The two-week playoff stretch leading up to the Maryland state championships on May 22-24 begins on Wednesday, although some of the area’s top contenders have received a bye to Friday’s second round.

In the 2A classification, Glenelg, again coming off an undefeated regular season against public school competition, is a favorite for a third state championship.

But the Gladiators will face an early test because Marriotts Ridge, another Howard County power, is in the same 2A South, Section I bracket. The two, winners of five of the last seven Maryland state titles in their classifications, would meet in just their second playoff outing, should they advance.

For the 4A tournament, Severna Park, a state runner-up a year ago, and South River earned No. 1 seeds in the two 4A East sections and could meet again in the region final. The Falcons beat the Seahawks by 1 last week, but South River responded by beating Severna Park, 11-5, in the Anne Arundel County championship on Monday.

In the Montgomery County side of the 4A bracket, Whitman, an overtime loss to Sherwood away from being unbeaten, is again a No. 1 seed in the 4A West. Walter Johnson, though, has made a turnaround from 6-6 last season to 11-1 and could pose a threat in the 4A West region semifinals.

The new classification system — adding a full 3A level, rather than splitting the schools between 3A/2A and 4A/3A — has allowed for more teams to receive playoff spots. For Prince George’s County, Oxon Hill and Potomac (Md.) have first-round byes in 3A South, while Mount Hebron, Long Reach and Chesapeake are contenders in 3A East.

Other local top seeds include: Sherwood (4A North Section II), which was a region champion last season, Richard Montgomery (4A West Section II), La Plata (2A South Section II), Poolesville (2A West Section II), Gwynn Park (2A North Section II) and Fairmont Heights (1A South Section I).

Here are this week’s rankings.

1. St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes (23-2) Last week: 1

Again the No. 1 seed in the Independent Schools League AA tournament, the Saints downed Potomac School and Darien (Conn.) last week.

2. Glenelg (12-2) LW: 2

By throttling Mount Hebron and River Hill last week, the Gladiators finished their second straight undefeated regular season in Howard County.

3. Bishop Ireton (18-3) LW: 3

Behind seven points from sophomore Reilly Casey, the Cardinals clinched a third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship over Good Counsel.

4. Marriotts Ridge (11-2) LW: 4

After a first-round bye, the Mustangs will face either Oakland Mills or Hammond — two Howard County teams they have yet to face — in the playoff opener.

5. Georgetown Visitation (14-2) LW: 6

A 10-9 victory over Stone Ridge last week helped position the Cubs for the No. 2 seed in the ISL AA tournament.

6. South River (13-2) LW: 5

Kathleen Sullivan had three goals in the Seahawks’ Anne Arundel County championship win over Severna Park on Monday.

7. Glenelg Country (12-4) LW: 10

As the No. 2 seed in the IAAM A playoffs, the Dragons beat Roland Park in the first round and face Notre Dame Prep in the semifinals on Wednesday.

8. Langley (11-1-1) LW: 7

The Saxons closed the regular season with a 19-8 victory over Herndon.

9. George Mason (11-0) LW: 8

After a triple-overtime thriller preserved their undefeated start, the Mustangs face a tough week against Riverside and Dominion.

10. Dominion (12-0) LW: NR

The Titans enter the rankings just before a clash of undefeateds against George Mason on Friday.

Dropped out: No. 9 Stone Ridge (11-3)

Bubble: Woodson (11-3), Leonardtown (13-2), Severna Park (10-5), Stone Ridge (11-3)