For the past seventeen years, we have turned our football championship previews over to the head coaches who know these teams better than anyone, the coaches who faced them during the season.

 In our championship scouting report, brought to you by our longtime friends and partners at Manchester Community College, we asked two playoff head coaches to use blind quotes to break down both teams and Saturday's match-ups.
 

 Division I

 Final Division I Standings and Statistical Leaders

 (3) Londonderry vs. (4) Pinkerton Academy

 Box score of the regular season meeting

 Jimmy Lauzon's Lancers advanced to their fifth championship game in six seasons and have their arch-rivals down the road waiting for them.

 Brian O'Reilly's Astros defeated two-time defending champion Bedford, in the wind and rain to advance to Saturday's title game at Exeter High School.

 We asked our coaches to break down both teams, beginning with the Lancers.

 "They are a tough offense to defend because Jimmy will put a lot of bells & whistles on their looks."

 "They will set up in a power eye on one play and then go empty backfield on the next. They are trying to confuse your defense, test your communication, and find an unbalanced part of the defense to attack."

 A fellow coach agreed.

 "They truly use all eleven guys on the field, and Sam Ogden is an excellent quarterback. They spread you out, and your first instinct is to pull your safeties back; that's when Ogden tucks the ball and gets fifteen yards on you with his legs."

 "They will add new wrinkles every week, so you are going to see something you have not prepared for," said one of the head coaches." They are pretty multiple on offense and have a lot of talent. Ogden, Carson Palma, Adrian Cruz, Alex Villa, and Mason Paquette can all beat you."

"Ogden is the real deal," one coach agreed." You have to be careful going to man coverage because he likes to run with the football."

 What about the Lancers defense?

"Paul Binder and Colin Couture are excellent, and Villa is really good at coming off the edge. Their defense is aggressive, and they flow to the ball well."

"When we played them, we struggled with them on the line. They are difficult to get traction against. They a very well-coached football team."

"They also might have the best special teams play in our division."

 Both coaches spoke about how tough the Central conference was and how battle-tested both teams are coming into Saturday.

"It does not surprise me that two teams from the best conference are here. Exeter is a terrific team, but the East was way down, and Nashua South may not have been the power we thought at mid-season."

"You look at how tough Alvirne played Bedford. How Manchester Central was able to compete with Windham, and how Concord was a good football team in a loaded conference. It tells you how hard a schedule Pinkerton and Londonderry have played."

 So what about the Pinkerton Astros?

"Brian O'Reilly is the best, a tremendous coach, and that is a great staff."

 When talking to both coaches about Pinkerton, one word came up nearly a dozen times: speed.

"They are the fastest team in the state, and I don't think it's particularly close," said one of the head coaches." Londonderry has to be ready for that because Exeter's team speed is nowhere near Pinkerton's. Bedford couldn't even handle their speed."

"Matt Morrison will be the best offensive player on the field. Last Friday night, he did an excellent job pressing the Bedford line, getting them vertical, finding the opening, and exploding through it. You are not catching him if he gets one step on your guy."

"I saw them run a play where Jamie Isaacs had nothing in front of him; he sprinted to the outside and gained twenty yards. It's just speed and instincts. So you have to be very cautious going up against them."

"This is a less explosive Londoierry team, which is very good, but they are more methodical. Pinkerton is the home run-hitting offense."

"The Caruso brothers (Anthony & James) are terrific, and Brady Spellman is their most underrated player. He excellent""

"You must be sure you are lined up correctly because you're in big trouble when they get you with an unbalanced line. Morrison has to be accounted for at all times."

"I like their QB (Aiden McDonald). He can make throws when needed, but they rely on the running game. They may have opened it up a little, but it's still Pinkerton. Running is their bread & butter."

"The turf field will be an advantage to Pinkerton. Their speed turns what should be a one to two-yard gain into five or six. You feel like your defense is always playing behind the sticks."

"These two teams do not like each other. That will make for a great football game. Can you imagine losing a game this big to your neighbor?"

"They do not want to have to avoid social media for a week because every time they go on Instagram, they see their rivals celebrating with Pete (Tarrier) with thousands of views."

"This game will be intense."

 

 So, who wins it on Saturday?

"I'm going with Pinkerton in a close one.""

"The way this season has played out, the second time around, changes the outcome. So just because of that, I'm going with Londonderry to beat Pinkerton."