AUGUSTA — The Cony football team needed a lot to happen in the final week of the regular season to secure the top seed for the Class B North playoffs.

And that’s just where the Rams (6-2) find themselves after a wild weekend on the gridiron.

First, Cony needed to take care of business against dangerous Falmouth. It wasn’t easy, but the Rams did just that, earning a 35-28 overtime victory. Then, it needed a little help, which it got when Massabesic beat Noble and Lawrence fell to Messalonskee. The Rams beat Massabesic 28-7 in the season opener, giving them valuable Crabtree points.

After Windham edged Skowhegan 14-7 on Saturday, the playoff fields came into focus.

“We were watching scores all weekend,” said Cony coach B.L. Lippert. “We were following a lot of games. It was pretty wild.”

No. 1 Cony will host No. 8 Mt. Blue (3-5) in a quarterfinal game Friday at 7 p.m. The teams did not meet in the regular season. Skowhegan (6-2), which had a firm grip on the top spot all season, settled for the No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 Brewer (3-5) in a quarterfinal game Friday night as well. Skowhegan won the regular season matchup 35-0 in Week 2.

Elsewhere in B North, No. 6 Lawrence (3-5) is set to play at No. 3 Windham (5-3) in a rematch of last season’s regional championship game. The Hawks won that game, 42-35, in overtime. No. 5 Gardiner (4-4) will play at No. 4 Falmouth (5-3).

In Class B South, Portland (5-3) edged Massabesic (6-2) for the No. 1 seed, while South Portland (5-3), Kennebunk (5-3), and Biddeford (4-4) fill out the top 5.

“There’s no clear favorite in B South, and there’s certainly no favorite in B North,” Lippert said.  “It’s going to make for some exciting games in the playoffs.”

 

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It’s been three years since Nokomis and Winslow last faced each other, but the teams will get quickly reacquainted in the opening round of the Class C North playoffs this weekend.

No. 4 Nokomis (5-3) will host No. 5 Winslow (3-5) in a regional quarterfinal game Saturday at 1 p.m.

“It’s sort of how the schedule matrix played out,” Nokomis coach Jake Rogers said. “We didn’t play them this year and we didn’t play them last year. Then we had the COVID year (in 2020).”

The teams last met in Week 2 of the 2019 regular season, with the Raiders winning 62-0.

The Warriors enter the playoffs having won two straight games and four their last five. Winslow, meanwhile, has lost four straight.

“We get another home game, so that is nice,” Rogers said. “It’s going to be a fun game. I think it will be really, really close, too.”

Added Winslow coach Wes Littlefield: “It’s going to be a heck of a game. Nokomis has things rolling pretty good right now. It’s a tough matchup for us, but hopefully we can go there and play four good quarters.”

No. 6 Maine Central Institute (3-5), which has won three of its last four games, will play at No. 3 Oceanside (5-3) on Friday night.

Medomak Valley (6-2) and Hermon (5-3) are the top two seeds, respectively, in C North.

 

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The eight-man Small School playoffs got under way last weekend, with Maranacook (6-2) advancing to the regional semifinals with a 28-6 win over Sacopee Valley. The No. 2 Black Bears will host No. 3 Dirigo (6-2) on Friday night.

The Large School playoffs kick off this weekend.

In the North, Waterville (4-3) slipped to the No. 3 seed after it fell to Camden Hills in the regular season finale. The Purple Panthers will play at No. 2 Morse (5-3) on Friday night. No. 1 Mount Desert Island (5-2) will host No. 4 Camden Hills (2-5) in the other semifinal.

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