It didn’t take long for the Mt. Blue field hockey team to reach the top of Class A North after a string of victories over Cony, Messalonskee and Skowhegan in early September.
Once there, the Cougars never let go, going 13-0-1 to finish as the only unbeaten team in always-tough A North.
Mt. Blue earned the No. 1 seed and will host No. 8 Brewer (4-8-2) in a regional quarterfinal Wednesday.
Although the Maine Principals’ Association will finalize Heal points Friday morning, most of the matchups are set.
“It’s awesome that we are here,” Mt. Blue coach Jody Harmon said. “We held our own. We held it all year. It’s something this team has strived for all season.”
Messalonskee (12-2-0) earned the second seed and will host No. 7 Hampden in an A North quarterfinal Tuesday. No. 3 Cony (9-3-2) will host No. 6 Edward Little at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday as well.
Skowhegan (10-3-1), the defending Class A state champion, dropped close contests to Messalonskee and Mt. Blue in the final two regular-season games to finish as the fourth seed. It will host No. 5 Oxford Hills (8-6-0) on Wednesday.
“I think there are going to be some great battles,” Harmon said, “and that’s what you want. It’s not going to be easy for anyone.”
In Class B North, Gardiner (13-1-0) will enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. The Tigers dropped a tough 2-1 double overtime decision to No 8 Waterville (3-10-1) in the regular-season finale, which helped give Foxcroft the top seed.
“We had a miserable game Thursday (against Waterville),” Gardiner coach Sharon Gallant said. “Our kids came in a little cocky and over-looked that game. It certainly made it a tougher road for us. I like the road better as the one seed. But it is what it is.”
Added Waterville coach Chrissy Cunningham: “This was definitely not expected. Not at all. Making the playoffs, it’s a surprise. To go from the season that we were having to making the playoffs, it’s great. I am excited the girls get to experience this.”
Gardiner will face either No. 7 Winslow or No. 10 Morse in the quarterfinals Tuesday. Winslow hosts Morse in a prelim game at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
“It’s going to be tough,” Gallant said, “but we’ll be ready.”
No. 8 Waterville will host No. 9 Hermon on Saturday at 11:30 a.m..
No. 4 Lawrence (10-4-0) will host No. 5 Old Town (11-3-0) while No. 6 Nokomis (9-5-0) will play at No. 3 Belfast (13-1-0) in other B North quarterfinals next week.
In Class C North, No. 1 MCI (12-2-0) will meet No. 8 Orono in a quarterfinal Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
“The regular season is over,” MCI coach Nancy Hughes said. “We have to start over. You can’t count anyone out now. I like where we’re at.”
No. 3 Winthrop (11-2-1) will host No. 6 Mount View (7-7-0) in a quarterfinal Tuesday.
In Class C South, Oak Hill (13-1-0) has earned the No. 1 seed and will host No. 8 Mountain Valley on Wednesday.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.