The high school football playoffs begin this weekend for all classes except Class A but the Class A North showdown between Oxford Hills/Buckfield and Bangor is virtually a playoff game since the winner earns a playoff berth and the loser could be out.
Here are four games to watch this weekend.
Oxford Hills (4-4) at Bangor (3-5), Friday, 7 p.m.
The Vikings, state champs two years ago and loser to Portland in the A North final last season, suddenly find themselves likely needing a win to secure a playoff berth after losing at home to Windham 17-14 last weekend.
Bangor has won two in a row to climb back into playoff contention.
Oxford Hills/Buckfield, Windham and Bangor are separated by less than two Crabtree Index points for the final two A North playoff spots.
Windham hosts 6-2 Class A South contender Bonny Eagle of Buxton in its Friday night regular season finale.
Oxford Hills/Buckfield thumped the Rams 39-14 last year.
Bangor junior quarterback Kyle Johnson has been instrumental in the Rams’ resurgence, rushing for 236 yards and six touchdowns in the back-to-back wins over Winnacunnet High School (N.H.) and Edward Little High of Auburn.
He has also thrown two TD passes and he ran for the game-winning two-point conversion in the 28-27 win over Winnacunnet with 41 seconds left.
The Ram offense will be severely tested by an Oxford Hills/Buckfield defense that has allowed only 41 points in its last five games.
Hampden Academy (4-4) at Oceanside (4-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
This Class C North quarterfinal between fifth-seeded Hampden Academy and fourth-seeded Oceanside will find the Mariners seeking to avenge a 31-18 regular season loss three weekends ago.
The Mariners were without quarterback and leading rusher Zeb Foster (broken hand).
Foster has returned to the lineup and has rushed for 1,552 yards and 18 touchdowns on 170 carries this season. He has also thrown for 345 yards although his passing game has been limited by his broken hand. However, Oceanside coach Sam Weiss said Foster’s hand is getting better.
Second-leading rusher Robbie Blair (80 carries-680 yards) sustained an ankle injury early in that game and didn’t return but he has also made his way back into the lineup.
HA quarterback Gavin Monyok threw two touchdown passes and running back Aiden Kochendoerfer rushed for 177 yards and two TDs and also caught a TD pass from Monyok three weeks ago.
HA is coming off a 28-22 win over Brewer in which Monyok completed 10 of 14 passes for 235 yards and two TDs, both to Kochendoerfer.
Weiss said he has to make sure “we have the right people in the right places” to cover the Bronco receivers.
“(HA) did what they wanted to in our last game,” said Weiss.
Orono (5-3) at Houlton/Hodgdon/Southern Aroostook/GHCA (6-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
The defending Eight-Man Small School state champion Red Riots from Orono have been hit hard by the injury bug this season.
But they enter this Eight-Man Small School North semifinal with a two-game winning streak after triumphs over Washington Academy of East Machias (44-22) and Lake Region of Naples (42-20).
The Shiretowners beat Orono 54-36 three weekends ago and have one of the premier players in the class in quarterback Isaiah Ervin, who has rushed for 1,663 yards and 28 touchdowns and is coming off a 24-22 loss to Eight-Man Large School contender Camden Hills of Rockport in which he rushed for 239 yards and all three TDs.
He has also thrown seven touchdown passes.
The Shires would like to avenge l ast season’s 43-14 semifinal loss to Orono.
The Riots have the division’s best quarterback-receiver tandem in Jack Brewer and Will Francis. Brewer has thrown for 2,000-plus yards and completed over 70 percent of his passes and Francis has caught over 50 passes for 1,271 yards. Saladin Wise is also in the vicinity of 50 receptions.
Ellsworth/Sumner (6-2) at Stearns/Schenck (7-1), Friday, 6 p.m.
The other Eight-Man Small School North semifinal sees two teams square off for the second straight weekend.
Top seed Stearns/Schenck won the regular season finale 60-6.
Stearns/Schenck received four TD passes from quarterback Cameron Atkinson in the victory which gives him 14 TD passes on the season to go with over 900 rushing yards and 19 rushing TDs.
Cohen Raymond rushed for 232 yards and three TDs giving him 775 rushing yards and 10 TDs for the season.
Ripley Strout has rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and 17 TDs for fourth seed Ellsworth/Sumner, whose 6-2 record is the best in program history.
