As we approach Thanksgiving, there's lots to talk about.

It's the final week of the regular season and the playoff tree is almost set. Seekonk will take on Hingham in the first round, while Gloucester awaits the winner of the Cape Ann Large. That will be decided when Masconomet hosts North Andover on Turkey Day. Masco punches its playoff ticket with a victory, but if the Scarlet Knights win, it's Wilmington who advances.

It's the end of the line for everyone else, but there's still a lot to play for.

For many seniors, it's the last game of their career, and they'll want to leave with a win. Underclassmen will want to make an impression for next year. And of course, many an old rivalry will be renewed.

That in mind, here's some news and notes to whet your appetite for the action ahead:

A strange Case

Halloween is long over, but things are still spooky at Apponequet.

The Lakers beat Case on Friday, 22-0, but power outages darkened the field in Lakeville -- twice. Lakeville police could not confirm the nature of the outages, but they were reportedly caused by car accidents.

The lights went out in the first half. The Apponequet band entertained the crowd, and the lights returned after a 25-minute delay. Then, as Case had the ball to start the second half, the lights went out a second time, blanketing the field in darkness. Dazed, the teams retired to their locker rooms. Lakers coach Bob Lomp tells us what happened next:

"It seemed like it would be an hour before the power came back," said Lomp. "I talked to (Case coach) Dave (Gibeau). We were up, 15-0, at the time. We were going to call it like that."

"We got the teams together to do the postgame handshake in the dark, in the parking lot, and the lights came on. Literally, as the two teams were approaching each other, they went on."

The coaches agreed to play it out, and no one was happier about this development than Trevor Hinkle. It was his last home game, and the senior needed 15 yards to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

The game back on, Case punted, and Lomp called Hinkle's number. He took a toss outside and raced 52 yards to the house, then exited the game, finishing a 14-carry, 171-yard, three-touchdown evening.

Breakin' records

With three scores in a 41-23 win at Pembroke, Hanover's Mike Wheeler set a school record for points in a season, topping the mark of 152 set by Paul Conners in 1977. He has 158 points on the year, good for fourth in Division 2A scoring. He also passed 1,500 yards in that game ... Gloucester's Andrew Fulford, who sits two points above Wheeler in the scoring race, also set a single-season TD mark. The senior broke his own record of 22, set last year. He had three TDs in the Fishermen's playoff-clinching, 42-0 romp over Salem, and went over 1000 yards.

Turkey talk

Duxbury (9-1, 6-1 Patriot League) beat Silver Lake Friday, 34-0, for its third shutout of the season. Impressive, but Marshfield (9-1, 8-1 Atlantic Coast) has also blanked three. The teams clash on Thanksgiving, and while we like the Rams in that matchup, it may be well-past Christmas before either team scores a point ... Other Thanksgiving games of note: Lynn Classical vs. Lynn English, in a battle for Manning (Field) bragging rights. Eli and Peyton might not be there, but hundreds of fans will... Both teams are out of their respective races, but there's always a playoff atmosphere for Salem/Beverly. And the Witches' Melikke Van Alstyne and Panthers' Greg Pierce could be like Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird in the 1988 NBA playoffs. Meaning, don't be surprised if the game-breakers match each other, touchdown for touchdown, like 'Nique and Bird going basket for basket in that Game 7... Wilmington heads to Tewksbury to renew an old Merrimack Valley Conference rivalry. The Wildcats split from the MVC in 1995, but kept up the tradition. The Redmen (8-2, 6-2) have a big advantage in a series first played in 1935... The game is at 10 a.m., so darkness shouldn't be a factor when Apponequet travels to Old Rochester. The Lakers have shut out their last two opponents, and the Bulldogs have lost their last two by a combined score of 54-0. But we're guessing Franck Tebou and his teammates won't suffer another power outage.

Bits and pieces

Little guy, big game: North Andover's Zac Iovanella, a 150-pound sophomore, carried 38 times for 321 yards and four TDs, and intercepted a pass in a 35-27 win over Lawrence... Junior running back Shane DiBona had four TDs in Duxbury's win... Cameron Smith ran for three scores as Lynn Classical beat Revere, 38-6... Jack Hocking threw four TDs and ran for another in Hanover's win.