Four high school football playoff games tonight and four more Saturday afternoon will set the matchups for the Vermont championship games next weekend.

No. 4 Burlington (5-4) at No. 1 South Burlington (8-1): Chittenden County rivals Burlington and South Burlington will square off at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Rebels' turf field.

The SBHS ground game is paced by C.J. St. Onge, who has rushed for 1,481 yards on 141 attempts for a 10.5-yard average. He scored 20 of his 22 touchdowns on the ground.

Ten others have run the ball this season, including sophomore Taylor Devarney (502 yards, seven TDs) and senior Steve Moore (149 yards, two TDs).

The Rebels' top receivers are seniors Tyler Jackson (20 catches for 401 yards and three TDs), Manny Muderhwa (20 catches for 377 yards) and St. Onge (13 catches for 90 yards and two TDs).

That defeat was part of the Seahorses' 0-3 start, but BHS responded with five straight wins before falling to BFA-St. Albans in last week's regular-season finale.

Receivers Tyrone Conley and Taggart Ramsey will be looking for passes from quarterback Michael Carrier. Carrier over took as the Seahorses' starter when Josh Carey was hurt in practice and underwent hand surgery following the loss to SBHS.

BHS took a big hit when lineman Matt Kaigle transferred to South Burlington. He has joined John Ritchie, Zach Liberty, Keith Billings to provide power up front for the Rebels.

No. 3 Bellows Falls (7-2) at No. 2 BFA-St. Albans (7-2): The Bobwhites will play host to their first home playoff game since 1993 when they face Bellows Falls at 7 tonight at the Collins-Perley Sports Center.

BFA posted a 34-30 opening-weekend win over Bellows Falls at Collins-Perley that sparked the Bobwhites to a 5-0 start. The Terriers' only other loss was a 20-13 defeat at South Burlington.

The Terriers have relied on the eye-popping performances of running back Jason Ryan, who has broken many of the school's offensive records. Ryan's totals of more than 1,500 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns set records, as did the yardage in his best single performance -- a 398-yard, six-touchdown effort against Spaulding.

No. 4 Rice Memorial (5-4) at No. 1 Mill River (7-2): Defending state champion Rice started off quickly in the league but the Green Knights found the going rough against top-ranked Mill River. The Minutemen's 20-6 victory Oct. 22 ended up deciding the top seed.

Rice quarterback Josh Danis will call on receiver Matt Kreutz for long yardage, while Birney Boehland and Joe O'Brien lead the Green Knights' ground game. Steve Degree, Matt Briand and Ben Trottier anchor the Rice defense.

No. 3 Milton (6-3) at No. 2 Woodstock (7-2): Milton will head to Woodstock at 1 p.m. Saturday looking to avenge a 36-28 home loss to the Wasps in the third week of the season.

Milton has several scoring threats, topped by Nate Ward, a quarterback who can pass or run. Randy Babineau is the leading rusher, while Pat Grenier and Jason Shepard provide depth. Ray Hershenhorn is dangerous as a receiver or a return man, and Stuart Bell and Mike Riley are threats catching the ball.

Woodstock also spreads around its offense. Running backs Phil Giampa, Jason Harootunian and Ben Pilsmaker churn up the yardage while quarterback Kellan Lewis can throw to his men out of the backfield or receivers Jesse Robinson and Owen Miller.

No. 3 Champlain Valley (5-4) at No. 2 U-32 (5-3): Champlain Valley, a playoff team in its first varsity season, faces perennial power U-32 in East Montpelier at 7 tonight. U-32 posted a 30-0 win over the Redhawks midway through the season.

Nick Simon, Nick Mi- chaud and Matt Behm lead the CVU ground game while QB Adam Barndt directs the offense. Michael Pinckney and Nick Hamel are the top receivers.

U-32 has been slowed by injuries lately but running back Todd Murphy and quarterback Ethan Sylvain are healthy and expected to start. They will try to test the CVU defense, which needs to be tough for the Redhawks to reach the championship game.

No. 4 Mount Mansfield (6-3) at No. 1 Otter Valley (9-0): Mount Mansfield is in the playoffs for the first time in its two years of varsity football, facing a Saturday trip to unbeaten Otter Valley.

The Cougars, who played all their games on the road, pushed OV to overtime last week before falling 20-19. MMU running backs Ben Boileau and Greg Pinette give the Cougars a powerful 1-2 rushing duo.

Kenny Parsons and Kyle Pinkham lead the Otter Valley rushing game but can also swing out of the backfield for passes from quarterback Corey Robinson. Colby Hutchins is also a top receiver.

Top-seeded Brattleboro (9-0, 6-0) puts its undefeated record on the line against No. 4 Mount St. Joseph (5-4, 3-3) at Natowich Field. The Colonels won the regular-season meeting 16-0 on their home field three weeks ago.

In the other semifinal, No. 2 Rutland (7-2, 5-1) plays host to Hartford (5-4, 3-3) at Alumni Field. The Raiders beat the Hurricanes 31-14 on the same field in the fourth week of the season.

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