MANCHESTER, NH – As the final week of the regular-season wrapped up for Manchester’s four high school football teams, several Queen City soccer and volleyball teams kicked off postseason play with many of those squads finding success in the early rounds of tournament play. Here’s a glance at that playoff action and more:
Football
Division I
With a 28-21 victory over visiting Exeter (5-3) on Halloween night, the Manchester Memorial High School football team (7-1) topped the East region of Division I, earning the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the D-I tournament.
The Crusaders are scheduled to face the winner of No. 10 Portsmouth/Oyster River at No. 7 Salem.
A few miles doesn’t the road, Manchester Central (3-6) fell at home in its season finale to Salem, 35-7.
Division II
The Trinity High School football team capped an 8-1 regular season with a 47-20 triumph at Bow on Oct. 31. The Pioneers open the postseason Friday at 6:30 p.m. against No. 7 Hanover.
Across town, Manchester West finished the regular season with a 7-2 record after traveling to Hanover (5-4) and earning a 6-3 victory to secure the fifth seed in the D-II tourney. The Blue Knights travel to No. 4 Pelham to open the playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.
Boys soccer
Division I
After handing top-ranked Nashua South its first loss, in the regular-season finale, the Manchester Memorial (7-5-5), the Crusaders entered the postseason as the tenth seed and fell to seventh-ranked Londonderry, 3-1, on Oct. 29.
Division III
The Trinity boys soccer team (12-2-4), after entering the Division-III playoffs as the No. 4 seed earned a 4-2 victory over No. 13 White Mountains in the opening round on Oct. 29 before pulling away for a 4-1 win over No. 5 Belmont in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Pioneers are scheduled to face top-ranked Saint Thomas Aquinas in the D-III semifinals on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. at Bedford High School. The winner advances to the state championship game against No. 2 Kearsarge (14-0-4) or No. 3 Hopkinton (13-3-2) Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
On the other side of the D-III tournament bracket, No. 6 Manchester West (10-2-5) opened the playoffs with a 3-0 win over No. 11 Derryfield School (7-5-3) on Oct. 29 before falling to defending champ Hopkinton in the quarterfinals, 2-0, on Saturday.
Division IV
After entering the D-IV playoffs as the No. 6 seed, the Holy Family (11-5-1) boys soccer team was upset at home, 2-0, to No. 11 Littleton on Oct. 28.
Girls soccer
Division III
With no Division-I teams qualifying for the playoffs, all the postseason girls soccer action for the Queen City is taking place in Division III.
There, No. 8 Trinity (9-5-3) fell in the first round at home, 1-0, to No. 9 Fall Mountain on Oct. 28, and No. 7 Derryfield (10-5-1) defeated to No. 10 Kearsarge, 3-0, to open the playoffs that same day.
The Cougars went on to lose to second-ranked Raymond, 3-0, on Oct. 31.
Volleyball
Division II
Manchester’s lone representative from the Queen City’s three public high schools, No. 15 Manchester Memorial (6-13) fell, 3-0, to second-ranked Coe-Brown on Oct. 30.
Division III
Meanwhile, in D-III action, third-ranked Trinity (15-2) after earning a first-round bye, kicked off its playoff run with a 3-0 triumph over No. 6 Raymond on Oct. 31.
The Pioneers look to march forward when they face second-ranked Farmington (15-2) at semifinal host Pinkerton Academy at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The victor advances to the state title tilt on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pinkerton.