Noah Holden and the Nokomis football team will host Brewer in a Class C North football quarterfinal game Saturday. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

After winning its regular-season finale, the Nokomis football team started scoreboard watching, as games in Fairfield and Rockland would impact the Warriors’ Class C North playoff standing.

Fortunately for Nokomis, a 22-6 win over Brewer and losses by Hampden Academy and Oceanside resulted in a major jump in the standings.

“We had an early kickoff at 6, and I pretty much knew with the math that, if we won, we would jump whoever of those two lost and vice-versa,” said Nokomis Coach Jake Rogers. “We had (the Lawrence game) on our phones on the way home because Epic Vue (Studios) streams it.”

Nokomis will host Brewer in a regional quarterfinal rematch. The Warriors (4-4) weren’t the only ones to cement byes or home playoff games on Friday and Saturday.

Leavitt, the two-time defending Class C champion, was 2-5 entering a Friday clash with York.

The Hornets prevailed 34-0 and secured a first-round bye in the C South playoffs. Coach Mike Hathaway said the team had its best week of practice all season.

“It’s been frustrating because we’ve worked hard the past couple weeks but just didn’t make the winning plays, but this week, it was a really good vibe out there,” he said. “We knew this was a big game, and our kids were out there flying with some extra zip out there and had a nice turnaround.”

With the exception of the still-injured Mason Henderson, Leavitt is relatively healthy as Noah Alexander returned to anchor the lines. A bye will give the Hornets (3-5) a chance to heal even further ahead of a C South semifinal game at Cape Elizabeth in two weeks.

In the eight-man ranks, Camden Hills also earned a much-appreciated bye week by beating Houlton 24-22 on Saturday to earn Large School’s No. 1 seed. After suffering some injuries in the win, the Windjammers will now get a chance to rest ahead of a semifinal game against Mt. Ararat or Gray-New Gloucester.

“We’re very thankful for the bye,” said Camden Hills Coach Chris Christie. “I think that’s the most important part. We’ve grown a lot of integrity and a lot of character through some tough games like this, and now, we’re glad to take a breather, sit back for a couple days to heal up and get our energy back.”

Just three weeks ago, Maine Central Institute sat in seventh place in the eight-team Class D North. Weighed down by a lackluster strength of schedule, the Huskies were 2-3 with their losses coming by a combined 120 points to Winslow, John Bapst and Brewer.

Leavitt’s Mason Henderson, left, and Keegan Reny react after in a Sept. 28 game in Turner. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Now, MCI has a home playoff game to look forward to after winning three straight games to close out the regular season. The latest win, a 28-8 victory over Mountain Valley on Friday, saw the Huskies in control the entire way to earn a home quarterfinal date with Old Town.

“We needed to establish our run game, shore things up defensively and take care of the football, and we did those three things,” said MCI co-head coach Tom Bertrand. “Old Town is not a team to take lightly, so it’s nice to be at home for that first round. We love to be in Pittsfield, for sure.”

Although Massabesic clinched the No. 3 seed in B South by beating Marshwood 42-27, fourth-year coach Lucas Labbe said playoff seeding wasn’t the focus. What really mattered was avoiding a two-game losing streak entering the playoffs, which looked like a possibility after the Mustangs (6-2) fell behind 15-0 to the Hawks following last week’s 49-7 defeat to Kennebunk.

“We knew it was for the 3 and 4 seeds, but we also knew we were going to open up at home with Cheverus or Gorham, and we felt good about facing either one,” Labbe said. “We were nervous, in some ways, coming off the worst game we’ve played and how we would bounce back, and there was concern about losing two in a row and losing any momentum you’d built before you got to the playoffs.”

THE LITTLE TEN CONFERENCE is poised for an intriguing four-team playoff.

Stearns (7-1), Houlton (6-2), Orono (5-3) and Ellsworth (6-2) enter the 8-man Small School North semifinals averaging more than 40 points per game.

The top seed in the LTC, Stearns, is averaging 53.8 points per game. The Minutemen are strong on the ground with quarterback Cam Atkinson and running back Caden Raymond, but the heart of that rushing attack is an offensive line consisting of Gavin Gagnon, David McGreevy, Lucas McDonald and Brady Brooker.

“I think all of our guys would tell you our success running the ball is fueled by our offensive line,” said Stearns Coach Cody Herring. “Those four seniors up front are all difference makers for us. We’re only going to be as good as they allow us to be, and they’ve done an unbelievable job this year.”

Stearns will play Ellsworth in the semifinals, a rematch of a game the Minutemen won 60-6 on Saturday. Led by Ripley Strout at running back (1,199 yards, 17 touchdowns), the Eagles have already clinched the winningest season in program history under fourth-year coach Dave Svec.

TWO OF THE BIGGEST games in Week 8 were played in adjacent towns Friday. While Wells hosted Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale/Kents Hill in a battle of undefeated D South teams, Noble hosted Bonny Eagle in an A South showdown that also had major implications.

Wells and Winthrop both knew they would have a bye to the regional semifinals regardless of Friday’s outcome. The Warriors prevailed, 30-13.

Wells struggled to establish its running game, had four personal foul penalties and gave up a fumble-return touchdown late in the second quarter when Dom Buxton was smothered by a group of Ramblers 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage and lost the ball.

“That’s where I was angry. We could have drove out the half and gone in with a shutout, and we completely make mental and physical errors on the blocking,” Wells Coach Tim Roche said. “Those things we just have to tighten up, and we have time now, which is great, but we need to tighten them up to be the best team in Class D because there’s good teams in Class D.”

Just 12 miles west in North Berwick, Bonny Eagle threw a wrench into the A South race with a 21-14 victory over Noble. That win propelled the Scots into second place in the division.

The Bonny Eagle football team has thrown a monkey wrench into the Class A South playoff race. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

The win means Bonny Eagle (6-2) is now tied for the best record in Class A and has victories over two of the other three with that mark (Noble and Portland). If the Scots weren’t considered serious Gold Ball contenders before, it’s hard to not to put them in that conversation now.

“We dropped (our first game of the year) up in Lewiston, (and) I think after that, we kind of flew under the radar,” Bonny Eagle Coach Kevin Cooper said following Friday night’s win. “We’ve put together a pretty impressive résumé, I think.”

Class A South is the home of dual-threat quarterbacks. Entering the season, Jamier Rose at Noble and Wyatt Benoit at Thornton Academy were probably seen as 1A and 1B based on their junior seasons. Rose rushed and threw for over 1,000 yards and Benoit led TA to a state title. South Portland’s Easton Healy was another quality returning starter who has continued to impress as evidenced by his five-TD effort Friday night (four rush, one passing) against Scarborough.

But over the past four weeks none have performed better than Bonny Eagle’s Colin Moran, a junior first-year starter. In Friday’s win at Noble, Moran ran 32 times for 223 yards and completed 7 of 12 passes for 93 yards. He scored the winning touchdown on a 2-yard, fourth-down run, had a 47-yard touchdown run, and threw a 12-yard TD pass on a fourth-and-11 play.

GRAY-NEW GLOUCESTER defeated Traip Academy 38-0 on Friday to close out the regular season 5-3, the Patriots’ best finish since the school began playing varsity football in 2005.

“The coaching staff’s excited, and, you know, we’re excited to move on, and hopefully we can do well in the playoffs,” said Gray-New Gloucester Coach Mike Caiazzo.

Caiazzo said the upperclassmen have been an integral part of the Patriots’ success. With 10 seniors on the roster, Gray-New Gloucester has held its own in a competitive nine-team league — and on Friday, those veterans have a chance to lead the Patriots to the first playoff win in program history.

“The leadership from our upperclassmen, like Kobi Conant and Isaac Ormberg; they’re great leaders,” Caiazzo said. “And (junior) Brody Tracy, he’s our defensive spark plug. I mean, they just get the kids focused in practice, and we get a lot done in practice, and we just keep getting better every day.”

KENNEBUNK HAS OUTSCORED its last four opponents 188-37. Do the Rams even have things to improve during their bye week?

“Yeah, we do. Believe me,” said Kennebunk Coach Keith Noel.

Noel said the defending Class B champs will be emphasizing improvement in the details — gap integrity on defense and stepping with the correct foot on a block.

As it is, the revamped offensive line has been a strength. Colin Qualey, Mason Binette and Cal Johnson (back from an injury) have joined proven players Kaden Stevens and Charlie Majkowski.

“They’ve done an admirable job opening up holes and doing what they’re supposed to do,” Noel said.

MASSABESIC UNVEILED A NEW offensive threat in its 42-27 win against Marshwood.

Trailing 15-7 at the half, the Mustangs inserted sophomore Nolan Pomerleau into the backfield. The 190-pounder with good vision and balance has been starting at linebacker with an occasional carry.

Pomerleau responded with 15 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. That only helps strengthen the Mustangs’ run-pass option game that quarterback Cam Bradbury has been executing well. Bradbury had three touchdown passes and ran for another against Marshwood.

Press Herald staff writer Steve Craig and Sun Journal staff writer Nathan Fournier contributed to this report.