The road wasn't always smooth, and downright bumpy at times, but for three Jersey Sports Now-area football teams, they have arrived at their ultimate destination: a state sectional championship game. And in the end, the local teams that made the finals are the three that seemed most likely to do so way back at the start of the season.

Here's a look ahead to the finals for each football squad:

North Jersey Section 1, Group III:

Wayne Hills had its challenges during the regular season, but the Patriots have completely dominated both of its state playoff games. After whipping crosstown rival Wayne Valley, the Patriots put a similar thumping on High Point. They have outscored their opposition in the two playoff games by a total of 97-0.

Wayne Hills will probably need to score a lot of points again in the final because it will be playing one of the most explosive football teams in north Jersey. Old Tappan, featuring star quarterback Devin Fuller, is undefeated and only twice all season has it scored less than 35 points. However, the Golden Knights' defense is suspect, as clearly evidenced in their insane 63-56 sectional semifinal victory over Paramus. If Hills can find a way just to slow Fuller down, it should give them the opportunity to reclaim the title that slipped away last year.

Wayne Hills and Old Tappan will play Saturday, December 4 at 7:30 pm at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

North Jersey Section 1, Group II:

Lakeland finally showed its capabilities as a football team in its sectional semifinal against Lenape Valley. Playing on the road, the Lancers were completely dominant in a 42-0 win to reach the sectional final.

The good news for Lakeland is that top seed River Dell lost in its semifinal to Ramsey, a team the Lancers beat by 20 points earlier this season. The bad news is that upset was likely responsible for keeping the sectional final out of the Meadowlands. Instead, the Lakeland-Ramsey final will be contested on Saturday, December 4, at 11:00 am at Kean University.

Kean is a nice facility, but it's clearly no NFL stadium. Lakeland will need to get past the disappointment over the venue and focus on the goal at hand: the school's second-ever state sectional title in football. The result from earlier in the season shows the Lancers have the ability to beat the Rams; now they'll have to go out and make it happen.

North Jersey Section 1, Group I:

Mountain Lakes chose a very good time to play its best football game of the season. The Herd was tremendously impressive in defeating Hawthorne, 35-7, especially because they found themselves down 7-0 at the break despite dominating possession in the first half.

So it's 35 wins in a row for the Herd, and if it can beat Wallington in the finals, that will be three consecutive state sectional titles as well. Last year, Mountain Lakes routed the Panthers 49-14 in the first round of the states. But Wallington has nearly everyone back from that football team, and after losing its opening game this season, scored 10 wins in a row heading into the final.

The game is set for the New Meadowlands Stadium on Friday, December 3, at 5:00 pm. It means the Herd, who played in the last high school football game in the old Giants Stadium, will also be part of the first at the new facility. They'd love to bookend those historic events with a pair of wins, and if they play the way they did against Hawthorne, you'd have to believe the Herd will achieve its goal again. -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now