So constant that it feels like they’re always in each other’s way.

The Raiders and Cougars will meet Saturday for the sixth time in 35 months. Kickoff in Wales is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Rivals of convenience and recent success, if not geography, the teams entered this year’s Class D West fray widely considered co-favorites, and why not?

Oak Hill survived a 16-14 donnybrook in the 2013 regional final before beating Bucksport for its first state title in 31 years. A year earlier, Dirigo avenged a 33-0 loss on its home field with a 13-6 shocker in the Class C West semifinals.

The 2012 regular-season meeting is the only recent one settled by a margin of more than a touchdown, and both Oak Hill and Dirigo are built for what should be another grinder.

Senior tailbacks Kyle Flaherty and Alex Mace return for the Raiders. They combined for more than 200 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns a week ago in Oak Hill’s 47-14 rout of Telstar.

Dalton Therrien has taken over at quarterback for Oak Hill, which takes pride in a “no-name defense” led by two seniors who defy that description and play substantially larger than their vital statistics on the roster: 5-foot-8, 145-pound middle linebacker Samson Lacroix and 5-7, 165-pound end Mike Pease.

Dirigo struggled with penalties and Maranacook’s weighty offensive line before holding on for a 12-6 win at home in its opener.

The Cougars are building around a new offense (Wing-T), new coach (Jim Hersom) and new offensive line, but many of the weapons that made it within one play of the state final are back.

Tyler Frost is the heart of Dirigo’s attack on both sides at fullback and middle linebacker. He rushed for 123 yards in Week 1, including the winning 53-yard touchdown with 11:04 remaining in regulation.

Junior quarterback Riley Robinson brings accuracy (7-for-8 against Maranacook) and mobility to the position. Kaine Hutchins and brothers Joe and Mike Casey provide the change-of-pace in the backfield.

Defensively, Frost leads a young, tough linebacking corps that includes Bryce Whittemore and Gavin Arsenault. Robinson and Hutchins each picked off a pass against Maranacook, and the Raiders’ all-star backfield will test their ability to tackle at the second level.

Oak Hill has won four of the past five games in the series, including 8-6 in the rain a year ago this weekend. In a scheduling quirk, this is the first time the regular-season contest has been played away from Dixfield since 2010.