Defending state champion Mountain Valley goes into tonight’s Campbell Conference semifinal with Fryeburg Academy one week removed from its most emotional game, and only loss, of the season, to Cape Elizabeth, and one more week removed from a possible rematch with the unbeaten Capers.

So should Mountain Valley fans be concerned about their second-seeded Falcons looking past the third-seeded Raiders today (7 p.m., Hosmer Field) and towards another epic showdown?

There is probably a better chance of the Patriots looking past the Colts this weekend.

“We have a lot of respect for Fryeburg. They’re no slouch,” said Mountain Valley coach Jim Aylward. “They gave us problems the first time, especially when they had the ball.”

Fryeburg (7-2) racked up 302 total yards, 227 of them on the ground, and 16 first downs when the two teams first met back on Sept. 28. Only Cape has been able to move the ball like that against the vaunted Falcon defense this season.

Not surprisingly, the Raiders were able to throw a scare into the Falcons that night at Hosmer, taking a 14-7 lead into halftime when Preston Jones fired a 25-yard TD pass to Orion Winkler with two-tenths of a second left in the first half.

Mountain Valley (8-1) came out roaring in the second half. Travis Ruff returned the opening kickoff 53 yards for a touchdown as the Falcons scored three times in the third quarter and found the end zone four times overall to walk away with a 35-14 win.

“We made some critical errors in the second half against Mountain Valley,” Fryeburg coach Jim “Fuzzy” Thurston said. “A couple of them were quick fix things, and we addressed that. But one of the critical mistakes was (Mountain Valley running back/quarterback) Justin (Staires), and you know what, I certainly don’t feel alone when I say we had problems containing him.”

Staires rushed for 188 yards and three scores on 17 carries that night. The junior has piled up over 2,100 yards in total offense for the Falcons, but he’s hardly a one-man show. Fullback Matt Laubauskas added 90 yards on 11 rushes and a TD against the Raiders.

“He’s a load,” Thurston said of the 6-foot, 228-pound Laubauskas.

The Raiders are prepared to meet that load with a veteran defense, led by seniors Ian Heath and Tyler Thurston, that has been staunch down the stretch, giving up just under 11 points per game in the last four.

If Mountain Valley’s running game is the best in the Campbell Conference, Fryeburg’s ground game may be the next best thing. Jones is capable of tucking the ball under one arm and making big plays with his legs. Reynoso, a senior, shifts gears quicker than any running back in Western B. He collected over 900 yards rushing yards this year, most of those coming against the top competition in the Campbell Conference.

“I wasn’t being a nice guy (in holding Reynoso back against some of the weaker teams),” Thurston said. “I didn’t want him to get dinged up.”

Owen Jones, Dean McCrillis and Derek Sicotte lead a Mountain Valley defense that was bend-but-don’t-break last week against Cape, giving up a season-high 306 yards but limiting the Capers to one touchdown and three field goals. The Falcons are giving up just 5.3 ppg.