Nashua North's Amaury Almonte tries to run through a tackle attempt by Bedford's Evan Cibotti during their meeting back on Sept. 2. North is at Merrimack tonight while Bedford returns to Stellos Stadium on Saturday to face Bishop Guertin. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

They’re back in the playoffs, and in a strong way.

The last time the Nashua High School North football team played in a postseason game, it took home hardware, routing Goffstown for the Division I championship in 2020 at Bedford High School.

Now today at Stellos Stadium at 4 p.m. – the game has been moved up from an original 6:30 start due to the stormy weather coming in tonight – the No. 1, 9-0 Titans will take on No. 10 Bedford (7-3) in the Division I quarterfinals.

North had last weekend off by virtue of its West Conference title.

“We were excited about having the bye, to be honest with you,” North coach Chad Zibolis said. “But I hate playing a team for a second time, especially when you beat them the first time (19-7). It’s not easy to beat a team twice.”

Conversely, the other playoff game tonight involving a local team features two squads that haven’t faced each other this season. No. 5 Bishop Guertin (8-2) will head to Derry to face No. 4 Pinkerton Academy (8-1, 8-2 overall) in another Division I quarterfinal. That game, originally set for 7 p.m., has also been moved up to a 5 p.m. start.

On Saturday, the other local left in Division I, No. 8 Merrimack (7-2, 7-3 overall) is at No. 1 defending champion Londonderry (8-0, 8-1 overall).

In Divsion II, No. 4 Souhegan (9-1) is at No. 1 Gilford-Belmont (10-0), while Campbell faces Trinity for the Division III title at 1 p.m. Saturday at Souhegan (see separate story on this site).

Here’s a look at the four non-championshp games:

NO. 10 BEDFORD AT NO. 2 NASHUA NORTH

The Titans, of course, have an offense that has been able to move up and down the field featuring mainstays such as senior QB Derek Finlay and running back Jordan Raisanen-Andino, and a host of others. But they only managed one offensive touchdown in the season opener at Stellos against the Bulldogs. Bedford has five shutouts – including last week in the prelim win at Windham – and the most points it allowed were 24 in a loss to Merrimack in the final regular season game two weeks ago.

“Their defense is stout,” Zibolis said. “They just hold teams to zero. We go back to the film and we left some points off the board … Hopefully we’ve gotten better, because I know they’ve gotten better.”

North held Bedford and QB Danny Black to just 99 total yards in the game with four sacks, and were the benefit of a 78-yard scoop and score by defensive end Toby Brown, Jr. But Brown isn’t expected to play tonight recovering from a knee injury, but there’s hope he can play in the next round if North advances. North senior linebacker Jack Peters has been a huge force all season.

Meanwhile, big Bedford defensive lineman Drake Sutton (6-2, 215) didn’t play against Windham but gave North fits in the first meeting. Colby Snow is a threat offensively for the ‘Dogs.

“You look at us, we’re completely different right now,” Zibolis said. “We’ve done a lot more offensively since then, which is big.”

NO. 5 BISHOP GUERTIN AT NO. 4 PINKERTON

Astros coach Brian O’Reilly remembers when his team came to Stellos a year ago and left with a win vs. the Cards but with several key injuries as well.

“We lost both our guards during the game and our tight end during the game,” Astros coach Brian O’Reilly said. “It was pretty ugly.”

But a year later, the speedy Astros have their health and a full complement of backs, including Jake Albert and Cole Yennaco. Pinkerton lost a lot of its starting line to graduation, began with a young group that has now come of age. As a whole, they appear better than when the season opened. Guertin has been reliant on the running of QB Matt Santosuosso all season. Is he better than when O’Reilly last saw him in 2021?

“Since he was really good last year the answer is no,” O’Reilly said. “And he got some work in the off season throwing and he’s a better passer. He’s a nice combination of power and speed.”

“We’re both running the football, doing it differently, but running the ball,” Trisciani said. “We’ve got to try to tighten up the blocking schemes. From my standpoint, my biggest concern is their coaching staff. Basically Brian O’Reilly is on the Mount Rushmore of high school coaches. … There’s nothing we’re going to show him that he hasn’t already seen.”

And the Astros are very good at home. Guertin went to Pinkerton in the 2014 semifinals and got trounced, and Trisciani was on that staff. “Not too many teams,” he said, “go to Pinkerton and win.”

“It’s probably a better matchup for us if it were the beginning of the year,” Trisciani added “Their line has progressed so much since week one or week two. I think they’re really rolling right now…. You have to try to match their physicality, it’s going to be a big challenge.”

One thing that could help do it is if the Cards are able to use senior Charlie Bellavance at running back; after nursing injuries, he got the most time at the position in a playoff win over Dover (two TDs) than he had most of the season.

Either way, it’s a matchup of two good teams, which the new system is designed to produce.

“It was inevitable,” O’Reilly said, “that if we were to move along in the playoffs at some point we were going to meet.”

And that time is today.

NO. 8 MERRIMACK AT NO. 1 LONDONDERRY

Tough, tough matchup for the Tomahawks, but as Kip Jackson said the other day, are resilient. The two teams did not meet during the season.

Lancer QB Drew Heenan, back Andrew Soucy, speedy Anthony Amara, etc. Lots to deal with for a defense led by Reimello Hyde at linebacker.

“They are really good, they are really fast, and they are really well-coached in all phases,” Merrimack coach Kip Jackson said. “Just a great team.”

So for Jackson, who along with the bruising running of Hyde, has the air game of the arm of QB Trent Jackson, the important things are typical for the postseason.

“The keys are the norm for playoff games,” he said. “Minimize mistakes, especially against a team that can score so quickly and be mentally tough since they are going to make big plays.”

That’s where Merrimack’s resilient nature will have to come in, because those big plays will come. The ‘Hawks just hope to have a few of their own.

DIVISION II SEMIFINALS

NO. 4 SOUHEGAN AT NO. 1 GILFORD-BELMONT

Beware of Gilford-Belmont; the co-op team is 10-0 for a reason. A few of them, actually.

“They have a dynamic quarterback in Isaiah Reese, a great basketball player,” Souhegan coach Robin Bowkett said. “He’s one of the best running quarterbacks in the state, especially when he’s healthy.”

The Golden Eagles are also physical up front, and use that for a good running game. They have height on the perimeter when the throw deep with Reese’s senior brother, Jalen. “They do a nice job on offense,” Bowkett said. “And they held opponents to one score the last three games (of the regular season).”

Plus, Gilford-Belmont pitched a shutout vs. St. Thomas in the quarterfinals. It also has one of the better linemen in the state, junior Michael Macioni.

“We’re going to have our hands full,” Bowkett said.

Of course so will the Eagles. Sabers quarterback Romy Jain has had a season most sophomores can only dream of with 24 TD passes, and is just shy of 2,000 passing yards.

The Sabers’ late season lost to Pelham left the team a little sluggish; Bowkett said last week’s 49-7rout of Kennett brought back the Souhegan team from the first-two thirds of the season.

“We kind of needed to get our mojo back,” Bowkett said, add that the Saber run defense, which teams were trying to take advantage of, had bounced back.

Souhegan has been led defensively by free safety Madux Mcgrath – leads team in tackles, plus linebackers J.J. Bright and Brayden Hickman among others.

“Our kids aren’t taking it for granted now,” Bowkett said. “They know any time it could end; we hope to be able to do this again next week.”

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