Quarterfinal Preview: Division I

By rbrown
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Updated: November 15, 2024

DIVISION I QUARTERFINALS
Division I Bracket

Windham vs. Pinkerton

When and where: Friday (7 p.m.) at Pinkerton Academy in Derry.
Team records: 12th-seeded Windham is 4-6. Fourth-seeded Pinkerton is 7-2.
Regular-season result: Pinkerton won 24-8 in Derry.
Noteworthy: Windham got here by upsetting fifth-seeded Salem 8-7 in the first round. The Jaguars erased a 7-0 deficit when Michael Brearley scored on a 1-yard run following a Salem fumble and Chris Brearley added the conversion. Chris Brearley had 122 yards in the win. … Halfback/defensive back Matt Morrison returned to the lineup after suffering a hand injury and helped Pinkerton defeat 13th-seeded Merrimack 38-14 in the first round. Morrison, who ran for 147 yards and three TDs during Pinkerton’s regular-season win against Windham, is a semifinalist for the Joe Yukica Player of the Year Award. Pinkerton is hoping halfback Jamie Isaac can return from injury this week. … Pinkerton quarterback Aiden McDonald completed 8 of 11 passes for 264 yards during the victory against Merrimack. … Windham’s victory over Salem was its first playoff win as a Division I program. … Windham’s Hayden Tedesco ran for 135 yards in the earlier meeting between these teams. It was a game played in heavy rain. … The winner will face either top-seeded Bedford or eighth-seeded Alvirne in the semifinals.

Alvirne vs. Bedford

When and where: Saturday (1 p.m.) at Bedford High School.
Team records: Eighth-seeded Alvinre is 7-3. Top-seeded Bedford is 9-0.
Regular-season result: The teams did not meet.
Noteworthy: Bedford is seeking its third straight Division I title and enters this matchup on a 25-game winning streak. The Bulldogs had a bye in last weekend’s first round. … Alvirne advanced by beating ninth-seeded Concord 33-10 in the first round. Alvirne held Concord to 210 yards of offense in that game, which marked the first time the Broncos played a Division I home playoff game. Junior running back Mike Landmesser had 161 yards and four TDs in the win. Alvirne quarterback Charlie Crawford ran for 75 yards and completed 8 of 9 passes for 162 yards and a TD against Concord. Two of those completions went to tight end Ryan Rocheleau, who had 55 receiving yards and a TD catch. Rocheleau is a semifinalist for the Yukica Player of the Year Award. … Two of the 10 Yukica semifinalists play for Bedford: running back/linebacker Brody Helton and defensive back/receiver Bennett Matthews. … The Bulldogs have scored at least 28 points in each of their nine games this season. Pinkerton is the only New Hampshire team that has scored more than 14 points against the Bulldogs, who beat the Astros 28-25. … The winner of this game will face either 12th-seeded Windham or fourth-seeded Pinkerton.

Memorial vs. Exeter

When and where: Saturday (1 p.m.) at Exeter High School.
Team records: Seventh-seeded Memorial is 7-3. Second-seeded Exeter is 9-0.
Regular-season result: Exeter won 13-6 in Exeter.
Noteworthy: The Crusaders proved to be a handful when these teams met during the regular season. Exeter scored on its first two possessions, but were kept off the scoreboard after that. After Memorial quarterback Collin Beaulieu tossed an 8-yard TD pass to Joel Gomez to slice Exeter’s lead to 13-6 with 2:06 to play, the Crusaders recovered the onside kick and drove to the Exeter 13 before turning the ball over on downs when a fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 7.1 seconds left. Beaulieu gained 86 yards on 13 carries, and completed 5-of-9 passes for 82 yards and a TD. … Exeter halfback Daniel Batsone found the end zone from a yard away with 6:21 left in the opening quarter, and fullback Tyler Bland added a 1-yard TD run with 9:54 left in the first half. Batsone is a Yukica Player of the Year semifinalist. … Exeter halfback Jack Kavanaugh rushed for a game-high 103 yards on 13 carries against the Crusaders. … A fast start may be the key for Memorial, which has trailed or been tied at halftime in six of its 10 games. … Memorial advanced by beating 10th-seeded Winnacunnet 22-13. It was the program’s first playoff game since 2003. Exeter had a first-round bye. … Memorial has only two two-way starters. … The Exeter/Londonderry winner will face either sixth-seeded Nashua South or third-seeded Londonderry in the semifinals.

Nashua South vs. Londonderry

When and where: Saturday (1 p.m.) at Londonderry High School.
Team records: Sixth-seeded South is 8-2. Third-seeded Londonderry is 6-3.
Regular-season result: The teams did not meet.
Noteworthy: Londonderry is seeking its fourth consecutive trip to the Division I title game. The Lancers beat Winnacunnet for the championship in 2021, but have lost to Bedford in each of the last two years. … The South offense likes to play at a fast pace. Quarterback Cody Jackson is a run/pass threat and running back Sam Levine is the team’s primary ball carrier. Kyle Emmons and Josh Tripp are among the team’s other playmakers. Tripp was injured and did not play in South’s 59-26 victory over 11th-seeded Bishop Guertin in the first round. Jackson finished that game with 80 yards on the ground and two rushing TDs, and was 12 of 20 passing for 243 yards and three more scores. It was South’s first playoff win since 2008. … Quarterback Sam Ogden makes the Londonderry offense go. The Lancers scored at least 30 points in five of their six wins. … Ogden is one of 10 semifinalists for the Yukica Player of the Year Award. … The Lancers had a first-round bye. .. Londonderry didn’t allow more than 12 points in any of its wins, but surrendered 101 points in its three losses. … The winner of this game will face either seventh-seeded Memorial or second-seeded Exeter in the semifinals.

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