It's the midway point of the high school football season, a good time to take a closer look at the region playoff standings. With the top four teams in each region qualifying for the postseason, there's plenty of tight races in a number of classifications.

Class 3A North looks like it will go down to the wire with a number of teams scrambling to gain one of the coveted four playoff spots. Milford Mill, with its 5-0 record and 46 points, is the only seemingly sure bet. After that, it's a logjam: Franklin (27 points), Hereford (27), Patterson (25), Lake Clifton (24) and Patapsco (21) all take 3-2 marks into this weekend's play.

The game to watch tonight is Franklin at Perry Hall, which is in a battle of its own in Class 4A North. The Gators (5-0 with 45 points) are in second between Linganore (5-0, 46) and Westminster (5-0, 40). Those two teams will meet each other tonight at Linganore.

In Class 3A East, first-place Wilde Lake (5-0, 40) plays host to second-place Howard (4-1, 30) with Annapolis and Fallston both close behind with 3-2 marks and 28 points.

- Glenn Graham