All the hard work has led up to this. Countless hours in the weight room, captains' practices over the summer, two-a-days starting in August and a nine-game regular season were all a prelude to the New Jersey football state playoffs. Eight Jersey Sports Now area teams qualified for the postseason this year, and many of them have legitimate hopes of walking away with the championship trophy

In the case of this year's first round, eight goes into six because two football games feature matchups of JSN-area teams. Here's a preview look at the games:

North Jersey Section 1, Group III:

Wayne Hills is the top seed, but comes into the playoffs on an unfamiliar note, having lost its regular-season finale to St. Joseph. Coach Chris Olsen's football team will need to shake off that disappointment and get ready to take on crosstown rival Wayne Valley in the opening round. The Patriots must still be considered the favorite to win this section for the sixth time in seven years, but it won't be easy.

Most teams would be unhappy to draw Wayne Hills in the first round of the playoffs, figuring they would be in for a long night. But Wayne Valley must believe it has a chance to shock the Patriots. The Indians only lost to Hills by five points earlier this year and seven points in last year's game. Also, Valley comes in with a dose of confidence after beating a strong Pascack Valley team last week. Wayne Valley has been one of the most unpredictable teams around, so anyone giving the Indians no chance this Friday could be very wrong.

North Jersey Section 1, Group II:

Lakeland didn't get any help in the final week of play and stayed as the third seed in this section. The Lancers still get at least one home game, and will play Wallkill Valley in the first round. That Sussex County school is making its first playoff appearance in 15 years. Lakeland is clearly favored to win that game, and could be deemed the overall favorite in this section as well. But the Lancers really haven't played a complete game in many weeks, and they'll need to find their "A" game to wind up on top.

Every playoff team has to believe it has a chance to win. But few 7th seeds would seem to have the realistic hope that Pequannock has of claiming a first-round victory. The Panthers play a Lenape Valley team that appears to be reeling, losing 42-0 to Madison two weeks ago and then falling to a mediocre Hanover Park team last week. If the Panthers can slow down the Patriots' Wing-T attack, they could well find themselves in the sectional semifinals.

North Jersey Section 1, Group I:

Mountain Lakes is again the top seed in this bracket after another perfect regular season. Now the Herd aims for a third consecutive state title. They'll open with 8th seed North Warren, a surprising entrant into this year's states and a team that might well be intimidated. The games get tougher after that, and Mountain Lakes may well need to pull out another last-minute win or two if it is to hoist the trophy again this year.

It's hard to imagine a team entering the states any hotter than Hawthorne. The Bears bounced back from an opening day loss to run off eight straight victories in impressive fashion. Behind quarterback Ryan Hollis, fourth-seeded Hawthorne is a potent offensive squad. The only question would seem to be whether their competition in the new NJIC was strong enough to prepare the Bears for a deep run in the states.

They'll find out right away, because Hawthorne's first-round opponent is Butler. The Bulldogs also have just one loss, a last-minute heartbreaker against Mountain Lakes. When it hits on all cylinders, as it did in last week's rout of Hopatcong, this team can be overwhelming. But Butler has been plagued by mistakes, and had to rely on its defense to pull out a couple of games this year. This should be a tremendous first-round contest; in fact, had circumstances been slightly different, these teams could have met in the sectional final instead.

Non-Public Group III:

DePaul finished the regular season on a seven-game roll. Now it's time to step up into this extremely difficult bracket. The Spartans open up at home against Immaculata in another of the first round's best games. The memory of last year's disappointing home playoff loss to Holy Spirit should motivate DePaul, as should the potential opportunity to avenge their Week One defeat to St. Joe's should both teams reach the semifinal round. -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now