Bedford boys looking for second title

The Bedford High School boys tennis team will be looking for its second-straight title when the playoffs start Tuesday, and this year, the Bulldogs will be the No. 1 seed.

Bedford is among four local teams competing in this year’s boys tennis playoffs.

In Division I, Bishop Guertin (11-3) is the No. 5 seed and will travel to face No. 4 Derryfield (11-3) on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Cardinals won the regular-season match, 6-3 on April 11, but because the Cougars finished with a better rating, they got the higher seed.

The winner will take on either No. 1 Londonderry (14-0) or No. 8 Salem (8-6) in the semifinals. The Lancers and Blue Devils didn’t play during the regular season and will meet in Londonderry at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Alvirne (8-6) earned the No. 7 seed and will travel to face No. 2 Exeter (13-1) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The Blue Hawks won the regular-season meeting 9-0 on May 2. The winner of that match will face the winner of No. 3 Concord (12-2) and No. 6 Manchester Central (9-5). The Little Green defeated the Crimson Tide during the regular season, 5-4 on May 9, and the teams will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

The semifinals are scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday at the higher seed and the final will take place at 4 p.m. on May 31 at Derryfield.

Division II

A year ago, Bedford was undefeated during the regular season, but wasn’t the No. 1 seed in the tournament, but still won it all. This year, the Bulldogs (14-0) are once again unbeaten and are the top team in the tournament.

Bedford will host No. 8 Pelham (9-5) in a rematch of last year’s championship match at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams didn’t meet during the regular season, and the winner will face either No. 4 Portsmouth or No. 5 Lebanon in the semifinals. Those two teams also did not meet in the regular season.

Hollis/Brookline (11-3) enters as the No. 7 seed and will travel to face No. 2 Hanover (13-1) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams didn’t play during the regular season, and the winner will take on either No. 3 Goffstown or No. 6 Oyster River in the semifinals. Those two teams also did not play in the regular season.

The semifinals are scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday at the higher seed, while the final is scheduled for 4 p.m. May 31 at Memorial Field in Concord.

Division III

Bow is the top seed in the tournament and will host No. 4 Conant in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Falcons won the regular-season match 8-1 on May 21.

The winner will face either No. 2 Gilford or No. 3 Kearsarge in the final. Kearsarge defeated Gilford 7-2 in the opening match of the season for both teams.

The final is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday at Plymouth State University.