Teams don’t have to achieve perfection to get into the high school football playoffs, but they need to achieve it once they do. Two of the state’s still-perfect teams know that as well as anyone.

Mountain Valley and Lisbon are both taking spotless 9-0 records into next weekend’s Campbell Conference playoffs. The Falcons, who are seeking their second state championship in three years, procured the top seed in Western Class B by knocking off another undefeated foe, Cape Elizabeth, last Friday night. The Greyhounds, the defending Class C state champion, ride the state’s longest winning streak of 18 games into the post-season.

If their opponents, No. 4 seeds Greely and Jay, respectively, are expecting the Falcons and Greyhounds to have a little too high of an opinion of themselves going into this weekend, and thus, leave themselves open for a wake-up call, they’ll be sorely disappointed.

“I try to tell the kids that the reality is you’re never as good as your best moment and you’re never as bad as your worst moment. The truth is always somewhere in between,” Mountain Valley coach Jim Aylward said. “We’re a good football team. Do they need to make a mold of us and make all football teams like us? No. We’re a bunch of high school kids. I’m a high school English teacher. Sometimes we’re given more credit than we deserve. We just play our rear ends off.”

Greely (5-4) saw that first-hand in Week 5, when they were overwhelmed by Mountain Valley’s team speed in a 35-7 loss. The Rangers ended the Falcons’ season-starting 18-quarter shutout streak, but were still outgained single-handedly by sophomore all-purpose threat Justin Staires, who piled up 257 total yards and reached the end zone via run, pass and punt return.

No. 2 Cape Elizabeth (8-1) hosts No. 3 York (7-2) in the other Class B quarterfinal.

While a perfect regular season seemed possible, even likely, for Mountain Valley heading into September, Lisbon has surprised many with its uninterrupted run. The Greyhounds were mentioned prominently among the Western C contenders, but few thought they would have a chance to do something last year’s team talent-laden team couldn’t, stay out of the loss column. Coach Dick Mynahan, famous for under-selling his team to observers in the preseason, says he’s still scratching his head over that one.

“It’s always hard to compare one year to the next, but last year, we were big, we were strong, and we were expected to do well,” he said. “This year, we’re small and every game with the other playoff teams we’ve been very lucky because of turnovers or there have been things that happened that swayed things our way. I’m still having a hard time understanding how we’re doing as well as we’re doing.”

Jay (5-4) probably had a good idea after its 22-6 loss to the Greyhounds in Week 7. The defense rendered the Tigers’ running game ineffective, while Lisbon’s own running game, led by Dan Willis (33 carries, 151 yards, two TDs), dicatated field position.

Grinding it out on the ground and winning the field position battle have been keys to second-seeded Livermore Falls’ seven-game winning streak. That streak began in Week 3 when the Andies (7-2) traveled to Boothbay and went home with a 28-14 win. The third-seeded Seahawks (7-2) have only lost once since then, to Lisbon, despite being banged up at some key positions.

In the Pine Tree Conference, Lewiston’s hopes of going unbeaten went out the window in Week 1 with a dramatic 42-35 loss to Bangor. But the third-seeded Blue Devils (6-2) have a chance to get even and then some when they travel to meet the second-ranked Rams (7-1).

Both teams have been playing their best football of the season since losing to undefeated Lawrence. Lewiston averaged over 35 points per game in wins over Mt. Ararat, Oxford Hills, Brunswick and Edward Little. Bangor tallied a combined 79 points in wins over Mt. Blue and Oxford Hills.

Top-seeded Lawrence (8-0) will host rival No. 4 Messalonske (5-3) in a rematch of a tight 21-12 Bulldogs victory last Friday night.