Despite falling down 27-0 early, Hampshire had the ball in the final minutes with a chance to win before falling 48-42 to host Moline in the Class 7A first-round contest.

Quad-City Times sports reporter Jackson Stone has live coverage from Friday night’s Hampshire vs. Moline football game here.

Here are preview capsules for the eight first-round playoff games involving Northwest Herald teams this weekend.

The offensive numbers are considerably up this season in the Fox Valley Conference, as teams combined scores are a touchdown higher per game than in any of the previous four full seasons. The question is if FVC teams have enough defense to stop opponents now in the postseason, or will they have to just outscore teams?

Here are the first-round matchups for each Northwest Herald area team. Dates and times will be updated when confirmed.

Cary-Grove scored right before the half to take a one-score lead and then ran away from Hampshire in the second half for a 42-14 rout. The win capped a 9-0 regular season and 9-0 run through the Fox Valley Conference.

Check out the Northwest Herald area football statistical leaders through eight games.

Here are the Northwest Herald area preview capsules for Week 9.

Jacobs is trending up with the playoffs around the corner after a big win over Hampshire. Bears running back David Montgomery was on hand to watch Cary-Grove, the No. 2 team in Class 6A, beat Burlington Central. More about playoffs and streaks in this week's notes.