New Hampshire Football Report

Division II semifinal previews

DIVISION II SEMIFINAL
Souhegan vs. Plymouth

When and where: Saturday (1 p.m.) at Plymouth High School.
Team records: Fifth-seeded Souhegan is 7-3. Top-seeded Plymouth is 10-0.
Regular-season result: The teams did not meet.
Noteworthy: Plymouth has won the last two Division II championships and enters this game with a 25-game winning streak. … Souhegan advanced to the semifinals by beating fourth-seeded Bow 34-13 last week. Quarterback John Lohnes passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more in the victory. He completed 10 of 20 passes for 201 yards, and rushed for 51 yards on seven carries. Tyler Hall had 10 carries for 112 yards, Luke Manning hauled in five passes for 74 yards, and Trey Johnson finished with three catches for 60 yards. It gave the Sabers their second victory over the Falcons in as many weeks. … Plymouth defeated eighth-seeded Hanover 34-0 in the quarterfinals. Senior running back Owen Brickley gained 338 yards and rushed for five touchdowns on 38 attempts in that win, and linebacker Patrick Malm recorded a team-high 14 tackles. Brickley, who is also a dangerous kick returner, has run for 1,265 yards and 17 TDs on 338 attempts this season. … Plymouth beat Souhegan to win the Division III championship in 2002 (25-14), 2003 (34-0), 2005 (20-14) and 2007 (34-0). Souhegan knocked off Plymouth 28-10 in the semifinals en route to winning the 2004 Division III championship. … The Sabers got off to a 2-3 start this season, but have won five games in a row since then.

Alvirne vs. St. Thomas

When and where: Saturday (3:30 p.m.) at Portsmouth High School.
Team records: Third-seeded Alvirne is 8-2. Second-seeded St. Thomas is 9-1.
Regular-season result: St. Thomas won 26-22 in Hudson.
Noteworthy: Alvirne dropped from Division I to Division II following the 2017 season and picked up the program’s first playoff last Saturday by beating Milford 32-19. Quarterback Kyle Gora connected on 9-of-19 passes for 192 yards in that win, and also carried the ball 11 times for 138 yards. Alvirne also has one of the top running backs in the division in Alex Giuffrida. … St. Thomas had more than 400 yards of offense in its 37-14 triumph over John Stark in the quarterfinals. QB Shawn DeKorne passed for 347 yards and three TDs in that win. Will MacLean and Derek O’Brien each had more than 100 yards receiving. … DeKorne’s numbers this season: 189-of-288 passing  (65 percent completion rate) for 2,727 yards and 29 TDs with seven interceptions. He’s run for 366 yards and 11 TDs on 64 carries. … MacLean (52 catches for 892 yards) and Edwin Estevez (54 catches for 674 yards) are STA’s leading receivers. … St. Thomas jumped out to a 14-0 lead when these teams met in the regular season. It was 20-6 at halftime and 26-14 after three quarters. … The Saints’ defense is led by linebacker Evan Briggs 76 tackles and defensive lineman Stone Compton (seven sacks). … Alvirne attempted more two-point conversions than any team in the division this season.

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