A loss the first week of the season merely served as a wake-up call for the reigning Class C state champions. Telstar responded by winning its final 12 games to claim the top seed for the upcoming high school field hockey tournament.
The Rebels (13-1) led three area teams atop the Western Class C field hockey rankings. St. Dominic (12-2) and Livermore Falls (12-2), the only team to beat Telstar, are major threats standing in the way of Telstar earning another trip to the state championship game.
Sanford and Greely claimed the No. 1 spot in Western Class A and B. The top seeds in Eastern Maine are Skowhegan, Belfast and Central.
The playoffs begin today, weather permitting, with the preliminary round. No. 10 Edward Little travels to KVAC rival Oxford Hills for a 1 p.m. contest in Eastern A. In Western B, No. 7 Mountain Valley entertains No. 10 Wells at 1 p.m. at Hosmer Field, and No. 9 Fryeburg visits No. 8 Cape Elizabeth.
The Red Eddies (5-9), which rebounded after losing their first five games, tied Lawrence for ninth place in the Heal Point standings. But EL’s 3-0 loss to the Bulldogs in the season finale left the Eddies in 10th.
Oxford Hills and Edward Little split their two games, with the Vikings winning 2-1 at home and EL returning the favor with a 1-0 victory late in the season.
Mt. Blue also qualified for the Eastern A tourney, claiming the No. 6 seed.
Leavitt is seeded fifth in Western Class B and is scheduled to play Wednesday at Lake Region.
Winthrop and Lisbon also qualified for the Class C playoffs. The Greyhounds face St. Dom’s, while Winthrop hits the road to Millinocket for a game with Stearns.
The tournament continues Tuesday and Wednesday with the quarterfinals. The state finals for all three classes will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.
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