CLASS A

Who: No. 2 Oxford Hills (8-1) vs. No. 1 Thornton Academy (10-0)

When: Saturday, 11 a.m.

Where: Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland

Outlook: Since Oxford Hills beat Bonny Eagle early in the season, this championship meeting has been anticipated. When the Vikings gave Thornton Academy all it wanted despite turning the ball over six times in a 31-23 home loss, this expected rematch became even more tantalizing. … Both coaches expect a close battle that will hinge on a few big plays. … Each team relies heavily on its quarterback. Oxford Hills junior Eli Soehren, son of Coach Mark Soehren, has thrown for 1,683 yards (63.9 percent completion rate) and 23 touchdowns and leads his team with 883 rushing yards. Soehren is also the Vikings’ kicker, punter and free safety. Against Thornton, he threw three interceptions and fumbled twice. Two of those turnovers resulted in defensive touchdowns. In the Vikings’ other eight games, Soehren had three turnovers. His top receiving threats are Matt Doucette (28 catches, 512 yards, 8 TDs), Teigan Pelletier (22 catches, 405 catches, 3 TDs) and powerful tight end Isaiah Oufiero (19 catches, 300 yards, 6 TDs). Oufiero is also used as a short-yardage runner. … Thornton senior QB Jack Emerson has completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,394 yards and 14 touchdowns and is also a tough inside runner (537 yards, 12 TDs). Emerson has more help in the run game from Hayden Whitney (785 yards, 12 TDs) and Alex St. John (431 yards, seven TDs) but the Vikings’ fast, big and physical defense, led by linebackers Oufiero and Lincoln Merrill, shut down Thornton’s outside runs in their first meeting and has allowed less than 60 rushing yards per game. … Linebackers Mason Paulin (112 tackles) and Cody Ruff and a sticky secondary lead the Trojans’ defense. … Thornton has won four Class A titles under Coach Kevin Kezal, most recently in 2018. Oxford Hills has never won a state championship. Its only state final appearance was in 1999.

CLASS B

Who: Windham (9-0) vs. Marshwood (8-3)

When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

Where: Fitzpatrick Stadium

Outlook: When Marshwood gave up three touchdowns in the final four minutes of its regular-season finale to lose at Kennebunk, it looked like the third-best team in the South, behind Portland and Kennebunk. Three weeks later, the Hawks and Coach Alex Rotsko (88-16 record at Marshwood; 272-55 overall with 16 championships in Maine and Massachusetts) are vying for their sixth state title in seven seasons. A more intense defense, led by linebacker Andrew Goodwin, held Kennebunk to 21 points in the South semifinals (half what the Rams scored in the first meeting), then shut out Portland, 35-0 in the regional final. … On offense, the Hawks can grind with fullback Goodwin (107 carries, 842 yards, 15 TDs) or bust big plays with Cam Cornett (838 rushing yards, 538 receiving yards, 20 TDs), QB Aidan Sullivan and Ty Couglar. … Windham dominated the North in the regular season, then was significantly challenged in the playoffs, escaping Skowhegan’s upset bid, 7-6 in the semifinals, and prevailing in a back-and-forth, double-overtime game with Lawrence, 42-35 in the final. QB Will Ledbetter, a strong Fitzpatrick Trophy candidate, directs the offense with accuracy and effectiveness, completing 74 percent of his passes for 1,639 yards, 19 TDs and only two INTs. Nick Garrison (31 catches, 583 yards, 8 TDs) and Max Arbour (33 catches, 541 yards, 6 TDs) are his favorite targets. Haddon Boyle (103 carries, 639 yards) is the top rusher, and Tate Chork, the team’s leading tackler, has 11 rushing touchdowns. … Both defenses will be put to the test. Windham has allowed only nine points per game, the best in Class B. … The Eagles, who shifted to Class B in 2019, are after their second state championship, the first coming in 2009 in Class A. Coach Matt Perkins also directed the team to Class A finals in 2014 and 2017. … Marshwood has won the past three Class B championships, outscoring the North champions 160-48 in those games.

CLASS C

Who: Winslow (7-2) vs. Cape Elizabeth (9-1)

When: Saturday, 6 p.m.

Where: Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland

Outlook: Cape Elizabeth is coming off a huge win at top-seed and previously undefeated Leavitt in the South final, churning out a game-winning 59-yard drive that took the final 10 minutes off the clock and was capped by QB Caden McDuffie’s 3-yard run on the game’s last play. Now the Capers have a chance to win their first state championship. … Winslow has one of the deepest football traditions in Maine. Co-head coaches Peter Bolduc and Wes Littlefield were both longtime assistants under Mike Siviski, who won seven state titles, including back-to-back in 2014-15, and 11 regional titles in 35 years before retiring before the 2020 7-on-7 season. … McDuffie is Cape’s leading rusher (126 carries, 926 yards, 17 TDs) and has thrown for 1,174 yards with 21 touchdowns against just three interceptions. Nick Laughlin is a home run threat whether running (517 yards, 9 TDs), receiving (661 yards on 30 catches, 11 TDs) or returning the ball. He’s brought back four punts and one kickoff for touchdowns. Senior Colin Campbell, playing on a torn MCL, is another power back. Cape’s defense has allowed only 155 yards per game. James Rickman (5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss) is a threat. … Winslow’s tight-formation double-wing offense grinds out about 375 rushing yards per game with four strong runners – wingbacks Matt Quirion (1,350 yards, 14 TDs) and Jack Dorval (705 yards, 6 TDs), fullback Evan Bourget (825 yards, 11 TDs) and QB Jared Newgard. Bourget, the C North co-player of the year, also leads the defense. … Winslow’s two losses were to C South teams York (21-7) and Wells (49-13). The Black Raiders had only three days of practice and no scrimmage games because of COVID issues prior to playing York. York finished fourth in C South. Wells was fifth. Cape beat York, 35-14, and Wells, 69-0.

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Oxford Hills’ road to the Class A state championship game