Is this the scene Bishop Guertin boys lacrosse fans will see again toinight after the Division I title bout with Pinkerton? Stay tuned. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

Finals Saturday 2025 is looking a lot like Finals Saturday 2024 when it comes to the local NHIAA entries.

Three of the area high school teams that played in championship games last year are back in the finals set for today.

Welcome back Bishop Guertin boys lacrosse, Souhegan baseball and Hollis Brookline boys volleyball. Unfortunately, Campbell boys lacrosse wasn’t able to join them, falling to Plymouth in the Division III semifinals the other day after winning the finals a year ago.

Besides death and taxes, you can count on BG boys lacrosse playing in the championship game. The No. 2 Cards (15-5) are set to play in their incredible 20th straight state title game, facing longtime rival No. 1 Pinkerton Academy (16-4) at 7 p.m. today in the Division I final at Exeter’s Bill Ball Stadium. The Cards, led by the likes of Owen King and Mike Ponto, among others, handled the Astros in Derry by a 16-8 count back on May 13. For these two teams, it will be the 12th time they’ve met in the finals since 2005. The Cards lead that series 8-4, last beating the Astros 15-6 in the 2023 title game. Pinkerton last won the crown beating BG 14-12 in 2019, and that’s the last time the Cards have lost to an in-state team.

Also at 7 p.m., the No. 1, 19-1 Sabers will face No. 2, 17-2 John Stark for the Division II baseball title at Manchester’s Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, weather permitting – and it’s expected to be OK. The Sabers lost to Bow in last year’s finals 13-3 and have been on a mission ever since, not losing to a Division II team this season. Souhegan, who will likely start righty Brayden Hickman on the mound, did not face John Stark this season.

The Sabers are seeking the program’s third title; their last came in 2016 over Portsmouth.

For Hollis Brookline boys volleyball, final appearances are also a habit. Led by superb senior hitter Ethan Norris, the three-time defending champion Cavaliers are set to face No. 1 Coe-Brown at Nashua High School North at 4 p.m., looking for their fourth straight crown and fifth overall.

It may happen, because the Cavs have the Bears right where they want them. In their last three title wins, the teams they beat – Windham, Londonderry and last year, local rival Souhegan – beat them in the regular season. And yes, Coe-Brown downed the Cavs 3-0 in the regular season back on May 21. It’ll be a tall task; the Bears have lost only two sets all season long, and that was in a 3-2 win over Dover back on May 8.

But never, ever, ever, sell the Cavaliers short.