Will we get an upset in H.S. football playoffs?

The postseason gets under way Friday night in high school football. It's a brand new start for teams seeded one through eight. But is the eighth seeded team really just wasting its time? No eighth seed has ever won a quarterfinal game since the inception of the new playoff format in 2004.

Then again, only one seventh seed had won a football playoff game before last season, which experienced a breakthrough of sorts. As low-seeded dreamers, teams like Bayport-Blue Point, Baldwin and Clarke, all seven seeds last year, pulled off shocking upset victories. This is why we play the games.

Will this be the season an eighth seed pulls off the near impossible? Newsday reporter Chris Mascaro thinks it is. Like most, the East Islip-West Islip rivalry is so deep and so special, that one should throw out the records because this one is won as much on emotion as it is with talent.

There are three teams with 3-5 records heading into the postseason. Seventh-seeded Calhoun (3-5) travels to No. 2 Garden City (6-1), which beat the Colts, 42-7, this season. No. 7 Kings Park (3-5) travels to No. 2 Islip (6-1), where the Kingsmen dropped a 28-7 decision. No. 8 Center Moriches (3-5) is rewarded with a playoff game at top-seeded and undefeated Glenn (8-0). Center Moriches was beaten by the Knights, 42-6.

In all probability those teams will be stacking the shoulder pad rack after the quarterfinal round. Is there any magic left in being a seventh seed or what about a terrific performance from the eighth seed in 2010? You never know.

So as the seeds try to hold true to form, we highlighted a few of the big games on tap this weekend.

Lindenhurst (4-4) at Longwood (6-2), 6 p.m.: In the season opener, No. 6 Lindy quarterback Steve Skon sliced and diced the No. 3 Longwood secondary for a 27-6 victory. The Lions have come a long way since that loss, winning six of the next seven games. The running game was bolstered by the return of Kavaughn Wiggins midway through the season. The Division I matchup promises to be a close one Friday night.

SATURDAY

Syosset (4-4) at East Meadow (5-3), 3 p.m.: There's something about playing a team in the season finale and again the first round of the playoffs that can be unsettling. No. 5 Syosset beat No. 4 East Meadow, 18-13, last week in a Conference I game. Look for the Jets to turn the tables here.

Plainedge (4-4) at Bethpage (6-2), 3 p.m.: No. 3 Bethpage has won four in a row after a 2-2 start. No. 6 Plainedge has been inconsistent, including a 27-20 loss to Bethpage two weeks ago. The win over Plainedge earned the Golden Eagles this week's home game. It's been a roller-coaster ride for coach Rob Shaver and the Red Devils. After a 21-20 upset over Lawrence, the Red Devils lost two in a row to end the season. This backyard brawl features two perennial playoff contenders.

West Islip (4-4) at East Islip (7-1), 2 p.m.: Long Island's finest crosstown rivalry meets for the second week in a row. Top-seeded East Islip leads the all-time series, 16-15-3, after a thorough 21-0 win last week. Wouldn't the Lions love to be the first No. 8 seed to bring home a victory? And doing it against East Islip would be even sweeter.

Smithtown West (6-2) at Bellport (5-3), 2 p.m.: These teams did not meet during the regular season. No. 5 Smithtown West, the preseason ninth seed, finished with a better record but travels to No. 4 Bellport, which had a higher power rating thanks to a tougher Division II schedule. This rugged matchup features two defensive-minded teams. West is buoyed by big Zack Naja, who had nine sacks and Bellport is led by hard-hitting safety Eddie Carson.