Gardiner running back Owen Chadwick, left, is tackled by Skowhegan defensive end Jaimeson Shanoski during an Oct. 4 game in Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

GARDINER — This is a football game that creates its own stakes regardless of where the teams stand. Sometimes, though, Cony’s and Gardiner’s place in the standings increases those stakes — and 2024 is one of those times.

Both teams are .500, jockeying for playoff positioning in a Pine Tree Conference where much remains up for grabs behind first-place Falmouth. A win will pace one to a Class B North home quarterfinal game — maybe even a bye — while leaving the other in a tough spot entering postseason play.

“We need to finish out our season as best we can, and to do that with a win against Cony would mean even more,” said Gardiner head coach Pat Munzing. “The way I look at it is, everybody likes ice cream, but when you get all the extra toppings and make it a sundae, it’s that much better.”

Someone, then, will get a big win when Cony and Gardiner meet at Hoch Field at 7 p.m. on Friday for the 146th installment of Maine’s oldest rivalry, which the Rams lead 77-58-10. It’s a game with major implications beyond the given bragging rights as both teams look for springboards to success beyond this age-old showdown.

Gardiner, which has seemed to be in a defensive slugfest every week, is 3-3 and one spot above Cony in third place in Class B North. Although the Tigers have a loss to second-place Lawrence, wins in their final games as well as outside help against the Bulldogs might be enough to propel them to a first-round bye.

Cony, also 3-3, started 2-0 but has slipped to fourth place in the PTC after three losses in their last four games. The Rams, like Gardiner, can still get the No. 2 seed and clinch a bye in the Class B North quarterfinals, but to do so, they, like Gardiner, must win out and get some outside help from Lawrence’s opponents.

“You want to make sure you’re going into early November in position to win some playoff games, and sure, it’s a rivalry game, but it’s a step along the way to that,” said Cony head coach B.L. Lippert. “We’re both in similar spots in position to go to the playoffs, so you want that win for the standings and to get yourself set up.”

After getting pushed around by a larger Medomak Valley defensive line last week, Cony’s offensive line is no longer at a size disadvantage. Led by Bohdy King Jones (6-foot-2, 260 pounds) and Steve Witham (6-0, 260) up front, the Rams should have a bigger push up front this week against a smaller Gardiner front.

Don’t think for a second, though, that Cony winning the battle in the trenches will be inherently easy. While the Tigers might not be able to match the Rams’ size, their front seven, led by Kyle Doody (39 tackles, five sacks, 18 tackles for loss), is key to a defensive giving up just 15 points per game.

“We do have a lot of athleticism, and I think that helps make up for (the lack of size),” Doody said. “We have a lot of guys that are quite athletic and are multiple-sport athletes. … We play hard, and we stay to our assignments.”

Even amid some recent losses, Cony’s offense has seen some promising developments. Running back Anderson Noyes returned against Medomak after missing three weeks, while Erskine Academy transfer Ben Hanke (214 receiving yards) has emerged as the Rams’ No. 2 pass-catcher after sitting out the first two games.

With those additions and the play of quarterback Parker Morin (1,111 yards, 10 touchdowns, eight interceptions) and Ethan Demmons (31 catches, 486 yards, four touchdowns), Cony’s offense is as potent as ever. The key Friday, Lippert said, will be for the Rams to protect the football.

Cony running back Anderson Noyes (21) gets snagged by Lawrence linebacker Ashton Darling during a Sept. 13 game at Fuller Field in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“You can’t get behind the chains, you can’t give up sacks, and you can’t turn the football over,” Lippert said. “One thing about Gardiner is they also tackle well. There’s not a lot of getting guys in the flat and having them break a tackle and pick up 20; they’re typically going to tackle you if they get you one-on-one.”

As for Cony’s defense, the Rams suffered a major injury last week as senior linebacker Jackson Veilleux, their No. 3 tackler, was lost for the year with a broken collarbone. That will put more pressure on a linebacking corps of Kaiden Veilleux (65 tackles) and Tenny Tibbetts (47 tackles).

“We don’t have a lot of seniors to begin with, so losing (Jackson), it’s going to test our leadership because we’ll need some juniors to step up,” Lippert said. “I think overall defensively, we need to be a little bit more sound; we haven’t been as tough at the point of attack as we hoped we would be.”

On the other side of the ball, Gardiner’s offense is averaging just 12.7 points per game, the fewest in the PTC and 14th of 15 in all of Class B. Most of the Tigers’ success has come on the ground with Owen Chadwick (41 carries, 231 yards) and Doody (44 carries, 209 yards) combining for 5.2 yards per carry.

Don’t expect a total ground-and-pound effort from Gardiner, though, as quarterback Asher Nagy averages just under 22 attempts per game. Munzing also knows that Cony’s vast array of blitz packages, coverage and audibles can provide wrinkles that could alter the Tigers’ play-calling.

“Their defense just causes such havoc; they’re really hard to predict with where they’re going to align, where the pressure’s coming from and what coverage they’re in,” Munzing said. “Their scheme is really solid, and numbers aside, we’re definitely not looking at them like a 3-3 team.”