One need not look at the schedule to sense that it is the second half of the high school football season.

There’s an extra chill in the air and more leaves on the field. There’s a greater sense of desperation among teams whose playoff hopes are fading and a greater sense of urgency among those who can just smell the postseason.

High school football is at its best in October, and this week, there are some good matchups to back that up. Here’s a look at them:

Oxford Hills (4-1) at Brunswick (4-1), 7 p.m.

Home field advantage in the playoffs could be at stake when these two PTC South surprises square off. Sophomore tailback Jim Bower (209 yards, three TDs last week against Waterville) is tough to chase down in the open field, and even if he is, it usually takes more than one defender to bring him down. Fullback Tyler Slack can pick up some tough yards inside and is QB Tim Cote’s favorite target out of the backfield.

The Vikings defense has buckled down against the run the last couple of weeks, but they’ll have their work cut out for them containing bruising Brunswick running back Phillip Warren, who ran for 158 yards last week against Lewiston. QB Ralph Mims and RB Devin Shepard are also big-play threats on the ground for the highest-scoring team in the PTC.

Mt. Blue (3-2) at

Lewiston (1-4), 7 p.m.

The Cougars can take one step closer to the postseason with a tough road win, while the Blue Devils need this game badly to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Mt. Blue is coming off an impressive 35-14 homecoming win over Cony in which Lance Meader rushed for a career-high 270 yards. Stacking the line to stop him is risky though, as QB Garrett Lake leads a quick-strike passing attack featuring Pete Tinguely. The Cougars can score on special teams, too, as Nate Bolduc demonstrated with a 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open last week’s game.

The Blue Devils also have one of the most dangerous kick returners around in Jake Angelides, who scored his fourth kick return touchdown last week against Brunswick. Good field position courtesy of special teams makes containing tailback James Spaulding even more important.

Mt. Ararat (1-4) at Edward Little (1-4), 7 p.m.

Even though this is the first time these two teams have met this season, EL may be looking for a little bit of payback. Two weeks ago, Mt. Ararat pulled off a major upset, 6-4, of previously unbeaten Gardiner. The Tigers turned around and took out their frustration on the Red Eddies last week in a 50-0 rout. The Eddies hope to cut down on the turnovers after losing the ball five times last week and will be looking to their passing game to provide more balance for the running game led by Chris LeClair.

The Eagles followed up the Gardiner upset with a 20-14 loss to fellow PTC newcomer Windham. QB Chris Doherty leads a triple-option offense that isn’t afraid to air it out with regularity.

Leavitt (2-3) at

Belfast (4-1), 7 p.m.

The Hornets seem to have found their form after back-to-back wins against Mount Desert Island and Old Town. Belfast, meanwhile, hopes it wasn’t derailed after an upset loss to Brewer last week.

Leavitt boasts one of the best all-around backs in Class B in Chad Schrepper, who leads the PTC in receiving (13 catches for 150 yards) and is second in rushing (501 yards). Broc Hardacker and Brandon Hinkley are their alternative rushing and receiving threats, respectively. Ryan Staples, the leading tackler in the conference, leads the defense.

Schrepper trails only Belfast junior tailback Josh Aldus (603 yards) in rushing. Aldus is also the leading scorer in the conference with 14 touchdowns. QB Nick Arthers is averaging 12 yards per carry when he’s not handing it to Aldus, and speedy junior Garen Horne is one of the most dangerous open-field players in the league.

Jay (4-1) at

Madison (3-2), 7 p.m.

The Tigers have been on a roll since their Week 2 loss to Lisbon, developing more balance on offense and a bend-but-don’t-break style of defense. Kyle Richards piled up 143 rushing yards and three TDs last week in a 33-0 blanking of Winthrop while junior QB Justin Wells threw for 154 yards, including a 50-yard TD toss to Austin Ouellette.

The Jay offense will be tested against a Madison defense that has yielded by far the fewest points (38) in Western C this season, including a season-high 18 to Livermore Falls last week.

Cape Elizabeth (2-3) at Liv. Falls (4-1), 7 p.m.

The Andies could lock up a playoff berth with a win over the feisty Capers. To do that, chances are they’ll keep feeding the ball to fullback Brad Bryant, who answered the call 47 times for 244 yards and two TDs last week against Madison. Tom Durrell, Tyler Cote, Chuck Drake and Cole Flagg lead a staunch defense that forced five turnovers last week. They’ll look to do the same against a Capers offense featuring tailback Elliot Cohen.

Old Orchard Beach (2-3) at Winthrop (1-3), 7 p.m.

The Ramblers moved the ball well last week against Jay but couldn’t get in the end zone. They need to protect QB Travis Frautten better so OOB can’t focus solely on trying to shut down RB Tavis Hasenfus, who has totalled over 350 yards rushing the last two games.

The Seagulls running game, featuring QB Mike Perrone and RB Bob Seavey, has made great strides over the course of the season. Fred Chase leads a defense that shut out Cape Elizabeth last week.

Saturday’s games

Mountain Valley (4-1) at Fryeburg (0-4), 1:30 p.m.

The Falcons are coming off perhaps their best game of the season, a 42-0 thumping of Lake Region. That’s bad news for a struggling Raider squad which hasn’t been able to move the ball consistently or avoid turnovers. Senior running back Eric LePage (over 200 all-purpose yards last week) leads the visitor’s ball-control offense, with able assistance from fellow running back Aaron Arsenault and QB Zach Fergola.

The Raiders haven’t scored a point since Sept. 20, and top threats Andrew and Mike Stacy will have their work cut out for them reaching the end zone against a Falcon defense that hasn’t been scored upon in the last three games.

Oak Hill (3-1) at

MDI (0-5), 1:30 p.m.

The Raiders dusted off their first loss of the season two weeks ago with a big win last week over Hampden Academy. Running back Kyle Harrington (322 yards) will be the primary focus of the MDI defense, both running and catching the football. Tony Poulin and Ryan Gallagher anchor a rugged defense. Twin brothers John and Isaac Lewis are the main options in MDI’s power running game.

Buckfield/Dirigo (1-4) at Lisbon (5-0), 1:30 p.m.

Buckfield/Dirigo should be sky high after picking up the first win in the program’s history last week against Traip. Running back Scott Wetherell has the speed to make big plays outside and fullback Craig Langervin is a punishing inside runner. Harry Hayes sparks the defense, which has become tougher to score upon as it has gained experience.

The Greyhounds opened a lot of eyes with a sound 29-20 win over Boothbay last week. Tony Walker pounded out 168 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while John Tefft collected 119 yards on just nine carries.

QB Chris Kates can break an occasional long run on the ground, too.

but saved his best for defense last week, picking off three passes.