By Randy Whitehouse,Staff Writer

We’ve reached the midpoint of the high school football season and they’re are still plenty of tight races in each of the three classes.

The cream should begin rising to the top in the Pine Tree and Campbell conferences over the next two or three weeks, however, as the schedule-makers have, presumably, inadvertently matched up most of the conference iron against each other.

By the end of this weekend, there will be at least one less undefeated team in Western B, while at least one contender will be knocked out of the five-way tie for first place in Western C. In the PTC, clusters have begun to form in the second, third and/or fourth-place slots, and teams can go a long way toward assuring or at least improving their playoff prospects with a victory in Week 5.

Here’s a closer look at some of the more critical matchups in the region:

Greely (4-0) at Mountain Valley (4-0), tonight, 7

The Falcons have been hankering for a test ever since their opening-night win over Wells, and they may get it in a Greely squad many picked to be the sleeper team of the Campbell Conference this year. The Rangers have more than lived up to the billing, boasting the highest-scoring offense (51.5 ppg) in the state. They’ve arrived at such gaudy numbers thanks in large part to junior tailback Will Gleason, who has 10 rushing touchdowns, including four last week in a 49-8 rout over Cape Elizabeth.

But Gleason isn’t even leading the league in rushing TDs. That distinction goes to Mountain Valley’s Aaron Arsenault, who has collected 12 TDs (13 overall) and 550 yards rushing. Gleason and the Rangers will find catching him a tough task, given that the Falcons have allowed a conference-low 12 points all year. The starting defense has yet to yield a point.

Edward Little (2-2) at Mt. Blue (4-0), tonight, 7

If the Red Eddies are to make the PTC playoffs for the first time since winning the conference in 2002, they need to begin their charge tonight. They’ve lost two in a row, including a heart-breaking 14-13 defeat at the hands of heavily-favored Skowhegan last week, a game in which Jon Demers rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The good news is they’ve shown they can hang tough with Skowhegan and Messalonskee, two of the league’s top contenders.

They hope to take things a step further against Mt. Blue, which has the best record in the PTC. The Cougars let Mt. Ararat hand around for a half last week, then waited out a late scare in their 26-14 win. Hal Robbins scored touchdowns rushing, receiving and on an 81-yard kickoff return, but the defense had trouble hemming in the Eagles’ quicker backfield. Now they go up against perhaps the fastest team they’ll face this year.

Boothbay (3-1) at Jay (3-1), tonight, 7

It’s crowded at the top of the Western Class C standings, with five 3-1 teams itching to separate themselves from the pack in the coming weeks. That’s particularly true for the Seahawks and the Tigers. Both teams are headed into the toughest part of their respective schedules. Boothbay follows up Jay with Lisbon, Winthrop and Old Orchard Beach in the final month, while Jay will meet Old Orchard, Lisbon, and dangerous Madison and Livermore Falls squads down the stretch.

The Tigers would probably rather avoid getting into a shootout with the Seahawks, who are led by the best quarterback in the conference, Roy Arsenault, who was 18-for-28 for 236 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 57-40 loss at Orono. Jay might still be checking its pulse coming off of last week’s too-close-for-comfort 20-14 win over Traip. Mike Nemi was 8-for-13 for 150 yards and threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lead the Jay comeback. Perhaps the most encouraging sign to come out of last week was that fullback Trevor McCourt returned to the starting lineup with a solid outing (104 yards on 19 carries).

Leavitt (3-1) at Belfast (3-1), Saturday, 7 p.m.

The Hornets are entering the iron of their schedule (Belfast, Waterville, Gardiner, Oak Hill), so a win on the road over the Lions would give them a huge boost heading down the stretch. They’re led by QB Tyler Angell, the conference’s top passer (65 percent completions, 507 yards, six TDs) and the team’s leading rusher (354 yards, 7.7 yards per carry).

Belfast QB Andy Whalen has gone to the air just four less times than Angell, but the Lions’ offense revolves around Sean Leeman, the PTC’s leading rusher (490 yards, six yards per carry).