The Milford High School boys lacrosse team is in the Division III playoffs for the first time in nine years.

What do the Spartans get as a reward? They get a preliminary-round date with Hollis Brookline, who beat Milford twice already during the regular season.

The teams will meet for a third time Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Hollis to open the D-III playoffs, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals on Thursday.

That also happens to be when Division I and II begin as well, starting with the quarterfinals.

DIVISION I

Bishop Guertin (16-2) is the top seed in the tournament and the Cardinals are three games away from becoming the first boys lacrosse team to win five consecutive championships. BG hosts Concord in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. Thursday at Stellos Stadium in a rematch of a game the Cardinals won 18-6 back on April 21.

The Crimson Tide actually led that game 1-0 before BG scored 11 straight goals and led 18-3 at halftime. The Cardinals offense scored 288 goals this season, including an average of 18 against division opponents.

Nashua North (10-6) will be the fifth seed and will try to continue its best season when it heads up I-89 to face No. 4 Hanover (11-7) for the second time this year. The Titans lost to the Marauders 14-8 back on April 21. The winner of that game will face either BG or Concord in the semifinals, which will be held Sunday at Bedford.

After finishing the regular season with seven wins in nine games, Souhegan (11-5) is seeded third and will host No. 6 Exeter (10-7) for a third time. The teams split the previous two, with each winning on its home field, and they’ll play Thursday at 5 p.m. in Amherst.

The Sabers’ 15-13 win over the Blue Hawks on May 16 was the only time this season Souhegan allowed 10 or more goals and won (1-5). The winner of that game takes on either No. 2 Pinkerton (15-3) or No. 7 Londonderry (10-7) in the semifinals.

DIVISION II

For the first time in eight years, the playoffs will include Merrimack (8-8), which earned the sixth seed in the division by winning three of its final four games. The Tomahawks will travel to face No. 3 Goffstown (11-3) on Thursday at 5 p.m., the third time the two teams will meet. The Grizzlies won both games during the regular season by a combined 26-13.

The winner gets either No. 2 St. Thomas (12-2) or No. 7 Winnacunnet (6-8) in the semifinals, which will be held Saturday at Exeter.

Top-seeded Bedford (18-0) will be looking for its third straight title and to extend its 58-game winning streak. The Bulldogs haven’t lost since falling to Souhegan in the semifinals in 2011.

Bedford opens with No. 8 Dover (6-10) the last team other than its opponent to win a D-II title. The winner of that game gets either No. 4 Portsmouth (11-3) or No. 5 Bow (10-4) in the semifinals.

DIVISION III

After opening the season 10-0, HB has gone just 2-2 in its last four games, but the No. 3 Cavs (12-2) beat No. 14 Milford (5-9) by scores of 21-9 and 16-10 during the regular season. The winner of that game faces either No. 6 John Stark (11-3) or No. 11 Hopkinton (6-8) in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Derryfield (16-0) is once again the top seed, and the defending champions have won 35 games in a row, dating back to the semifinals in 2012. The Cougars open with No. 16 Windham, who they beat twice during the regular season.

No. 2 Plymouth (14-0) also enters the tournament undefeated and opens with No. 15 Monadnock (5-9). All preliminary round games are scheduled for Tuesday and the quarterfinals will be held Thursday. The D-III semifinals will take place Saturday at Stellos Stadium.

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