From the playoff picture being set (well, for most teams, anyway) to two blockbuster matchups, it feels like October has been building to this moment.
The final week of the regular season in Classes B-D and both eight-man classes and the penultimate week in Class A is jam-packed with storylines to watch. Here are five things to keep an eye on as Week 8 arrives.
Cony, Gardiner face off in highly anticipated game
Although they’ve been playing one another since 1892, it’s been rare for Cony and Gardiner to meet with both teams in championship form. In fact, the 2023 game was the first in 31 years in which both the Rams and Tigers sported a winning record.
Friday’s meeting between the two bitter rivals is like no other. The 13-1 combined record (Cony is 7-0, Gardiner is 6-1) is the best in the history of the rivalry. The previous best of 13-1-1 was in 1930 (Cony 7-1, Gardiner 6-0-1).
Cony leads the state’s oldest rivalry, 78-58-10. The Rams have won six straight games in the series as well as 11 of the past 12.
No. 1 meets No. 2 (again)
Three weeks ago, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the Varsity Maine poll met when Thornton Academy took down defending Class A state champ Portland. On Friday, it will happen once more as the No. 1 Trojans (6-1) visit No. 2 Bonny Eagle (7-0).
The battle features two programs that have defined Maine high school football in the 21st century. Bonny Eagle’s seven state championships in the new millennium are the most of any team, and Thornton’s six are tied with Marshwood and Wells for second-most.
Thornton’s only defeat was on Sept. 19 against New Hampshire juggernaut Bedford, so the two teams are a combined 13-0 against Maine opponents. The winner will have the inside track to the No. 1 seed in Class A South.
No. 1 seeds within reach
The playoff brackets will be set in five of the state’s six classes after Saturday’s games. The battles for top seeds are convoluted in a few of those divisions and simpler in others.
Winthrop (7-0) believes it has Class D South’s top spot sewn up, but in any case, the Ramblers will be No. 1 for sure if they beat Maranacook (2-5). Greely (7-0) in Class C (at 0-7 Oceanside) and John Bapst (7-0) in D North (at 0-7 Hampden Academy) also have inside tracks, though elaborate scenarios in which those teams win and aren’t No. 1 exist.
In Class B South, Westbrook (6-1, vs. 2-5 Gorham) and Kennebunk (6-1, at 1-6 Biddeford) can finish No. 1 with a win and a loss by the other. Otherwise, the picture gets more complex and would depend on results elsewhere throughout the state.
Eight-man Large School South is a three-way race between No. 1 Mt. Ararat (6-1, vs. 1-5 Ellsworth), No. 2 Yarmouth (6-1, vs. 3-4 Mount Desert Island) and No. 3 Spruce Mountain (5-1, at 5-2 Dexter). It’s the same in Small School North between No. 1 Stearns (5-2, at 4-3 Sacopee Valley), No. 2 Orono (5-2, vs. 3-4 Bucksport) and No. 3 Dexter.
Cony (B North, 7-0), Camden Hills (eight-man Large school North, 6-1) and Old Orchard Beach (Small School South, 7-0) have clinched No. 1 seeds in their respective regions.
Dexter’s time to shine
Speaking of Dexter, the Tigers have been in the spotlight for much of the 2025 season. The school is one of 25 nationwide finalists in the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights competition, the winner of which will receive $1 million toward upgrading its facilities and athletic fields.
On Saturday, T-Mobile sponsored the Tigers’ Homecoming showdown against Little Ten Conference rival Houlton. As one of the finalists, Dexter was awarded a $25,000 prize at halftime. The Tigers won, 50-8.
The competition runs through Friday. As of early Wednesday afternoon, Dexter was third with 467,319 votes, trailing Dierks, Arkansas, (1,531,928) and Lebanon, Oregon (1,183,370).
Navigators host Stags in key B South finale
Although both teams are new to Class B South this season, most observers expected Falmouth and Cheverus to be factors in the region. With one game to go in the regular season, both are 4-3 and will meet Friday in Falmouth.
The winner will host a quarterfinal as a top-four seed. The loser risks finishing fifth behind Marshwood, which is also 4-3 and takes on Sanford (2-5) on Friday.
Securing the No. 3 seed would be even more ideal. Whichever team finishes third out of Falmouth, Cheverus or Marshwood would avoid facing the other two next week.
