The high school season is finally here. Everyone’s undefeated, and hopes are high. There are some great matchups set for this weekend, and we will know a lot more about these teams now that these games have started. Do yourself a favor, and go see one of these matchups. Heck, see two or three. Here’s what is on tap. Bishop Feehan at Xaverian — This is an interesting one. Feehan……
MIAA 2024 Preseason Top 40 Countdown It’s here. It is August, and that means we are ready to start with the 40-team MIAA preseason countdown. Over the course of the offseason, we pared down this list from one of closer to 100. It is always difficult to get the number down to 40. This is an exhaustive exercise each year, but fun to do. We will start — in alphabetical……
MILFORD — In what is becoming a big, annual scrimmage between two of the top teams in the state, Milford hosted Springfield Central Friday night in Milford. Since the two coaching staffs put this game together in 2022, the action has been intense, and the teams generally have a better idea of what they have. On Friday, Central “won” the portion of the game played by the first string, 14-6…….
Division 1 Five teams to watch: Springfield Central, St. John’s Prep, Xaverian, Needham, Methuen Five players to watch: Mattias Barbour, WR, Springfield Central; Graham Roberts, OL, St. John’s Prep; Micah Amedee, DL, Xaverian; Aidan Williams, RB/LB, Needham; Carter Carroll, QB, BC High Outlook This, again, is a division that you might see more parity than previous ones. There are plenty of great teams, but is there one that stands way……
WEST ROXBURY and WESTWOOD — The fact that Catholic Memorial and Xaverian are less than six miles apart made the scrimmage doubleheader possible. That, and the fact that the times were staggered, with the one at CM at 11 am, and the one at Xaverian 1 p.m. For Catholic Memorial, the visitor was Fitchburg. Xaverian welcomed Merrimack Valley Conference foes Andover and Tewksbury. The one at Xaverian was a little……
BROCKTON — As Brendan Hall of ESPN Boston used to say, the Brockton and St. John’s of Shrewsbury scrimmage is the annual unofficial start of the MIAA high school football season. So, by that metric, welcome to 2024. St. John’s drove from Central Mass. down to Brockton, and the two did battle, getting the rust out and hitting someone else for the first time this season. For much of what……
Division 3 Five teams to watch: Milton, Walpole, Milford, North Attleboro, Mansfield Five players to watch: Noah Mackenzie, QB, Walpole; Dan Moore, OL, Billerica; Ryan Bannon, LB, North Attleboro; Jackson Hart, QB, Dartmouth; Johnny Gingeruha, WR, West Springfield. Outlook: We want to be clear, here. Division 3 is the most wide-open division in the state this year. It really could be anybody’s. Now, with our five teams to watch, it……
Division 5 Five teams to watch: Foxboro, Shawsheen, Hanover, Apponequet, Bishop Fenwick Five players to watch: Ben Angelini, RB, Foxboro; Sidney Tildsley, QB, Shawsheen; Brody Joly, RB, Apponequet; Aidan Boutin, RB/LB, Hanover; AJ Pinet, RB/DB, Dedham. Outlook: Unlike Division 7 and 8, we are not expecting parity out of D5. The team that won this division last year, Foxboro, actually had a junior-heavy team in 2023, and is coming back……
Division 7 Five teams to watch: Uxbridge, Clinton, Mashpee, Wahconah, Cohasset Five players to watch: Cam LaChapelle, RB, Uxbridge; Ethan Frisch, TE/RB/LB/DE, Clinton; Michael Wildfire, QB, Cohasset; Ty Holmes, RB, West Bridgewater; Dominic Matteodo, QB, Mashpee Outlook: This will be an interesting division this fall. Last year, Uxbridge proved to be a clear and capable best team, running the table and winning at Gillette over Amesbury. The Spartans lose too……
There are no shortage of teams to keep a close eye on this fall. Whether it be due to coaching changes, graduations, transfers or all the above. We’ve narrowed the list of teams that you’ll want to pay attention to down to 10. These 10 teams aren’t the best teams in the state or favorites in their respective divisions, but rather teams that have interesting storylines attached to them entering……