Lawrence’s Addison Battis stick-handles while Skowhegan’s Ellie Quinn applies defensive pressure during an Oct. 3 game in Skowhegan. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

No matter the year, you can bank on it: If playoff field hockey is around the corner, central Maine teams are right there at the top of the heap.

That’s truer than ever with the 2024 regular season now having drawn to a close. With Heal points finalized, central Maine boasts two top seeds and has a boatload of other contenders ahead of the first playoff games next Tuesday.

In Class A North? Surprise, surprise: Skowhegan has the No. 1 seed. One of the youngest teams longtime head coach Paula Doughty has ever had is 12-2 and has improved as the season’s progressed to enter the postseason on an eight-game winning streak.

“I would say that, of all the years I’ve coached, I’ve never had a team that’s worked as hard,” Doughty said. “We’re so inexperienced — we had so many freshmen and sophomores that were basically clueless when we started — but they’ve really morphed into outstanding players.”

Among Skowhegan’s young players are sophomore Faith Pease, who’s scored 16 goals, and Sydney Perkins, a 14-year-old freshman who’s anchored the midfield. Those players, along with veterans Sophie Noyes, Ellie Quinn and Sydalia Savage, have powered the River Hawks to another strong season.

Skowhegan, which is seeking its 23rd consecutive regional championship, will face No. 8 Lewiston (5-8-1) in the A North quarterfinals. Should the River Hawks win, they’d face the winner of fifth-ranked Mt. Blue (10-4), another central Maine team, and fourth-ranked Mt. Ararat (10-4).

Also 10-4 out of central Maine is No. 3 Messalonskee, which will take on sixth-ranked Brunswick (4-8-2) in the quarterfinals. The Eagles were the last team to defeat Skowhegan this season, topping the River Hawks 2-1 on Sept. 24 after Brewer (No. 2, 12-2) beat them 3-2 in the Sept. 5 season opener.

“I think there’s more parity in Class A than there’s ever been,” Doughty said. “Even the teams down in the sixth and seventh spots, they’re good teams — (No. 7) Camden Hills and Brunswick, they both played us really tough. Hopefully, we’ll stay on top, but it’s really anybody’s game.”

Belfast’s Jocelyn Valleau, left, tries to keep the ball away from Cony’s Abby Morrill during a field hockey game Oct. 8 in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Of all the regions that feature central Maine teams, Class B North might be the biggest slog. Belfast (13-1) is the top seed, but a playoff field that also includes Cony, Leavitt, Gardiner, Nokomis, Old Town, Lawrence and Erskine Academy is set for some major battles in the weeks to come.

The most appetizing quarterfinal of the bunch might be the clash between No. 2 Cony (11-3) and No. 7 Lawrence (9-4-1). The Rams are the defending champions in Class B North, while the Bulldogs have one of the best players around in Division I Merrimack-bound Maddie Niles (32 goals, 12 assists).

Although Lawrence beat Cony back on Sept. 12, that result means little to Bulldogs head coach Shawna Robinson now. The Rams have one of the region’s most dangerous players in Abby Morrill and have won 10 of their past 11 games with the lone loss in that span coming Oct. 8 against Belfast.

“We’ve got to really make things difficult for Abby,” Robinson said. “You’ve always got to make sure eyes are on her because she’s just such a good player. I think we have a couple of things we’re going to throw at her, but we want to make sure we’re able to go out there and play our game also.”

Another quarterfinal pits No. 4 Gardiner (11-3) against No. 5 Nokomis (8-4-2). The Tigers have Brynnlea Chaisson, who broke the program’s single-season scoring record earlier this month, as well as their own D1-bound player in UMaine’s Gabi Sousa. Midfielder Addison Hawthorne leads the Warriors.

Also in the Class B North playoffs from central Maine is eighth-ranked Erskine Academy (6-7-1), which will take on No. 1 Belfast (13-1) in the quarterfinals. It’s a tough ask for the Eagles against a Lions team Robinson believes is worthy of their status as favorites in the region.

“(Forward Breanna Shorey) is great for them, but she also has so many complementary players behind her,” said Robinson, whose team fell 3-0 to Belfast in the regular-season finale last Thursday. “I’ve also been impressed with their goalie (Nikki Shorey). They’re just really strong at every position.”

Dirigo’s Emily Woods, left, shoots on Hall-Dale goalie Jade Graham as Graham snuffs out the shot during field hockey action Oct. 21 in Farmingdale. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

In Class C South, Winthrop was expected to be a formidable team this year with all but one starter back from last year’s state title-winning team. The Ramblers have met those expectations, going 14-0 in the regular season to claim the No. 1 seed in the Southern Maine playoffs.

Winthrop, led by one of the state’s top players in Madeline Wagner (29 goals, 11 assists) has drawn No. 8 Boothbay (5-9) in the quarterfinals. The Ramblers have been challenged this year with midfielder Izzy Folsom unavailable, but with more experience this year and a key newcomer, they’ve persevered.

“I joke with Izzy, and I tell her it’s one thing she can’t be there but that I’m thankful she gave me her freshman little sister, Grace,” said Winthrop head coach Melissa Perkins. “She’s done a great job stepping into Izzy’s spot on the field as our low mid, and with the rest of our team having another year, we’ve gotten through it.”

Central Maine will have the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in Class C South with Hall-Dale (11-3) taking the region’s second spot. Led by a potent scorer in Hannah Rauch and the Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year in goaltender Jade Graham, the Bulldogs enter the playoffs on a seven-game winning streak.

Hall-Dale’s matchup with No. 7 Lisbon (7-6-1) features a Bulldogs squad Perkins believes is Winthrop’s biggest threat and a Greyhounds team she thinks could be a sleeper. No. 3 St. Dominic Academy (8-5-1) and No. 4 Spruce Mountain (8-6) will be among teams looking to snap the Ramblers’ streak of six straight regional titles.

“Lisbon gave us a tough game, and I think they’re certainly better than where they finished in Heal points,” said Perkins, whose Ramblers beat the Greyhounds 1-0 on Sept. 24. “Hall-Dale is going to be a challenge for everybody. Jade is a great goalie, and they’ve really proven themselves throughout the year.”

In Class C North, eighth-ranked Winslow (3-11) is back in the playoffs for the first time in three years and will face No. 1 Dexter (13-1) in the quarterfinals. No. 6 Maine Central Institute (6-8), led by a consistent scorer in Charlotte Peasley, will take on third-ranked Dirigo (11-3).