What does come as a bit of a shock is the Red Dragons’ opponent — Section V champion Keshequa.

The Indians moved to a perfect 20-0 on the year with a 1-0 overtime win over the top-ranked team in all of New York State — East Rochester.

That victory shocked many of those in attendance, including Maple Grove coach Cara Abbey.

“Keshequa played the game of their lives,” said Abbey. “East Rochester was just good everywhere. They were physically dominant, they were a smart counter-attacking team. They just had rare skill throughout the entire lineup. There were moments when they looked really good. Keshequa and them play a very different style of game. I just don’t think that East Rochester reacted well.”

The most recent polls from the New York State Sportswriters Association, published on Monday, still show East Rochester in the top spot while Maple Grove is at No. 5 and Keshequa No. 7.

Those rankings will mean little when the two teams face off Friday night with the end of the season on the line.

While the Indians’ style stood in contrast to that of East Rochester, tomorrow’s contest could see a battle between two teams that look quite similar.

“I think they are really similar to us,” said Abbey. “They are not a big team, they are fairly small, they just try to move the ball. They make good runs and good passes. They don’t try to force the play, they let things develop and they played a beautiful last game.”

Aidan Wood, Reese Powers and Riley Rease will be the primary offensive threats for the Indians while Cesar Batlle and Hunter Zangerle stand out as a hard line at defensive midfield.

In addition to their two most notable offensive leaders, Caleb Foley and Tristan Spillane, Maple Grove has also had the benefit of strong play at striker from Eli Moore and Sam Eimiller. Foley leads the way with 22 goals, including the overtime game-winner over Randolph in Section VI final play, while Spillane has complemented with 14 goals and nine assists.

“One thing that I’m really fortunate for is that I have four forwards who play in different styles,” said Abbey.

Pushing play up to the forward wings for the Red Dragons has been a diverse group of midfielders including Nick Golando (11 goals, 12 assists), RJ Helt (four goals, seven assists), Brendan Hirliman (three goals, two assists), and Adam Marsh (two goals, 15 assists).

With his teammates doing most of the finishing so far this season, Marsh’s team-high 15 assists are an offensive contribution that has flown under the radar.

“He is just so fantastic. He is one of my best defensive players,” said Abbey. “He is patient, he reads the ball and angles so well. He knows when to push and attack. He has the most assists for a reason. He is a playmaker as well.”

Despite only allowing eight goals so far this year, Maple Grove has been led across the back line by a trio of underclassmen.

Leading the way in front of stalwart netminder Sam Cummings are junior Elias Akl, sophomore Andrew Auer and sophomore Cam Crist.

Cummings and Maple Grove’s back line held both Marcus Evans and Kaleb Steward of Randolph, who have a combined 36 goals, off the board in last week’s section final.

One advantage for the Red Dragons may be the fact that they experienced a pair of losses at the hands of Westfield/Brocton before moving past the Wolverines with a 3-2 victory in semifinal action.

“We very vividly remember the pressure of how it feels to have an undefeated season in playoffs. You can get lulled into a false sense of security,” said Abbey.

While some teams have the potential to roll back their intensity after claiming a sectional title and moving on to regional action, Maple Grove has made an effort to avoid that mental trap.

“We are not having that attitude, we don’t see it as the icing on the cake,” Abbey said. “Our goal is to continue, because when opportunity presents itself, you take full advantage.”