Class A
Bangor’s follow-up to last year’s state championship included an unbeaten run through the KVAC, with a tie against Camden Hills the only blemish. Slotted behind the top-seeded Rams are Lewiston and Edward Little, who could potentially meet in the North regional semifinals.
Getting to that matchup won’t be easy for either team, however. The Blue Devils have to play a No. 7 Brunswick team that ended the season strong, and the Red Eddies host the No. 6 Windjammers, who pushed them to the brink in a 1-0 EL win during the regular season.
Mt. Blue earned the No. 5 seed and will play No. 4 Mt. Ararat in the quarterfinals. The Cougars beat the Eagles two weeks ago.
What could be a bracket full of upsets still looks like it will run through Bangor.
The South bracket is topped by a sea of red, but this year it’s the Red Riots of South Portland, as opposed to Gorham (last year’s top seed) or Scarborough (2015 top seed).
Like Bangor in the North, South Portland went unbeaten, with only a tie against Gorham in the second game of the season. However, the Red Riots didn’t play Scarborough, which is perennially a top team. The Red Storm are the No. 5 seed in this year’s tournament.
Falmouth, the No. 2 seed, fared well in its first season in the SMAA, while Gorham earned the No. 3 seed in its quest to get back to the state final. Portland (No. 4) and Cheverus (No. 6) round at the top half of the South bracket, with the regional champion likely coming from that sextet.
Class B
Yarmouth’s senior class has a chance to finish their careers with a fourth straight Class B state title. The Clippers gave themselves the best chance of getting that opportunity by going 14-0 and earning the No. 1 seed in the South region.
Standing in the Clippers’ way in a potential regional final could be either No. 2 York or No. 3 Cape Elizabeth. Both the Wildcats and Capers played Yarmouth to one-goal games twice during the regular season. They’ll have to get through No. 7 Leavitt and No. 6 Greely, respectively, in the quarterfinals to set up that regional semifinal. The Clippers first have to get through No. 8 Freeport, then either No. 4 Lincoln Academy or No. 5 Mountain Valley — two teams Yarmouth doesn’t play during the regular season.
The path to the state final through Class B North is less clear. Presque Isle earned the No. 1 seed, but the Wildcats finished with the same 11-2-1 record as No. 2 Washington Academy. No. 3 Mount View had the best season, at 13-1, while defending regional champion Winslow finished with the No. 4 seed after an 11-3 season. Lurking lower in the bracket are recent regional champs Ellsworth (No. 7) and Erskine Academy (No. 8).
Class C
The bracket on both sides of Class C looks a little different than last year, with defending North champ Washington Academy gone to Class B and last year’s B South top seed Maranacook doing the same in C South this season.
The Black Bears edged out Monmouth Academy for the top spot despite the Mustangs going 12-0-2. Right behind the defending regional champs is No. 3 Hall-Dale, which tied the Mustangs in the penultimate game of the regular season.
Mt. Abram earned the No. 5 seed in the South after one of its best seasons in recent history. The Roadrunners will face perennial contender Waynflete (the No. 4 seed) in the quarterfinals. Lisbon, last year’s regional runner-up, earned the No. 6 seed and will face Hall-Dale in the quarters, while Monmouth gets matched up with No. 7 Traip Academy from the WMC. No. 8 Carrabec gets the unenviable task of facing Maranacook in the round of eight.
Fort Kent is the top seed in a North bracket that has three teams with just one loss. Orono, the 2014 regional champ before Washington Academy’s two-year regional reign, is the No. 2 seed, and George Stevens Academy, last year’s surprise regional runner-up, is the No. 3 seed. There is a steep drop-off in Heal points from the top three to the rest of the bracket.
Class D
There’s no clear-cut favorite in D South, with the top four teams all finishing within four Heal points of each other.
Richmond eked out earning its second-straight No. 1 seed, with 2015 regional champ Buckfield just behind at No. 2, thanks to a season-ending win over the Bobcats. The 2016 regional champ, Greenville, is the No. 4 seed, with 14-0 Temple Academy slotted into the No. 3 spot.
No. 9 Rangeley gets the next crack at Richmond after beating No. 8 Greater Portland Christian in the prelims. Buckfield opens its postseason against No. 7 Isleboro, which beat A.R. Gould in the prelims.
Bangor Christian will get to stay home in its quest for a repeat state title. The Patriots are the No. 1 seed in the North, edging out No. 2 Central Aroostook for the top spot. Last year’s No. 1 seed, Fort Fairfield, is the No. 4 seed, one spot behind Woodland, whose only loss this season was to No. 5 Jonesport-Beals.
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