By TERRY NAU

Sports editor

The 2008 high school football season is nearing its midway point. Some questions have been answered about most of our local teams. The larger issue of which squads will make the R.I. Interscholastic League playoffs cannot yet be answered. After all, it’s only mid-October.
The coaches and players on contending squads know their upcoming schedules by heart. They understand that every game is a “must-win.” For the fans and media, it’s more a matter of looking at the standings and schedules and trying to determine which teams have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs.
It’s easier to eliminate teams that are down on their luck this season. Burrillville, North Smithfield and Smithfield appear to have played their way out of contention already. Their seasons become a matter of playing for pride and grabbing a win or two over the final six weeks, especially in their Thanksgiving Day games.

As for the rest, defending Division III Super Bowl champion Ponaganset has its hands full in a tough three-way race this season with Narragansett and Tiverton. All three squads are unbeaten thus far and virtually certain to make the playoffs. Ponaganset visits Tiverton on Oct. 25 and hosts Narragansett on Nov. 8 in a pair of games that should help determine playoff seedings. Narragansett visits Tiverton this Saturday to kick off the round-robin among the division’s three elite squads.
Division II, which features 16 teams, is divided into Division II-A and II-B. A total of eight teams make the playoffs. Every year it seems like this is the division that has the most interesting playoff races and this season seems to be no different.
Westerly, with a 4-0 record, leads II-A and South Kingstown, also 4-0, leads II-B. Those two teams, which meet on Friday night in South Kingstown, appear to be the class of the division. The real fun is trying to figure out the other six playoff contenders.
Woonsocket High, which just missed the playoffs last year, appears in good position right now with a 3-1 record. The Novans’ only loss is to a 2-2 Tolman team that is battling for its playoff life. Woonsocket has three league games left, a road game at winless Burrillville on Oct. 25 followed by a crucial home game against Warwick Veterans (3-1 at the moment) and then a road trip to Westerly on Nov. 7. It appears as though the Novans need to win two of those three games to assure themselves a playoff berth.
Tolman, which has lost to West Warwick (3-1) and Westerly thus far, is positioned for a strong finish. The Tigers host Warwick Veterans on Oct. 31 and then entertain Burrillville on Halloween Night. They visit Mount Hope, which is 1-3 so far, on Nov. 7. Run the table and the Tigers are in, one would think.
In Division II-B, three Blackstone Valley teams still harbor playoff hopes. Shea High is 2-2 in league play but has lost to Lincoln (1-2) and Cranston East (4-1). The Raiders visit Cumberland on Oct. 24, host South Kingstown on Oct. 31, and visit Pilgrim (1-3) on Nov. 7.
Cumberland, which scored its first league win on Saturday with a 24-9 victory over Toll Gate, is 1-3 and must run the table to have a chance at the playoffs. The Clippers have lost to South Kingstown, which was expected, and to mediocre Coventry (2-2) and Pilgrim (1-3). Coach Rick Reetz’s squad has three games left – home to Shea, on the road at Cranston East, and home to Lincoln.
The Lions are home for their next three games against Toll Gate, Coventry and Pilgrim before finishing their league schedule at Cumberland on Nov. 7.
In Division IV, Central Falls finds itself in fifth place right now with only four teams making the playoffs. Exeter/West Greenwich (4-0) and Hope High (3-0) appear locked in to the playoffs. CF, which beat PCD (0-4) and Classical (1-3), has lost to EWG and Middletown (2-1). The Warriors visit Hope on Saturday in a must-win contest before visiting Scituate (1-2) and North Providence (2-1). They host North Smithfield (0-3) on Nov. 7.
Two area schools are still alive in the Division I race. Defending state champion St. Raphael is 1-1 so far, losing to East Providence (2-2) and beating Cranston West (0-4). The Saints know what their challenge is. They have to get better if they hope to join Barrington (3-0), La Salle Academy (4-0) in the four-team playoffs. The other two spots are wide-open at this juncture.
SRA faces a killer schedule over the next month. They host North Kingstown (2-2) on Friday, then face Portsmouth, Barrington, Hendricken and La Salle in succeeding weeks. The schedule-maker was not kind to the Saints this season.
East Providence has lost to unbeaten Barrington and to Portsmouth. The Townies visit North Kingstown in two weeks, host Rogers, visit Hendricken and then take on La Salle in their annual Thanksgiving Day squabble at Pierce Field. Needless to say, EP had better wrap things about before the holiday game because La Salle is reputed to have the best team in the state this year.
So that’s where we stand halfway through the season.  Results from the first six weeks of the season have eliminated a few pretenders and identified who the contenders are. The final six weeks will reveal who gets to compete in the state tournament in late November and early December.