With Weymouth securing the first postseason berth of the 2007 season last week by locking up the Bay State Carey title, we have officially entered the home stretch. Twenty-seven league titles (and with them, a ticket to the postseason) remain up for grabs, which means the next 21 days taking us through Thanksgiving are going to be mighty exciting.

The dominoes haven't started falling for a handful of leagues, but that is likely to change as we prepare to kick off Week 9. This is the make-or-break portion of the schedule for most teams across the region and no team can afford even the slightest hiccup.

Before this week's picks, a reminder to join in on our Prep Pick'Em contest. Matthew T. of Columbus, Ohio remains out front with a total of 74 correct selections (out of 96), but bolstered by 11 (out of 12) correct picks last week, this prognosticator has climbed within two and now sits in sole possession of second place with 72 correct selections.

Paul T. of Haverhill (69), Tino V. of Saugus (68), and Rick R. of Stoneham (67) are all within striking distance, while almost 60 total competitors have at least 60 correct picks entering Week 9.

On to this week's picks. Home teams are in caps.

No. 3 BC HIGH (8-0) over Xaverian (4-4) -- Remember what happened last year? BC High swaggered into Westwood with the same 8-0 record and promptly endured a 41-6 thrashing. The difference between this year and last?

1. Most deemed BC High more pretender than contender during the 2006 season as, even with an opening-day win over Brockton, the Eagles weren't exactly dominant in building that 8-0 mark. This year it's quite the opposite. While not thoroughly challenged thus far (they do boast another opening week win over Brockton), the Eagles have dispatched teams with alarming ease while building this year's 8-0 mark. It's clear there's talent here.

2. Xaverian doesn't boast the star power of last season. Sure, the Hawks have been on fire the past couple weeks, but this collection of talent isn't the type to cause BC High to question whether it can beat this team.

This time around, it's Xaverian that needs to keep things close in the early going. BC High has shown the ability to put a lot of points on the board and, if the Eagles punch in a couple of ealr scores, they can lean on some of those prototypical 15-play, 8-minute marches that typically end in points and force the opposition to try and force their way back into the game through the air.

We don't see this one being lopsided. Xaverian is just too good in big games to let that happen. BC High pulls away in the second half as it takes another step towards the Catholic Conference crown.

We'll be live from James Cotter Field at Viola Stadium tonight, providing live updates and video highlights from this Holy War. Check back throughout the evening for more.

No. 2 MANSFIELD over North Attleboro -- Can this one live up to last year's meeting, in which the Hornets got a late-game, fourth-down touchdown run by Eric DiPietrantonio in a 20-14 triumph at jam-packed Community Field? While Mansfield used some serious grit to grind out that win, we think the team might have a little bit too much finesse this year for North Attleboro. Much like the Xaverian-BC High matchup, we're impressed with how well the Rocketeers have played as of late (and we're still floored by the shellacking they laid on Foxboro), but we think Mansfield is going to pop a big play or two early on to send the Hornets to victory.

No. 9 Billerica over TEWKSBURY -- Tewksbury seemed to be stumbling its way out of the Merrimack Valley Conference race when it fell to Andover and Chelmsford over a three-week span earlier this season. Instead, consecutive wins over Central Catholic and Dracut have kept the Redmen on their feet and set up a very intriguing matchup with Billerica. Nothing has come particularly easy for Tewksbury and we think having been in those pressure situations will benefit the team this weekend. But Billerica can see the finish line. A win here -- and avoiding a stumble against Lowell in Week 10 -- would set up the winner-take-all battle on Thanksgiving Day against Chelmsford (barring a Lions collapse). After watching Chelmsford dismantle Andover last week, we think the Turkey Day showdown is inevitable -- but you never can be sure of anything in the MVC.

No. 11 Holliston over BELLINGHAM -- These are the type of games that show the true character of a team. Holliston enters this one on the heels of a huge triumph over Medfield, but Bellingham is a dangerous team, especially with home-field advantage. The Panthers cannot let up even a little bit in this one, or they'll lose control of their own destiny. Holliston needs to keep Bellingham quarterback Chris Haddad in check, and that's no easy task.

No. 12 Wayland over WESTFORD ACADEMY -- Something has gotta give in the Dual County League. Four teams enter Week 9 with one league loss, including both Wayland and Westford. Fellow league front-runners Acton-Boxboro and Lincoln-Sudbury receive quality tests tonight in Tyngsboro and Concord-Carlisle, respectively, but for certain, one team will fall pack from the pack given the outcome in Westford. Like their nickname, the Grey Ghosts have been rather invisible this season as they've quietly compiled a 7-1 mark. Most folks wrote Westford off after a 1-point loss to Newton South in Week 3, a defeat that looms mighty large right now. But that loss didn't derail the Ghosts's season. No other conference opponent has come within two touchdowns of them this season. So what happens tonight? We'll see how good Westford's new spread offense is. If it's as solid as recently showcased, then we'll have two very, very similar teams battling it out and mistakes will dictate who wins. We're giving Wayland the edge based on having won these big games in the past,

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