Winslow High School head coach Mike Siviski was pleasantly surprised when his team earned the top spot in the Campbell Conference Class C playoffs. The Black Raiders finished the regular season at 7-1 and tied with Oak Hill in the Crabtree Point standings, but Winslow’s win over Oak Hill gave the Black Raiders the nod.

“Some things had to happen, and they did,” Siviski said.

One of those things was Poland upsetting Maranacook. Siviski saw Poland do the same thing to his team in the regular-season finale in 2011. Winslow went into that game needing a win to secure a home game in the first round of the playoffs, but fell to fifth with a loss to the Knights. This season, Maranacook fell to fifth at the hands of Poland.

Winslow’s 28-26 win at Lisbon on Saturday was a nailbiter. The Black Raiders led 21-7 going into the fourth quarter and 28-14 with just over five minutes to play, but the Greyhounds rallied to make the game close. It was almost a repeat of what happened in the conference quarterfinals last season. In that game, Lisbon scored 27 points in the fourth quarter to take a 34-22, come-from-behind win.

“They got some onside kicks. They threw a couple pinpoint passes,” Siviski said of Lisbon’s effort Saturday. “Things were uneasy on the Winslow sideline.”

The Black Raiders host No. 8 Yarmouth (2-6) on Saturday. Right tackle Troy Ellis, who suffered a knee injury, appears to be improving, Siviski said. The junior is one of Winslow’s most improved players.

“He’s coming on like gangbusters,” Siviski said.

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At 8-0, Mt. Blue is the top seed in the Pine Tree Conference Class B playoffs. This is the Cougars first undefeated regular season since 1986. Head coach Gary Parlin was an assistant coach with that team, and said one of the similarities between that group and this year’s squad is the contributions of a strong junior class.

“When you have your best teams, you have a really good junior class. They do the things the seniors can’t do. They fit together well, like a puzzle.”

In particular, Mt. Blue has gotten strong play on the offensive line from three juniors, guards Tyler Sennick and Connor Farrington, and tackle Colin Richards.

“We couldn’t have imagined how well they’ve played,” Parlin said.

The Cougars host No. 8 Mt. Desert Island (4-4). It’s the fourth meeting in two seasons between these teams, who played each other in the regular season this season and last, and met in the first round of the playoffs a year ago. The Trojans will try to speed the game up by maintaining control of the ball, Parlin said.

“They run that straight T offense and try to keep your offense off the field,” Parlin said. “Mark Shields (MDI head coach), I think he’s one of the better coaches in the conference.”

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The four teams in the Pine Tree Conference Class A playoffs are set, but only Lawrence knows where it will be next week for the semifinals.

With a 34-7 win at Brunswick on Saturday night, Lawrence (8-0) clinched the top seed, and will host the No. 4 team. Brunswick (6-2), Cony (6-2) and Messalonskee (6-2) will be in the playoffs, but their seeds will be determined in this week’s last regular-season games. Here’s a breakdown of what each team needs to earn the No. 2 seed and a home game in the semifinals.

* Brunswick must defeat Mt. Ararat AND Cony must lose to Oxford Hills.

* Cony must defeat Oxford Hills AND Messalonskee must lose to Lawrence.

* Messalonskee must defeat Lawrence AND Brunswick must lose to Mt. Ararat.

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Now in its third year, the Frank J. Gaziano Award is growing.

The Gaziano Award, created to honor the top offensive and defensive linemen in the state, will increase its scholarship awards for the winners and finalists. Each winner will receive $5,000, while the four runner-ups will receive $1,000.

The increase more than doubles the award presented the last two years ($2,500 to the winners and $500 to the runner-ups).

Coaches have until Dec. 7 to nominate a player for the Gaziano. The awards will be presented on Jan. 27, at a brunch at the Augusta Civic Center.

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Around the state: Statewide, six teams made the playoffs with a losing record: Deering (3-5), Cape Elizabeth (3-5), Mountain Valley (3-5), Yarmouth (2-6), Washington Academy (3-5) and Mattanawcook (2-6). In the cases of Deering, Cape Elizabeth, Mountain Valley, and Yarmouth, each played a tougher schedule than a .500 team it edged for a playoff spot, earning more Crabtree Points. Crabtrees are calculated by adding a team’s winning percentage to the winning percentage of all its opponents. Washington Academy finished eighth in the Little Ten Conference, and Mattanawcook ninth, but each moved up a spot because Hermon (5-3), a Class B school playing down, is ineligible for the postseason… Mt. Desert Island and Belfast tied for the seventh spot in the PTC B, but Belfast gets it due to its win over MDI… Marshwood, Westbrook and York tied for first in the Campbell Conference Class B. Marshwood beat both Westbrook and York to earn the top spot, and Westbrook and second with its win over the WIldcats.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com