Sweet 16: Games with major playoff ramifications loom

We head into the final week of the regular season and there are plenty of games on the docket which could have some serious tournament implications.

Let’s take a deep dive into several of those contests.

BC High at St. John’s Prep: Catholic Conference battle of the Eagles. BC High has stamped itself as a contender by going undefeated, including a signature win over Xaverian. St. John’s Prep is coming off a lopsided loss to Catholic Memorial and would love nothing better than to knock the visiting Eagles from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Milton at Natick: Wildcats head into the final game of the season desperately needing a win to get to .500 and ensure a spot in the Div. 3 state tournament, an event they won a season ago. It won’t be an easy task as Mark Mortarelli has the Redhawks playing well.

Walpole at Wachusett: Mike Dubzinski trots onto the field for the first time as a member of the 200-win club. Across that field is a very dangerous Walpole team few opponents in the Div. 3 tournament would feel comfortable facing. Congratulations are in order for Dubzinski on becoming the 62nd coach in state history to reach the 200-win mark Friday night as his team defeated Algonquin, 32-27.

North Attleboro at Foxboro: Two Hockomock League teams with the potential to play some meaningful football games deep into November.

Manchester-Essex at Amesbury: An interesting Cape Ann League battle between solid Div. 7 teams fighting for a better tournament seeding.

Weymouth at Wellesley: Both teams are coming off losses and don’t want to head into the tournament on a two-game losing streak.

As good as the MIAA docket is, the ISL also has some big games this week. The Game of the Week could very well be Tabor at BB&N in a battle for ISL-7 supremacy. Noble and Greenough have quietly put themselves into bowl contention but will have to contend with a defensive-minded Roxbury Latin squad.

SWEET 16

1. Catholic Memorial (6-1): No doubt about it, the Knights turned in their best two-way performance in years to knock off No. 1 St. John’s Prep.

2. King Philip (7-0): Warriors have allowed just two scores over the past five weeks.

3. Needham (7-0): Rockets left no doubt as to who the premier team in the Bay State Conference is right now.

4. BC High (6-0): No letdown here following the big win over Xaverian a week ago.

5. St. John’s Prep (6-1): Eagles can’t dwell on the Catholic Memorial loss with undefeated BC High coming to town.

6. Marshfield (6-1): The offense is really clicking heading into the home stretch.

7. Xaverian (4-3): Much-needed bounce back win over Malden Catholic to snap a two-game losing streak.

8. Scituate (7-0): Another week, another offensive onslaught for the high-flying Sailors.

9. Methuen (6-1): Solid road victory over Tewksbury heading into the regular season finale against Lowell.

10. Natick (6-1): Really like the way the Redhawks are playing down the stretch.

11. Central Catholic (4-3): Caden Smith is giving the Raider faithful plenty of reasons for optimism the next two years.

12. Weymouth (6-1): Tough loss against an outstanding Needham team.

13. Reading (7-0): Rockets could very well enter the Div. 3 state tournament as the top-seed.

14. Franklin (6-1): Fifth time during the six-game winning streak that the Panthers limited the opponent to a single score.

15. Duxbury (6-1): Interesting game this week against a Hingham team that can move the ball.

16. Fairhaven (6-1): The solid showing against BC High is looking better and better every week.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/4EbshGX