(2) Milford at (1) Windham

 Milford is in the playoffs over Trinity after losing the head to head match-up 38-13 and finishing with identical records. As a terrible consolation prize Trinity head coach Steve Burns will be in studio with Pete Tarrier and I Saturday morning on the New Hampshire High School Football Show from 8 to 9 am.

 Windham beat Milford on the road 41-0 in a game we covered here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqZIiWcoTEg&list=UUYsYojuTC26gXnZ1DhkR9TA

 The Spartans were able to move the ball early but being stopped on a 4th and goal swung the momentum towards The Jaguars and from there the onslaught began. Expect Keith Jones (recently named as a deserving choice for head coach of the CHAD All-Star game) and his staff to come up with a few new wrinkles for Saturday afternoon. Windham has so many weapons on offense that the best plan of all may be simply moving the chains behind Max Urda and keeping them off the field.
 
 (2) Hollis-Brookline at (1) Sanborn

 Just a terrific coaching job once again by Sanborn Head coach John Welch who had to replace nine starters on each side of the ball from a playoff team of a year ago. Running back Zach Matthews has really come on for this team offensively (he’s been very good defensively as well) but this was a team plugging a lot of young guys into new positions and Welch has overseen major improvement. He should be considered for coach of the year honors.

 In Hollis-Brookline he will face a Jekyll & Hyde outfit that has some very solid wins (Milford) and curious losses (Con-Val). Matt Ferenczhalmy handles a bulk of the carries offensively as The Cavaliers look to avenge a 14-13 loss to Sanborn in week 3.
 
 (2) Kearsarge Regional at (1) Kennett

 While we all argued about the merits of either Lebanon or Laconia as the second playoff team from Division III’s best conference Head coach Zach Matthews & Kearsarge swooped in and earned the spot. There was talk that Kearsarge had benefited from an easier out of conference schedule than teams like Plymouth and Laconia but wins over Lebanon and the Sachems put those to rest. This was the second best team in the conference. Kearsarge belongs.

 Kearsarge took advantage of four Laconia turnovers and took care of the football themselves. Riley Antle broke a long touchdown run late in the fourth quarter and then held on in the final minute for the playoff clinching win. Kearsarge will look to pull a major upset after losing to Kennett 38-21 in week 2 of the season.

 You get the sense with Kennett that they have been waiting for this, the big stage, since early September. This was a team picked to win the conference in the pre-season here and followed that up by beating Merrimack Valley on the road before Ivan Niyamugabo was lost for the season. The Eagles get their chance now and although they are smart enough to know they will have their hands full with a Kearsarge team on a roll, Kennett is on a UNH or bust mission that starts Saturday afternoon in North Conway.
 
 (2) Merrimack Valley at (1) St. Thomas Aquinas

 Give a ton of credit to Merrimack Valley, they said they weren’t going to roll over when Niyamugabo was lost for the season due to injury and they haven’t.

 The St. Thomas coaches wondered if the loss to Laconia, a very good team in a tough place to win, was the wake-up call a senior laden team needed. Whatever the case they have responded and their 38-10 win over Trinity last weekend was as lopsided as it sounds. Charlie Pollack (330 yds.) and Tommy Bennett (366 ) have been a great 1-2 combination at running back while the defense has been led by Trevor Martin ( 3 INTs), Danny Rogers and Jesse Quintero (6 Sacks).

 There are some who suspect there are three teams in Division II that are a step above the rest of the field…St. Thomas is very clearly one of those three teams.