The Pine Tree Conference playoffs kick off this Friday night with some familiar names atop the Class A and Class B brackets. And the top teams don’t need to think too far back to remember how tenuous the top spot can be.

Last year’s top seeds, Leavitt in Class B and Lawrence in Class A, were out of the playoffs by the end of the second round. In Turner, the Hornets needed little reminding that being the kings of the regular season was of little help to them in last year’s semifinal loss to Morse.

“The only mention we made was that last year we didn’t get as far as we wanted to go because we didn’t play well,” Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway said. “We let somebody outplay us one week. And in the (quarterfinals) against Oak Hill, we didn’t play that well. We said let’s make sure that our concentration level is where it has been and where it needs to be.

“But we didn’t have to remind them this is the playoffs,” he added. “They know that our record in the regular season doesn’t matter at this point.”

The Hornets (8-0), who enter the playoffs unbeaten for the first time since 1998, host No. 8 seed Belfast (2-6), a team they routed, 55-16, in September. Quarterback Eric Theiss, who ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in one half of last week’s 36-0 shutout of Gardiner, leads an offense that tallied 500 points on the season. The defense, meanwhile, is on a three-game shutout streak and has yielded an astonishing eight total first downs in those three games.

Closing the season so strongly left the coaching staff little to correct in practice this week, and ratcheting up the intensity for playoff football is the least of Hathaway’s concerns.

“We’re just taking care of a lot of little things getting ready for a playoff run,” Hathaway said. 

“We try to stress to our guys all year that you shouldn’t have to ratchet it up at this point,” he added. “Our focus needs to be better, but in terms of our play, our enthusiasm or whatever, we try to stress that ever game is important so when you get to the playoffs, you don’t have to do things differently.”

One thing Lewiston won’t be doing differently for the start of the Eastern A playoffs is changing uniforms. The Blue Devil players voted this week to once again wear the circa 1978 throwback uniforms they sported in last week’s win, their second straight, over rival Edward Little for tonight’s quarterfinal against Messalonskee (5-3), which has lost two straight.

Perhaps the uniforms, donated by some generous Lewiston alumni, can be a good luck charm for the Blue Devils who, if they hope to match that team’s destiny of winning a state championship, will need to start their journey with a road win over the physical Eagles. 

“They’re definitely smashmouth offensively and defensively. Very physical,” County said. “That’s the kind of game it’s going to be.”

County said Messalonskee features a purer version of the double-wing offense similar to what the Devils already saw in wins over Skowhegan and Brewer. Running backs Brian Boyce, Desmond Nutter and Keenan Knox power the Eagles’ double-wing, but quarterback Dylan Foster gives them another dimension. 

“You’d like to think that if you can get them in a position where they have to throw the ball, that’s not what they like to do, but the kid’s actually pretty talented,” County said. “You obviously gear up for the run, but know that they can pull it out and throw it over the top if they have to.”

Lewiston (6-2) also boasts a three-headed running attack of Andy Pulk, Jeff Keene and Eddie Chan, but the Devils have been gradually expanding the passing playbook for QB Seth Mason, who replaced an injured Ronnie Turner at midseason

The  4 vs. 5 matchup between Messalonskee and Lewiston is the only PTC Class A battle between teams that didn’t face each other during the regular season. No. 8 Mt. Blue (3-5) gave top-seeded Bangor (8-0) a scare on Oct. 2. The Cougars led the Rams, 20-14 at halftime and trailed by just a point heading into the fourth quarter before Bangor pulled away for a 44-26 win in Farmington.

Mt. Blue coach Gary Parlin said he isn’t worried the Cougars may have lost the element of surprise by playing the Rams so tough the first time.

“You don’t sneak up on anybody in the playoffs. Everybody has their ‘A’ game going,” Parlin said. “But we feel that with the guys that we’ve gotten back since then we’re an even stronger team. We’ve got to limit them from getting some easy touchdowns.”

Lonnie Hackett, the PTC’s leading rusher, is usually the one cruising to the end zone for the Rams.

“He is equally effective inside and outside,” Parlin said. “He has unbelievable energy. He carried the ball 37, 38 times versus Lawrence, and you look at him at the end of the game and he’s still going 100 mph. You can’t wear him down.”

Hackett victimized the Rams with big plays on offense, defense and special teams last time, but Mt. Blue also got a couple of big plays of its own in the passing game by QB Ryan Backus. 

“We have to have some success throwing the ball against them,” said Parlin, whose team put up 220 yards through the air in the first meeting.

The rest of the Class A bracket features No. 2 Lawrence hosting No. 7 Skowhegan and No. 3 Brunswick versus No. 6 Cony. In Class B, No. 2 Gardiner hosts No. 7 Winslow, No. 3 Hampden meets MDI and No. 4 Morse begins its regional title defense with No. 5 Waterville.