Sometimes the Crabtree System is right on the money, sometimes it isn’t.

This year, it is. The top four Pine Tree Conference teams seeded by the confusing and often controversial ranking system are still in the playoffs, showing the cream always rises to the top in the PTC playoffs.

These four semifinalists have proven their worth over the long haul. All have appeared in the Sun Journal Top 10 at some point this season, sometimes leap-frogging each other as a direct result of their head-to-head matchups during the regular season.

Granted, both of these postseason matchups are sequels to fairly lopsided regular season meetings. But all four teams have evolved considerably since those contests, and all four were the hottest teams entering the second season.

Eastern A steps into the spotlight tonight, while both Western A games will be keeping the lights dim for Saturday afternoon action. Here’s a look:

No. 4 Mt. Blue (7-2) at

No. 1 Bangor (8-1), tonight, 7 p.m.

Mt. Blue coach Gary Parlin said Bangor is the best team his Cougars faced all year. That’s not surprising considering the Rams handed them their worst loss of the season, 29-7, on Sept. 19.

But the Cougars have not lost since then, thanks to some personnel shuffling on defense and what Parlin thinks was a wakeup call for his offense.

“I think we went into that game with some guys thinking they were bigger and stronger than (Bangor), and they weren’t,” he said.

“It seemed like all we could do was run right behind (left tackle) Cal Miller,” he added. “After that game, we moved Paul Yates from tight end to tackle and now we can run right and left.”

The Cougars run right and left and up the middle with Lance Meader carrying the ball. The senior tailback has piled up over 1,400 yards and 18 TDs this season (including four last week against Skowhegan) running behind Miller, Yates, Garrett Strout and company. The Cougar offensive line executed their blocking schemes almost flawlessly in back-to-back wins over Skowhegan the last two weeks. They’ll have to do it again to gain ground on a Bangor defense led by Nick Payson and Danny Day that gets to ball-carriers quickly and tackles deftly.

It would be a stretch to say a Mt. Blue team will need its passing game to keep an opposing defense honest, but QB Garrett Lake does have the luxury of one of the best running games a Cougar quarterback has had in a while. Receivers Andrew Beaulieu, Nate Bolduc and Pete Tinguely give Lake quick-strike capability, which Mt. Blue would like to utilize as a counter-point to Meader, rather than a necessary tool to make up an early deficit.

Perhaps the most important adjustments the Cougars have made in the weeks since the loss to Bangor have been on defense. The additions of Meader at safety and a healthy Jordan Stevens at linebacker made them one of the toughest defenses in the conference in the second half of the season, as their last two games, in which they didn’t give up an offensive score to Skowhegan, clearly demonstrate.

They’ll have all they can handle in a Bangor offense that isn’t flashy but also doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Tailback Mike Prentiss may be the most dominant runner in the state, as the Cougars saw first hand back in September when the senior ran for 329 yards and four TDs on 39 carries. Too often, Prentiss entered the secondary untouched, his shoulders squared, and his quick feet free to dance around contact.

“It’s his ability to make people miss that makes him so tough,” Parlin said. “Nobody seems to get a real shot at him. That’s also what makes him a great punt returner.”

Prentiss made Lewiston miss a lot last week on his way to four touchdowns, including a 46-yard punt return.

The Rams’ passing game doesn’t have quite as many big-play weapons as the Cougars’, but QB Shaun Sullivan is accurate and, perhaps more important, doesn’t turn the ball over a lot. Anthony DeRosa and Matt Cassidy are two of his top options.

No. 3 Gardiner (8-1) at No. 2 Brunswick (8-1), tonight, 7 p.m.

A lot has changed since Gardiner blanked Brunswick on opening night, 21-0.

“(Gardiner) seems to be a lot more diverse than they were that night and I think our level of execution is much higher,” Brunswick coach Dick Leavitt said.

Nowhere is that more evident than on defense, where Leavitt has seen dramatic improvement late in the season. The Dragons, led by defensive end John Hamilton and tackle Arron Chaffin, are big and tough up front The coach credits his team’s off-season dedication to the weight room with improving their strength and endurance.

Speaking of strength and durability, the Dragons have a boulder at fullback in Phillip Warren. The 240-pound senior has rumbled for over 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, and will be the primary focus for a Gardiner defense that has given up 25 points this season. Leavitt calls the Tiger “D” one of the best in PTC history.

“Their defensive linemen do a nice job of keeping the offensive line off of their linebackers,” Leavitt said. “(Head coach) Matt (Brown) is an excellent defensive coach, and those guys have been playing together since the fifth or sixth grade.”

Linebacker Nate Munzing, one of the best in the state, leads the Tiger defense. The Dragons will need QB Ralph Mims and tailback Devin Shepard to contribute some big plays to keep that group off-balance.

The Gardiner offense has found a nice balance after struggling in the first half of the season. While the passing game with QB Seth Wilkins has become more of a factor, the Tigers will rely on their running game of Justin Labourdais (221 yards and three TDs against Oxford Hills last week), Kris Ramsay, Craig Toulouse and Munzing to wear down the Dragon defense.

Western Maine

No. 3 Portland (7-2) at

No. 2 Deering (9-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Deering smothered a banged-up Portland squad, 41-0 back on Sept. 25. Portland hasn’t lost since, and the offense, led by QB Matt Chason, has been unstoppable since then, averaging nearly 40 points per game.

The Rams, who have gone wire-to-wire atop the Sun Journal Top 10, are loaded. Two way stars Joey Marsh and Ryan Reid are among the 20 starters back from last year’s squad, which was knocked out of the semifinals by Portland.

No. 4 Noble (7-2) at No. 1 Biddeford (9-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Biddeford beat Noble, 35-13 on Sept. 19, and the Knights again face the unenviable task of trying to contain QB Phil Bourassa.

Bourassa’s big-play ability was on full display in last week’s 44-0 drubbing of Massabesic, as he ran for 126 yards on 10 carries and threw three touchdown passes.

Noble boasts an explosive offense led by senior running back Decota Cotten.