Images courtesy of Tim Crowley & North Attleborough Football
By Tyler Amaral
NEFJ Staff
MIAA Division 3 Super Bowl – Friday, December 5 7:45 PM
No. 7 North Attleborough (10-2) vs No. 1 King Philip (12-0)
Points per game: North Attleborough 27.6, King Philip 32.6
Points allowed per game: North Attleborough 14.8, King Philip 8.7
Signature wins: North Attleborough – Foxborough, Barnstable, Milton; King Philip – North Attleborough, Natick, Mansfield
Players to watch: North Attleborough – Nathan Rivera, Frankie Strachan, Dylan Brousseau, Ryan Gustafson; King Philip – Tallan King, Keigan Canto-Osorio, Kyle Danson, Liam King
Outlook: North Attleborough is the defending Division 3 state champion. Coach Mike Strachan has done a fantastic job to get Big Red back to the big stage after losing many starters from last year’s team. The Red Rocketeers have an opportunity to avenge one of their two regular season losses. Coach Strachan does a fantastic job with different run concepts on offense. In two straight postseasons, North has given opponents fits with its physical run game from a variety of different looks and formations. Frankie Strachan has done much of the heavy lifting, but Dylan Brousseau has been fantastic in playoff wins over Barnstable and Milton. Brousseau makes enough plays as both a runner and as a passer. The offensive line is very young, but have played like a seasoned group for most of the season. Rivera is one of the best defensive lineman in the state. King Philip is the standard in the Hockomock League and for public schools in Massachusetts. Under the guidance of head coach Brian Lee the Warriors are now playing at Gillette for the eighth time in nine seasons. 2019 is the only season the Warriors failed to make it to the state championship game during this run. King Philip won state championships in 2016, 2017 and 2023. Now that Catholic Memorial is no longer standing in the way (the Warriors are in their first season in Division 3), the Warriors entered the season as the prohibitive favorite in the division. King and Canto-Osorio are as good as it gets in the state for backfield tandems. Each player is capable of running for 200 yards and multiple scores on any given night. The defense is once again a major strength for the Warriors under the direction of defensive coordinator Matt Wassel. This game will be a classic Hockomock League rock fight.
Prediction: King Philip 17, North Attleborough 7