It will be Telstar’s first home playoff game since 1997.
Jim Lunney could almost guarantee that his team would rise in the standings.
Even the best of prognosticators might not have expected the Telstar softball team to soar all the way to No. 1.
The final softball Heal Point standings were released Friday, and Telstar is the top seed in Western Class C for the first time since 1993.
“That exceeded our expectations,” said Lunney. “We knew we’d be competitive and that we’d be a much better team. We said early on that we were going to surprise people. We did surprise people and even surprised ourselves.”
Telstar finished 3-11 last year and next to last in its bracket.
The Rebels (12-2) will host either Monmouth or Hall-Dale in next Thursday’s quarterfinal. It will be Telstar’s first home playoff game since 1997.
“The only thing is that it keeps us at home,” said Lunney. “We feel that’s important. The travel, sometimes in the playoffs, it puts a team out of sync for an inning.”
Telstar has been to the quarterfinals only four times since 1993 and have won just once. Lunney knows winning the MVC title and securing home field until the regional final in Gorham is nice, but it doesn’t guarantee anything.
Telstar doesn’t have an easy road, nor does anyone else in Western C. Dirigo, St. Dom’s, Georges Valley and Sacopee Valley all earned byes.
“I keep telling the kids that you’ve got to enjoy the moment,” said Lunney, “but you’ve got to focus and do what got us here. There are no easy games out there. We’ve got to maintain and play as we have been.”
While Telstar’s top ranking was unexpected, Leavitt and Buckfield were each preseason favorites to challenge for the top spot in their classes.
Home field will seem like a luxury for defending Class A state champion Leavitt, who wound up tops in the East. The Hornets haven’t hosted a quarterfinal game since 1999, when they were in Western Class B. The last three seasons, they’ve played three prelims at home but have been on the road for six other games, including the final four contests last season.
“Everything has to come through us,” said Leavitt coach Pete Higgins. “We’re going to have all the home games. We don’t have to get on the bus and go anywhere. That’s the most important thing. That’s pretty good. I’ll take that.”
Leavitt went 16-0 for the first time in 16 seasons. The top seeding is their first since 1985. Still, losing Thursday’s KVAC championship game to Messalonskee was proof that another title won’t come easily for the Hornets.
“It was a big game in the sense that it was the KVAC championship game,” said Higgins, whose team unraveled defensively with seven errors in the loss. “Now that its over, you tell the girls that it means nothing as far as what happens tomorrow and the next day.”
Next Thursday, Leavitt will meet the winner of a Tuesday preliminary game between Nokomis and Oxford Hills.
In Western A, Lewiston (10-6) dropped to No. 8 and hosts McAuley in a prelim, while Edward Little (9-7) is 10th and plays at No. 7 South Portland. Lewiston beat McAuley 5-3 in the regular season, while EL edged South Portland 1-0 in a previous matchup.
Being the top-ranked team in Western D is nothing new for Buckfield. The reigning state champs have enjoyed the top spot 13 times in 18 years. The Bucks, who finished 12-2, lost both their games to Class C foes and have not lost a Class D game since the 2001 regional final. Buckfield was expected to be the team to beat in Western D and may have its best ball still to play.
“Our whole team peaks at the end of the year,” said Buckfield coach Dan Jack. “We really work on that. We’re where we want to be. Last year, we didn’t play as well as we’ve actually been playing this year, but we’re still going to peak at the end of the year. I can see it coming.”
In Class B, No. 5 Gray-New Gloucester earned a first-round bye but earns a tough quarterfinal game against No. 4 Greely, the defending B state champs. Oak Hill, ranked No. 6, draws York in a prelim.
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