The Hot Corner: Here come the playoffs!

And away we go. With the exception of the Campbell Conference's Class B division — which maintains its freedom from the almighty Crabtree points by virtue of its ambitious and audacious round-robin schedule — the high school football playoffs begin tonight.

Which means everywhere I turn, from the grocery store to the gas pump to the sideline at a soccer game, everyone's asking the same question: Who ya got?

Well, let me tell you ...

Class A

West: No Deering. No Marshwood. No Gorham. Bonny Eagle lying in the weeds at No. 3. What's happened to the SMAA playoffs we've known and loved for the last decade? Well, for starters, Thornton and Cheverus have decided to party like it's 1988 and 1985, respectively. And Windham has followed its neighboring newbies Bonny Eagle and Gorham into a first-time spot among the league's elite.

Round one appears cut-and-dried, with one only one potential upset. Somehow I suspect the reigning Scots will find away to push back Portland in a slugfest of about 80 total points. In fact, form should hold right through the championship round, with TA breezing past Massabesic, Cheverus and Windham to its first berth in the state final since Art Leveris' Fitzpatrick Trophy-winning season.

East: Can anybody break up the inevitable Bangor-Lawrence rematch? Hahahahaha, good one. Messalonskee's clock-killing double-wing offense appears to match up best with Bangor, but the Eagles surviving a quarterfinal date with Lewiston is hardly a given. With apologies to Mt. Blue, which threw a first-half scare into a Bangor three weeks ago in Farmington, Lewiston-Messalonskee is the only quarterfinal matchup that's even remotely compelling.

I'll take Messalonskee to win a close one Friday night, only to be routed by Lonnie Hackett and the Rams next week. Christian Powers and the Bulldogs will run roughshod over Skowhegan and Brunswick in the meantime, setting up what has become the standard PTC title game matchup. Look for Lawrence to exact revenge in a cold, low-scoring affair.

State final: Thornton 34, Lawrence 14.

Class B

East: If Leavitt weren't so entertaining to watch, I'd say the Hornets have taken all the fun out of this tournament. The only hiccup could be a semifinal battle with Hampden, which the Hornets were fortunate to fend off in overtime on opening night. But Eric Theiss, Josh Strickland and friends have elevated Leavitt's offense to an entirely new dimension.

Oh, and the defense is riding a shutout streak of a dozen quarters against the No. 2, 3 and 6 seeds in this draw. Thank you for playing, everyone. We have lovely parting gifts backstage. Leavitt rips Gardiner in the final.

West: Thanks in part to York's win at Rumford last week, Cape Elizabeth could get to its first state final without having to see "rival" Mountain Valley in the postseason. Tom Foden, Ezra Wolfinger, Finn Melanson and the Capers first need to beat the Falcons tonight, a mission more easily typed than tackled. Then York would need to back up its previous victory over MV at home next week. And ask Cape what it's like to give the Falcons a second chance in the playoffs.

These aren't the vintage Falcons, though. They've been wracked by injury, and the veteran coaching staff has wracked its collective brain finding ways to motivate them. Cape and York will win close ones the next two weeks to set up a Cape coronation. But the hoopla shall be short lived.

State final: Leavitt 27, Cape 17.

Class C

East: What was supposed to be a showdown between unbeaten Foxcroft and John Bapst last weekend wound up a one-sided win for the Ponies. Foxcroft hasn't missed a beat in the transition from longtime leader Paul Withee to protege Danny White. It's almost unbeatable at Oakes Field (great name for a football stadium). The Crusaders should breeze to the final on the other side of the bracket, but it will take a minor miracle for the prep school to make it two straight regional titles.

West: Dirigo draws Maranacook in the quarterfinal and then Lisbon or Winthrop in the semis. All three teams notoriously gave stronger foes  a frustrating time this season. But the Cougars are too battle-tested and talented to stop through the opening rounds.

Livermore Falls gets the tougher route to the final. Explosive Yarmouth stands in the way first, with a guaranteed physical foe in Old Orchard Beach or Oak Hill up next if the Andies survive. I suspect they'll grind it out and escape two high-scoring games, setting up a rematch of a 49-19 Dirigo win that was statistically closer than that. In the end, the Cougars simply flaunt more ways to beat you.

State final: Dirigo 21, Foxcroft 19. Just a hunch. Plus, it's much more fun to let Randy Whitehouse be the Cougars' primary motivational tool.