With five weeks of play in the books, the state playoff scenarios are starting to take shape for local football teams. A few squads already appear to have booked their trips to the postseason, while many more are still scrambling to qualify.

Here are the scenarios:

North Jersey Section 1, Group 3:

Despite the loss to St. Joe's that ended its 55-game winning streak, Wayne Hills is in no danger of missing out on the state tournament. But the loss did drop the Patriots into the middle of a five-team scrum for the top four places in the section. Right now Wayne Hills is in third place, just four points out of first. Expect the Patriots to win out in the regular season, but whether that will be good enough to push them to the #1 seed is questionable.

The other four local teams are just fighting to get into the states in this section. Lakeland and Wayne Valley currently hold down 6th and 8th places, respectively. The two teams face off this Friday in a huge contest; the winner should be in good shape to reach the tournament, while the losing squad will be dropped into a battle for the last couple of spots.

Montville is in 5th place in the standings despite its loss to Sparta this past weekend. If the Mustangs can win out, they will qualify for sure, but none of the games are pushovers, and they may not be able to afford a slip-up.

Despite a 2-3 record, West Milford is 10th in the standings and would probably qualify if it won its next three games. The problem: this week's contest is against St. Joe's, and unless the Highlanders pull the major upset, they'll probably be too far behind in power points to catch up over the ensuing two weeks.

North Jersey Section 1, Group 2:

Pequannock got the win it needed against Hopatcong this past Friday to get back on the beam after two losses. The Panthers now sit in 3rd place in the power point standings in this section. But this week's game against Morris Catholic is critical. A win should just about lock up a berth for the Panthers, but a loss not only costs them a chance at a first-round home game but puts their post-season hopes in jeopardy.

North Jersey Section 1, Group 1:

Defending sectional champion Mountain Lakes appears to be cruising toward another high seed in this bracket. So far, the Herd hasn't had a game closer than 20 points. If the Herd wins out, it will almost surely be the top seed.

However, Butler will have something to say about that. The Bulldogs are actually a point ahead of Mountain Lakes in this week's standings. If both teams win their next two games, their meeting in Week 8 will not only be for the league title, but the #1 seed in the playoffs as well. The Bulldogs do appear just about assured of qualifying for the states.

The one team that could disrupt the Butler-Mountain Lakes showdown is Boonton, which plays both squads in the next two weeks. The Bombers are currently 4-1 and in 6th place in the power point standings. A win against either the Bulldogs or Herd should be enough to lift Boonton into the states, but if they lose both games, the Bombers will drop into a mad scramble for the final one or two spots.

Pompton Lakes isn't out of contention despite a 2-3 record, but the Cardinals must win the next two games against Garfield and Hawthorne (Pompton is currently tied for 10th place with the Bears). Even with those wins, the Cardinals might need to upset Glen Rock in Week 8 to qualify.

Lastly, a year removed from reaching the state tournament, Kinnelon is already officially eliminated from this year's post-season.

North Jersey Section 2, Group 3:

Passaic Valley was looking good in this section, but just one loss to Wayne Valley and now the Hornets have dropped to 5th place. This week's game against Ferris, the best of the Hudson County teams it faces this year, is crucial. A win there would seemingly put the Hornets in position to qualify, but if they want a home game, they'll probably need to beat DePaul in Week 7 or Paramus in their final regular season contest.

North Jersey Section 2, Group 1:

With five losses, Whippany Park is officially out of contention for the playoffs.

Non-Public Group 3:

DePaul suffered heartbreak last year when a 6-2 record wasn't good enough to get it into this extremely tough bracket. In 2009, the Spartans already have two losses yet find themselves in 3rd place in the power points. 6-2 would get the job done this year, but DePaul still has games against Passaic Valley and Wayne Valley before the cutoff, and a loss to either of those teams will put the Spartans in danger of another disappointment, or at best one of the bottom seeds. Three wins, however, could mean a first-round home game. -- Paul Mencher