As we are about to kick off the MIAA state tournament, we wanted to take a quick look back at where we’ve been.

Going back every year since 2013, we wanted to pick one state title game a year that was either a close game, or otherwise notable.

Let’s take a look.

2013

D4: Doherty 28, Dennis-Yarmouth 26 — The Highlanders earned a big one for Central Mass. with this victory over one of the best programs on the Cape. Current Denver Bronco Isaac Yiadom had a big day at wide receiver and defensive back, and quarterback Luke Brennan had 259 yards passing.

2014

D1: Xaverian 38, Everett 29 — This capped an undefeated season for the Hawks, who went on to win the 2015 D1 title, as well. This one was a star-studded affair, as Xaverian was led by TE/DE Joe Gaziano, who made it to the NFL, and WR/DB Coby Tippett, and Everett was led by WR/DB Lukas Denis and QB Jordan McAfee.

2015

D3: Dartmouth 26, Melrose 21 — This marked the second straight of two D3 state titles for Dartmouth, which stamped itself as the top South Coast program of the era. Melrose was on the losing end of both Dartmouth titles, but earned one of its own in 2017. Keep an eye on Dartmouth, which enters this postseason with an 8-0 record.

2016

D2: King Philip 21, Reading 18 — This was King Philip’s first state title, as the Warriors rallied past a Reading team that made life difficult. Until then, KP had been known as a program that was good, but hadn’t quite climbed the mountain just yet. The Warriors changed that belief here.

2017

D1: Everett 35, Xaverian 10 — This as not the best of games, as Everett led basically throughout and broke free of a 14-10 halftime lead. This was memorable for how good this Everett team really was. The roster was littered with D1 prospects, and already has several members collecting NFL paychecks. You don’t see teams like that around here too often.

2018

D6: Stoneham 26, Old Rochester 20 — This was maybe the best game that year. It went back and forth, before Stoneham provided the late, finishing touch. Running back Christos Argyopoulos had a long touchdown run to seal it for the Spartans. Old Rochester fans will lament a late, missed call on a fumble.

2019

D1: St. John’s Prep 21, Catholic Memorial 14 — This was significant because it was the last time Catholic Memorial played in a D1 state title game. It also marked the second consecutive D1 championship for the Eagles, who are still on a dynasty-type run in the state’s highest classification. Running back James Guy stood out for the Prep in this one.

2021

D1: Springfield Central 22, Central Catholic 15 — Although Springfield Central had D3 state title wins in 2018 and 2019, there were still some doubters as to whether the Golden Eagles could do it at the D1 level. Well, Central silenced those critics with this win, as quarterback William Watson (Virginia Tech) and wide receiver Joe Griffin (Boston College) led the way.

2022

D2: Catholic Memorial 27, King Philip 7 — The most controversial aspect of this game stemmed from the fact that, for the second straight season, Catholic Memorial was in D2, not D1. But no one could deny the talent of the Knights, who had D1 prospects all over the field and an all-time coach in John DiBiaso.