It seems to happen each season: Team A beats Team B in the regular season and has a better record, but Team B ends up ranked higher in the Crabtree standings.

Welcome to the Class B South quarterfinal Friday night between Westbrook and Marshwood.

Back in September the Blue Blazes laid a 34-7 rout on the two-time defending Class B champs from South Berwick. Westbrook finished 6-2 in the regular season; the Hawks went 5-3. But by virtue of beating Falmouth (another 6-2 team), Marshwood finished ahead of Westbrook and received the home-field advantage in a No. 4 vs. No. 5 game.

“It works out well for us, obviously,” said Marshwood Coach Alex Rotsko. “We really have one quality win this year and that’s over Falmouth. In my book we should be playing at Westbrook. They have a better record than us and they beat us. If I was them I wouldn’t be happy about it.”

Westbrook Coach Jeff Guerette took a diplomatic approach.

“I guess it’s just kind of the way the Crabtrees worked out. We haven’t worried too much about it,” Guerette said. “I do think it helps them.”

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While it didn’t grant Westbrook the higher seed, beating Marshwood did have significance.

“Marshwood had been the gold standard for our league and maybe even our whole state the last few years,” Guerette said. “It gave our kids some confidence knowing we could compete with a program of that level.”

In the first meeting, Westbrook quarterback Bailey Sawyer threw for 176 yards and three scores, and his defense intercepted Marshwood quarterback Cole McDaniel three times.

Defensive lineman David Redmond terrorized McDaniel throughout the game, Rotsko said.

“He’s a big kid and in that first game against us he made a bunch of plays,” Rotsko said. “Then once we got behind, our fullbacks just couldn’t block him.”

Marshwood also gained from the first meeting. Rotsko and his staff have since shifted personnel with up to four new starters on both sides of the ball. In addition, Holden Jackman has moved back to defensive end and tight end – where he played last season – after starting the year as a linebacker/fullback.

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The Hawks have gone 4-1 since, losing only to unbeaten Kennebunk.

Did the loss at Westbrook serve as a wakeup call?

“Maybe to some degree but we’ve had a couple of poor performances since then,” Rotsko said. “How much did we learn? I don’t know.”

“They’ve gotten more physical. They’re executing their offense better,” Guerette said.

Still, the Hawks rely heavily on McDaniel and running back/returner Kyle Glidden to make big plays.

Westbrook has improved in the offensive line, where Redmond is the only returning starter. Led by Redmond and Brandon Grover at the tackles, the line has paved the way for Miece Loureiro to gain 1,455 yards on 160 carries.

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“We’re really pleased with that area,” Guerette said. “Those guys have done a great job blocking for him all year. They understand that if they give Miece a little bit of a seam, he’s going to make something special happen.”

Sawyer also has developed his passing options. Hamza Hanifi (31 catches, 413 yards, 4 touchdowns) leads in receptions with Kyle Champagne, tight end Nicolas Batchelder, and Loureiro also becoming frequent targets.

Class A North top seed Portland (7-1) gets the weekend off, awaiting the winner of the Edward Little at Oxford Hills/Buckfield game. The final regular-season statistics for the division reveal the Bulldogs as a team that developed multiple threats on offense. Dylan Bolduc led Class A North in rushing (976) and rushing touchdowns (12). Jake Knop added 472 rushing yards and quarterback Issiah Bachelder gained 361 with 10 TDs. The strong run game set up plenty of play-action pass opportunities and Bachelder completed a league-best 60 percent (51 of 85) for 961 yards and 14 touchdowns. Griffin Foley (20 catches, 380 yards) caught eight of Bachelder’s touchdown throws, with Knop grabbing 11 catches for five scores.

Dominic Casale of Cheverus leads the league with 10 scoring catches.

Last week’s battle of unbeatens in Class A South and Class C South had a striking similarity when it came to turnovers.

In Class A, Bonny Eagle edged Thornton Academy, 15-14. Thornton had five turnovers to one for Bonny Eagle, with the Scots recovering four of their own fumbles. In the Class C game, Cape Elizabeth beat Wells, 13-7. Wells had four turnovers compared to Cape’s one, with the Capers recovering five of their own fumbles.


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