By Randy Whitehouse,Staff Writer

The 2005 regular season has gone by in a blur, hasn’t it?

It seems like just yesterday we were swatting at flies through the humidity at the Gouin Complex in South Paris or rubbing sunscreen on our necks at Thompson Field in Lisbon Falls. Now we’re calculating the layers of clothing we’ll need to survive the Farmington chill at Caldwell Field and wondering whether we’ll need galoshes to traverse through the neighborhoods of New Auburn on our way to Walton Field.

But there’s still enough excitement left to make ourselves forget, for one more week at least, the depressing thought that yet another football season has come and gone. Five games in the region this weekend are laced with playoff implications.

Add in the fact that some of those games carry the added weight and significance of being the latest chapter in long and storied rivalries and you’ve got yourself perhaps the best pigskin weekend this autumn will have to offer.

Here’s a closer look at the local matchups that will have an impact on who keeps playing and who starts getting ready for basketball/hockey/swimming/ wrestling/skiing/indoor track/hunting season…

Lisbon (7-1) at Winthrop (5-3), tonight, 7

For the Ramblers, it’s simple – win and you’re in. Well, it sounds simple at least. Coming off back-to-back losses, they must bounce back against a Greyhound squad that has won five straight.

Offensively, Winthrop has the weapons to challenge a Lisbon defense that gave up just 22 points during that winning streak. When he’s not handing off to Tavis Hasenfus, QB Travis Frautten will stretch the field with receivers Tyler Smithgall, Corey Gillespie and Kyle Feeney.

The Greyhounds already have home field sewed up in the Campbell Conference, but running backs Levi Ervin and Dan Willis should give a struggling Rambler defense that gave up 38 points to Boothbay last week all it can handle.

Livermore Falls (4-4) at Jay (6-2), tonight, 7

Jay swept Livermore last year, winning the battle of unbeatens in their regular-season finale, then pulling off a dramatic comeback win in the Western C championship two weeks later.

The stakes may not be quite as high for this, the 73rd renewal of one of the state’s best rivalries, but try telling that to both teams, particularly the Andies. In order to earn a playoff berth, they need to beat the Tigers for the first time in three years (Jay holds a 38-33-1 advantage in the series overall) and for Winthrop to upset Lisbon.

The Tigers wrapped up the No. 2 or 3 seed with last week’s win over Madison, but guaranteeing themselves a home game with a win tonight while having a chance to ruin their rival’s season at the same time will give them plenty of incentive. Skowhegan (5-2) at Mt. Blue (7-0), tonight, 7

A win isn’t a must, but Skowhegan removes all doubt and secures a playoff spot with a victory over its PTC rival. Besides their quest for an unbeaten season, the Cougars wouldn’t mind making things a lot more difficult for the Indians, who have been a thorn in their side over the last few years.

Lucas Cole and Josh Whiting power Skowhegan’s double-wing offense. Mt. Blue is coming off its most impressive win of the season, a 42-0 trouncing of Bangor. QB Mason Barker ran for 50 yards and two touchdowns while the defense tossed its second straight shutout. Barker will be without one of his favorite targets tonight, however, as wideout Hal Robbins is out with a knee injury he suffered last week.

On the plus side for the Cougars, fullback/linebacker Hazen Pingree, who has had to sit out the whole year with his own knee injury, could return to action.

Lewiston (4-3) at EL (2-5), Saturday, 1 p.m.

We’ll have a more in-depth look at the 161st “Battle of the Bridge” tomorrow. The important thing to know right now is Lewiston travels to Walton Field needing a win and either a Skowhegan or Lawrence loss to make the postseason, while EL is playing for pride and hoping to snap a four-game losing streak.

Around the region

One other game carries playoff implications. Bangor hopes to improve its faint postseason outlook when they meet Oxford Hills, which is already moving on to the second season, in South Paris Saturday…Also tomorrow, Dirigo hopes to carry over the momentum from last week’s win over Stearns when it battles Traip Academy, which has lost 45 in a row…Poland finally had its school record three-game winning streak snapped by Cape Elizabeth last week, but the Knights will try to go out on a high note against Gray-New Gloucester, which is still seeking its first varsity win…Mountain Valley puts its unblemished record on the line against Cape…Fryeburg and Lake Region hook up again, though it’s likely any animosity between the rivals has subsided, as the Lakers were major contributors in helping outfit the Raiders after Gibson Gym burned down and took their football equipment and uniforms with it.