NEFJ Staff
We’ve reached the final week of the Massachusetts high school football regular season. Milford is the one team to fall out after suffering its third loss in four games. The Scarlet Hawks have been replaced by Bridgewater-Raynham.
There are six ranked-vs.-ranked matchups this week, giving teams one final chance to improve their playoff seeding. Brackets will be finalized for all eight divisions Sunday, November 2.
Here’s how thing stand heading into the final week:
1. St. John’s Prep (7-0) vs Catholic Memorial – The Eagles continue to roll, winning their last seven games by multiple scores. League rival Catholic Memorial awaits.
2. Springfield Central (6-1) vs West Springfield – Central’s only loss came in the final seconds against St. John’s Prep in week 1.
3. Xaverian (5-2) at Malden Catholic – Hawks are once again playing their best football with the playoffs on the horizon.
4. Catholic Memorial (6-1) at St. John’s Prep – The Knights got back to their winning ways after losing to Xaverian.
5. King Philip (7-0) vs Attleboro – The Warriors pounded Milford and are yet again closing in on a Hockomock League title.
6. Tewksbury (7-0) at Andover – Redmen are playing like the best team in Division 4. Andover is a great test before the postseason.
7. Barnstable (6-1) vs Bridgewater-Raynham – Barnstable fell to Rhode Island power La Salle last week. A tough Bridgewater-Raynham team is up next.
8. Bishop Feehan (6-1) vs Taunton – The Shamrocks continue to find ways to win after a lopsided week 1 loss to Xaverian.
9. Winchester (7-0) vs Belmont – The Red & Black continues to rack up 14-plus point wins.
10. Natick (6-1) at Milton – Redhawks are poised to make a deep playoff run in Division 1.
11. Methuen (6-1) vs Billerica – Rangers are another sneaky team in Division 1. Their lone loss is to sixth-ranked Tewksbury.
12. Foxboro (6-1) at North Attleboro – One more challenge for the Warriors before the Division 5 playoffs begin.
13. Shawsheen (7-0) at Greater Lowell – Shawsheen smothered Greater Lawrence star Gustavo Varela en route to its 21st straight win.
14. Scituate (6-1) vs Hanover – Sailors are rolling since the loss to Plymouth South.
15. Central Catholic (4-3) at Haverhill – Raiders are looking to close the season on a high note and enter the Division 1 playoffs with momentum on their side.
16. Mansfield (5-2) vs Canton – There are no off weeks in the Hockomock League.
17. North Attleboro (5-2) vs Foxboro – North is coming off a tough loss to Mansfield. Things won’t get any easier this week for Big Red.
18. Marshfield (5-2) at Plymouth North – Rams are coming off an impressive 7-6 road win at Hingham.
19. Masconomet (7-1) BYE WEEK – The Chieftains have a bye week before the Division 3 gauntlet begins. Masco completed an improbable comeback last week versus Marblehead.
20. Milton (6-1) vs Natick – Milton is another Division 3 hopeful. Can they match Natick’s physicality?
21. Archbishop Williams (7-0) at Cathedral – The young stars continue to shine bright in Braintree.
22. Marblehead (6-1) vs Danvers – Magicians are looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking loss to Masconomet.
23. Canton (5-2) at Mansfield – The Bulldogs are 1-2 in league play, but are capable of playing with any team in Division 4 when the calendar flips to November.
24. Andover (5-2) vs Tewksbury – The Golden Warriors were blown out by Central Catholic last week. Another tough Merrimack Valley test awaits.
25. Bridgewater-Raynham (5-2) at Barnstable – After a 1-2 start, the Trojans have won four in a row, all by at least 23 points.
Best of the rest
Abington
Amesbury
Ashland
Bedford
Burlington
Hingham
Leominster
Lincoln-Sudbury
Lowell
Medfield
Milford
Norwell
Shepherd Hill
Wachusett
Weymouth