Division II Rushing leader: Tucker Burt of Merrimack Valley 901 yards Passing leader: Ivan Niyamugabo of Merrimack Valley 1,352 yards Receiving leader: Kyle Reisert of Plymouth Regional 626 yards
 

 North sub-division
 (2) Kennett at (1) Plymouth Regional

  Kennett dropped a 42-0 decision against their longtime rival back in September and then spent the remainder of the season fighting and clawing to get another shot in the post-season. Wins over Lebanon, Hanover and Laconia were enough to get Mike Holderman’s team in and now what awaits is a Bobcats team that was the most consistent team in Division II from start to finish.

 If having to deal with running backs Jared Kuehl (862 yds. and 16 TDs), John Thomas (771 yds. and 7 TDs.) and Collin Sullivan (762 yds. passing and 7 Tds.) wasn’t enough to keep Holderman and his staff locked in their own film room the recent surge of carries and production from Justin Robinson (391 yds. and 6 TDs.) should do the trick.

 The Eagles need a healthy Will Pollard (869 yds. passing) and better results defensively to have a shot at what would be the biggest upset of the 2013 post-season.
 
 South sub-division
 (2) Trinity at (1) Windham 
 The coverage of Trinity high school is sponsored by The Auburn Pitts

 In talking with people that witnessed Windham’s 52-20 dismantling of Trinity two weeks ago the common theme seemed to be that Trinity failed to compete at the same level Windham did. For a team that has always been well prepared and certainly as talented as any team in their division the lack of fight (for lack of a better term) in the Pioneers for a game with home field advantage at stake was startling. Fourteen days and one good win later (a 43-28 home win over St. Thomas) Steve Burns’ team goes back to the scene of the crime with their season hanging in the balance.

 The source of all the confusion around this football team can be traced back to a 58-37 season opening win over Portsmouth. It was a game that the Pioneers were in complete control of from the first series of the game until the end and one that showcased a more balanced offense than we have seen in the past. An offense that could beat you running the ball with Brad Rhoades, Will Sheppard and Austin Chambers and then just as easily go over the top with quarterback Carmen Giampetruzzi finding targets like Ryan Boldwin, Tristen Theroux and Chambers down field for huge gains and long touchdowns.

 Giampetruzzi threw for 364 yards that night; he’s averaged 99 yards passing per game in his starts since (Giampetruzzi missed several games due to injury). What has happened to the balance this offense showed against an elite team, the defending Division III champions, on opening night?

 The balance and results have been uneven ever since; Trinity tried to beat Plymouth at Gill Stadium on September 27th by playing the Bobcats style of football (Plymouth players commented they recognized the schemes from their own practices after the win) while three weeks later Portsmouth went on the road to Plymouth and earned a come from behind win by letting Donovan Phanor throw the football in the second half. Did Trinity challenge Plymouth enough down field?

 Trinity’s ability to run the football and attack secondary’s with Giampetruzzi’s arm and two of the best tight ends in the state was the reason a lot of well-informed people made the Pioneers their pick to be the last team standing on the final Saturday of the Division II season. That crowd has now thinned out.

 Saturday afternoon they get to push the re-start button against a Windham team that beat them up at the line for the better part of a 32 point win. Does Trinity repeat their performance from two weeks ago or do we see the team that ran 8-1 Portsmouth off their own field on that opening Friday night?
 
 West sub-division playoff
 (2) Sanborn at (1) Monadnock

 Sanborn earned a playoff spot behind a very good offense led by Zach Matthews (629 yds. rushing), Mike Rich (530 yds.) and quarterback John Morris (749 yds. passing) and gave the Huskies their toughest test of the regular season 27-19 on September 27th. Do they have a shot to shock Monadnock on Saturday afternoon?

 If they are they are going to have to slow down a potent running game that features Dylan Lane (over 1,000 yards on the season), Drew Bolewski and QB Isaiah Prince. The power poll voters don’t  find them sexy and the powers that be in Division II are dubious of the record but the facts are Monadnock has not lost a football game this season and only two other teams in New Hampshire can make that claim.

 Remember this is your defending Division V champions; they’ve won in the past and behind familiar names like Lane, Bolewski and Mason LaClair (30 tackles and 2 interceptions on the season). The beauty of the postseason is all the style points and conjecture go out the window. The Huskies will let you know exactly how good they are and where they rank in the next three weeks & that is one big positive that has come from re-alignment.
 
East sub-division playoff
(2) Merrimack Valley at (1) Portsmouth

 You have to give Merrimack Valley head football coach Dave Jackson and his staff a lot of credit for the season they have had. This is a program with very little history to bask in the glory of and getting the second spot in the eastern sub-division is a pretty big accomplishment.

 That doesn’t mean we need to write their 2013 season eulogy either. If the Pride is going to go on the road and beat Portsmouth on the same field they were down 28-0 in the FIRST QUARTER on they are going to have to flip the switch from that very long night in September.

 In that game the Clippers dominated on special teams and Donovan Phanor hit Merrimack Valley with two long touchdowns throws early. The rout was on and the game plan for tossed out the window. The ‘break the glass only when we’re down 28-0 ten minutes in’ playbook includes an awful lot of passes and very little clock eating runs. Ivan Niyamugabo dropped back to throw on nearly every possession and the Clippers pounced. By the third quarter parents of third stringers were hustling to get to the stadium to see their kids play and WTSN’s Justin McIsaac was on the radio doing his Don Orsillo/Jerry Remy ‘The Sox are down 10 runs on the 11th night of a four city road trip so we’re going to giggle our way through this’ routine. What is there to say when it is 48-7?

 The plan the second time around should be to establish Tucker Burt and not let players like Portsmouth’s Jack Young beat you in the return game. The Merrimack Valley players worked hard to get here and this a trip that is very much earned after beating St. Thomas in Dover on the second to last weekend of the regular season.

 They didn’t work this hard to get run over that quickly again, Saturday they try and stay close early to possibly turn the tables on the Clippers the second time around.