The biggest weekend of the New Hampshire high school football season

In a season unlike any other, this is a weekend of high school football unlike any other. Seven games between potential playoff teams, and in three of those, a game between two teams who are first or second in their respective conference.

Here’s a quick look at each one.

Exeter (4-2) at Spaulding (3-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

The two-time defending Division I champions looked to be in position to win the East Conference when the Blue Hawks defeated Winnacunnet in overtime earlier this season. But then Exeter dropped back-to-back games for the first time since 2010, and Spaulding put itself right in the mix with a big win over Winnacunnet. Now, with a win Friday, the Red Raiders can put themselves in the lead for that conference title and the home playoff game that comes with it.

Who needs it more: Spaulding. Even though both teams own the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Warriors, a loss for the Red Raiders would likely put them behind Winnacunnet in the standings. Both Spaulding and Exeter have very winnable games in the final two weeks, but Spaulding would have a much smaller margin for error. Getting a win over the defending champs would also be a huge confidence boost for a Raiders program that has been on the rise the last few seasons.

Monadnock (6-0) at Milford (4-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

This game lost a little of its luster when Milford quarterback Harrison Urda went down for the season with an injury, but it’s still one of the marquee matchups this weekend that will answer a few questions. For starters, just how good is Monadnock? The Huskies are one of two undefeated teams in Division II, but they have yet to play a team with a winning record. How will Milford look with sophomore Max Urda, Harrison’s brother, at quarterback? The younger Urda was only in for a couple of series in last week’s win over John Stark, but on the only pass he threw, he completed it for a touchdown.

Who needs it more: Milford. At 6-0, and with a win over second-place Sanborn, Monadnock has the West Conference just about locked up. The Spartans need the victory to keep pace with Trinity and Windham in the South Conference.

Bishop Brady (3-2) at Bow (4-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

Despite being a game behind in the win column, the Giants enter this one in a better spot than the Falcons. Bishop Brady is a game ahead of Epping-Newmarket in the Division III East Conference, with a head-to-head meeting still to come. Among D3 teams, only Mascoma Valley and Campbell has scored more points per game than Bishop Brady (32.6), but Bow enters having allowed only 5.6 points per game.

Who needs it more: Bow. At 4-1, the Falcons are tied with Campbell for second in the South Conference, behind Pelham (5-0) and ahead of Somersworth (3-2). Bow ends the season with games against both, and with only two teams advancing to the postseason, there is no margin for error. With wins over Farmington-Nute (0-5) and Raymond (0-5), Bishop Brady has already wrapped up a playoff spot in the East.

Londonderry (3-3) at Manchester Central (4-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

The Lancers put their playoff destiny in their hands with last week’s win over Merrimack (3-3), but the program’s first postseason berth since 2008 is not a given yet. After losing its first two games of the season, Central is on a four-game winning streak that also included a win over Merrimack in which running back Jesiah Wade set a state record with 556 yards rushing in one game (also the 12th best single-game performance ever nationally).

Who needs it more: Central. With Bedford and Concord at the top of the North Conference standings, the Little Green need every win they can get to keep pace. Meanwhile, Londonderry only needs to tie with Merrimack – which still has to play Pinkerton and Bedford – to get the second playoff spot in the South.

Portsmouth (5-1) at Plymouth (6-0), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Unlike Division I, the teams in Division II and III were able to make their own non-conference schedules, and in D2, its provided matchups among the teams expected to be championship contenders. Portsmouth and Trinity opened the season, and Trinity and Plymouth play a few weeks ago. Now its time for the Clippers and Bobcats to throw down up North in a matchup of the two highest scoring teams in D2. The difference could be defense. Plymouth is tops in the division, giving up 10.2 points per game, while Portsmouth is 10th at 22.5, which includes the 58 points Trinity hung on the Clippers in Week 1.

Who needs it more: Portsmouth. Like Monadnock, Plymouth has the North Conference title already wrapped up. Although the Clippers have wins over Merrimack Valley (5-1) and St. Thomas (5-1), both of those teams have winnable games this week, and a loss would drop Portsmouth from first to third in the East Conference.

Bishop Guertin (5-1) at Nashua South (6-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

This is the first meeting between the programs in over a decade, and it will be the first time the game actually counts for something other than bragging rights. The big news for the Cardinals last week was the return of C.J. Boykin, who is enough of an X-factor to make this game a bit of a toss up. Bishop Guertin will present the best defense the Panthers and quarterback Trevor Knight has seen to date, even with a couple injuries shortening the Cardinals’ bench. South has been a bit of surprise itself defensively, ranking fourth in D1 in points allowed.

Who needs it more: South. The Panthers travel to Keene (4-2) next week and a loss would likely make that game for the second playoff spot in the West Conference, since the Cardinals already have a win over the Blackbirds.

Bedford (6-0) at Concord (6-0), Friday. 7 p.m.

It’s a classic matchup of the immovable object (Bedford’s defense) and the unstoppable force (Concord’s offense). The Bulldogs have the best defense in the state when it comes to allowing points, giving up a total of 26 all season. Until last week’s win over Manchester Memorial, Bedford hadn’t allowed a point since Week 1. Meanwhile, Concord averages better than 45 points per game, and finished five of its six games in running time.

Who needs it more: Bedford. The winner will likely capture the Division I North Conference crown. A win by Concord, which has already defeated Manchester Central, would likely mean that Bedford’s game against the Little Green on Nov. 1 would be for second place. A Bedford win would all but wrap up a playoff spot for both teams.