Last season, the Belchertown football team entered its playoff game with zero postseason experience. But in tonight's Western Massachusetts Division 3 semifinal, the Orioles will be the seasoned veterans.

This year, the second-seeded Orioles will face a team with no prior playoff experience in No. 3 Lee, which came in second in the tough Berkshire League. The opening kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Westfield State University.

Both squads went 9-2 during the regular season and enter the game on winning streaks. Belchertown's won four straight, while the Wildcats are on a six-game run.

The Orioles lost to Athol 25-6 in the 2010 sectional semifinal.

"Last year's experience was really important," fourth-year Belchertown coach John Mayo said. "The first time getting into the playoffs is tough because you're not sure how to handle it. It was new for the players and the coaches. I don't think any of the Lee kids have any playoff experience, so that could work to our advantage. Most of our kids have. So I think we'll handle things better."

Third-year starting quarterback Chris Ladd agreed with his coach's assessment.

"Last year, we didn't know what to expect coming into a playoff game," Ladd said. "This year, we'll have a little better idea. It's going to be a rowdy one, both teams will play really hard. But we'll be ready."

Lee averaged 22.9 points per game and allowed just 9.4 in 11 games.

"They were dominant in a lot of their games," Mayo said. "We saw them play Case of Swansea, and they were impressive (in a 28-6 win). The team they resemble the most on our schedule is Mahar."

The Wildcats' last loss came on Oct. 7 at Mount Greylock, a 28-14 setback. Lee scored nearly half of the total points (32) that the Mounties allowed all season.

"Lee's a really good team, and they're playing as well as anybody right now," Mayo said. "But they haven't played for a while, so maybe that could hurt them."

By kickoff, Lee will have had the last 10 days off since their regular-season finale against Drury.

By scouting the Wildcats, Mayo identified a possible difference maker and a rarity in high school football.

"Lee is an aggressive team with a strong defense," Mayo said. "They also have a great kicker. So we hope to lead by more than three points toward the end, because this kid can boom the ball - on field goals and kickoffs."

Placekicker Fernando Castro has made seven field goals on the season, including a 42-yard kick against Drury.

The Wildcats will have senior Cam Keenan under center, with four senior running backs (Jake Kelley, Cam Loehr, Lucas Withers and Nate Buratto) dividing the carries.

"Their quarterback is similar to Chris, he's big, runs and throws well," Mayo said. "They have several good runners, not one main guy. They're a legitimate team. My coaches and I tried to look for a weakness to attack, and couldn't really find anything."

The Orioles have outscored their opponents 108-38 in the last four contests. For the season, Belchertown averaged 25.5 points per game and gave up 12.3.

"We know it won't be 29-0 like the Pathfinder game, or like some of our other games that were pretty much over early," Mayo said. "This game could very well come down to the final minutes. So we have to win the turnover battle."

Belchertown sports a much-improved defensive unit, led by lineman Zach Lebeau, linebacker Tony Pellerin, as well as safety Jake Loughman and Ladd, who spends time at linebacker and in the secondary.

Unlike last season's playoff game against Athol, the Orioles are pretty unfamiliar with this opponent.

"I don't think it matters a whole lot, but I like it," Ladd said. "They don't know us, we don't know them. That could make it a good game."

Ladd and fellow senior Loughman will need to crank up the running game to open up passing lanes if the Orioles are to put points on the board.

"Our line needs to block the way it can, and if they do, we'll have a really good night," Ladd said.

Top seed and unbeaten Mount Greylock (10-0) travels to the home field of No. 4 Mahar Regional (8-3), the Intercounty champion, in the other semifinal at 5 p.m. The winners will square off at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Division 3 Super Bowl at Westfield State.

"All four teams in the playoffs are playing good football, which you can't say about all the divisions," Mayo said. "At this time of the year, you should be playing the best."

Michael Wilkinson can be reached at mwilkinson@gazettenet.com.