The playoff portion of the high school football season begins this weekend and Hopewell Valley is the only Mercer County team our prognosticator picks to win. FRIDAY Nottingham at HOPEWELL VALLEY: Who says Mercer County teams don’t fare well in playoffs? Allentown at OCEAN CITY: Strength of schedule shows here. DELSEA at Burlington Township: With Wing-T and old coach back in the fold, everything has returned to normal in Franklinville. Steinert at MIDDLETOWN NORTH: It’s a bigger deal when these two collide in softball. Northern Burlington at BRICK MEMORIAL: Win or lose, NBC is headed in right direction. Pennington at NOTRE DAME: All depends on the health of ND’s No. 1 quarterback. LAWRENCEVILLE at Blair: Time for Big Red to put Hun back on its schedule. Pennsbury at CENTRAL BUCKS WEST: It took a miracle C.B. South pass to keep Bucks from winning Sub One National title. NESHAMINY at Owen J. Roberts: Redskins anxious to atone for yet another loss to Pennsbury. Jenkintown at MORRISVILLE: Just doesn’t get any better than playoff football at historic Robert Morris Stadium. New Hope Solebury at BRISTOL: This will be over by the end of the first quarter. Neumann-Goretti at CONWELL-EGAN: Eagles primed for big playoff run. SATURDAY Princeton at WINSLOW TOWNSHIP: All you need to know is Winslow may very well be the No. 1 public school team in the state. Lakewood at BORDENTOWN: Scotties have a huge coaching advantage. Peddie at HUN: This isn’t a battle of endowments. Last week: (14-4) .777 Season: (175-48) .781