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Looking for a favorite at the Class B golf state championship on Friday? Good luck.

Perhaps more than in any recent season, the state title is truly up for grabs. Nokomis has aces. Yarmouth has depth. Fryeburg Academy has some of both. Presque Isle has a strong team overall.

“I think it’s totally wide open,” Yarmouth coach Dave Cox said. “Lake Region’s playing well, Freeport’s playing well, York and Wells. … Any of those teams could have a good day, and then it sounds like the KVACs and Presque Isle are pretty strong. So, who knows, right?”

In Class A, SMAA champion Cheverus and Falmouth, which finished just four shots behind the Stags at the conference qualifier, will be the favorites at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro, while KVAC champion Bangor and top qualifier Messalonskee are among the challengers from the north.

In Class C, Calais and Dexter from the PVC; Winthrop, Monmouth Academy and Maranacook from the MVC; and North Yarmouth Academy from the WMC all enter with title shots.

The Class A and C championships will be held Saturday at Natanis.

KVAC teams have won the past three Class B titles after a run of five straight WMC champions. The strongest team this year has been Nokomis, which went undefeated during the season, won the conference championship and then shot 319 on Natanis’ Arrowhead course to win the qualifier by 19 shots.

The Warriors have been a contender before, but with SJ Welch (76 at the qualifier) and Caden Chretien (70) leading the way, coach Matt Brown has perhaps his best chance at the school’s first title.

“We still have some better golf left in us, I think,” he said. “We’ve been really talking about the mental part of the game and taking the big numbers out. … It’s kind of nice to have those two top guns at the top. You know most of the time those guys are pretty consistent.”

Leading the charge from the south are Yarmouth and Fryeburg. The Clippers shot 325 on Natanis’ tougher Tomahawk course to edge the Raiders by two shots at the Western Maine Conference qualifier, but Fryeburg responded Monday with an eight-shot win at the conference championship.

The Raiders are led by Kyle Infinger, who fired a 77 at the qualifier, while Will McIntyre (81) and Alex Allain (82) provide depth.

“Natanis is an interesting course this time of year,” Fryeburg coach Chris Dutton said. “Whether it’s the nerves of state championships or something like that, that course comes back and seems to bite teams sometimes.”

Henry Shub (79) and Declan Hickey (80) had the top scores for Yarmouth at the qualifier, but the Clippers had all six players shoot 87 or better.

“There have been six different medalists from our team this year,” Cox said. “The hardest thing has been trying to determine the six (players), because we have such a strong 10-, 12(-deep) group.”

Battle for Class A

In Class A, Cheverus rode a mix of experience and youth to the SMAA title. Senior Mick Madden (73 at the qualifier) is one of the state’s top players, while No. 2 Sam Sirois (74) is a freshman. Joe Mancini (80) was around last year when the Stags finished second in Class A; Garrett Thees (83) was not.

“This year, (Mick) went to another level. He’s been very consistent. Always shooting around par, he doesn’t let bad holes affect him,” Cheverus coach Billy Goodman said. “(Sam has) handled the pressure, he’s had a great year. He doesn’t mind any of that, he doesn’t play like a freshman.”

Falmouth, the 2023 champion, will be tough to fend off again, with Dante Iannetta (70), Alex Novick (78) and Clayton Casey (79) providing the Navigators with a formidable trio. Messalonskee and Bangor, as well as Hampden Academy (331), Edward Little (335) and Camden Hills (336), could make runs.

In Class C, Maranacook, led by Ethan Chilton, will look for its third title in four years. Winthrop got a 70 from Drew Mertzel in the Mountain Valley Conference qualifier and will challenge, NYA has depth, and Chase Scott and Jacob Footer lead a Calais team that earned the Penobscot Valley Conference championship.

Individual contenders

Two of the individual champions from last year return to defend their titles. Gardiner’s Jack Quinn won the Class B title by four shots, and he fired a 3-under 69 to edge Nokomis’s Chretien for the top score at the KVAC B qualifier.

“I’m just looking to go out and play my game,” Quinn said. “I know if I go play my game, I’m going to play well. … I think I’ve got a good shot.”

In Class A, Joe Hansen of Greely is back after sharing last year’s title with Scarborough’s Marc Twombly at 1 under. Hansen tied for first place at the SMAA qualifier with Falmouth’s Dante Iannetta at 2 under.

There will be new girls champions, however, following the graduations of Leavitt’s Jade Haylock, who won the Class B title and had the top overall girls score for four straight years, and Falmouth’s Carly Iannetta.

Lila Dailey of Camden Hills and Skowhegan’s Lydia Jones will be contenders in Class A and B, respectively. Dailey had a 91 in the KVAC A qualifier and Jones shot an 85 in KVAC B. They were top-six finishers in the Class A tournament last year.