Can anyone derail Plymouth?
DIVISION IV SEMIFINALS
No. 4 Hanover at No. 1 Plymouth
•When and where: Saturday (1 p.m.) at Plymouth Regional High School.
•Team records: Plymouth is 9-0 overall, 8-0 in Division IV. Hanover is 6-3 overall, 5-3 in Division IV.
•Regular-season result: Plymouth won, 47-13, in Plymouth.
•Noteworthy: No one collects state championships like Plymouth, which won nine of the last 11 titles in Division III before dropping to Division IV after the 2007 season. The Bobcats have won six titles in the last seven years. ... Hanover is no stranger to championships either. The Marauders won the Division IV championship in 2002, 2004 and 2005. Laconia beat Hanover, 35-14, in last year's Division IV championship game. ... Plymouth scored 360 points this season, which is the most scored by any NHIAA team. The Bobcats scored at least 34 points in eight of their nine games, and held their opponent to one touchdown in six of those nine contests. ... Hanover enters this game having won four in a row. The Marauders clinched a playoff spot by beating Merrimack Valley, 28-27, in overtime last weekend. ... Plymouth coach Chuck Lenahan has a 307-63-1 record in his high school coaching career, and has guided Plymouth to 16 state championships. ... Hanover quarterback Sam Carney has completed 56 of 101 passes for 918 yards this season. He's thrown eight touchdown passes and has been intercepted seven times. Christian Harris leads the Hanover running game. Harris has rushed for 1,135 yards on 148 carries.
•When and where: Saturday (1 p.m.) at Laconia High School.
•Team records: Laconia is 7-2 overall, 7-1 in Division IV. Kennett is 7-2 overall, 6-2 in Division IV.
•Regular-season result: Laconia won, 41-12, in Laconia.
•Noteworthy: Laconia is trying to reach the Division IV championship game for the third consecutive season. The Sachems lost to St. Thomas, 21-3, in 2006, and beat Hanover, 35-14, last season. ... Kennett's last state championship came in 1988, when it beat Plymouth, 12-10, to claim the Division III title. Kennett hasn't reached a championship game since 2001. Plymouth beat Kennett, 29-8, to win the Division III title that year. ... Kennett outscored its opponents 228-88 this season. The Eagles posted shutouts in five of their seven victories. ... Laconia dominated the game when these teams met during the regular season. The Sachems led 28-0 at halftime and 41-0 entering the fourth quarter. Laconia running back Christian Birt rushed for 211 yards on 24 carries and scored four touchdowns in that victory. Birt scored on runs of 10, 17 and 17 yards, and returned a fumble 51 yards for another TD. ... Laconia's two losses came against unbeaten Plymouth (27-14) and unbeaten Souhegan (26-17). Souhegan is the No. 1 seed for the Division III playoffs. ... The winner of this game will face either top-seeded Plymouth or fourth-seeded Hanover in the Division IV championship game, which will be played at the home of the higher-seeded team.
