It is the first day of the 2026 MIAA football season and with that comes the first batch of New England Football Journal rankings.
There are no surprises at the top. There is a clear top four in Xaverian, St. John’s Prep, Springfield Central and Catholic Memorial heading into the fall. What other teams cracked the preseason edition of the MIAA top 25?
1. Xaverian – Penn State-bound quarterback Will Wood looks to lead the Hawks to a fourth straight state title.
2. St. John’s Prep – The Eagles are loaded at skill positions led by the three-headed monster of Chris Vargas, Maxwell Parent, and Riley Selvais.
3. Springfield Central – Isaiah Rogers is one of the most dynamic running backs to come through the Bay State in quite some time.
4. Catholic Memorial – The Knights again enter the season as a massive favorite in Division 2 despite more roster turnover than usual.
5. Central Catholic – Can the Raiders break through and join Xaverian, St. John’s Prep, and Springfield Central in the top tier of Division 1?
6. North Attleboro – The Red Rocketeers are experienced on the offensive line. North should once again have an impactful run game.
7. King Philip – Despite losing head coach Brian Lee, defensive coordinator Matt Wassel and many contributing players, the Warriors have the culture in place to make noise again this fall.
8. Bridgewater-Raynham – The Trojans return some key pieces from last year’s Division 2 semifinalist squad.
9. Bishop Feehan – The Shamrocks have the pieces in place to make a return trip to Gillette Stadium.
10. Scituate – Grayson Foley is as impactful as any player in the state.
11. Tewksbury – Junior quarterback Will Harrison will keep Tewksbury in every game.
12. Milton – Head coach Steve Demobowski always reloads.
13. Leominster – Gone is record-setting quarterback Osiris Lopez, but the Blue Devils have plenty of pieces in place to be a factor in Division 1.
14. Methuen – The Rangers will be a player in Division 1 and the ever-competitive MVC.
15. Natick – The Redhawks lost quite a bit to graduation, but should be one of the better teams in the Bay State Conference.
16. Marshfield – Like Dembowksi, Chris Arouca is one of the better offensive minds in the state. The Rams will again be in the Division 3 mix.
17. Shawsheen – The Rams have become one of the best programs in the state.
18. Foxboro – Attleboro transfer Brayden Jones will add another element to the Warrior offense.
19. Mansfield – Mansfield is the fourth team (North Attleboro, King Philip, Foxboro) in the newly aligned Hockomock Davenport in the top 19.
20. Andover – The Golden Warriors are another Division 1 public school looking to make a run in November.
21. Duxbury – The Dragons are coming off a “down” season with five losses, but still finished as a Division 4 semifinalist.
22. Barnstable – The Redhawks will have one of the better front sevens in the state. Linebacker Anthony Parrella is back after missing his entire junior season due to injury.
23. Walpole – Walpole finished 2025 with a sub-.500 record, but return many core pieces and add the long time King Philip assistant Wassel to the coaching staff.
24. Norwell – Jack Luccarelli leads the Division 6 preseason favorites.
25. Wachusett – The Mountaineers will have one of the more potent passing attacks in the state.
Next in line…(alphabetical order)
BC High
Billerica
Danvers
Doherty
Franklin
Hanover
Hudson
Lincoln-Sudbury
Lowell
Marblehead
Needham
Peabody
Reading
St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Winchester