Field hockey is wrapped up. Soccer is past the semifinals, and few local teams remain in the running for championships. Football, though, still has plenty of fuel left in the tank.
Concord, Merrimack Valley, John Stark and Hillsboro-Deering all made their respective divisional playoffs and will kick off their postseasons this weekend.
Division II
Merrimack Valley had its best season in program history this year with an 8-1 record. The third-seeded Pride will be the first of the Capital Area’s schools to start their journey after moving their home game against sixth-ranked Hanover to 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
The visiting Bears finished with a 5-4 record in Division II West. The two teams did not face each other during the regular season, but the Valley did perform better against common opponents (Hollis-Brookline, Kingswood, Milford, Plymouth).
The Pride beat the Milford 13-7, while the Bears lost to the Spartans in a shutout, 7-0. Another notable result was Merrimack Valley’s 28-13 win over Kingswood, which was never really close. Hanover squeaked by the Knights in the regular-season encounter, 9-6.
Every matchup is different, though, and Merrimack Valley can’t take it for granted. Hanover hung in better against top-seeded Plymouth and will be tough to break down defensively.
Also in Division II, John Stark will have to find some magic to reverse their regular-season result against undefeated No. 2 Souhegan (9-0), a 28-0 home defeat on Sept. 18.
The No. 7 Generals have had an up-and-down season under new head coach John Daley. Stark reached the first round in Division II two years ago but had a down year in 2025 with only three wins. They bounced back to a 5-4 record by winning their last three over Kennett, Manchester West and ConVal.
The Generals will rely on running back Cooper Twombly — a dual threat on the ground and in the receiving game — to generate offense, while the defense will have its work cut out away from home.
Souhegan will host Stark on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Division I
Concord hasn’t hosted a playoff game at Memorial Field since going undefeated and winning the state championship in 2013. That ends with a visit from No. 9 Salem (4-4) for a first-round contest on Friday at 7 p.m.
The No. 8 Crimson Tide (5-3) made the D-I playoffs for the third consecutive year but for the first time with a winning record during that stretch this fall. The Tide ended its season with two gritty wins, one at Nashua North and a walk-off at Portsmouth-Oyster River, before coming home and giving up a lead to Londonderry in an eventual 21-12 defeat.
Still, the Tide has plenty going for it. Its defensive line has terrorized opposing quarterbacks all year and the offense has hummed when it can limit turnovers, especially late in the game. Concord is looking to advance out of the first round for the first time in over a decade.
They already beat Salem, 28-19, away from home this year. The Blue Devils looked tough the past three weeks after falling to Bishop Guertin, 41-27, in week 5. It will be a brand-new ballgame, but Concord has plenty of momentum to move forward.
Division IV
Defending champion and fourth-seeded Hillsboro-Deering was always going to have an uphill battle after losing a talented senior class last year. Still, under the leadership of longtime head coach Jay Wood, the Hillcats always have a chance.
They are set to face top-seeded Newport-Mount Royal, which has dominated this year to coast to an 8-0 record overall. The Tigers defeated second-seeded Newfound with three defensive touchdowns, 22-0, on Oct. 10 and easily beat the Hillcats, 46-18, when the teams met in late September.
The Hillcats will need to step up to stop the Tigers and have a defense — led by Matthew Jouvelakas, Haven Porter, Keagan Lamos-Garon, William Martin and Tucker Thibault — that can do the job. Porter and Jayden Lopez-Guzman will both have to move the chains on the ground and limit turnovers on offense to score some points.
The semifinal is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday at Newport’s Maryn Field.