Neighbors will square off in North field hockey semifinals Saturday.
Headlining the list are the Class C semifinals between top seed Dexter and fourth seed Piscataquis Community High School of Guilford and third seed Mount View of Thorndike and No. 2 Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield. Both games start at 1 p.m.
Dexter and PCHS are just 12 miles apart, and they split their regular season meetings. PCHS, 9-5-1, earned a 3-1 victory in Guilford before the Tigers triumphed in the rematch 4-0 in Dexter.
The Tigers will bring a 13-2 record into the contest including five straight wins since losing to PCHS. Dexter won its quarterfinal game 1-0 over Orono while PCHS nipped Winthrop by the same score.
Mount View and MCI, separated by just 21 miles, met in the final regular season game and played a 4-3 thriller, won by MCI in Pittsfield.
MCI turned in an impressive performance in a 4-0 win over Boothbay Region in their quarterfinal while Mount View erupted in the second half to eliminate Stearns of Millinocket 5-2.
In Class B, three of the semifinalists were in different classes a year ago, and the other team, Gardiner, is the defending regional “B” titlist.
Two of the teams, Winslow and Foxcroft Academy, were the last two state Class C champs as Winslow claimed last fall’s crown with a 3-1 win over Lisbon and Foxcroft had won it the previous year courtesy of a 1-0 triumph over North Yarmouth Academy.
Winslow and Foxcroft will face off against each other in Winslow at 11 a.m.
Both teams survived stiff tests in the quarterfinals with the third-seeded Ponies, 13-2, edging Belfast 3-2 in penalty corners and No. 2 Winslow, 11-3-1, nipping Oceanside of Rockland/Thomaston 2-1 in overtime. They did not meet during the regular season.
Top seed Gardiner, 13-2, and No. 4 Lawrence of Fairfield, 12-3, will meet in the other semi in Gardiner at noon.
Lawrence reached the Eastern Maine Class A championship game last year, losing to 14-time regional champ Skowhegan 2-0.
Lawrence beat Gardiner 1-0 in their only meeting during the regular season.
Gardiner bested Camden Hills 4-1 in the quarterfinals while Lawrence ousted Old Town 4-0.
In Class A, top seed Messalonskee of Oakland and No. 2 Skowhegan inched closer to yet another regional championship game confrontation but both are facing quality opponents in the semifinals.
Messalonskee, 15-0, will entertain fourth seed Mt. Blue of Farmington, 10-4-1, at 10 a.m., and Skowhegan, 13-2, will host No. 3 Cony of Augusta, 11-4, at 11 a.m.
Messalonskee beat Mt. Ararat of Topsham 7-0 in the quarterfinals, and Skowhegan bested Hampden Academy 10-0.
Mt. Blue advanced with a 3-0 win over Edward Little of Auburn, and Cony blanked Oxford Hills from South Paris 4-0.
Messalonskee beat Mt. Blue 1-0 and 3-0 during the regular season, and Skowhegan notched a pair of 2-1 victories over Cony.