Darren Hartley and his family tragically didn’t get much time to celebrate the biggest victory of his coaching career Saturday.

Less than five hours after Edward Little defeated Lewiston, 19-12, to stop the Blue Devils’ unbeaten streak and give the Red Eddies the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Class A playoffs, Hartley’s mother-in-law, Linda Perryman, 59, suffered a fatal heart attack at her home in Lewiston.

“She was babysitting the kids, so unfortunately my wife (Lena-Jo) and I were the first ones on the scene,” Hartley said.

With the exception of a meeting and film session Monday and a brief walk-through practice on Tuesday, Hartley has been absent from the team as it prepares for Saturday’s 3 p.m. quarterfinal game against Messalonskee.

Coordinators Don Morency and Travis Dube directed the Red Eddies’ practice Wednesday. Mrs. Perryman’s visiting hours were Wednesday, with the funeral service scheduled for Thursday.

“Sunday night I went to the school for my usual coaches’ meeting, which was a good break for me,” Hartley said. “This is where your great senior leaders come in. I can’t micromanage them. I can’t be there to make sure they go by the rules. They know what’s expected.”

EL (7-1) will host its first playoff game since winning the Pine Tree Conference championship in 2002.

Four of the Eddies’ wins have come by a touchdown or less, not counting extra points, including a 36-27 victory over Messalonskee three weeks ago.

The Red Eddies have overcome injuries, some minor dissension and a lack of recent winning experience. As Hartley somberly pointed out, however, none of it measured up to this week’s heavy-hearted test.

“We’ve certainly faced our fair share of adversity,” said the coach.

Costume ball

Many high schools are reluctant to play home football games when Halloween coincides with Friday night every fifth or sixth year. Extra traffic congestion around game sites can create more danger for young pedestrians in dark, trick-or-treat garb.

While Mountain Valley is urging caution as spectators flock to Friday’s showdown with fellow unbeaten Cape Elizabeth at Hosmer Field, the Falcons are making it worth the youngsters’ while to show up and support the home team once their candy take is almost complete.

Students dressed in costume will be admitted for $1. Additionally, Mountain Valley players are donating bulk candy at their weekly spaghetti supper Thursday. An army of volunteers will bag the goodies and distribute them to kids at the gate.

After a trip to Falmouth in which his team admittedly looked like it was dressed as someone else, Mountain Valley coach Jim Aylward was thrilled with the way the Falcons responded in a 47-8 tune-up victory at York last Friday.

“Every time you play York and go down there, you know they’re going to play eight to 10 great minutes at the start. Not to say they don’t know how to finish games, because they’re a great program,” Aylward said. “We knew we were going to get punched in the face, and how we weathered that would really tell us something about our character.”

Justin Staires topped the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the third straight year in the victory. That’s no small feat, considering that his carries have been severely limited by a series of blowout wins each autumn. Staires also rambled for his 18th and 19th rushing touchdowns of the season against the Wildcats.

Campbell conundrum

The Campbell Conference playoff picture may seem a little cloudy now, but just wait until Saturday, especially if Lisbon has its way.

Assuming Dirigo takes care of business against winless Madison Saturday, a Lisbon win against unbeaten Winthrop would put the Cougars, Greyhounds and Ramblers a three-way tie atop the final conference standings with identical 7-1 records.

In some conferences, such as the Pine Tree Conference, the tie would easily by settled using the Crabtree Point system, perhaps the Heal Points system or head-to-head record. Since the teams in the Campbell Conference play the same schedule, and since, if there is a tie, they all will have beaten each other (Dirigo beat Lisbon, Winthrop beat Dirigo), those methods are out the window.

That leaves a three-way coin flip, with the odd team being relegated to the No. 3 seed and the top two spots determined by the head-to-head records of the two remaining teams.

The battle for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs is only slightly less complicated. Boothbay, Jay and Livermore Falls enter this weekend with identical 4-4 records. Jay and Livermore Falls play each other at Griffin Field Friday night, so the winner of that game will clinch the final berth provided Boothbay loses to Old Orchard Beach that night.

If Jay and Boothbay both win, Boothbay will get in by virtue of its 28-26 win over the Tigers on Oct. 10. If Livermore Falls and Boothbay both win, the Andies will get the nod because they beat the Seahawks, 14-0, in the season opener.

Kalle Oakes and Randy Whitehouse