This weekend marks the beginning of the Class A football playoffs, with the top eight teams all in action as they vie for the Gold Ball that signifies the state championship. Here is a look at this weekend’s local games.

No. 5 Cheverus (5-3) at No. 4 Bonny Eagle (6-2)

Back on Sept. 6, the Bonny Eagle football team began their title defense with a 46-6 win over Cheverus. Much has changed since then and this Friday night the two teams will lock horns again in the Western Maine playoffs when the fifth-seeded Stags head to Standish to face the fourth-ranked Scots.

Cheverus was 3-5 a year ago and has been one of the top teams in the league this year. After dropping the season opener to the Scots, the Stags rolled off five straight wins. Those wins came against South Portland, Westbrook, Gorham, Massabesic and Portland. The Stags finished the regular season with two straight losses to Windham and Deering.

The Stags are a running team through and through. They have scored only four times on passing plays in their eight regular season games. William Walsh leads their rushing attack and has five touchdowns this season. Andrew Poston has three and Matthew Ball has a pair.

The Scots ran off a perfect 12-0 season last year culminating in their third state title in four years. Following the win over Cheverus in the opener, the Scots won two more games in a row over Windham and South Portland before a forfeit loss to Westbrook. Over their final four games the Scots beat Noble, Portland and Gorham with a loss to Deering thrown in.

The Scots’ offense gets all the attention whenever they play. But their defense is stingy. They played four shutouts if you factor in the score of the Westbrook game before the forfeit. They held Windham scoreless and only allowed six points to Cheverus, both playoff teams.

Of course the Bonny Eagle offense is very potent. They averaged about 40 points a game this season when the 42 points against Westbrook are figured in. The offensive attack starts with Fitzpatrick Trophy candidate Nate Doehler at quarterback. He has thrown for 15 touchdowns and run for 13. But the Bonny Eagle offense is far from a one-man show. Josh Ruby, Travis Dunn, Joe Davis and others have all been a big part of the Scots offense this year.

If the Scots play the way they are capable and don’t make mistakes they should be able to defeat the Stags for the second time this year. And if the Scots win, they will be on the road for the rest of the tournament barring any upsets.

No. 8 Gorham (4-4) at No. 1 Deering (8-0)

Since these teams met in the third game of the season, they’ve headed in opposite directions. In that contest at Gorham, Deering running back Jack Heary scored four second-half touchdowns to lift his team to a 49-32 win after Gorham held a 14-12 lead at halftime. Deering ran the regular-season table, including a remarkable 29-28 comeback win on the road over Bonny Eagle.

After starting 2-0, Gorham won only twice the rest of the way, those wins coming over Westbrook (1-7) and Sanford (0-8). While this quarterfinal matchup may appear to be a mismatch on paper, Gorham has shown it can play with Deering. In the first half of the regular-season meeting, a blitz-heavy defensive scheme limited Heary to 38 yards on 12 carries (though he did score on a kickoff return). Gorham also had success running the ball against the Deering defense, picking up 359 yards on the ground. Jon Day led the way with 153 yards on 13 carries.

While Heary is the No. 1 weapon for the Deering offense, sophomore quarterback Jamie Ross has come into his own in the second half of the season. Tight end Ernie Salamone is a sure-handed target, while speedy sophomore Sam Balzano has developed into a dangerous deep threat and kick returner. Gorham will have its hands full, but could catch Deering looking ahead to a possible semifinal rematch with Bonny Eagle.

No. 6 Massabesic (6-2) at No. 3 Windham (6-2)

After dropping its first two games of the year, Windham has run off six straight wins and is as dangerous as any team in the conference with its passing game. Junior quarterback Jackson Taylor has become one of the top passers in the state and is complimented nicely by junior running back Jack Mallis, who had four touchdowns two weeks ago in a pivotal win over Cheverus. And ask any opposing coach, the Windham offensive line is as physical as they get.

Massabesic will look to pound the ball on offense, with senior Joey Eon leading the way. The Mustangs clinched a playoff spot two weeks back with a road win over Scarborough in which Eon carried 39 times for 353 yards. He’s a player that can eat up yards and eat up the clock, which will help Massabesic keep the dangerous Eagles offense off the field. Quintin Drain is a playmaker in the secondary for the Mustangs, so Taylor will have to keep an eye on him.

If Massabesic can create some early adversity for the Eagles and establish its running game, the Mustangs could pull off the upset. But Windham has come an awful long way since going 1-7 a year ago. In the regular-season finale against Westbrook, the Eagles scored 21 points in less than six minutes to start the game.

No. 7 Marshwood (5-3) at No. 2 Thornton Academy (8-0)

The second-ranked Trojans ran the table this season, going 8-0 and looking impressive the whole way.

They are at home this Saturday afternoon facing Marshwood, a team they beat handily at home this season.

In the 42-14 win on Sept. 27, the Trojans actually had to come from behind as the Hawks jumped out to a 14-7 first quarter lead.

But, as they have done all season, the Trojans unleashed their ground attack, led by quarterback Steve Trask and back Zach Sheehan, who combined for 355 rushing yards in the game.

Expect more of the same this Saturday in Saco as the Trojans will look to pile up the yards against the Hawks, who certainly had trouble stopping the Thornton attack in September. If Marshwood can contain the Trojan running attack, they have a chance at an upset, but if Trask and the rest of the Trojan offense gets on a roll, Thornton should have no problem advancing to the semifinals.