Nashua South football coach Josh Porter talks to his players after Friday night's tough loss at the hands of Manchester Memorial. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

This local high school season has not lacked for meaningful games, right?

And a few more are on tap on Friday night, including the only all-local matchup of the weekend, Nashua South (4-2, 5-2 overall) at Merrimack (4-2), set for Friday night at MHS’ Student Memorial Field at 6:30 p.m.

It’s either celebration or meditation for the locals after this past weekend. Some got huge wins, but South, for example, suffered a tough loss.

The Panthers took the weekend to get over the sting of Friday night’s stunning 46-28 loss at the hands of Manchester Memorial at Stellos Stadium, the team’s final regular season home game of the year. Merrimack, meanwhile, is the hottest area Division I team with four straight wins and a touchdown maker in Shea Scott, who has seven TDs in the last two games.

“I told the kids it’s not about what happened it’s how we respond,” South coach Josh Porter said. “So we’ll have to do better (on Friday) and respond.”

And Porter has one word to describe the importance of this Friday.

“Huge,” he said. “I’m a big proponent of we want to be playing our best ball at the end of the year. We hit a hiccup (vs. Memorial), let’s bounce back and let’s still be trending upward as we head to the end of the year and the playoffs.”

The problem is, Pinkerton on the road is the game after the Tomahawks.

“Merrimack is no slouch, either,” Porter said. “They’re coming in on a four-game winning streak. So we have to be at our best. We learned that (vs. Memorial). If we’re not at our best when we take the field, this (a loss) is what happens.”

Should be a good one. The Tomahawks were blown out vs. Bishop Guertin in the second game of the season at Stellos, and have not lost since.

BIG GAME FOR NORTH

Nashua North saved its season with a comeback win over Portsmouth-Oyster River and now has a chance to finish its schedule that counts toward making the post season at 4-4 with a win vs. Keene Friday night at Stellos Stadium.

Believe it or not, it’s the Titans’ first game on the home side of Motta Field since their loss to South, and Keene is coming in on a six game losing streak, not having won since beating winless Goffstown on opening night. The Titans would have a great playoff shot with a win, as 10 other teams make it after the three conference winners in Division I.

Bishop Guertin’s Rocco Roy hauls in a touchdown catch in front of Bedford’s Landon Ellsmore during the fourth quarter of Bedford’s 35-28 win on Friday.(Photo by Dan Doyon)

GUERTIN GETS BRIEF BREAK FROM CONTENDERS

Bishop Guertin has had to battle top contenders the last couple of weeks in Nashua South and Bedford, and besides the losses, the other casualty is the two-game loss of their head coach, Anthony Nalen. BG hosts Goffstown (0-7) next Saturday night, the last game Nalen will have to miss for his ejection in the Oct. 10 loss to South.

“That’s a great football team and I’m sure we’ll see them again down the road,” Bedford coach Zach Matthews said of the Cards.

It could happen at some point. The West Conference title, however, will be conceeded to the Bulldogs, who are7-0 (-0 in Division I) with two games left and have beaten chief contenders Nashua South, BG and, we should add, Merrimack.

Guertin played Bedford tough, led at halftime 14-13, but couldn’t hold on.

“Bedford is a great team, they know what they need to do, they’ve been in those situations and they stepped up,” BG acting head coach/defensive coordinator Jermaine McKenzie said. “We just need to make some more plays and we’ll be fine.”

ANOTHER BIGGIE FOR SOUHEGAN

After the Souhegan Sabers took care of former unbeaten Plymouth Saturday on the road, now they have to face off against another Division II contender on the road: Pelham, the team the Sabers beat in the title game last November.

But the win over Plymouth – one that coach Robin Bowkett said was “one of the greatest wins we’ve ever had” will put Mike Fiengo in legend status for him coming off the bench when interim starter Cole Brandt got hurt. Fiengo has been the Sabers sparkplug for one-plus seasons, but was out with a shoulder injury and expected to just dress. He came in for one play in a passing situation and threw a touchdown, then had to come in to play the rest of the game when Brandt went down.

“I hadn’t played in three weeks and I had been dying to get back out there,” Fiengo said. “There is nothing I like better than being out there with those 10 other kids.”

Will he be out there on Friday? You’d have to think so, and the key will be finally practicing, which he hasn’t in three weeks.

CHANCE FOR A BRONCO STREAK?

Alvirne (2-5) will look for two straight wins this Friday when it hosts struggling Dover in the final scheduled home game. If they can beat the 1-6 Green Wave, the Broncos will have won three out of four, a nice bounce back after being outscored 157-21 in their first four games, mainly vs. the iron of the Central Division.

MILFORD’S SENIORS

Milford doesn’t have many seniors, but they recognized the ones they have this past Friday and they got a great tribute from head coach Max Morelli. James Butterfield, Tucker Sabotka, Victor McEnnis, Eli Gutierrez and Chris Bozza have two more games left, at ConVal Friday and then Pelham on Oct. 31.

I love every single one of them,” Morrelli said. “A few of them have been cornerstones for us. As players, but also off the field. Awesome kids. Awesome guys to be around. The offseason stuff, helping get things going in that regard. I wish we had a better result tonight, but I love every one of them. They’re excellent people.”

Morrelli also credited them with helping ease his transition from assistant to head coach last year.

“I was coaching on staff beforehand, but just because you’re here doesn’t mean everything was going to be the same,” Morrelli said. “There were a lot of differences and they were really great at buying in and helping that transition into new things. (We’ll miss) their blue collar type of approach. Tough kids. They played really hard. They’re good dudes.”

From left, Chris Bozza (21), Gavyn Tessier (5), James Butterfield (66) and Eli Gutierrez (75) lead the Spartans onto the field ahead of the opening kickoff on Milford’s senior night this past Friday. (Photo by Dan Attori)

HOLLIS GAINS CONFIDENCE

The Cavaliers romped over a bad team, Pembroke, 43-2, and according to head coach Pat Gendron, it’s all about confidence.

“When they finally play with confidence, we can be pretty talented,” he said of his 2-5 squad. “Just getting over that confidenc barrier has been a huge challenge due to the previous years here.

“Definitely excited for the future. It’s been a lot of hard work, but we are having fun building it.”

HB will have some tougher competition on Friday, hosting 4-3 Hanover. The Bears blew out ConVal 40-0 a month ago, a team that beat HB 33-14.

CAMPBELL’S WEEK OFF

The Cougars don’t have a game this week, and that’s both good and bad, coach Glen Costello says.

He doesn’t like non-league games, for one. He remembers one of his alma mater, Alvirne’s best teams ever in 1999 losing a key player in a game vs. the Connecticut School of Science. It was the school’s first playoff team ever and they lost in the first round of the playoffs.

“I don’t know, I’ve always had the philosophy it’s not worth any risk in playing in the bye week,” Costello said. “I hate the timing of it now, I enjoy the timing of it in terms of trying to get healthy. I’d rather play a meaningful game or not play at all. That’s always been my philosophy, we can’t afford injuries.”

(Telegraph Sports Correspondents Dan Doyon and Dan Attorri contributed to this report.)