Mt. Ararat football coach Frank True greets junior Shea Farrell as Farrell comes off the field Friday night during an eight-man large South semifinal game against Spruce Mountain. Photo provided by Jason Eggleston

Four Midcoast football teams will begin or resume their playoff pushes this weekend.

Among those matchups are two regional final games and two opening-round games in the Class D postseason. Three out of the four games are rematches from regular season affairs.

“It’s a different type of game when the postseason arrives,” said Lisbon head coach Chris Kates, whose No. 5 Greyhounds (3-3) will visit Wales to play No. 4 OakHill (4-2) in a Class D quarterfinal.

The eight-man regional finals will also be played this weekend. No. 2 Mt. Ararat/Hyde (7-1) will play at top-seeded Cheverus (7-0) in the large South final Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Boulos Stadium in Portland. The Stags topped the Eagles 44-32 on Oct. 1 which helped them earn the top-seed in the conference. In large North, No. 2 Morse (6-2) will face No. 1 Waterville (6-1) on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the regional title at Drummond Field in Waterville.

The Purple Panthers beat the Shipbuilders  58-48 on Oct. 15 at McMann Field in Bath to clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference.

Morse head coach Jason Darling said containing dangerous Waterville quarterback Liam Van Oesen, who torched the Shipbuilders for 316 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

“He’s a great player and is tough to stop with a great line in front of him,” said Darling. “But they’re a great team from top to bottom. It’s going to take our best game to stop them. That’s what you expect in the regional final.”

For the Eagles, the 2021 season is quite similar to what unfolded in 2019, when they won the inaugural eight-man state title. After losing to top-seeded Maranacook in the regular season, the Eagles stunned the Black Bears in the regional final en route to a state title victory.

Mt. Ararat junior running back Shea Farrell sheds a Spruce Mountain defender en route to picking up a chunk of yards during an eight-man large South semifinal game last Friday night in Topsham. Photo provided by Jason Eggleston

They have a chance to repeat history this weekend against Cheverus.

“It’s definitely a similar experience (to 2019),” said Mt. Ararat/Hyde head coach Frank True. “We want to bring that experience back from 2019 for this one.”

The winner of the two eight-man large regional final games will meet Nov. 13  for the large division state championship at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

In Class D, No. 5 Lisbon/St. Doms has a familiar foe in No. 4 Oak Hill on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Stacen Doucette Memorial Field in Wales. The Greyhounds have won three straight after starting the season 0-3.

“We’re playing like a different team compared to when we first saw them (Oak Hill),” said Kates. “Our young guys have improved and we’re seeing leadership from our seniors.”

The Greyhounds dropped a 24-13 decision to the Raiders in Lisbon on Sept. 18.

Elsewhere in Class D, No. 3 Freeport (5-2) will host No. 6 Poland (2-4) on Friday in the first round.

“We weren’t able to play our first game with Poland, they are the only Class D team we didn’t see,” said Freeport head coach Paul St. Pierre. “It’s going to be different and a challenge, but that goes both ways.”

The Falcons topped Oak Hill 41-19 on Oct. 25 to clinch the No. 3 seed and haven’t played since. The bye week came at a great time, St. Pierre said.