D South Semifinals
No. 3 Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale/Kents Hill (6-3) at No. 2 Oak Hill/St. Dom’s (5-3)
Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Neither of these teams have lost a game since the Raiders’ 20-12 win at Winthrop on Sept. 23, and both enter the rematch on five-game winning streaks. For the Ramblers, that includes a home win in the quarterfinals on Halloween while the Raiders had a first-round bye. This second matchup might look different than the first, with the Ramblers healthier and a Raiders team short on seniors maturing as the season has gone on. This is the fourth time these programs have met in the postseason, and first time since 2015. Winthrop won the 2001 and 2002 matchups, while Oak Hill won 13-10 in 2015.
C South Semifinals
No. 4 Cape Elizabeth (3-6) at No. 1 Leavitt (8-0)
Saturday, 5 p.m.
This is the third straight postseason that these two teams are matching up in, though this duel looks a lot different than those previous two. For starters, both those were clashes of No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the regional final, with the winner going on to dominant victories in the state final. The Capers have gone through a sharp drop-off after those consecutive regional finals, losing their first four games — including a Week 2 blowout to Leavitt — before righting the ship some with two wins in their final four regular season contests. They take a two-game win streak, including last week’s quarterfinal victory over York, into Saturday’s showdown, as well as heavy underdog status. The Hornets, meanwhile, haven’t stopped buzzing since last year’s unbeaten championship season.
A North Semifinals
No. 3 Windham (5-4) at No. 2 Oxford Hills (7-2)
Monday, 6 p.m.
The visiting Eagles enter this matchup as a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde team, having won five games convincingly while their four losses — against Class A’s four powerhouses — have all been by double digits. That included a 35-14 loss at Oxford Hills on Oct. 13. These Vikings aren’t as dominant as last year’s state championship team, but they have started to find their own identity on their current four-game winning streak after consecutive midseason losses.
No. 4 Lewiston (4-5) at No. 1 Portland (8-0)
Monday, 7 p.m.
The Blue Devils had to battle just to get into the postseason, rallying past rival Edward Little earlier this week to grab A North’s last playoff spot. It’s been like that all throughout this roller-coaster season — not just over the past week-plus. One of those low points on the field was a 47-6 home loss to the Bulldogs on Sept. 15. Meanwhile, Portland, back in Class A for the first time since reaching the 2018 state final, has rolled through everybody since a nail-biting opening win over Thornton Academy. However, the Bulldogs win over rival South Portland on Halloween was their first game since Oct. 13, so they’re either well-rested or could potentially have some rust to shake off.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
