Division 1 Dish
As we attempt to go an entire blog without making a lame Halloween reference....
On November's doorstep, the landscape of Division 1 will start to be carved out this week. We already know who the contenders are, but there are teams who can single-handedly shape it with one big upset.
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR...
Game of the week:
(Nonleague) – St. John's (Shrewsbury) at Xaverian, Saturday at 1:30
In most cases, a nonleague game would take a backseat to a Division 1 game. But this contest is an early Christmas gift to any high school football fan. Heck, at the rate some cities and stores are decorating for Christmas (it's still October people), we might have jolly ol' St. Nick show up for the coin toss.
These two schools are unquestionably the best their respective part of Massachusetts has to offer at this level. Can Xaverian compete with what is being called by many the best St. John's team in years?
The Hawks may end up thankful they have had their will tested with back-to-back nail-biters, because they may find themselves in another this weekend. Both teams are statistically identical, boasting immaculate records and outscoring their opponents 3:1.
Here's a quick preview of the Pioneers for those who haven't picked up a Worcester Telegram & Gazette in a while (all stats courtesy of maxpreps.com):
Quarterback Griffin Murphy, who has thrown for 20 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards, also leads the team in rushing. Along with Christian Dulmaine and John Vassar, St. John's rushes for over 200 yards a game. Richard Rogers has been a ball magnet, hauling in 23 receptions for 381 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Others to watch:
(Merrimack Valley Large) – Central Catholic at Chelmsford, Friday at 7
The MVC (Large) crown may not be attainable right now for Chelmsford, but the Lions are arguably the most dangerous team out of the playoff race right now. Central Catholic needs a win to stay afloat in the ultra-competitive conference.
(Greater Boston League) – Medford at Everett, Friday at 7
Coach John DiBiaso will welcome former line coach and current Medford head coach Rico Dello Iacono back to the home of the defending GBL champs. Medford has three wins this season, which is a significant improvement over last year's zero. Dello Iacono has his kids believing that anything is possible, but beating the Tide is a tall order for even the most battle-hardened teams, never mind a team that is just getting its legs back under it.
(Catholic Conference) – BC High at Malden Catholic and St. John's Prep at Catholic Memorial, Friday at 7
Malden Catholic has a real chance to solidify itself as a player in the Catholic Conference if it can beat BC High. A loss for the defending Division 1 champs would be a severe disappointment and an earlier exit from the playoff picture than was expected.
Catholic Memorial's hot start is all but a distant memory now, as are St. John's Prep's dominating teams of years past. Still, a win puts either team in contention to knock Xaverian off its manifest destiny.
GOING FOR TWO
Every week, your trusty, neighborhood reporter covers one or two games a week. This year, we’ll be breaking the game down and making observations in ways that the hectic weekend schedule does not allow.
Last week's game – Xaverian 28, Bridgewater-Raynham 26 (3 OT)
Last year, when the Old Colony League was still in Division 1, Bridgewater-Raynham suffered through some tough luck and some close losses to find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time. Xaverian had a similar season.
This year, the two teams played one of the most exciting games of the year.
B-R's defense and ball control kept Xaverian off the board in the first half. The Hawks had only three short drives before halftime, one being a desperation drive as the half wound down. When Xaverian found its running game in the second half and was able to sustain drives, the Hawks were able to come back and knot the game at 14 going into overtime.
What may have been most impressive was quarterback Alex Phelan's trust in receivers he must not have anticipated throwing to in the preseason. Injuries have taken their toll on the Hawks' receiving corps, but Phelan continues to find whoever he needs to in order to put points on the board. After the game, instead of saying that no one on his team was a go-to guy, he said that everyone was a go-to guy. That's seeing the glass half-full.
KING (AND THE REST) OF THE HILL
1.Xaverian – The Hawks' held off a furious Everett comeback to win, then needs three overtimes to defeat the Trojans. These close games could be a sign of Xaverian's brutal schedule getting to the kids, or could be a blessing in disguise when it comes to a surely tough contest this Saturday against St. John's (Shrewsbury).
2.Brockton – The Boxers eliminated one would-be threat to its Big Three crown, demolishing Durfee 42-12. A Nov. 14 date with an improved New Bedford team is all that stands in the way for one of the true Division 1 contenders.
3.Everett – Its too bad for the rest of the GBL that the league games started so late in the season. The Tide seems to be closer to the great teams of this decade than the inexperienced squad seen in the first few games this season.
4.Billerica – Yes, we know Billerica beat Dracut, who squashed Everett. And yes, we know Billerica holds a few spots on Everett in the Globe's Top 20. But Everett's toddler-team is maturing every single week, and we wouldn't bet so heavily against the Tide if it were to take on the Indians in the playoffs.
5.Central Catholic – The presence of Nick LaSpada on Billerica keeps Central Catholic looking up at the Indians, but Andrew Oullette is possibly just as dangerous.
6.Andover – Not to discredit Methuen, but if Andover ends up missing out on the postseason by a point or two, John Rex's team will have to look no further than last week's loss.
7.Chelmsford – Dracut has teed off on some of Division 1's best, and Chelmsford proved to be no exception. It will be interesting to see if Joe Gennaro leads the division in scoring for a non-playoff team.
8.BC High – This whole season of uncertainty and question marks will more or less be over if Malden Catholic pulls off the upset this weekend. Like Everett, this inexperienced Eagle squad has shown improvement throughout the season.
9.Malden Catholic – Friday night's game against BC High may say more against Malden Catholic than the Eagles. BC High has demolished lesser teams, and struggled mightily against quality opponents. This is as important a game MC has played in awhile.
10.Catholic Memorial – The Knights' loss to Malden Catholic may have put a very impressive start to the season to waste.
11.St. John's Prep – Simply put, Prep needs to win three of its four remaining simply to finish .500.
12.Malden – The two teams in first-place in the GBL (Malden and Medford) are both teams with coaches in their first year.
13.Medford – The Mustangs have shown considerable growth from last year, but Everett may be hitting a stride. The GBL missed its chance to gain any ground on the Crimson Tide.
14.New Bedford – If it wasn't for an odd tie against Silver Lake, New Bedford would be above .500 over halfway through the season. Not too bad.
15.Somerville – The Highlanders left the defending OCL champions in the dirt, 30-7. Somerville has a lower ceiling than many, but they rarely play below it.
16.Lowell – Lowell, an 8-3 team a year ago with a lot of pride, has been relegated to the role of spoiler. MVC teams would be wise not to overlook them.
17.Durfee – Not to make excuses for the Hilltoppers, but looking back on their schedule to date, it hasn't been an easy one. We like Durfee to pick up one more win before the season is out.
18.Cambridge – The Falcons, on the other hand, have been blown out three straight weeks and faces a quality opponent in each of the next four.
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Look for updates from:
- Bob Holmes: A Reading resident (Go Rockets!) and Boston College graduate, Holmes is the Boston Globe High School Sports Editor. We remind you now that his weekly picks are often made in jest so everyone just calm down when he picks against Everett for 11 straight weeks.
- Mike Carraggi: An Everett native (Go Tide!), Mike attends Eastern Nazarene college and is entering his second year with the Globe. He'll focus on Division 1 this fall, which means he'll spend a lot of time in his hometown, which Forsberg thinks is cool because the Tide have that Fried Dough cart.
- Emily Wright: A Hyannis native (Go Barnstable Red Raiders!), Emily is a senior at Emerson College and has been with the Globe since the end of July. She'll cover Division 1A and will be the first intern we've trusted to navigate her way to Dennis-Yarmouth or any other school on the Cape.
- Mike Grossi: A Lexington native (Go Minutemen!), Mike attends Northeastern and has been with the Globe for two months. He'll cover Division 2 and 2A and unsuccessfully lobbied to include Lexington in the preseason Top 20.
- Jonathan Raymond: A native of Benicia, Calif. (a suburb of San Francisco), Jonathan attends Northeastern and has been working at the Globe since the end of June. He will be focusing on Division 3 and is likely woefully underprepared for covering a game in a foot of snow.
- David Carty: A native of West Bridgewater (Go Wildcats!), David is a senior at Emerson College and has been working at the Globe for a year. He'll cover Divisions 3A and 4 because, "small school ball is in my blood."
- The bench: You'll also catch updates from our regional contributors, including Globe North's Julian Benbow and South's Monique Walker. Correspondent Brendan Hall will have updates from the Globe West coverage area and will often try to sneak in Central Mass. news.
