For most East Metro high school football teams, Friday marks the start of the second half of the regular season. Just four games remain between now and the playoffs.

Much will be determined in that time, from rivalry games to subdistrict titles to section seeding.

But the midway point feets like an appropriate time to take a step back and gauge where things stand for a number of East Metro teams heading into the truly important portion of the season.

Powers

Lakeville North (4-0): Riley Grossman looks the part of a big-time quarterback who can overcome any obstacles thrown the Panthers’ way.

Eagan (3-1): Two-headed rushing attack of Tate Gage and Brooklyn Evans has catapulted the Wildcats to the status of a legitimate Class 6A contender.

Stillwater (3-1): Clearly the class of the Metro East subdistrict. Emilio Rosario-Matias gives the Ponies a level of physicality that could extend their dominance past those boundaries.

St. Thomas Academy (3-1): Early-season hiccup against Waconia looks to be just that — a hiccup. The defense is dominant and the offense will likely continue to improve.

Two Rivers (4-0): Dominant in every way to date. Not the most difficult schedule, but the Warriors have handled business, and the convincing victory over Hastings was impressive.

Hill-Murray (3-1): Shutout loss to Becker to open season quickly becoming a distant memory. Passing game has endless potential with Jackson Reeves’ arm and mobility to extend plays.

Solid

Centennial (2-2): Graduated so much talent from last year’s state title team. But yet again this season, if you don’t come ready to absorb a hit, you will lose to the Cougars.

St. Croix Lutheran (3-1): Knows what the class of its section looks like in Holy Family but continues to stack strong performances.

St. Agnes: A couple of wicked early-season matchups, but if the Aggies can get to the postseason with relatively good health, they’ll be a threat to reach state, and more.

South St. Paul (2-2): Has a big game to establish section pecking order against Simley. A rivalry win there, and the Packers could be in line for their best season in five-plus years.

Hastings: Back to .500 after an 0-2 start. A couple of key games on deck the next two weeks against Cretin-Derham Hall and Robbinsdale Armstrong that will show who the Raiders are.

Spring Lake Park (2-2): Has the strong running game and defense to again be a tough out in Class 5A.

East Ridge (2-2): Known as a Division I point guard prospect, it turns out Cedric Tomes is also a good dual-threat quarterback.

Forest Lake (2-2): Solid team that figures to be in just about every game but possesses a small margin for error.

Mounds View (2-2): Possesses the offensive firepower to compete with anyone … so long as quarterback Jacob Sampson is healthy.

Farmington (2-2): Dual-threat quarterback Jonah Ask is a perplexing problem for any opposing defense — as some good ones this year can already attest.

Surprises

Roseville (2-2): Raiders entered Thursday’s game with Buffalo already armed with two wins. Competitive in every game. Running back Javon Miner is a star. Program is on the proper path.

Johnson (2-1): Consistently proving it has the athletes to punch at — and above — its weight class.

Slow starters

Rosemount (1-3): Can still compete physically with anyone. Just has to find ways to consistently move the ball.

Lakeville South (1-3): Two or three plays away from being 3-1 amid a grueling early-season schedule. The Cougars are still a high-end Class 6A competitor.

Mahtomedi (1-3): Doesn’t look great right now, but Zephyrs have a road map from recent seasons for how to get to state after slow starts.

Cretin-Derham Hall (1-3): Record may not show it, but some highly competitive games suggest Raiders have things going in the right direction.

Central (1-3): Quarterback Allan Lankfard is a special athlete. Perhaps last week’s win over Johnson sparks a second-half resurgence.

Simley (1-3): Young but talented often proves to be a recipe for growing pains that contribute to future success. Spartans trying to expedite that process.