Burlington's Nelson High School Lords and the Georgetown 87s have met in each of the past three championship games, and this year they meet a round early. The senior teams play their semi-final at Nelson Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. The junior Lords follow at 3:45 p.m. against the Iroquois Ridge Wolfpack, making it a home doubleheader with a spot in the HSSAA final, the championship game of the area's high school football league, on the line for both teams.
Both Nelson teams finished first in the regular season and face fourth seeds, Nelson Lords Football says. Each has already beaten its Thursday opponent once this fall. The seniors' Week 2 win over Georgetown was the closer of the two, a 16-point margin, while the juniors shut out Iroquois Ridge in Week 3.
| Game | Opponent | Kickoff | Regular-season result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | Georgetown 87s | 2 p.m. | Nelson won 37-21 (Week 2) |
| Junior | Iroquois Ridge Wolfpack | 3:45 p.m. | Nelson won 42-0 (Week 3) |
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The senior game is the familiar one. Nelson and Georgetown usually settle things in the final, but a mid-season upset by Abbey Park changed the playoff seeding this year, so the two programs meet a week earlier than usual. Whichever team wins Thursday stays alive for the title; the other's season ends in the semi-final rather than the championship game.
For the juniors, the goal is to reclaim their spot at the top of the HSSAA in 2026, the program says. A win over Iroquois Ridge in the late game would put them one step away.
