There’s no question that the turnaround story of the 2025 high school football season is in Westbrook. After going 8-18 over the previous three seasons, the Blue Blazes are 7-1 and the No. 1 seed in the tough Class B South division.

In order to keep the magical season going, the team has to survive a difficult road through the regional playoffs. That journey begins Friday night when the Blue Blazes host No. 4 Marshwood (7 p.m. kickoff) in a South semifinal at Olmsted Field.

That’s one of five playoff storylines to keep an eye on this week.

Westbrook blazing a path

The Blue Blazes and Hawks (6-3) haven’t met since the season opener on Sept. 5, a 27-16 victory by Westbrook. After a 25-7 loss the following week to Falmouth, the Blue Blazes have won six straight, including a 20-0 victory at home over perennial powerhouse Kennebunk and 27-21 win over Cheverus.

Westbrook’s offense has been paced by the passing connection of quarterback Gio Staples and top receiver Dimitri Lubin, and the running of junior Cole Tanner.

While Marshwood is not having its most dominant year, it still boasts a victory over Falmouth and two over Cheverus, including a decisive 43-23 win over the Stags in the South quarterfinals last week. In that game, Gregory Castoras scored five touchdowns and had 261 total yards, and Cole Goodwin added 118 rushing yards. Sam Therrien led the defense with an interception and three fumble recoveries.

Bonny Eagle-Noble highlights A South semifinals

With the exception of a 42-21 loss to No. 1 seed Thornton Academy on Oct. 24, No. 2 Bonny Eagle (8-1) has been dominant, with a high-powered offense that is averaging 36.1 points per game and a defense that has allowed a Class A-low 10.7 points. Senior quarterback Colin Moran can make plays with his arm and his legs, while senior running back Colby McCormack has been a weapon in both the running and passing games.

Bonny Eagle will have a fight on its hands at 7 p.m. Friday in Standish against No. 3 Noble (7-2) in an Class A South semifinal. The Scots shut out the Knights, 18-0, on Sept. 26, but that offensive output was Bonny Eagle’s lowest this season.

The question to be answered will be if Noble’s offense can rise to the challenge. The Knights have had success through the air with 6-foot-5 junior quarterback Mark Lapointe (964 passing yards, 7 TDs, 3 INTs, 61.7 % completion percentage) and on the ground with Lapointe (346 rushing yards, 5 TDs) and senior running back Logan Duquette (554 rushing yards). The Knights are averaging 19.9 points per game, which is the second lowest among the eight Class A playoff teams.

Lawrence looks to maintain momentum

Lawrence (5-4) has had a roller coaster of a fall. After going 1-3 in the first month of the season, the Bulldogs won four of their next five contests, including a 40-14 victory over No. 6 Mt. Blue in a Class B North quarterfinal last week.

In that game, the third-seeded Bulldogs had three running backs gain more than 100 yards — Keegan Littlefield (156), Garrett Leclerc (157) and Jaiden Hebert (113). Littlefield scored five touchdowns.

Lawrence is hoping that momentum carries over to Friday, when it travels to Atwood Stadium to take on No. 2 Fryeburg Academy (6:30 p.m. kickoff) in a regional semifinal. The Raiders (5-3) have been the reverse of Lawrence. After starting 4-0, they went 1-3 the remainder of the regular season, but still earned B North’s second seed and had a bye last weekend.

The two teams met in the regular season on Oct. 10, when the Raiders beat Lawrence 47-35 in Fryeburg.

Can Gardiner pull off magic twice?

One of the most exciting games of the regular season came on Sept. 19 when Gardiner, down two scores, pulled off a 28-26 overtime win against Wells at Hoch Field in Gardiner. The victory improved the Tigers’ record to 3-0, their best start since the 2012 season.

Gardiner (6-2) has continued a brilliant season under coach Patrick Munzing, but no doubt the No. 5 Warriors (5-3) will remember the previous matchup when they return to Hoch Field to play the No. 4 Tigers at 7 p.m. Friday in a Class C quarterfinal.

Gardiner has boasted a strong defense throughout the season. The Tigers have allowed an average of 8.8 points in their six victories. Its only blemishes were a 32-7 loss to Leavitt on Oct. 11 and a 54-10 loss to Class B Cony on Oct. 24.

After a 1-3 start, Wells is 4-1 in its last five games, including a 12-7 win over Leavitt on Oct. 3.

Mt. Ararat-Spruce Mountain highlights 8-man finals

The eight-man regional finals are this weekend, including a matchup of the top two seeds in the Large School South division, as No. 1 Spruce Mountain (7-1) hosts No. 2 Mt. Ararat (8-1) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Griffin Field in Livermore Falls.

The two teams did not meet during the regular season, but Mt. Ararat has three wins of 24 points or more over the division’s other two playoff teams, No. 4 Lake Region (one) and No. 3 Yarmouth (two). The Eagles cruised to a 44-14 win over Yarmouth last week, led by senior running back Nick Doughty with 197 yards and two touchdowns.

Spruce Mountain split its games against the other eight-man South playoff teams, falling to Yarmouth in the regular season and beating Lake Region 44-8 in last week’s semifinals. Since starting the season 2-1, the Phoenix have won five straight games, including a 28-24 victory over eight-man Small School powerhouse Stearns on Oct. 18.

The Phoenix are led by junior quarterback Dylan Jewett (872 yards passing, 10 touchdown passes; 871 yards rushing, 18 TDs), junior running back Owen Kelvey (572 rushing yards, 9 TDs) and senior running back Austin Armandi (661 rushing yards, 11 TDs).

The eight-man Large School North final is No. 2 Mount Desert Island (4-5) at No. 1 Camden Hills (8-1). In the Small School divisions, No. 1 Old Orchard Beach (8-0) hosts No. 2 Telstar (6-2) in the South final, and No. 1 Stearns (7-2) is at home against No. 3 Dexter (6-3) in the North final.