If recent history is any indication, Edward Little and Leavitt have an 75 percent chance of reaching their state championship game.
Since Maine went to four-class football in 2013, six of the eight No. 1 seeds have reached the state championship game each year.
Edward Little and Leavitt will certainly take those odds, but it also indicates having the top spot and home field advantage throughout the region is no guarantee.
Make no mistake, about 64 other teams would gladly trade places with the Red Eddies and Hornets. If given the choice between those two, many would select EL’s burgundy and white shoes to walk in because those come with a quarterfinal bye.
The Red Eddies (7-1) will use the bye week correcting the mistakes from their first loss of the season to rival Lewiston on Friday night. They will also pay close attention to the No. 5 Cheverus at No. 4 Windham Class A North quarterfinal that will determine their next opponent.
“We’re going to get back to playing the football the way we were when we won the first seven games,” Sterling said. “We’re going to get back to working on our individual drills a little bit better, a little more on our scheme, understanding what we have to do.”
The 41-16 win over Edward Little allowed Lewiston (4-4) the luxury of a week off as the No. 2 seed. The Blue Devils will host the winner of No. 6 Portland vs. No. 3 Oxford Hills quarterfinal.
Leavitt (7-1) bounced back from its only loss to go into the Class C South quarterfinals on a winning note with a 35-16 win over Morse. The Hornets will host No. 8 Yarmouth (1-7), which they beat 44-0 on Sep. 29 in Yarmouth.
Wells (8-0) dominated in its first season in Class D South, but its quarterfinal opponent, No. 8 Oak Hill (3-5) was one of only three opponents to stay within three touchdowns (41-21) of the Warriors, along with Class C contender Cape Elizabeth and No. 2 seed Madison.
The Bulldogs won’t have a quarterfinal cupcake, either. No. 7 Dirigo (3-5) won two of its last three to make the postseason, and they’re a much different team from their 51-6 loss to Madison in Week 2.
Lisbon and Winthrop/Monmouth have had some great playoff battles in the past, including last year’s unforgettable regional championship that the Greyhounds pulled out late. But, in a scheduling quirk, they did not meet during the regular season this year. Both the third-seeded Greyhounds (7-1) and sixth-seeded Ramblers (4-4) are coming off bounce-back victories to end the regular season.
Another questionable D South scheduling decision kept Mountain Valley and Spruce Mountain in opposite corners, until this Friday night. The Heal points gave the Falcons (4-4) the No. 4 seed and home field for this matchup despite having a worse record than the Phoenix (5-3). Spruce Mountain won their last meeting, the final game of the 2016 regular season, last year when both were in Class C.
The final weekend of the regular season caused some upheaval in the final Heals in a couple of regions.
Scarborough overtook Bonny Eagle for the top spot in A South by virtue of its 35-14 win over the previously unbeaten Scots.
In B North, Lawrence and Skowhegan tied for No. 1. The head-to-head tiebreaker gave Skowhegan the nod by virtue of its 58-56 win over the Bulldogs in Week 7. Cony and Messalonskee also tied for third, with Cony’s 27-17 Week 7 win breaking that tie.
Mount Desert Island, the defending champion in Class C North, will once again be the top seed. Foxcroft Academy is No. 1 in D North.
While the rest of Class A North sorts itself out in the quarterfinals, Edward Little and Lewiston will have a chance to recover from last Friday night’s Battle of the Bridge.
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