The days of the road to a Class C football championship passing through the tri-county region probably aren’t over.

But that proud history appears to be on hold this year.

For the first time in at least more than a decade, a local team isn’t seeded to reach the Campbell Conference championship game.

No. 4 Lisbon (6-2) will lead the charge when the Western C playoffs open this weekend. The Greyhounds host league newcomer No. 5 Winslow (6-2) in a Saturday quarterfinal. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Two other local representatives finished at .500 or below and needed either to win or to wait out the final weekend before securing their playoff positions.

No. 7 Dirigo (4-4) travels to Kittery for a 1:30 p.m. Saturday clash with No. 2 Traip (6-2). No. 8 Oak Hill (3-5) heads to No. 1 Yarmouth (8-0) tonight for a 7 p.m. confrontation with the defending state champion Clippers.

Elsewhere, No. 3 Maranacook (7-1) hosts a playoff game for the first time since resurrecting its program in the late 1990s. The Black Bears, who have lost on the road in the quarterfinals each of the past two years, welcome first-time playoff qualifier No. 6 Freeport (5-3) to Readfield.

Here’s a closer peek:

Winslow at Lisbon

These two proud programs have never previously met on the gridiron, but they’ve each spent plenty of time playing the king in neighboring football worlds.

Mike Siviski (Winslow) and Dick Mynahan (Lisbon) have headed up their respective programs for more than a quarter-century.

Winslow won its 200th game in Siviski’s 27-year tenure earlier this season. The Black Raiders racked up five Class B state titles and seven Eastern B regional crowns in that span before declining enrollment slid them into Western C this season.

That put them squarely in Lisbon’s sandbox. The Greyhounds own three Class C titles and four state final appearances under Mynahan’s watch. Losing seasons have been almost unheard of.

In many respects, this has been a typical Lisbon season, one in which the Greyhounds have been forced to overcome personnel obstacles. Chase Hunter and Dalton Dunphy headline an offensive line that was mostly new during summer workouts. Zack Splude has bounced back-and-forth between tailback and quarterback while starting QB Ryan Riordan nursed injuries.

Quincy Thompson, Jordon Torres and Mason Haley join Splude and Riordan as playmakers for the Greyhounds, who have used everything from option to I-formation to wildcat sets, depending upon the defense.

Winslow flaunts a more traditional power running game, led by freshman tailback Dylan Hapworth, converted lineman Eric Crawley at fullback and Donald Camp under center. The Black Raiders reversed their record from 2-6 in 2010, their final season of Class B competition.

Dirigo at Traip

Like Winslow, Dirigo has the look of a dangerous road team.

The Cougars make their fourth consecutive appearance in the postseason, including a 2009 state title. And while its record dipped to the .500 mark this season, Dirigo easily could have been 6-2 or 7-1.

Winslow and Oak Hill needed overtime to put away Dirigo. Freeport also beat the Cougars by one point on a mistake-prone opening night.

TB Bryan Blackman and QB Ben Holmes lead an explosive Cougars attack. The defense is rounding into shape, as well. Holmes and Caleb Hall each returned an interception last week, while Nelson Pepin had three of the Cougars’ five sacks in a 54-6 rout of Telstar.

Traip hasn’t won a playoff game in 20 years, but the Rangers got a taste of prosperity in 2010, dropping a hard-fought home quarterfinal to Oak Hill.

The Rangers have won five straight games, including shutouts of Old Orchard Beach and Freeport, and most impressively, one-sided road wins over Winslow and Lisbon.

Dirigo will need to stop the inside-outside running game of 230-pound FB Tyler Nay and TB Cory Aldecoa and contain QB Matt Clifford, a three-year starter for Traip.

Oak Hill at Yarmouth

It’s a rematch of the 2010 semifinal, won 28-7 by the Clippers en route to their initial state championship.

The Raiders were less competitive in their first foray to Yarmouth this fall, dropping a 51-7 verdict in Week 2. It was one of five games in which Yarmouth topped 40 points.

Oak Hill has been an enigma. Wins over Poland and Dirigo provided the bookends of a three-game, midseason winning streak and hoisted the Raiders into the playoffs. But the Raiders followed that with consecutive losses to Winthrop, Winslow and Maranacook down the stretch.

Cody DePuy is one of the league’s top running backs for Oak Hill. Yarmouth counters with Anders Overhaug as its big-play threat. WB Caleb Uhl, QB Brady Neujahr and FB Nik Pelletier have been equally dangerous as a change of pace.

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