Souhegan is still the team to beat
Division III Semifinals
No. 4 Hollis-Brookline at No. 1 Souhegan
- When and where: Saturday (1 p.m.) at Souhegan High School in Amherst.
- Team records: Souhegan is 9-1 overall, 8-0 in Division III. Hollis-Brookline is 5-4 overall, 5-3 in Division III.
- Regular-season result: Souhegan won 35-16 in Amherst.
- Noteworthy: Souhegan has won the last two Division III championships and has reached the Division III title game in seven of the last eight seasons. ... Hollis-Brookline is making the program's first playoff appearance. The Cavaliers set school records for rushing yards in a season (2,262) and total yardage (3,002) this year. ... Souhegan quarterback Mike Luks completed 10 of 19 passes for 137 yards (1 INT) and rushed for two TDs in the regular-season meeting between these teams. Hollis-Brookline was within seven points at halftime (22-15) but the Sabers added a touchdown in the third quarter and another in the fourth. ... Junior tailback Colin Pellerin leads the Hollis-Brookline rushing attack with 1,006 yards and eight touchdowns on 169 carries. He rushed for 62 yards on 14 carries in the first meeting with Souhegan before suffering an injury that forced him to miss the second half. ... Hollis-Brookline fullback Brian Liamos has run for 798 yards on 141 carries this season He's also scored 10 TDs. Liamos has 1,914 yards and 21 TDs in his three-year high school career.
No. 3 Milford at No. 2 Portsmouth
- When and where: Friday (7 p.m.) at Portsmouth High School.
- Team records: Portsmouth is 6-3 overall, 6-2 in Division III. Milford is 6-4 overall, 6-2 in Division III.
- Regular-season result: Portsmouth won 40-0 in Portsmouth.
- Noteworthy: A victory would give Portsmouth its third trip to the Division III championship game in as many years. Portsmouth lost to Souhegan in the 2008 and 2009 title games. ... These teams tied for second place, but Portsmouth won the tiebreaker via its regular-season victory over Milford. The Clippers led 28-0 at halftime and 40-0 entering the third quarter. Portsmouth quarterback Quinn McCann completed 14 of 21 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns in that victory. He also ran for a touchdown. McCann has thrown for 1,788 yards this season. ... Split end Aiden O'Leary is McCann's favorite target. O'Leary caught five passes for 105 yards and two TDs in the first meeting with Milford. ... The Spartans enter the playoffs on a three-game winning streak. Their run-based offensive attack features Max Goudreau (981 yards) and John Forte (872 yards/7.5 per carry). Portsmouth held Forte to 29 yards on 11 carries in the earlier meeting. ... Portsmouth's Billy Lane, who has missed most of the last three games with a back injury, has been cleared to play Friday. Lane has scored seven touchdowns on 36 touches (19 receptions, 17 carries) this season.
- -- Capsule compiled by Roger Brown
Coming Friday: Divisions IV, V and VI capsule previews
