The general feeling among area coaches is there’s depth in every region, where there’s at least four or five teams that have a legitimate shot of making a run to a regional final or state championship appearance.
The prelims have already begun in some regions while others don’t get started until Saturday. Quarterfinal games begin Oct. 24 or Oct. 25.
CLASS A
Brunswick is the top team heading into the Class A North playoffs and will take on No. 8 Messalonskee. The Dragons are the lone unbeaten team in the region at 12-0-2.
No. 4 Mt. Blue hosts No. 5 Brewer in a quarterfinal contest. The winner will take on the Brunswick-Messalonskee winner.
Mt. Blue coach Griffin Conlogue said the North is a wide-open race.
“It is kind of just one of those games where those teams at the top — the four of us — you know, Bangor, Camden Hills, (Mt. Blue) and Brunswick who’ve kind of had a great season, a lot of success, but Brewer has stolen points from those teams,” Conlogue said after Tuesday night’s draw against Oxford Hills. “Oxford Hills did tonight. Mt. Ararat is always dangerous, as well. I am not sure who that eighth spot is going to be. There are a lot of strong teams in there. I think there are some favorites, but I also think there are teams that could spoil other teams’ chances at a title run.”
No. 2 Bangor hosts No. 7 Oxford Hills in the quarterfinals.
Tying Mt. Blue 1-1 on Tuesday may give the Vikings some confidence heading into the playoffs.
“To be fair, it stinks that we didn’t see (Mt. Blue) until now,” Oxford Hills coach Brittany Moore said after Tuesday’s game. “I know that they are (a high seed). It was a good game and it was a good team. We’ve played other teams and I wonder if we decided that we lost before we came, and so it will be interesting now for them to know, like, if they show up to play that they can play with anybody. I think no matter who we get (in the playoffs), we have to just go into it with the right mindset.”
The Bangor-Oxford Hills winner will face the winner of No. 3 Camden Hills and No. 6 Mt. Ararat.
Scarborough is the top team in the South, followed by Gorham, Windham (last year’s Class A state champions) and Marshwood.
CLASS B
Leavitt finished the regular season as the highest-seeded area team in Class B South. As the No. 7 seed, the Hornets hosted a prelim game Friday against No. 10 Freeport, which the Falcons won 2-1 in double-overtime.
Looking ahead to Friday’s prelim and the beginning of the playoffs, Leavitt coach Chris Cifelli said the Hornets were battle-tested for a playoff run, as most of the teams they played qualified for the postseason.
The Hornets nearly got a bye into the quarterfinals, but a 3-1 loss to Class C contender Maranacook on Wednesday dropped them down in the standings.
“We knew we could go in as high as fourth, but we could have potentially dropped down to eighth,” Cifelli said Thursday before the playoffs began. “We were happy we were in (the playoffs) and playing a good opponent (in Freeport). We had a good test of playoff-level soccer (heading) to the tournament.”
Freeport next faces No. 2 Yarmouth in the quarterfinals.
No. 11 Gray-New Gloucester travels to take on No. 6 Gardiner on Saturday in a prelim game. The winner gets No. 3 Lincoln Academy.
On the other side of the bracket, top seed Cape Elizabeth, the three-time defending state champion, awaits the prelim winner between No. 8 Medomak Valley and No. 9 Wells.
No. 4 Greely will play host to the prelim winner between No. 5 York and No. 12 Morse.
Cifelli said the race is open in the South.
“You see the traditional blue bloods of the Greely, Falmouth, Cape (Elizabeth) and you can add Freeport into that,” Cifelli said. “There’s always one team that doesn’t have the seeding the other teams do, but you know it’s a hard season of the teams they play.”
Hermon is the No. 1 seed in the North, while Old Town is the No. 2 seed, followed by No. 3 Presque Isle and No. 4 Waterville.
CLASS C
No. 4 Monmouth Academy/Winthrop coach Gary Trafton said it seems the Mustangs get drawn against a Western Maine Conference team in the playoffs every season. This season is no different by facing No. 5 Waynflete.
“I dare say: They are a little more experienced in the playoffs and a lot of those girls play a lot of soccer year-round,” Trafton said. “They have good skills overall; we are getting better with our skill level from the beginning of the year to now. We are getting better and have improved a lot over the course of the season.”
Top seed Hall-Dale awaits the winner of the prelim game between No. 8 Traip Academy and No. 9 Madison.
Before its quarterfinal game, Hall-Dale faces Monmouth/Winthrop in the Mountain Valley Conference championship game Saturday.
“(Hall-Dale) is similar to Waynflete; they have girls who can score, and they have good ball-handling skills,” Trafton said. “They are a passing team like Waynflete.”
No. 3 Mt. Abram hosts No. 6 Old Orchard Beach in the Class C South quarterfinals.
The winner could face the defending state champion, No. 2 Maranacook, in the regional semifinals. The Black Bears host No. 7 Mountain Valley in the quarterfinals.
Trafton said the WMC is deep.
“The teams down south, you can’t count them out,” Trafton said. “Traip, (they are the eighth seed), and if they were in (the MVC), they wouldn’t be eighth. … They are a very good team. It’s a different type of soccer down there compared to the soccer we play in this area. We know that. That’s why we go out scouting teams, so the girls have a good idea of what to expect.”
Bucksport will be the top seed in the North, followed by Maine Central Insitute, Houlton and Central.
CLASS D
Buckfield coach Larry Thornton said the regular season provided a good experience for the Bucks, who enter the Class D South playoffs as the No. 3 seed.
“We feel good about our season because we play in the (Mountain Valley Conference),” Thornton said. “Playing in the MVC really helps us get ready for the Class D playoffs. Playing a lot of Class C teams and even B schools, it gets us ready for this time of year.”
The Bucks will host No. 6 seed Pine Tree Academy in the quarterfinals.
The winner gets the winner between, No. 2 Richmond and No. 7 Greenville in the regional semifinals.
The defending Class D champions North Yarmouth Academy, host No. 8 St. Dominic Academy in the quarterfinals.
NYA is 14-0 after finishing last season undefeated.
Waiting for the St. Dom’s-NYA winner will be the winner of No. 4 Rangeley and No. 5 Temple Academy.
Thornton said many teams can come out of the region.
“(The teams) have been competitive with each other for the most part,” Thornton said. “Even St. Dom’s, who play out of the (WMC), they cross-over against (Class C) Old Orchard Beach and such. I know (the Class D teams) are all pretty similar. Richmond, Rangeley, Temple, Pine Tree, some of these games all have been pretty close. I think it tells you there’s a pretty good group (of teams) here in the middle from second through eighth that will be pretty competitive. NYA sits at the top.”
The top four teams in Class D North are Penobscot Valley, Wisdom, Ashland and Hodgdon.
Tony Blasi contributed to this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
