Five football teams from the Jersey Sports Now area will compete this weekend in the semifinal round of the state playoffs. With two local teams squaring off against each other, a maximum of four football squads could advance to sectional finals.

Here's a preview look at the games:

North Jersey Section 1, Group III:

Wayne Hills certainly eliminated a lot of doubts about its readiness for the state football playoffs with its performance in the first round against Wayne Valley. Earlier this year the Patriots had to struggle to defeat the Indians; in the playoff matchup, it was a complete one-sided affair as Hills rolled to a 48-0 triumph.

Now the Patriots will host fourth seed High Point of Sussex County in a second-round matchup. This is only the second time ever that the Wildcats have reached the state football tournament, so Wayne Hills clearly has the edge in experience. High Point has only played one team--Pope John--with comparable talent to the Patriots, and that was one of its two losses. It shouldn't be as easy as last week, but Hills figures to win and advance to yet another final.

North Jersey Section 1, Group II:

Lakeland continued to make things tough on itself last week, conceding the first 14 points to Wallkill Valley before rallying back for a 19-14 victory. While the Lancers continue to show a determination to win, they also remain maddeningly inconsistent.

Next up for Lakeland is a trip to face second seed Lenape Valley. The Patriots pulled off an even more dramatic comeback last week, erasing a 17-point halftime deficit to eliminate Pequannock. So the question for this game is not only which Lancers team shows up, but which Patriots squad as well. It should be an excellent football game and could well be decided in the final minutes.

North Jersey Section 1, Group I:

Mountain Lakes hasn't had an easy time with good football teams this year, and the Herd again had to battle to defeat eighth seed North Warren last week. But yet they are 9-0, as well as the two-time defending champion in this section. At times this season, it's appeared that the Herd has been getting by on determination and experience, but that won't be enough to carry them to another banner; they'll especially need to raise their level of execution on offense.

The Herd's close calls of late has many predicting this week will be the end of their 34-game winning streak. That's because Hawthorne will be the opponent, and the Bears are simply scorching. Nine straight wins, including a convincing 35-14 win over Butler in the first round, make this a football team to be respected. Based on recent results, you'd have to favor the Bears. But it's hard to gauge how they'll take to the artificial turf field at Mountain Lakes, and more importantly, how they'll deal with the pressure of trying to beat a team that hasn't lost in three years.

Non-Public Group III:

DePaul made a major statement with its first-round win over Immaculata and put itself on the radar screen not only regionally, but statewide. The Spartans' offense was extremely impressive, as it has been most of the year. Only one football team has really shut DePaul down, and that's the very team it will play in the next round of the states.

Top seed St. Joseph will host the Spartans in Montvale on Saturday afternoon, and based on the last couple of weeks, the Green Knights have shaken off their mid-season troubles that saw them drop two games and nearly lose a third. Expect DePaul to score more than the one touchdown it had last time against St. Joe's, but to win, the Spartans will need their best defensive performance of the season by far. -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now