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October is here — and with it, so is the second half of the high school football regular season.

There’s much on tap as Week 5 kicks off, including teams embarking long trips. Oh, there’s also a Class A showdown that could be the biggest game of the season statewide.

Here’s a look at the five biggest storylines this weekend:

Hit the road, fellas

Many Maine high school football teams are used to traveling long distances to play games. The number of long road trips has only grown in the era of crossover games and statewide classifications, and in Week 5, seven teams are set to travel more than four hours total and 200 miles round-trip.

St. John Valley is at the top with a round trip of 8 hours, 12 minutes and 452 miles to Bucksport. Washington Academy (7:06, 314 miles round-trip to Boothbay), Traip Academy (5:32, 374 miles to Orono), Brewer (5:26, 376 miles to Dover, New Hampshire, to face York), Waterville (5:08, 356 miles to Houlton), Mount View (4:32, 210 miles to Telstar) and Greely (4:18, 250 miles to Foxcroft) also make the list.

Think St. John Valley’s trip to Bucksport is the longest this season? Not even close. That distinction came Sept. 20 when Telstar made a 12-hour, 680-mile round-trip from Bethel to Madawaska to play St. John Valley. The second-longest will come Oct. 18 when Boothbay makes an 11-hour, 588-mile round-trip to face St. John Valley in Fort Kent.

Clash of behemoths

It might have been the most-anticipated game when the statewide schedule was unveiled in the spring. Now, a battle of teams that have squared off in the past two Class A state championship games is nigh, with Varsity Maine No. 1 Portland (4-0) set to take on No. 2 Thornton Academy (3-1) in the Varsity Maine game of the week at 6 p.m. Friday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Portland, led by the record-setting Cordell Jones, will look for a repeat of last year’s state final, which it won 35-14 for its first Gold Ball in 22 years. Thornton would prefer a result akin to the 2023 game, in which it defeated the Bulldogs 24-14.

Capital-area teams look to stay unbeaten

Last year marked the first time in 14 years that not a single central Maine team played in a state title game. At the halfway point this year, three teams a stone’s throw from the capital area — Cony, Gardiner and Winthrop — are 4-0 and in first place.

Cony has looked like one of the state’s strongest teams early on, as evidenced by a 39-34 win Saturday at Oxford Hills. The Rams will get another tough test Friday when they host Fryeburg Academy (4-0) in a battle of the top two teams in Class B North.

Winthrop, which looks like the favorite in Class D South, will try to ring in Homecoming weekend with a victory over Morse (2-2) on Thursday. Class C Gardiner will go for its first 5-0 start since 2010 when it hosts Medomak Valley (2-2) on Friday.

Battle of the Berwicks

Games between Marshwood of South Berwick and Noble of North Berwick never fail to generate hype in western York County. Those stakes are only raised when the Hawks and Knights boast solid squads, and both teams are 3-1 heading into Friday’s game at Noble’s William R. Bourbon Stadium.

After a disappointing loss to Westbrook to open the season, Marshwood has bounced back with three straight wins, most notably a 23-22 triumph last week against Cheverus. For Noble, a third consecutive win in the rivalry would be a welcome way to bounce back from last week’s defeat at Bonny Eagle.

Mixed news for injured star QBs

Dirigo’s Hudson Lufkin and Messalonskee’s Tatum Doucette entered the 2025 season among the state’s top dual-threat quarterbacks. Both recently suffered injuries — Lufkin to his knee and Doucette to his shoulder.

Lufkin will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL in Dirigo’s Week 3 victory over Oak Hill. Brady Philbrick stepped in against the Raiders and also started under center for the Cougars in last week’s 28-0 loss to Winthrop.

Doucette, meanwhile, dislocated his shoulder last week in the Eagles’ 37-20 loss to Fryeburg. Messalonskee coach Blair Doucette said the senior hoped to practice Wednesday and that he is questionable going forward. Fin Minkel took over for the Eagles in the second half at Fryeburg.