: Newport, Somersworth, and Raymond

 IN today but still work to do: Franklin

 Still Alive: Bishop Brady

 The best team that isn’t going to get in: Mascoma

 

 We will be in Nashua tomorrow night when Pete Tarrier and Ian Melewski will bring you coverage of Bishop Guertin against Nashua South.

 Our column today is brought to you by our partners at Core Orthopedics and Exeter Hospital’s Sports Medicine Team who have a wide range of specialists to help your high school athlete recover from injuries, manage chronic conditions, and work with athletic trainers to get back in the game.

Find them at coreorthoaandsportsmed.com

 

 Division I

 Standings, statistical leaders, and Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Bedford- Danny Black continued his strong play, completing 12 of 13 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-7 win over Thornton Academy of Maine. The Bulldogs face Merrimack tomorrow night before they get a bye through the first round of the playoffs.

2. Pinkerton Academy- The Astros rushed for 223 yards and picked up big yardage on a pair of Tim Hersom completions to Matt Morrison in a 28-20 win over Salem.  They will close the regular season against Manchester Central before getting the bye week off as the playoffs begin.

3. Londonderry- It’s the Lancers' turn to face Salem, and there are big seeding implications at stake. Jake Schena rushed for 100 yards on just 8 carries in a 40-0 win over Alvirne, and the defense held Broncos running back Aiden Mills to just 27 yards on 12 carries.

4. Portsmouth-Oyster River- The Clipercats survived a scare from Merrimack and now close the regular season against a tough Timberlane team that can secure a playoff spot with a win. Brian Pafford’s team will have a bye next week regardless of the outcome, but a victory gives them an undefeated regular season, and that would be a great accomplishment for the program.

5. Salem- The Blue Devils did something last Friday night that only one other team has done all season; they ran the ball effectively against Pinkerton. Steve Abraham’s team outrushed the Astros 257-223 but couldn't pull themselves out of an early hole in a 28-20 loss. Now it’s a big match-up at Londonderry on senior night for second place in the Central.

6. Dover- The Green Wave might have gotten caught looking ahead to this week’s showdown with Exeter. They needed overtime and a terrific throw from all-state quarterback Ryder Aubin to beat 1-6 Concord in overtime.

7. Exeter- The Blue Hawks took care of business with a 28-7 win in Manchester over Memorial as Daniel Batstone continued his strong season with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. The winner tomorrow night guarantees themselves a home playoff game next week.

8. Nashua North- Chad Zibolis’s team secured a playoff berth with a 21-18 win over Keene as Week 7 player of the week Steven Rosario continued his torrid stretch with 171 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. The Titans are in a good position to host a playoff game next week at Stellos Stadium.

9. Bishop Guertin- We’ll get our first look at the Cardinals' high-flying offense tomorrow night when they take on Nashua South. Mike MacDonough passed and ran for a touchdown last week in a 35-20 win over Goffstown.

10. Spaulding- Kevin Hebert’s Red Raiders have won three in a row heading into their season finale at Winnacunnet tomorrow night. Kaiden Melendez has thrown for 540 yards and four touchdowns, while Hunter Trueman (554) and Seth Cortina (364) have combined for over 900 yards on the ground. An improving-by-the-week defense has been led by defensive end Brady English, linebacker Jonas Levesque and defensive back Ty Nicholson.

 

Division II

Standings, statistical leaders & Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Pelham- The pre-season #1 confirmed what we all thought from the beginning of September: they’re the best team in the division. The middle of their defensive line didn’t allow Souhegan to run between the tackles and was in Romy Jain’s face all night long. They close against Hanover before beginning the playoffs as the top seed. They’ll be going for their fourth straight championship.

2. Souhegan- The Sabers did enough to feel like they have a chance in a rematch. Turnovers killed any chance of a comeback, and in the end, they got beat by a long Dom Herrling touchdown run that sealed the game. Robin Bowkett’s team has to bounce back quickly, as they face a tough John Stark team tomorrow night to close the regular season.

3. Plymouth- The Bobcats did enough to earn a very good road win over St. Thomas, setting up a showdown on Saturday afternoon with Sanborn for the East title and #2 seed in the playoffs. Plymouth did an effective job stopping Kennett’s Tyler Walcott on the jet sweep two weeks ago and will have to do the same this weekend with Sanborn’s speedy all-state running back Austin Ingersol.

4. Sanborn- The Indians are having a breakthrough season and now have earned the opportunity to play for the #2 seed on Saturday afternoon. Ben Rossi and an underrated defense will need to force the Bobcats into third and long situations and try and limit long/sustained drives that wear teams down. Josh White’s team beat Plymouth on their home field two years ago; if they do it again, they will have earned a pair of home playoff games in Kingston.

5. St Thomas- The Saints went toe to toe with Plymouth but were shut out in the second half of a 28-14 loss. Ed McDonough has his team back in the playoffs, but a loss could send them on the road in the first round. They’ll travel to the greatest hometown in America on Saturday to face a Gilford-Belmont team that is coming off a big road win over Hanover.

6. John Stark- The Generals have had a terrific season, carrying the momentum from a 4-1 finish last season (after a 0-4 start) to a 5-2 record. They get their second test against a true title contender when they travel to Amherst tomorrow night to face Souhegan.

7. Bow- I usually only get emotional during father/daughter insurance commercials, Sportscentury Larry Bird, and the end of Hoosiers, but….seeing the Bow/Gilford-Belmont/Sanborn Sandwich not only back together in the rankings but thriving….well, let’s just say it’s getting a little dusty in the NHsportspage home office. Caleb Schumacher, who ranks 5th in the division in rushing, led the way in a 34-0 win against Pembroke last week with 135 yards and a touchdown.

8. Gilford-Belmont- They’re back, and they have earned a shot at getting back to the playoffs for a third consecutive season with an impressive 37-28 road win at Hanover. Junior Anakin Underhill has played very well at quarterback; he was a perfect 5 for 5 for 180 yards and two touchdowns against Hanover, while Logan Grant and Noah Harder have emerged as one of the best receiver/running back combos in the division. 

 Division III

 Standings, statistical leaders, and Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Campbell- We have a battle for the Division III rushing title cooking as the Cougars Scott Hershberger leads Stevens’ Tyler ‘Tank’ Christian 1,127 to 1,114 heading into the season finale. Glen Costello’s team will face a Fall Mountain team that can clinch a playoff berth with a victory. Win or lose, the Cougars will be the top seed in the playoffs and play either Fall Mountain or Monadnock.

2. Trinity- Rob Cathcart’s team will wrap up a dominant regular season against a red-hot Stevens Cardinals team tomorrow night. In their five wins this season when they took the field (the Pioneers have forfeit wins over Kearsarge and Monadnock), they have outscored their opponents 260-16.

3. Inter-Lakes Moultonborugh- Guy Donnelly’s Lakers face a tough Con Val team tomorrow night before they face Trinity next week in the playoffs as the 3-seed. 

4. Fall Mountain- Orion Binney’s team needs either a win against Campbell or a Monadnock loss to Kingswood to get the fourth and final playoff spot. The Kingswood Knights are only 2-6 but much improved. They’ll have a lot of supporters and people checking their phones in Langdon tomorrow night.

5. Monadnock- I’ll repeat what I said to Huskies head coach Rob Lotito this week over text. If he can guide this team, which has suited up as few as fourteen players for some games, into the playoffs, he deserves some kind of a medal. Ben Dean had a huge game last week, rushing for 176 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Epping-Newmarket, and now they are a win against Kingswood away from a playoff berth.

 

 Division IV

 Standings, Statistical Leaders, and Gold Level Coaches/Programs

1. Newport- The entire division was on a bye week, so let’s discuss what is at stake this weekend. The Tigers head to Raymond to take on the 5-1 Raymond Rams. A Tigers win earns them the top seed. If they lose, Newport, Raymond, and Somersworth finish the regular season in a three-way tie.

2. Somersworth- The two-time defending champs travel to Tilton to take on Winnisquam. They’ll be rooting for a Raymond win. A Newport win would leave them as the two-seed, and they would face Raymond, who they beat 44-6, next weekend in the playoffs.

3. Raymond- The Rams are heavy underdogs on Saturday but still have a chance for a Top seed if they can knock off Newport.

4. Franklin- The Golden Tornadoes play Bishop Brady at home on Saturday in what is essentially a play-in game. The winner is the four-seed, and it’s basketball season for the loser.