By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Xaverian's Maurice Hurst announced via twitter that he has verbally committed to attend and play football at the University of Michigan. The Canton resident is expected to play defensive tackle for the Wolverines.

"I'm happy for him,'' said Xaverian coach and athletic director Charlie Stevenson. "It's something that he's worked very hard to achieve.''

The 6-2, 270-pound Hurst has one year left at Xaverian, where he was a Catholic Conference All-Star for the Hawks.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

East Boston Principal Mike Rubin — who also sits on the MIAA Board of Directors — said on Thursday morning that he plans to pick the brains of the Boston City League football coaches before voting on the latest state-wide football playoff proposal on June 7.

Rubin said on Thursday he would try to schedule a meeting with the coaches ahead of the June 7 meeting, at which board could vote on the proposal. Earlier this month the MIAA’s Tournament Management Committee voted in favor of the proposed playoff.

“I’m trying to get a pulse from the city coaches to see how they feel about it so I asked my coach and I called [Boston schools Athletic Director] Ken Still today to set up a meeting with city coaches," Rubin said. "I want to get their feelings about the new proposal. I want to know how they feel.

"I want to know not just how I feel about it because I’m not the one coaching. ... It’s a busy time of year because of proms, award banquets, graduations and those things in the next couple weeks but I want to have a meeting to be prepared in the best possible light on June 7."

On Friday afternoon, however, Still said a meeting wasn't feasible. He said his department was reaching out to all the football coaches via telephone and e-mail to find out how they feel about the proposal.

"He wants to hear back from [the coaches] on their specific like and dislikes," Still said of Rubin.

Still said he spoke to two or three coaches who don't like the proposal. Still said most coaches in the city are content with the city's current post-season bids. He also said his department doesn't have the money in its budget for travel to more post-season games.

Rubin said he was impressed by a recent presentation on the proposed playoff format to the MIAA but he also said he has the feeling that the city coaches will be against the plan just like they were when a playoff proposal was shot down by the MIAA board of directors in 2010.

Rubin, who sat down with all the the city football coaches before the 2010 proposal was defeated, said he also has an idea how how the coaches feel about the proposal.

“I’ve gotten that feeling but I haven’t talked to them yet,” he said. “The only one I’ve talked to is my coach [John Parziale]. I want to get a collective feeling on how they are all feeling before I go out and say anything.”

On June 7 the 18-member board could either vote to support the proposal, vote to defeat it or push it to a vote of the annual meeting in March 2013. The board can also ask the Tournament Management Committee to come back with more information at the June 18 board meeting.

The board could also vote to approve the two-year pilot proposal but delay the implementation until 2014.

Rubin said his only concern with the proposal is that high school leaders have a chance to see it before it’s implemented.

“I just felt that enough people hadn’t heard the proposal,” he said. “My only concern is making sure all the headmasters and principals get information on the proposal. The MIAA today sent out the proposal to all high school leaders. I just want to make sure everyone has seen the proposal and make sure we’re not pushing anything through without everyone seeing it.”

Justin A. Rice covers Boston Public school athletics. He can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

BC High didn’t have to look far to find a new football coach, naming defensive coordinator Joe Gaff to succeed Jon Bartlett.

‘‘I’m extremely humbled and very excited to be taking on this position,’’ Gaff said in a release from the Dorchester school. ‘‘BC High is a warm and welcoming community that haqs provided me with great opportunity for personal growth. Jon Bartlett is certainly a touch act to follow, but the squad coming up is a very fine group of young men.’’

Gaff has been BC High’s defensive coordinator the last four years. Last fall, the Eagles had the second best defense in Division 1, allowing just 13.9 ppg. A 26-year veteran of the Everett police department, Gaff has 11 years of head coaching experience including time at Chelsea, Matignon, and Malden Catholic. He also served as an assistant coach at Tufts for three years.

‘‘We are thrilled to have Joe lead our program,’’ said Bartlett, who will remain as BC High’s athletic director. ‘‘... he understands the vision of our program and the core values of our school.’’

Bartlett announced he was stepping down in April after four years as head coach. Last fall, BC High went 10-3 and won the Division 1 Super Bowl, beating Needham 21-7 at Gillette Stadium.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

FRANKLIN -- Even with the biggest hurdle yet to come, a 10-4 vote in favor of a state-wide football playoff system by the Tournament Management Committee Thursday included something usually missing from an MIAA meeting -- a celebration.

It wasn’t a wild, cork-popping affair, but rather an acknowledgment by all that football players across the state are one step closer to joining their soccer, field hockey, and volleyball playing classmates in a playoff system that will allow greater participation and produce a real state champion.

"It's been a long haul and I think it’s a great opportunity," said Kathleen McSweeney, TMC chair and Plymouth North principal. "I think it’s a step in the right direction."

McSweeney, who also chaired the ad hoc committee that produced the proposal that was voted down at the annual meeting in 2010, immediately texted her vice-principal Bill Burkhead after the vote. It was Burkhead, as Plymouth North’s athletic director, who was a key figure in crafting the last proposal. And it may have been that failed proposal that’s helping propel this one along.

"Yes, all the work that we went through really laid the foundation," McSweeney said. "I think it got people thinking differently, that it really is possible to take a look at what's best for kids and best for football."

But the vote wasn't unanimous.

"I have financial concerns as a high school principal," said Tantasqua principal Mike Lucas. "Budgets are always tough. I'm concerned about the loss of local rivalries. But I felt like I got to ask my questions today and they were answered for the most part. I represent Central Mass and the dissolving of Division 3, you now have more schools that are mismatched size-wise playing each other and to me that's a concern."

St. Peter-Marian assistant principal Rich Riley supported the proposal.

"Football is a unique sport," said Riley. "I can appreciate the thorough study the Football Committee presented us. I think they addressed all the major and many of the minor concerns from two years ago. They did their homework and I think it’s worth trying such a playoff proposal."

But as any veteran follower of the MIAA knows, one committee is usually followed by another. Next up for the proposal is the June 7 meeting of the MIAA’s board of directors. The options available to the 18-member board are many. It can vote to support the proposal, defeat it, push it to a vote of the annual meeting in March of 2013, or, if they have questions, throw it back to the TMC to get answers at their June 18 meeting. And since it’s a two-year pilot, they could even vote to delay the start until 2014.

But for now, the work of the State Football Coaches Association and the MIAA Football Committee appears over.

"Pretty much. It will really fall into the hands of the board in how they want to deal with it," said Football Committee chair and Ipswich principal Barry Cahill. "But I think it's time and we have a good enough plan so that it’s worth them supporting it."

And for Cahill, who is retiring this summer after 26 years as a principal, his last grade was a good one. The committee’s task was to convince the TMC it was worth their support and they did.

"The grade was pretty good," said McSweeney. "They get an A."

Following are the proposed alignments for the new state-wide playoff system. Schools can appeal their placement. If approved, it would start in 2013.

Eastern Mass.

Division 1 North
1. Lawrence
2. Lowell
3. St. John’s Prep
4. Acton Boxboro
5. Malden
6. Everett
7. Lexington
8. Methuen
9. Peabody
10. Andover
11. Chelmsford
12. Central Catholic

Division 1 South
1. Brockton
2. BC High
3. New Bedford
4. Framingham
5. Weymouth
6. Newton North
7. Attleboro
8. Xaverian
9. Brookline
10. Bridgewater- Raynham
11. Franklin
12. Catholic Memorial

Division 2 North
1. Haverhill
2. Cambridge
3. Newton South
4. Westford Academy
5. Lincoln-Sudbury
6. Lynn English
7. Billerica
8. Waltham
9. Lynn Classical
10. North Andover
11. Malden Catholic
12. Reading

Photo courtesy of Pam Rogers

Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett and Boston high school student Fred McAfee enjoyed a football clinic for special needs students at Harvard last week.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

A familiar father/son duo leads the list of honorees for the Jack Grinold Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

John and Jonathan DiBiaso of Everett High School head the 2012 award recipients who will be honored Monday, May 14, at Lombardo’s in Randolph. The pair, along with Bentley University quarterback Bryant Johnson, Curry College head coach Skip Bandini, and 33 additional high school scholar-athletes will be recognized at the foundation’s annual dinner.

The elder DiBiaso will receive the Ed Schluntz Contributions to Amateur Football Award. DiBiaso has been the coach at Everett for the past 20 years and has compiled a 198-21 record. His 2011 team, led by his quarterback son Jonathan, compiled a perfect 13-0 record and captured the Division IA Eastern Massachusetts Super Bowl. Jonathan has been selected as one of 34 scholar-athletes by the Chapter. DiBiaso has also been head coach at St. Patrick’s High School in Watertown and Weston High School. His teams have won 10 Eastern Massachusetts Super Bowls, and his Everett teams have won the Greater Boston League title for 16 consecutive seasons.

Johnson is the recipient of the inaugural Jack Daly Award for Academics, Citizenship and Football. The Hopedale native started every game at quarterback for Bentley for the past three years. He holds the Bentley career completion percentage record (.613) and ranks in the top three in all major passing categories. A two time All-Northeast 10 selection, Johnson was named the Conference Most Valuable Offensive Player in 2010. Johnson is a master’s degree candidate in Business Administration with a concentration in Accountancy and Financial Planning who was named a Capital One Academic All-District selection in 2011. He has coached youth football and basketball in Waltham, been a Special Olympics volunteer, and was a member of the Bentley Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Bandini has been the head coach at Curry for the past six years and will receive the Ron Burton Distinguished American Award. A member of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Hall of Fame as an offensive lineman, Bandini has been head coach at St. Clement and Don Bosco (his alma mater) high schools, and has been an assistant at Dom Savio, Stoneham, Reading, MIT, UMass-Lowell, Mount Ida, and Curry. His Curry teams have compiled a 52-16 record (.765), won two New England Football Conference Championships, and been selected for the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament three times. Off the field, Bandini is the founder of MasterSports, a non-profit corporation providing scholarship money to deserving high school football players.

For ticket information, call Jim Seavey at 508-830-5054.

A look at the 34 winners of this year’s Scholar-Athlete Award:

Adam Bakopolus
High School: Buckingham Browne & Nichols
College choice: Bowdoin
A three-year starter at wide receiver and defensive back for coach John Papas ... received Independent School League honors his senior year and was named team student-athlete award winner ... also plays varsity golf and basketball ... his lowest grade at BB&N was an A- ... studied in Russia as exchange student.

Daniel Barone
High School: Holliston High School
College choice: Bowdoin
A Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic selection, Barone was the Globe’s Division 3 Player of the Year. A three-year starter at quarterback, he was the leading scorer in Division 3 last fall with 135 points ... Has participated in annual Mission trips to Mississippi and coaches youth football and basketball.

Jamie Bourque
High School: Wakefield
College choice: Boston College
Broke Wakefield’s all-time records for yards passing in a single season with 1,718 and was named a Middlesex League All-Star ... Led by Bourque, Wakefield went 9-2 and won the Middlesex Small title ... Ranked 24th in a class of 239 ... a three-sport athlete, he also runs outdoor track and plays basketball.

Brian Bowser
High School: Belmont Hill
College choice: Bowdoin
A three-year starter at tight end and linebacker, Bowser was named an ISL All-Star his senior year as well as earning recognition as All New England in Class B ... Bowser was team captain and led Belmont Hill in tackles ... Bowser also plays lacrosse ... volunteers with the “Work Crew,” a group that helps the elderly.

Henry Bumpus
High school: Concord-Carlisle
College choice: Brown
The 6-6, 225-pound tight end was a Boston Herald, Boston Globe, ESPNBoston, and Lowell Sun All-Scholastic for the Super Bowl winning Patriots ... Also named to the Mass Coaches All-State team and Shriners All-Star roster ... Bumpus has a 3.64 GPA ... Also plays varsity basketball and lacrosse.

Matt Cahill
High School: Lincoln-Sudbury
College choice: Tufts
A three-year starter at quarterback and defensive back for the Warriors, he was twice named to the Dual County League All-Star team ... Cahill holds all career passing records at L-S (attempts, completions, yards and TDs) ... captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams ... 3.99 GPA and won Harvard Book Award as a junior.

Andrew Coke
High School: Andover
College choice: Brown
A two-time Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic as a running back and defensive back for the Golden Warriors ... Was the leading scorer in Division 1, third leading scorer as a senior ... Coke ran for 1,200 yards and caught passes for another 400 yards his senior year ... has a 3.3 GPA and was team captain.

Jack Connolly
High School: St. Sebastian’s
College choice: Dartmouth
Three-year starter for St. Seb’s at running back and a two-time Independent School League All-Star ... Also named to the Mass Coaches All-State team and to the All New England team for Class B ... ranked 11th in his class ... Connolly also a two-time ISL All-Star in lacrosse ... National Honor Society member.

Douglas Crook
High School: Barnstable
College choice: Worcester Academy
One of the top quarterbacks in state history, Crook finished his career with 76 touchdown passes, good for fifth place all-time ... A two-time Old Colony League All-Star and four-year starter, Crook led Barnstable to a Division 1A playoff berth ... Also plays basketball and baseball and is a member of the National Honor Society ... A Special Olympics volunteer.

Michael Decina
High School: Hopkinton
College choice: Bates
A two-time Tri-Valley League All-Star, Decina started three years at Hopkinton at quarterback and defensive back ... Decina is a three-sport captain (football, hockey, baseball) ... Finished his career with 3,210 yards passing and this year led Division 3 with 18 touchdown passes ... has a 3.6 GPA ... is a peer mentor for younger students.

Jonathan DiBiaso
High School: Everett
Next fall: Philips Exeter
The record-setting quarterback finished as the leading passer in state history with 103 career touchdown passes. He also holds the state single-season mark with 44 ... DiBiaso played for his father and head coach John ... Everett won Super Bowl titles the last two years ... DiBiaso is ranked 24th in a class of 394 and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Nicholas DiChiara
High School: Buckingham Browne & Nichols
College choice: Colgate
A four-year starter at fullback and linebacker for BB&N, DiChiara was a two-time ISL All-Star ... he was also chosen for the Mass Coaches All-State team as well as the Shriners game ... also plays varsity basketball and lacrosse ... was captain of the basketball and football teams ... was voted junior class president.

Shane Donovan
High School: Thayer Academy
College choice: Wesleyan
The 6-0, 290-pound lineman was a four-year starter for the Braintree ISL school ... Donovan was a two-time winner of ISL All-Star honors ... named to the NEPSAC All-New England team ... was captain of the football and track teams and one of the top wrestlers in the ISL ... scored a 780 on math SAT and is a talented musician.

Steven Jepeal
High School: Austin Prep
College choice: Notre Dame
A two-year starter at one both sides on the line at tackle, he earned Catholic Central Large All-Star honors his senior year ... also runs indoor track and plays lacrosse ... president of the student council, vice-president of the Russian Club and the New England Club ... scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of SAT.

Dan Laorenza
High School: North Andover
College choice: Wesleyan
Playing wide receiver and safety for the Knights, Laorenza earned CAL/NEC Division 1 All-Star honors ... football captain as well as two-year starter for the North Andover baseball team ... also earned the 2011 team Sportsmanship Award ... writes for the school newspaper ... volunteer with the Special Olympics.

Nicholas Leonard
High School: Mansfield
College choice: Boston College
As a two-year starter for Mansfield at offensive guard and linebacker, Leonard was a key figure in the Hornets 19-3 regular season record ... a member of the Sun-Chronicle All-Area team and team captain ... ranked 13th in a class of 361 ... a member of both the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society.

Kevin McCarthy
High School: Hingham
College choice: Columbia
A three-year starter and two-time Patriot League All-Star, McCarthy excelled at running back and defensive back ... captain of the football team. Also plays basketball and runs track ... McCarthy volunteers at homeless shelter and Hingham Food Pantry ... was MVP of the Thanksgiving game his junior year ... selected to play in Shriners game.

Michael McKie
High School: Boston Latin
College choice: Boston College
A two-year starter at center and linebacker, McKie was named a Dual County League All-Star his senior year ... also an expert long snapper on kicking team ... responsible for calling assignments on both sides of the ball ... also plays baseball ... a member of the National Honor Society as well as an accomplished saxophone player.

Jameson McShea
High School: BC High
College choice: Harvard
One of the top players in the state, McShea was the Boston Globe’s Division 1 Player of the Year, a Boston Herald All-Scholastic, a member of the Coaches All-State team, and the Catholic Conference Lineman of the Year ... an accomplished artist as well the football team captain ... volunteered in New Jersey helping at a soup kitchen.

Michael Minahan
High School: Belmont Hill
College choice: Georgetown
A wide receiver and defensive back, he started two years at Belmont Hill and earned both ISL and All New England honors his senior year ... a rare three-sport captain at Belmont Hill with football, basketball, and track ... a member of the student admission committee as well as the drug & alcohol committee ... did volunteer work at a Jamaican orphanage.

Matthew Montalto
High School: Dennis-Yarmouth
College choice: Bentley
A two-time Boston Herald and Boston Globe All-Scholastic, Montalto was also named the Globe’s Division 2A Player of the Year ... He threw for 25 touchdowns and ran for another 15 as the Dolphins won the Div. 2A Super Bowl ... captain of the football, ice hockey, and baseball teams ... was an ACL All-Star in hockey ... a member of the National Honor Society.

Reilly Naton
High School: Duxbury
College choice: Yale
A three-year starter at receiver and safety for one of the most successful teams in the state, Naton earned Patriot League All-Star honors his senior year during which Duxbury won the Division 2 Super Bowl ... caught 27 passes for 526 yards his senior year ... captain for football and lacrosse and a National Honor Society member.

Stephen O’Grady
High School: North Andover
College choice: Colby
The center and linebacker earned Cape Ann/Northeastern Conference All-Star honors his senior ... A three-year starter, North Andover went 26-8 over that time. Also a Cape Ann All-League player his junior year and a Lawrence Eagle-Tribune All-Star his senior year ... Ranked 8th in a class of 300, he’s a member of the National Honor Society.

Matthew O’Keefe
High School: Duxbury
College choice: Johns Hopkins
The Globe’s Division 2 Player of the Year, O’Keefe also was named to the Boston Herald All-Scholastic team ... O’Keefe threw for 35 touchdowns and 2,300 yards his senior year and led the Green Dragons to the Division 2 Super Bowl title ... also one of the top lacrosse players in the state ... involved in mentor program for freshman students.

Leo Parnell
High School: East Boston
College choice: North Shore Community College
A three-year starter for the Jets on both lines, Parnell was recognized this year as the Player of the Year in Boston as well as Boston Herald All-Scholastic ... also one of nine players to earn Courageous Player Awards from the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association ... ranked in top half of his graduating class.

Daniel Pierce
High School: Needham
College choice: Middlebury
The Rockets won the Bay State Carey title and a berth in the Division 1 playoffs led by their talented receiver and safety. A two-year starter, he earned conference all-star honors his senior year ... finished with six touchdown receptions and 750 yards his senior year ... has done volunteer work in Costa Rica and has a 4.64 GPA.

Will Quigley
High School: Marblehead
College choice: Brown
A Boston Herald and Boston Globe All-Scholastic, Quigley was a three-year starter at running back and corner ... finished as Marblehead’s all-time leading scorer with 45 touchdowns ... also finished with 3,900 career all-purpose yards and 11 interceptions ... the varsity baseball captain ... member of the Bridging Lives program at Marblehead.

Armani Reeves
High School: Catholic Memorial
College choice: Ohio State
One of the most talented players in the state, Reeves finished as the sixth leading scorer in Division 1 with 16 touchdowns. A three-year starter, he ran for 1,103 yards and caught 21 passes, also had 51 tackles on defense ... captain of the football and basketball teams ... a member of the CM Leadership Program and Campus Ministry.

Mark Riley
High School: Needham
College choice: Bates
The two-year starter and Bay State Carey All-Star had 72 receptions for 15 touchdowns and 1,266 yards his senior year ... named to the Boston Globe All-Scholastic team ... the Rockets captain, he led team to Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette for first time in school history ... brother Bobby a former NFF recipient.

Peter Trombly
High School: Acton-Boxboro
College choice: Virginia
Trombly was the sole captain of 2011 Colonials and a Dual County Large All-Star playing offensive guard and linebacker ... also wrestles and was a US Lacrosse Academic All-American ... Trombly is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society ... an MIAA Student Ambassador.

Will Twyman
High School: Lincoln-Sudbury
College choice: Brown
A tight end and linebacker, Twyman was a three-year starter at L-S and a two-time Dual County League All-Star ... was named to the Boston Globe All-Scholastic team his senior year ... recorded 117 tackles, 4 interceptions, and three forced fumbles as L-S won the DCL Large title ... also a member of the Coaches All-State team.

Andrew VanderWilden
High School: Concord-Carlisle
College choice: Brown
A three-year starter and two-time Dual County League Lineman of the Year, VanderWilden was named to the Boston Herald All-Scholastic team ... The Patriots finished 11-0 this fall and won the Division 3 Super Bowl title at Gillette led by their senior captain ... volunteered in Louisiana building houses ... also coaches youth football.

Michael Walsh
High School: Swampscott
College choice: Brown
Walsh threw for 2,200 yards and 25 touchdowns in leading his team to a 9-2 record ... Earned Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic honors after being named the CAL/NEC Division 2 Player of the Year ... captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams ... volunteers for meals on wheels and North Shore Holocaust Center.

Camren Williams
High School: Catholic Memorial
College choice: Ohio State
A Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Williams was one of the top linebackers in the state. A three-year starter, he was named to the Coaches All-State team and was a Catholic Conference All-Star ... made 119 tackles in 9 games ... also a member of the National Honor Society, the Campus Ministry, and the CM leadership team.

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

Keith Parker will become just the third coach in Boston English history to be inducted to the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association Sunday and two longtime rivals couldn’t be happier for him.

‘‘We had some great times together,’’ said former East Boston coach John Sousa. ‘‘Keith Parker is just a great role model, just a great presence for these kids in the city. I can’t tell you how many kids he’s taken under his wing and got scholarships, set up for college and given them guidance. He gave them what they don’t have in their home life. He’s given his heart and soul to English and this is well deserved and it’s an honor for me to present him the award.”

Parker will be one of six coaches inducted into the hall of fame at an annual awards banquet Sunday night in Randolph. He’ll join Tony Wood of St. John’s of Shrewsbury, North Quincy’s Ken McPhee, Bay Path’s Al Dhembe, Dighton-Rehoboth’s Dave Driscoll and Mahar’s James Woodward.

Known to his players simply as PK because that’s the way he signed into school each morning, Parker will be just the 15th coach from Boston to be inducted into the hall of fame, including two coaches from Boston Latin School. Bill Ohrenberger, who was inducted in 1965, and William Stewart, who was inducted in 1984, are the only other coaches from English in the football hall of fame.

‘‘It’s a special honor,’’ Parker said. “I’m thrilled to be able to be inducted.”

Parker chose to be introduced by Sousa, also his former assistant of 14 years and who retired from East Boston in 2009, the same year Parker retired.

Sousa is likely to be the next coach from Boston inducted into the hall of fame and he said he will return the favor by having Parker induct him. Parker will give a speech Sunday in front of about 50 family, friends, former colleagues and former players who will attend the ceremony as his guests.

‘‘I’ll be quite welled up because as I said I’ll have five tables worth of family and friends that are going to be there,” Parker said. “In my acceptance speech I’m going to point out a few things that it’s not easy to be a coach at Boston English for 30-plus years.’’

After his tenure as English’s head coach ended in 2009, Parker finished his career 141-169-5, with five Boston City League titles and two Super Bowl titles.

"He’s done a great job, and he stayed with it,” said former Boston Latin coach and Hall of Famer Paul Costello. ‘‘There were times he had better people than we did and he gave us a tough time. Other times we had a great team and he gave us fits. Most of the time he was always in the game.

‘‘He was a class act. When I retired [in 2000] they came over at halftime and gave me a plaque from English. That was very thoughtful, very classy.’’

In his first year as head coach in 1980, Parker went 8-1-1 (including a victory against Latin) and won the English’s first city title in 14 years. Parker would not beat the Wolfpack again until his best season in 1997 when the Bulldogs topped off an undefeated campaign with a 24-18 win against Greater Lawrence in the Super Bowl.

"This induction, me receiving this honor totally verifies the years I spent at English High School because you don’t get this honor unless you deserve it,’’ Parker said. ‘‘And it’s an honor from my peers.’’

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

Jon Bartlett announced Wednesday that he will step down as head football coach at BC High. He will remain the school's athletic director.

"As far as athletic director, head football coach, husband, and father of a young family, there's a lot going on," Bartlett said as he watched the Eagles' baseball team host Xaverian. "It comes to a point where you need to prioritize and I had to make a decision."

The Eagles defeated Needham, 21-7, at Gillette Stadium to win the Division 1 Super Bowl, the team's second under Bartlett. The four-year coach also guided the Eagles to a pair of Catholic Conference titles and a 32-12 record.

Bartlett hopes to find a replacement "as soon as possible," and plans to start looking for a successor within the program "sooner than later." He notified his players before making the announcement.

"I told the players this afternoon," Bartlett said. "I wouldn't have made the decision public until I talked to them first."

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent

This awards ceremony and program are designed to recognize Massachusetts high school student-athletes who have demonstrated excellence in three disciplines: academics, athletics and citizenship. The ceremony will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Curry Student Center Ballroom at Northeastern University.

The theme of this year’s event is “How Can Student-Athletes Make a Difference in the Community?”

The event, which is being sponsored by Sport in Society at Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, is open to schools in Districts A, B, C, D, E and H.

Each school can nominate two male and two female students that merit this recognition and have participated in community service. One faculty member, coach, or parent representative should also be willing to provide transportation and accompany the students.

For more information contact Ted O’Reilly at 617-373-4025 or m.oreilly@neu.edu.

Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJustinRice or @BPSspts.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Wellesley has named Jesse Davis as its new football coach following the departure of 10-year coach Bill Tracey who stepped down in January.

Davis, a 1999 graduate of the school and one of its former football captains, had been the defensive coordinator for the varsity team. He also was the school's wrestling coach the last four years and played football at Norwich University before a stint with the Marines.

"We had many very strong candidates for the position," Wellesley athletic director John Brown said in an e-mail. "Jesse's pride, commitment and dedication along with his deep passion for the tradition of Wellesley High School football is unmatched. We are very excited by the enthusiasm and energy that Jesse will bring to the head coach's position and the Wellesley High School football program."

Patriots defensive back James Ihedigbo will be a featured speaker at at a spring invitational for high school football teams at his alma mater, UMass. (Jim Rogash / Getty Images)

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The Association for Diversity in Sport is holding a spring invitational football tournament at UMass for eight high school football teams, and New England Patriots safety James Ihedigbo is the featured speaker at the daylong event.

Ihedigbo is an alumnus of UMass.

The tournament, which will be a seven-on-seven round-robin with three games guaranteed, will be held April 21 at Groff Park in Amherst. The association is looking for participating schools.

For information on the invitational and how to register, e-mail ADS7on7@gmail.com or call Alex Mercer at 484-574-6421. You can also visit http://adsfootball.weebly.com/.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Billerica senior Nick LaSpada will head to Watertown, Conn., this fall, selecting Taft over Phillips Exeter and Phillips Andover.

LaSpada was targeted for Harvard before health issues ended his football season in November. He then set his sites on a year of prep school and narrowed down his choices to Taft, Exeter, and Andover.

It wasn't the only good news LaSpada has heard recently. He's also been cleared to play baseball this spring for the Indians.

By Phil Perry, Globe Correspondent

George Craan took to his knees and prayed when he heard the news.

The Concord-Carlisle running back was on the phone with Patriots coach Mike Robichaud yesterday when he was told Boston College had officially offered him a football scholarship.

“I said ‘Amen’ because I’ve been praying this would happen,” said Craan, who announced via Twitter that he would be attending BC.

“Without God, this wouldn’t have happened. And to play in front of my family in my hometown – they say there’s nothing better than playing in your hometown. I always wanted to be a BC Eagle since I was a little kid so I’m happy with the decision.”

Craan amassed 1,800 total yards and scored 24 touchdowns in his senior season. A two-time Globe All-Scholastic, he helped the Patriots (13-0) finish undefeated when he ran for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns in C-C’s 42-9 Division 3 Super Bowl victory over Oliver Ames.

BC had shown interest in the 5-foot-10, 205-pound back since last summer when he attended the school’s football camp. But when National Signing Day came and went on Feb. 1 without any contact, Craan was set on doing a college preparatory year.

Then BC called last Saturday to re-ignite the recruiting process.

“We thought that boat had sailed,” Robichaud said. “It’s a great testament to George that he was able to continue to do the right things in the classroom and stay positive and stay focused.”

Craan, who intends on enrolling in the Carroll School of Management, was excited about the academic opportunities he will have at the Heights.

“It’s not just a football school,” said Craan. “It’s highly-respected for its academics. Walking out of BC with a degree is something to be proud of.”

Before Craan made his announcement on Twitter, he told his mother, Ines Vilme. Elated, she immediately began calling the family’s relatives in Haiti to share the news.

Craan, a Metco student from Hyde Park, reflected on the efforts he made before his senior season began. Determined to be with his teammates as much as possible last summer, he took the commuter rail, then walked or got rides from friends to get to team workouts. If he had extra energy when he got home, he lifted weights at his local YMCA, and ran sprints at Madison Park High School.

“This allows me to see that hard work pays off,” Craan said. “Without my team, including my coaches, my [offensive line], my defense, this wouldn’t have happened. It was a group effort.”

According to Robichaud, Craan is the first Concord-Carlisle product to receive a scholarship from Boston College since quarterback Willie Hicks in 1987. Hicks has served as a mentor to Craan during the recruiting process and spoke to Craan before he visited BC’s campus on Friday for an admissions interview.

Craan will continue to workout at his local YMCA as well as at the Acton-based gym CATZ as he looks ahead to his career at BC, where the uniforms will have a familiar look.

“It will feel good to be wearing maroon and gold again,” he said.

By Globe Staff

Mastersports announced its 2012 Annual Award recipients, a list that includes some of the most successful coaches in state football history. The awards recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to the game of Football, the communities they have served, and to those players whom they have inspired:

- 8th Annual Paul Costello Distinguished Service Award: Tom Lamb

- 6th Annual High School Coach of the Year: Mike Boyages, Wakefield High School

- 6th Annual College Coach of the Year: E.J. Mills, Amherst College

- 5th Annual Jack Grinold SID/Media Award: Steve Krause of The Lynn Item

- 4th Annual Official of the Year: Edwin Shanahan, Umpire, Colonial, Ivy, Patriot League

- Lifetime Achievement Award: Bob Bancroft, Pembroke High School

Lifetime Achievement Award: Joseph Tarby, Woburn Pop Warner

The Award Winners will be honored Sat., March 10, during the luncheon with the Legends Banquet following the annual Mastersports, Inc. Football Coaches Clinic at the Holiday Inn Select in Woburn.

"We are proud to honor these outstanding men who have had such an impact on the lives of many young men and their families” said Mastersports Founder John “Skip” Bandini.

Mastersports is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving back to the game of football. The mission of Mastersports is two-fold. First, raise funds for educational scholarships. All funds after direct expenses raised from all our various operations are used to fund Memorial Scholarships for college, high school, and youth football players. These are awarded annually in June based on criteria set by the Mastersports Board of Directors. Secondly, provide quality instruction that allows football coaches at all levels to share skills, schemes & techniques with other coaches through our coaches clinic.

For More information about the Banquet, Clinic, and Mastersports please visit their website at www.mastersports.org, or contact Skip Bandini at skipbandini@hotmail.com.

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

Everett football fans will have to wait another year to see their golden-armed native son, Jonathan DiBiaso, play at the college level.

The record-shattering quarterback made a verbal commitment to Dartmouth College during a luncheon at Everett High School, but also announced his plan to attend a year of post-grad school at Philips Exeter in New Hampshire first.

"Going into an Ivy League school I know the academics will be very tough," DiBiaso explained. "Going to a prep school like Exeter, which is known for their academics, I think it will prepare me very well...it's just another year of playing football, which I like."

Jonathan had narrowed his choices for college to Harvard and Dartmouth, and according to his dad -- Everett coach John DiBiaso -- the highly anticipated decision came down to minutes prior to the scheduled announcement, specifically the car ride to the ceremony.

"It was tough," the elder DiBiaso said. "He was talking to coaches last night, he was talking to different schools last night...it was an ordeal and a half."

DiBiaso owns the state record for career touchdown passes (103) and touchdown passes in a season (44). He will continue playing quarterback at Dartmouth, where he hopes to make an early impact on the Big Green.

“[...] I have plans to work my hardest and be the best that I possibly can," he said. "So that I can play early, win early, and hopefully just be successful as a quarterback for them.”

DiBiaso, the 2011-12 Gatorade Massachusetts Football Player of the Year, ended his high school career by leading the Crimson Tide to consecutive Super Bowl wins. They rattled off 24 straight victories with DiBiaso under center since losing the Division 1 Super Bowl to Xaverian on December 5, 2009.

In 12 games last season DiBiaso threw for 2,731 yards and 44 touchdowns—giving him 87 in the last two years—while completing 59 percent of his passes (162-of-273).

What are the chances we see another 44-touchdown performance in the near future?

"Anything's possible," DiBiaso said with a grin. "My goal is always just to win, so I plan on winning Ivy League championships there, and I know they feel the same way...I'm really excited at that opportunity."

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

Urban Meyer is batting 1.000 in Massachusetts this offseason, securing the talents of the two top recruits in the state.

According to Catholic Memorial athletic director/football coach Alex Campea, Armani Reeves will sign a National Letter of Intent to Ohio State at a press conference at the school on Wednesday.

Reeves--a running back/defensive back for the Knights--joins good friend and teammate Cam Williams, who announced 10 days ago his intention to sign with the Buckeyes.

By Phil Perry, Globe Correspondent

Catholic Memorial's Camren Williams, who had been verbally committed to Penn State, has now committed to Ohio State. (Jim Davis / Globe file)

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

After months of speculation, Catholic Memorial senior Camren Williams announced on Twitter he was backing out of his verbal commitment to attend Penn State and instead would heading to Columbus to play for Urban Meyer and Ohio State.

Saying, "It's offical, I'm a Buckeye," Williams followed up a Twitter post last night in which he said, "Chillin out at dinner with Urban Meyer."

The 6-2, 220-pound Williams was a Globe All-Scholastic linebacker this past fall. He had 119 tackles in nine games and was called the state's No. 1 recruit by Rivals.com. He committed to Penn State last March but allegations that former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted or had inappropriate contact with underage boys, led to coach Joe Paterno being fired. And that led to questions about what Williams would do, along with teammate and fellow Penn State commit, Armani Reeves.

Williams answered that question Friday. Reeves has not made his decision yet. The National signing date is Feb. 1.

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

Kevin McCarthy, a runningback for Hingham, committed to Columbia University to play football.

The Globe All-Star will be playing safety for new head coach Pete Mangurian, who has 20 years of NFL experience, including coaching on the Patriots staff and with the Atlanta Falcons.

McCarthy finished his senior year with over 1,300 yards rushing, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions, including three touchdowns that propelled Hingham over Scituate 29-27 in the Thanksgiving Day game.

By Lorenzo Recupero, Globe Correspondent

Everett’s Vondell Langston, a Globe All-Scholastic and two-time Super Bowl champion, verbally committed to UMass-Amherst Friday. Langston will be part of the first graduating class of recruits to go into Division 1 play as the Minutemen move to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) next season.

Langston was a key player for the top-ranked Crimson Tide, who won their second consecutive Super Bowl in undefeated fashion in the fall. The Greater Boston League All-Star and second leading scorer in Division 1A (15 touchdowns) was a stellar two-way player for the Crimson Tide. Playing in the offensive backfield and at linebacker for Everett, Langston sees himself contributing defensively at the next level, saying UMass coaches have said he’s a ‘‘Good fit’’ for their defense.

‘‘I feel like I have a lot to offer them, maybe not right away, but I’m going to work hard and compete just like everyone else,’’ said the 6-1, 215-pound senior.

His winning ways at Everett were just part of his football goals.

‘‘I was well coached at Everett and I feel going into a program like UMass will take my game to the next level.

‘‘I see football as playing football. No matter the competition level, I just play.’’

Duxbury football coach Dave Maimaron has been named the 2011 National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Coaches Association Northeast Sectional Football Coach of the Year. The Northeast section includes the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.

Maimaron completed his seventh year as head coach of the football program. Last fall Duxbury finished 13-0 and won the Division 2 Super Bowl title. In addition, during his tenure the Dragons' football program has accomplished the following:

Overall Record: 76-10
Patriot League Titles: 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, & 2011
MIAA Super Bowl Titles: 2005, 2008, 2010, & 2011

Maimaron has already been awarded the Boston Globe Coach of the Year award twice (2008 & 2011) and the MIAA Football Coach of the Year (2011).

Catholic Memorial's Armani Reeves, left, and Camren
Williams at the inaugural Semper Fidelis
All-American Bowl in Phoenix, Ariz., Jan. 3.
(Courtesy of Catholic Memorial)

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Catholic Memorial football coach Alex Campea knows his school will be hosting a signing event Feb. 1. Donovan Henry will sign to attend and play football at Boston College. AJ Doyle is headed to UMass-Amherst. And Armani Reeves and Camren Williams? Stayed tuned for that decision.

With the news that Bill O’Brien has been named head football coach at Penn State, Catholic Memorial seniors Armani Reeves and Camren Williams now have a decision to make. Do they honor their verbal commitments to play for Penn State or do they look elsewhere? That decision must come before the Feb. 1 NCAA signing date.

Campea stressed Friday the two remain committed to the Nittany Lions, and not just for football reasons. Both selected Penn State for its academic programs and majors, not just what happened on a football field, said Campea, also the West Roxbury school’s athletic director.

O’Brien takes over from legendary coach Joe Paterno, who was forced to resign in the wake of child molestation charges and allegations against his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. O’Brien will stay on with the Patriots until the season ends.

Whatever school(s) gets Reeves and Williams will get two talented players.

Reeves stared on both sides of the ball for CM. He ran for 1,103 yards on 52 carries with 16 touchdowns. He also caught 21 passes for 328 yards. On defense he had 51 tackles and an interception. Williams played linebacker and tight end. He finished with 119 tackles this fall as CM went 7-2. Williams was a member of the National Honor Society.

By John Ingoldsby, Special to the Globe

The Massachusetts and Texas 8th-grade All-Star teams squared off in a classic defensive duel Thursday night in San Antonio, with the hosts holding on for a 12-7 victory in the semifinals of the inaugural Football University (FBU) national tournament.

With Texas trailing 7-6 with 9:11 left in the game, quarterback Bowman Sells hit running back Luke Termin with a 23-yard touchdown pass to secure the win. On the next drive, defensive back Nick Parker intercepted a pass from quarterback Seth Harrell of Nahant, giving the Longhorn State entry the ball at the Massachusetts 40-yard line.

After stopping Texas, the Bay Staters got the ball back and mounted a final drive, but fell just short on a fourth and 3 with 1:36 left in the game, allowing Texas to secure a berth in the national championship game against Florida Saturday night at the Alamodome.

Massachusetts had taken the lead just one minute into the second half, when linebacker Frederick Allen of Kingston intercepted a pass from Sells and returned it 39 yards for a pick-six. Kicker Benjamin Waithe of Plymouth converted the extra point to give the Bay Staters a 7-6 lead.

During a tight defensive struggle in the first half, Texas struck first when tight end Jacob Parrott hauled in a 12-yard touchdown from Sells with 5:20 remaining in the second quarter, completing a four-minute 53-yard drive.

The game was played at the spectacular Heroes Field facility before a contingent of hundreds of boisterous fans from Massachusetts who had traveled to San Antonio.

The FBU National Championship is a football version of the Little League World Series featuring 40 teams competing in a NCAA-style bracket tournament to select a true national champion in youth football’s 8th-grade division. The tournament kicked off Nov. 26. All participating 8th graders cannot turn age 15 before September 1, 2011.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association announced its 2011 all-state football team.

The team, which features a number of Boston Globe All-Scholastics, had four schools with two athletes on the list, including Catholic Memorial, Concord-Carlisle, Duxbury and Everett.

The team will be honored at a banquet co-sponsored by the association and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston on Sunday, March 4, 2012, at Lantana's in Randolph.

Here is the complete list:

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK
Jonathan DiBiaso, Everett
Cam McLevedge, Weymouth
Matt Montalto, Dennis-Yarmouth

RECEIVERS
Armani Reeves, Catholic Memorial
Don Webber, Duxbury

OFFENSIVE LINE
Brendan Melanson, St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Dan McCourt, Pembroke
Jameson McShea, Boston College
Andrew Vanderwilden, Concord-Carlisle
Chadwick Woodfine , Chicopee

RUNNING BACK
Sacoy Malone, Springfield Central
Quinton Perkins, Fitchburg
Melquawn Pickney, Putnam Vocational

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE/LINEBACKER
Henry Bumpus , Concord-Carlisle
Nick DiChiara, Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Tim Joy, Chelmsford
Vondell Langston, Everett
Max Randall, Duxbury
Zack Schafer, Mansfield
Nick Schlatz, Bridgewater-Raynham
Will Twyman, Lincoln-Sudbury
Camren Williams, Catholic Memorial

SECONDARY
Todd Collier, St. Mary’s
Jack Connolly, St. Sebastian’s School
Joseph Epps, Bourne
Charles Ruffin, King Philip

By Seth Lakso, Globe Staff

Dexter football player Abner Logan Jr. has verbally committed to the University of Maryland for the fall of 2012, according to head coach Casey Day.

Logan, a running back and linebacker that stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 212, was one of the state's top uncommitted recruits in the class of 2012, according to Rivals.com. In his final season at Dexter, a Brookline prep school, Logan rushed for more than 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns in eight games. On the defensive side of the ball, Logan amassed 42 tackles (nine for a loss), 10 sacks, and two interceptions.

Logan had previously narrowed his selection to Maryland, North Carolina State, and Northwestern.

According to Day, "Abner made two trips to Maryland and loved them both.”

"I think it’s going to be a great fit for [Logan]," Day said. "From what we’re hearing, he may have a chance to play [at linebacker] right away."

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

At the end of the speeches, and before he could get a bite to eat for the lunch he's partially responsible for, Cathedral's Matthew Owens was still starstruck.

"Two words: First pitch," Owens said. He was still excited about being invited by Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino to throw out the first pitch for a game this upcoming season.

However, it was Owens that was the man of the hour. On Dec. 3, Owens sprinted untouched from 56 yards out to the end zone against Blue Hills, scoring what would have been a go-ahead touchdown with six minutes remaining in the Division 4A Super Bowl. Mid run, 25 yards from paydirt, he raised his arm and pumped his fist for a few seconds. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, negating the touchdown. Blue Hills went on to win the game, 16-14.

The backlash over the call immediately ensued, grabbing national attention.

Menino, among others, said it was a bad call that robbed Cathedral of the win. Not too long after, he proposed Tuesday's lunch.

"I think there was a little injustice there," Menino said. "I mean we all played sports. We all showed some excitement. For the young man to do what he did, he was excited."

The mayor's special guests expressed similar sentiments. But they also told Cathedral's football team to be good losers.

"It's hard to avoid the clichés that will inevitably spring to mind," Lucchino said. "But I do think that there is a lesson here about the injustices of life and the randomness of life, and the good fortune and bad fortune of life. These players have learned [that] early on and how one adjusts to that and moves on from that. I know it sounds cliché. But ultimately that is a very valuable lesson and it takes a lot of us much longer than 17 years to learn it."

Said Bruschi: "A lot of the talk is about the call. The call during the game. But guys, it's not about the call. It's about how you move on from the call. Because this is what sports is. Sports is winning and sports is losing. Sports is about winning championships and losing championships ... It's how you move on from that. No matter how you lose the game. It's how you move on from defeat."

It was Bobby Valentine's first public appearance in Boston as the Red Sox manager. He told the team to live as the champions they are.

"You're here today because of what you did, not what you didn't do," Valentine said. "You're here because you're champions."

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

Soon after Charlie Molnar was named the head football coach of the University of Massachusetts Minutemen Dec. 8, his first phone call was to Catholic Memorial quarterback A.J. Doyle – who recently de-committed from North Carolina State.

Molnar told Doyle UMass’s offer from last summer was still on the table, and the 6-foot-2-inch right-handed quarterback accepted the offer Thursday.

“I couldn’t be happier for him,” CM coach Alex Campea said. “[Doyle] feels real good, and he looks forward to the opportunity and challenges that lie ahead.”

UMass’s offer last summer was for Doyle to play quarterback, but he wanted to keep his options open and committed to NC State. Coach Tom O’Brien had plans for Doyle to play linebacker, but Doyle set his sights on continuing his career as a quarterback and de-committed.

Molnar, who was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Notre Dame last season, remembered when Doyle visited the summer camp in South Bend and he liked what he saw, according to Campea.

As soon as Molnar arrived in Amherst, he was committed to getting Doyle on board with Minutemen. Molnar visited CM yesterday and talked to Doyle, and then met with his parents later that night.

“He certainly has the ability to play at next level, and he felt as [the CM] season started he wanted to play quarterback [in college],” Campea said. “He has the opportunity to play quarterback and that’s vital. It’s a great fit because they want him. There’s a new coach and a new system, and A.J. fits their profile.”

Williams and Reeves still committed

According to Campea, linebacker Camren Williams and running back Armani Reeves still intend on playing at Penn State.

Their decision to go elsewhere hinges on what unfolds with the coaching situation after the Sandusky Scandal is settled, Campea said.

“Until there is a decision made with the coaching situation there, they are basically going to continue their path to go,” he said. “[Reeves and Williams] are waiting to see what transpires, and if that’s a place they still want to go.”

Last season, Reeves had 1,103 yards and 16 touchdowns on 52 carries and 328 yards on 21 catches, while Williams racked up 119 tackles in nine games at middle linebacker.

Concord-Carlisle's Andrea and Mike O'Brien are All-American soccer players in addition to being Boston Globe All-Scholastics. (Essdras M Suarez / Globe Staff)

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The Boston Globe Fall All-Scholastics are out, available for view on Boston.com. More than 200 high school athletes from nine different sports have been selected as All-Scholastics, marking the end of the fall season.

On this season's cover is Concord-Carlisle brother-sister duo Mike and Andrea O'Brien, who are both All-American soccer players for the school. They highlight the level of talent of the many individuals selected this season.

Take a look at who was recognized in football, boys soccer, girls soccer, volleyball, field hockey, boys cross country, girls cross country, girls swimming and golf.

In response to inquiries regarding Saturday's Division 4A Super Bowl between Cathedral and Blue Hills in which Cathedral quarterback Matthew Owens was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for raising his hand during a would-be touchdown run, the MIAA released this statement:

The official involved reported he had determined a violation of NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations of Rule 9, Section 2 covering Unsportsmanlike Conduct Section A. He called the violation and assessed the penalty.

There is no provision in MIAA rules (or rules for any other sport at any other level) to overturn an official’s call after a game has been concluded. Once the final whistle is sounded the game is over. (Reference – MIAA Handbook Rule #17, Page 24) The Cathedral coach chose not to protest the call when it was made.

At the start of the season the MIAA and football officials took comprehensive measures to ensure that everyone understood this rule. In fact, the officials at this game reminded the captains and coaches that there would be zero tolerance for any unsportsmanlike actions. Likewise, this message was communicated in the pre-playoff game administrative meeting, as well as the MIAA’s Super Bowl Breakfast with coaches and captains.

Anyone may parse the language of rules and apply them as they see fit. Contest officials must familiarize themselves with the rules, both the letter and the sprit, and bring their judgment to bear in calling the game. Per the Points of Emphasis in the NCAA Rulebook: “When an official imposes a penalty or makes a decision he is simply doing his duty as he sees it. He is on the field to uphold the integrity of the game of football, and his decisions are final and conclusive and should be accepted by players and coaches.”

The MIAA Philosophy reflects that high school students who participate in educational athletics learn many things from that experience including lessons that will be helpful as they go forward in life. While we hope and wish they would all be from positive experiences, sometimes that is not the case.

Losing a game or having an official’s call go against you or your team are all part of sports. Just like athletes and coaches, officials try hard to do the best job possible. Athletes must learn to put these things behind them and move forward. During their lifetime they will experience similar situations where they feel “wronged” by a superior or authority figure and they must learn to deal with that situation.

Finally, we would hope that in peoples’ reaction to this situation they would consider the students and coaches at Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical School who feel their properly won championship is being tarnished and discredited.

By Lorenzo Recupero, Globe Correspondent

"[Mayor Menino] just wanted to make sure that the kids got recognition for their hard work all year," said Sigsbury, who met Menino for the first time. "He was shocked, and said as soon as he heard news [of the controversy] he had to do something for the kids."

Cathedral quarterback Matt Owens was called for unsportsmanlike conduct because he raised his left arm as he ran toward the end zone in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, and the touchdown did not count. The call has since received national attention.

During the discussion, Menino talked about inviting the players to lunch, but did not specify a location or date. According to Sigsbury, he did mention contacting Red Sox president Larry Lucchino about possibly using one of the Red Sox facilities for the gathering, but wanted the location to be a surprise.

"[The gesture] was not a publicity stunt, it was really heart-driven," said Sigsbury, who thought the mayor's interest in the matter was totally genuine. " He's a great man with a big heart, who really takes care of the people of Boston. This doesn't surprise me. He does a great job at what he does.''

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

We're a few days away from Saturday's Super Bowls which capped the end of the high school football season, but there's no better time then now to look back at the games, the season and even look forward a bit.

In the latest episode of The Huddle, we take a look at Cathedral's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the Division 4A Super Bowl, go over BC High's Division 1 win, discuss Everett post-Jonathan DiBiaso and take a look at some of the best Super Saturday performances, including Mashpee's Jared Taylor's 306-yard performance.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Readers of the high schools sports blog here have been intrigued by Cathedral's case of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on quarterback Matthew Owens.

The penalty negated a touchdown run by Cathedral's quarterback with six minutes remaining against Blue Hills in the Div. 4A Super Bowl Saturday at Bentley University. Blue Hills went on to win the game, 16-14.

Globe Correspondent Lorenzo Recupero covered the game and gave this description of the event in question:

Sprinting untouched from 56 yards - with nothing but green turf between him and the end zone - Cathedral quarterback Matt Owens, with the ball snug in his right arm, raised his left fist to signify a touchdown late in the fourth quarter ...

The MIAA, which governs high school sports for most of Massachusetts, utilizes the NCAA rulebook for football. Only Massachusetts and Texas follow NCAA rules. Here are the rules in question regarding unsportsmanlike conduct:

ARTICLE 1. There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct or any act that interferes with orderly game administration on the part of players, substitutes, coaches, authorized attendants or any other persons subject to the rules, before the game, during the game or between periods. Infractions for these acts by players are administered as either live-ball or dead-ball fouls depending on when they occur.

a. Specifically prohibited acts and conduct include:

1. No player, substitute, coach or other person subject to the rules shall use abusive, threatening or obscene language or gestures, or engage in such acts that provoke ill will or are demeaning to an opponent, to game officials or to the image of the game, including but not limited to:

(a) Pointing the finger(s), hand(s), arm(s) or ball at an opponent, or imitating the slashing of the throat.

(b) Taunting, baiting or ridiculing an opponent verbally.

(c) Inciting an opponent or spectators in any other way, such as simulating the firing of a weapon or placing a hand by the ear to request recognition.

(d) Any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player (or players) attempts to focus attention upon himself (or themselves).

(e) An unopposed ball carrier obviously altering stride as he approaches the opponent’s goal line or diving into the end zone.

(f) Removal of a player’s helmet before he is in the team area (Exceptions: Team, media or injury timeouts; equipment adjustment; through play; between periods; and during a measurement for a first down).

(g) Punching one’s own chest or crossing one’s arms in front of the chest while standing over a prone player.

(h) Going into the stands to interact with spectators, or bowing at the waist after a good play.

By Matt Pepin, Globe Staff

He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting, and Cathedral got the ball at the 24-yard line. On the next play, Blue Hills intercepted a pass by Owens. At the time the penalty was called, Blue Hills led 16-12. Cathedral was unable to score on subsequent possessions, although it did add two points on a safety with four minutes left.

The rule and its enforcement has become a hot topic. Some believe it was too harsh a penalty for a singular moment of exuberance by a high school player. Others believe the rules must be enforced, regardless of the circumstance.

The college football officiating guidelines, which are used by the MIAA, state, "If the ball is alive when the player makes a taunting gesture, then the penalty is enforced at the spot of the foul - and the key outcome: no touchdown."

Watch the video above, and cast your vote in our survey:

Lorenzo Recupero contributed to this report

--

UPDATE: 1:43 p.m. -- Read the rules on unsportsmanlike conduct here.

ARTICLE 1. There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct or any act that interferes with orderly game administration on the part of players, substitutes, coaches, authorized attendants or any other persons subject to the rules, before the game, during the game or between periods. Infractions for these acts by players are administered as either live-ball or dead-ball fouls depending on when they occur.

a. Specifically prohibited acts and conduct include:

1. No player, substitute, coach or other person subject to the rules shall use abusive, threatening or obscene language or gestures, or engage in such acts that provoke ill will or are demeaning to an opponent, to game officials or to the image of the game, including but not limited to:

(a) Pointing the finger(s), hand(s), arm(s) or ball at an opponent, or imitating the slashing of the throat.

(b) Taunting, baiting or ridiculing an opponent verbally.

(c) Inciting an opponent or spectators in any other way, such as simulating the firing of a weapon or placing a hand by the ear to request recognition.

(d) Any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player (or players) attempts to focus attention upon himself (or themselves).

(e) An unopposed ball carrier obviously altering stride as he approaches the opponent’s goal line or diving into the end zone.

(f) Removal of a player’s helmet before he is in the team area (Exceptions: Team, media or injury timeouts; equipment adjustment; through play; between periods; and during a measurement for a first down).

(g) Punching one’s own chest or crossing one’s arms in front of the chest while standing over a prone player.

(h) Going into the stands to interact with spectators, or bowing at the waist after a good play.

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

The sights and sounds of Super Bowl Saturday at Gillette Stadium, marking the end of the high school football season.

By Cat Calsolaro, Globe Correspondent

WALTHAM -- Jackarrie Washington’s interception late in the fourth quarter locked up the Division 1A championship for Everett. The Crimson Tide took down their final challenger Lincoln-Sudbury 36-13 at Bentley University last night for their second straight Super Bowl win.

"This year, it's a little harder when you have a bull's-eye on your back," said head coach John DiBiaso. "The expectations were through the roof and the kids met every challenge along the way. Every obstacle we faced, we overcame."

Everett received the ball to open the game but couldn’t go the distance. Lincoln-Sudbury’s defense came ready to play, delivering a sack to quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso (11 of 20 for 96 yards) and forcing the Crimson Tide to punt on their fist drive.

On their second possession, Everett took the ball 98 yards in just 1:15 for their first touchdown. Pinned at their own 2-yard line, DiBiaso found a seam around the left side for a 26-yard run. On the next play, Everett running back Vondell Langston went 62 yards to the 12-yard line. Despite a 5-yard penalty, the Crimson Tide completed the scoring drive on a 1-yard carry up the middle by DiBiaso.

Everett’s defense forced the Warriors to punt again beginning their next scoring drive on their own 44-tard line. Everett covered the 56 yards on nine plays to go up 14-0 in the second quarter. Langston had a 2-yard carry for the touchdown.

Lincoln-Sudbury struck back, scoring on an interception on Everett’s next drive. A low pass, intended for Washington was deflected right into the hands of sophomore Connor Young took it 61 yards for the Warrior’s first touchdown.

Everett’s Jalen Felix blocked the point after attempt then followed it up with a 57-yard kick return to the Warrior’s 26-yard line.

A late hit by the L-S defense on DiBiaso put the Tide at the 12-yard line. Felix added a 5-yard carry and eventually finished what he started with a 1-yard touchdown run to put his team up 21-6 before halftime.

L-S stumped Evertt in the third quarter. They reached the endzone for the seond and last time to close the gap to 21-13. Quarterback Matt Cahill capped a 64-yard drive on a 14-yard pass to tight end Jack Harris as time expired on the clock.

But the fourth quarter was all Crimson. On the third snap, Washington broke 63 yards down the right sideline, dropping defender Henry Guild at the 10-yard line on with a quick stutter step before running it in for the touchdown. Joey White punched in the 2-point conversion and Everett went up 29-13.

After Everett recovered a fumbled punt on the Warrior’s 20-yard line, DiBiaso sealed the win with a 5-yard touchdown run. The books have closed on DiBiaso’s record-breaking season. His 44 touchdown passes broke his own single season record of 43 from last year. He ends his career with a phenomenal 103 career passes.

"I'm very proud of him," said center Nick Stanfield who snapped the ball to DiBiaso all season long. "I've known him since I was seven years old. I've played football with him pretty much all of my life."

The team gathered at midfield after the game for a team prayer. It was an emotional ending to Everett's season.

"I couldn't be prouder and I couldn't be happier for a group of kids than I am of these kids right now," said John DiBiaso.

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

FOXBOROUGH – After the Needham Rockets opened the game with a successful onside kick and a touchdown, it appeared as if the Bay State conference champions were going to give BC High a battle.

But it was the Eagles’ game from there, as they racked up three straight scores to beat Needham 21-7 and capture the Division 1 Super Bowl title.

Senior running back Deontae Ramey-Doe powered BC High (10-3), rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns. BC High finished with 360 yards total, 300 of which came from the rushing attack.

“When I first stepped in [to Gillette], it was huge I was really nervous,” Ramey-Doe said. “I’ve never been on a bigger stage. My mindset was to run as hard as I could and trust the linemen, and everything would be there.”

After Ramey-Doe’s third score, the Rockets were forced to play catch-up. But the Eagles defense, which finished the season averaging 13.3 points per game, refused to break.

Needham (9-4) had the ball on its own 43-yard line and trailed BC High 21-7 with 3:20 left in the game, and the Rockets needed to score fast.

Sophomore quarterback Ryan Charter got his team to BC High’s 22-yard line, but he threw his fourth interception of the game at the 8-yard line.

“We thought they were going to throw the ball more today with our run defense,” BC High coach Jon Bartlett said. “Their sophomore quarterback had a good game today, but our defense came up with some big turnovers.”

Needham had another chance to make it a one-possession game after Ramey-Doe fumbled on the 45-yard line with 6:06 remaining in the game, but senior running back Mike Vespa was stuffed on fourth-and-two.

BC High’s defense gave up just 85 yards in the first half, and looked even sharper after the break as they grabbed three interceptions.

“A couple of them could have been caught, but BC High’s defense is one of the best in the state,” Needham coach Dave Duffy said. “We had our opportunities, but give them credit, they’re a great football team and deserve to be Division 1 state football champs.

On the Rockets third play to start the half, BC High senior Yosa Nosamiefan tipped a pass from Charter, and senior Gordon McLeod made a diving catch for the interception.

The Eagles used 13 plays to go 75 yards and erased 6:40 off the clock, as Ramey-Doe finished the drive with a 1-yard score.

In the first half, the Eagles used two runs from Ramey-Doe to take a 14-7 lead on the Rockets at the break.

Vespa capped the Rockets’ opening drive with a 5-yard touchdown reception, but Ramey-Doe answered Needham’s touchdown with a 5-yard score of his own, then in the second quarter he broke loose for a 91-yard score.

The Rockets punted to the Eagles 9-yard line, but Ramey-Doe ran behind the blocking of senior Jameson McShea and got a crushing block from wide receiver John Arens.

“We were just keeping our composure, we knew big plays were going to happen,” Ramey-Doe said. “We knew sometimes we were going to be in holes, but we just had to dig ourselves out of it.”

The win is BC High’s second title in three years, as they beat Brockton in 2008.

“It’s been what I’ve [been] waiting for my whole life,” senior quarterback Bartley Regan said. “Our defense has been phenomenal all year, and Deontae did a great job and stepped in when Preston [Cooper] went down. But you got to give credit to the O-line, they made every hole open and it came down to them.”

By Juan Rivera, Globe Correspondent

FOXBOROUGH -- Behind a career defining rushing day for Jared Taylor, Mashpee routed Cardinal Spellman in the Division 4 Super Bowl 34-8.

"Amazing," said Mashpee's usual primary back Jordan Keli'inui. "I'm a senior, playing my last game, won my last game, which was the Super Bowl, and I'm standing on the 50 yard line at Gillette. Amazing."

Mashpee received the second half kick off and the Cardinal Spellman crowd was introduced to Jarod Taylor who was front and center under the bright lights of Gillette Stadium.

Taylor, who had a productive first half collecting 71 yards on the ground, ran off on the first play of the second half 58 yards and went on to steal the show, finishing with 306 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, a school record.

Rush after rush Taylor shredded the Cardinal defense, whether it was up the middle or to the outside.

"He was awesome," Keli'inui said. "I'd like to think I groomed him a little, but he killed it tonight."

Later in the third quarter, Taylor took a hand off 54 yards up the sideline, pushing the score to 28-0 and leaving no doubt who would be the victor. Taylor's third quarter total was nine carries for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

"It was fun blocking for someone that performs like that," said Graham Kilpatrick. "He straight beasted tonight. For the people who don't think there's talent in the Cape, think again."

The Eastern Massachusetts high school football season is over, and Everett, BC High, Mashpee, Duxbury, Dennis-Yarmouth, Concord-Carlisle, Blue Hills, Bourne and Nantucket are the champs of the nine divisions.

Four of the EMass games were played at Gillette Stadium. Details of each EMass game are below, plus the Central and Western Mass. games played at Gillette.

Check out a photo gallery of Eastern Mass. Super Bowl scenes here.

Division 1
BC High 21, Needham 7
Deontae Ramey-Doe scored three touchdowns as BC High claimed the Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. Ramey-Doe (24 carries, 200 yards) plunged 2 yards for his third touchdown to increase BC High's lead in the third quarter. He also had a 91-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a 5-yard TD run in the first. A 5-yard TD pass to Mike Vespa put Needham on the board first.

Division 1A
Everett 36, Lincoln-Sudbury 13
Jonathan DiBiaso scored on touchdown runs of five and one yard to lead Everett as it capped a perfect season at 13-0. Jakarrie Washington, Vondell Langston and Jalen Felix also had TD runs for Everett. Lincoln-Sudbury scored on a 14-yard TD pass from Matt Cahill to Will Twyman as time expired in the third quarter, and on Connor Young's 61-yard interception return following a deflected pass.

Division 2
Duxbury 35, Tewksbury 0
Matt O'Keefe threw three touchdown passes and Jon Hurvitz ran for two scores as Duxbury won its second straight Super Bowl. James Burke (27 yards), Don Webber (8) Reilly Naton (36) caught touchdown passes. Duxbury ended its season 13-0.

Division 2A
Dennis-Yarmouth 35, Wakefield 0
Matt Montalto scored on a 3-yard run and a 1-yard run and threw touchdown passes to Damion Johnson (19 yards) and Dylan Hodsdon (8 and 20 yards) to win the Division 2A Super Bowl at Manning Field in Lynn. Johnson had five catches 109 yards.

"My dream was to win the game, but it was great to put up a performance like that," Montalto said. "Dreams come true I guess."

Division 3
Concord-Carlisle 42, Oliver Ames 9
George Craan had 18 carries for 122 yards and three touchdowns, and Henry Bumpus caught a pair of touchdown passes to lift Concord-Carlise to the Division 3 title at Gillette Stadium. Tyquan Culbreath added a 35-yard touchdown run for C-C. Sam Langston scored on a 3-yard TD run for Oliver Ames, and Ryan McGrath kicked a 26-yard field. Full game story

Division 3A
Bourne 16, Hamilton-Wenham 14:
Jason Moriarty's 10-yard touchdown pass to Nick Pereira in the third quarter gave Bourne a victory in the Division 3A Super Bowl at Manning Field in Lynn. Joe Epps scored on a sweep right to put Bourne on the board in the first quarter. Elliott Burr scored for H-W on a 1-yard run in the second quarter, and then, after H-W recovered a fumble, Trevor Lyons threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Matt Putur to put H-W on top at the time.

Division 4
Mashpee 34, Cardinal Spellman 8
Jared Taylor ran for 306 yards and three touchdowns as Mashpee turned a close first-half defensive battle into a blowout in the Division 4 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. Taylor had TD runs of 10, 54 and 58 yards. Zak Orcutt hit Kyle Murray on a 14-yard touchdown pass, and Orcutt caught a TD pass from Cody Bingham-Hendricks on the final play of the first half to put Mashpee on the board first. Both teams entered the game unbeaten. Mashpee finished 13-0, Spellman 12-1. Pat Hinkley scored Spellman's touchdown on an 18-yard run with 38 seconds left.

Division 4A
Blue Hills 16, Cathedral 14
John Curran threw a 45-yard TD pass to Isaiah Teixera and Vincent Burton ran for a 1-yard TD to lead Blue Hills at Bentley University. Matt Owens threw a 44-yard TD pass to Carlos Bermudez, and Owens added a 4-yard TD rush with 22 seconds left before halftime for Cathedral. Full game story

Division 5
Nantucket 35, Latin Academy 7
Taylor Hughes rushed for two touchdowns, and Codie Perry, Zachary Moran and Andrew Benson added touchdowns as Nantucket won the Division 5 Super Bowl at Taunton High. Ernest Kellough provided Latin Academy's only points on a two-yard run. It was Nantucket's first Super Bowl title since 1998.

Central Mass. Division 1
Leominster 21, St. John's 6:
Garrett DelleChiaie hit 11 of 16 pass attempts for 156 yards and a touchdown as Leominster won the Central Mass. D1 title at Gillette Stadium. Geraldo Rivera ran 14 yards for a touchdown, Daniel Curley caught a 4-yard TD pass from DelleChiaie on 4th-and-goal with 6 seconds before halftime, and Neil O'Connor caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from his brother, Kevin for Leominster. Efrain Montalvo caught a 17-yard TD pass to put St. John's on the board.

Western Mass. Division 1
Longmeadow 35, Springfield Central 7
Frankie Elder and Terry Norris scored two touchdowns each to give Longmeadow the Western Mass. Division 1 title at Gillette Stadium. Dylan Kelleher scored on a 40-yard pass play early in the second half for Longmeadow. Sacoy Malone's 24-yard TD reception put SC on the board just before halftime.

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

Second-ranked Duxbury used its potent offense to overpower everyone in its path and roll to its second straight undefeated season. Tewksbury edged its way into the playoffs on what some believe to be a flawed point system.

And even though both teams took the field at Gillette Stadium knowing that their methods of arrival were irrelevant, that their season would be defined in 40 minutes, the Dragons took the opportunity to show Tewksbury firsthand why they have not lost a game since 2009.

Duxbury crushed Tewksbury, 35-0, to take home the Division 2 Super Bowl and extend its winning-streak to 26 games, the longest in the state.

“We’ve worked so hard to get where we’re at, this is no coincidence,” quarterback Matt O’Keefe said. “It’s a dream come true for all of us to do this, I couldn’t be more proud of the boys.”

The Dragons (13-0) exploded for 21 points in the second quarter, while holding Tewksbury (7-6) to just 12 yards of total offense in the first half, and took a 28-0 cushion into the break.

Jon Hurvitz (7 carries, 75 yards) opened the scoring for Duxbury with a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:18 remaining in the first quarter. He added another from 2-yards out in the second, and O’Keefe (8-for-18 passing, 135 yards) connected with Reilly Naton (3 catches, 74 yards) and Don Webber (3 catches, 28 yards) to pull away before the half.

O’Keefe hit James Burke for a 27-yard score in the fourth to provide the final margin.

“I couldn’t be happier right now,” O’Keefe said. “I’m speechless.”

By Lorenzo Recupero, Globe Correspondent

WALTHAM -- Sprinting untouched from 56-yards out -- with nothing but green turf between him and the end zone -- Cathedral quarterback Matthew Owens, with the ball tucked in his left arm, raised his clenched right hand to signify a lead-grabbing touchdown with just minutes to go in the Division 4A Super Bowl.

Excitement or unsportsmanlike conduct?

The call was unsportsmanlike conduct. The consequence was a 56-yard, possible game-winning touchdown negated. Instead of an 18-16 Cathedral lead with a little more than six minutes to play, the Panthers were forced to take the ball from the spot of the foul at Blue Hills' 24-yard line. On the next play, a visibly upset Owens threw an interception which all but sealed the win for Blue Hills.

Blue Hills went on to win 16-14.

"In the game being played, we won the game," said Cathedral coach Duane Sigsbury, who couldn’t believe his teams previously undefeated season came down to that one penalty called against Owens. "Give Blue Hills a lot of credit they are a great football team, but we deserve better. The game got taken away from us. If you're going to take a game away from a kid being excited because he just made the play of his life, shame on you."

Blue Hills's John Curran threw a 45-yard TD pass to Isaiah Teixera and Vincent Burton ran for a 1-yard TD in the win.

By Patrick McHugh, Globe Correspondent

FOXBOROUGH – Concord-Carlisle’s loss to Duxbury in last year’s Division 2A Super Bowl was a disappointing end to an otherwise successful season.

This season, the Patriots put an exclamation on a perfect season.

No. 6 Concord-Carlisle defeated Oliver Ames 42-9 in Saturday’s Division 3 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium, completing a perfect 13-0 season for the Dual County Small champions.

“Today was just a great fulfillment of a long process,” Concord-Carlisle coach Mike Robichaud said.

After the Tigers kicked a field goal to make it 7-3 in the first quarter, the Patriots ran off 35 consecutive points to put the game away. George Craan tallied 122 yards on 18 carries and found the end zone on runs of 4, 9 and 12 yards. The senior was complimented by backfield mates Tyquan Culbreath (10 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD) and Tim Badgley (6 carries, 91 yards) as the Patriots racked up 298 yards on the ground.

Senior Henry Bumpus, a 6-foot-6 target who played through an illness during last season’s defeat to the Green Dragons, caught TD passes of 20 yards and 14 yards and added an interception on defense for good measure.

“Last year was such a bitter loss, it stayed with us,” Bumpus said. “We worked so hard in the offseason to get back here.”

Oliver Ames (7-5) was led by Sam Langston, who ran 14 times for 60 yards, caught a 49 yard pass and scored from 3 yards out in the fourth quarter.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

You'd think with a matching record, Needham would come with as much hype as their opponent in Saturday's Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium, BC High.

At 9-3, they're not even close.

The Needham Rockets are ranked No. 12 in the Globe Top 20, nine spots behind the BC High Eagles at No. 3. The reasons for which are simple: BC High's losses were to top ranked teams in New Jersey (DePaul Catholic and St. Peter's Prep) and to the state's unanimous No. 1 team, Everett.

Needham, a team that was in Division 1A last season (the Bay State Carey flip flopped with the Greater Boston League, much to Everett's chagrin) lost to Mansfield, Natick and Framingham.

But when it came down to it, the Rockets won big games to get to this point. And they've overcome adversity while doing so, just like BC High. Senior quarterback Drew Burnett went down with an ankle injury against Milton Oct. 15, leaving the team's quarterback duties in the hands of sophomore Ryan Charter. And then running back Ian Riley (10 touchdowns) went down against Natick Oct. 28 with a shoulder injury.

If you didn't know any better, you'd think Needham was decimated. But the Rockets have mobilized around Charter, who has shown poise, and coach Dave Duffy and his staff have found ways to get his team in the end zone with regularity. They've put up 42 points in each of their last two games. The Rockets walloped Wellesley 42-18 with Charter throwing four touchdown passes.

"Getting to this point, we thought we'd get here maybe at the beginning of the year because we were so good and the seniors were so good," Duffy said. "And then we had some injuries. We were worried that the wheels were going to fall off the wagon. But the junior class rallied on the defense and the seniors rallied around the new quarterback. We miss Drew Burnett and Ian Riley greatly but the kids rallied and we had some big wins at the end of the season to put us here."

Charter, Duffy says, is doing a great job after coming in for Burnett.

"He's doing excellent," Duffy said. "He's managing the game very well. His throws are spot on. The receivers are helping him out by getting open. And the line is giving him protection. So everything is working out. And he's been doing a great job. He's very poised. If he makes a mistake it doesn't matter. He just goes back to the next play and does a good job. And he hasn't really made many mistakes, mentally or physically. So he's learning. I think this is his sixth game starting. As much as we miss Drew, Ryan's doing a great job."

Beating BC High, however, will be a complicated task given the talents on the Eagles team and the size of the offensive and defensive lines.

"Our defense is going to have to stop the base running game," Duffy said. "We have an experienced secondary. I know [Bartley Regan] can throw very well, but if we don't stop that base running game we're going to be in for a long afternoon. On offense, if we can get some first downs and keep the ball out of their hands, that'll help us too."

BC High, for its part, is not taking Needham lightly.

"They have real good skill guys, they have a stingy defense," said BC High coach Jon Bartlett. "So we have to get pressure on the [quarterback]. He's been throwing the ball well recently. We need to get pressure on him, don't give him time. And then offensively, we have to establish the run and be able to pass as well."

Said BC High captain and Temple recruit Jameson McShea: "They pull a lot, so our defensive line has to hold on the line of scrimmage. They like to pass a lot so our secondary has to be lock down."

Key for BC High is getting the ball in the hands of senior running back Deontae Ramey-Doe. He's been a catalyst for the Eagles since last year's Catholic Conference offensive player of the year Preston Cooper went down with a broken ankle against Everett Oct. 22.

"Losing Preston was a big loss," Bartlett said. "But as we told the guys, we have some other good players as well. And we rallied. We told the guys we could either feel sorry for ourselves and not play well the rest of the year, or we can rally and play as a team and use that as motivation. The kids have responded really well with the loss of Preston."

Needham, in turn, will try and inject some imagination on offense to matchup. They'll be looking to get the ball to receiver and tight end Mark Riley, who has 15 touchdowns on the year.

"We have some new stuff in for [Riley]," Duffy said. "We'll try to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers as much as we can. The offensive coordinator has been doing a great job doing that. We're probably a little overmatched size wise up front. We have to come up with creative things to try to balance it."

The 6 p.m. matchup at Gillette Stadium will be the marquee Super Bowl in a day full of championships. It's particularly special for Needham, which had never won a playoff game prior to Tuesday.

"We're excited. We won the Bay State league outright for the first time in over 40 years," Duffy said. "We won our first playoff game. Now we're standing here at Gillette. And I think the kids are gonna be excited. We're glad to be here. We've realized how hard we've worked to get here. So we're going to try to make the best of it while we're here. I was telling the kids at the banquet last Sunday, the greatest thing I can say is 'I'll see you tomorrow at practice.' "

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

The St. John’s Shrewsury football team had one goal as a motivating factor during training camp.

"Our whole motto was 'Get to Gillette,' that was our main goal as a football team, to make that happen," said athletic director Patrick White. "It's a dream come true for our boys, they put in a lot of hard work in the weight room to make that a reality."

Last May, the MIAA Football Committee voted to bump two EMass Super Bowl games from Gillette, and replaced them, for the first time, with the Division 1 CMass title game as well as the Division 1 WMass game. Tomorrow at 11 a.m., the Pioneers (8-4) take on Leominster (9-3) followed at 1:30 by the Western Mass. Super Bowl, featuring Longmeadow (10-2) and Springfield Central (10-2).

White expects the St. John's fans to make the team feel right at home in Foxborough.

"It's great not only for our players, but our school is really fired up," White said. "Right now we've got two fan buses going down, we might even get a third. It's great for the St. John's community."

Everett's John Montelus, right, is just as worthy of discussion as the Crimson Tide's highly touted quarterback. (Matthew J. Lee / Globe Staff)

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

By now you’ve heard of Jonathan DiBiaso and Matt Montalto. Here are 10 super players you may not know about.

BRENDAN MELANSON, St. John’s (Shrewsbury): The Pioneers play at Gillette Stadium for the first time, and witnesses to this notable event will see plenty of the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Melanson, who never leaves the field. The three-year starter plays center, defensive end, inside linebacker in nickel packages, and is the long-snapper on special teams. He registered 40 solo tackles this season with 2.5 sacks, and has not botched a snap in three seasons.

JOHN MONTELUS, Everett (above): Crimson Tide quarterback Jonthan DiBiaso has enjoyed some of the best pass protection in the state during his record-shattering three-years under center, and Montelus, a 6-4, 290-pound tackle, is a significant layer of the five-man security blanket in front of DiBiaso. Montelus, a junior has scholarship offers from Boston College, Syracuse, Connecticut, North Carolina State, and Virginia.

WILL TWYMAN, Lincoln-Sudbury: The 6-3, 218-pound senior is a three-year starter at linebacker and leads the Warriors with 106 tackles (17 for loss). Twyman is also the kicker, hitting 37 of 40 extra points for the season, and 4 of 5 field goals. He has committed to Brown.

DEREK TARPEY, Tewksbury: His statistics speak volumes (team-high 125 tackles, 12 for loss, three interceptions, four forced fumbles), but when asked to illustrate his game with words coach Brian Ayl- ward describes Tarpey as the ‘‘heart and soul of our defense.’’ The 5-11, 190-pound senior is a three-year starter and, with reps on the offensive line at guard, a big-hitter on both sides of the ball.

TOMMY DAVIS, Bourne: Offensive line- men often get recognized when they make mistakes, which is why you’ve probably never noticed Davis. The 6-1, 190-pound junior is a two-year starter and the leader of the offensive line from the tackle position.
He also leads the team with eight sacks as a defensive end.

MATT McKENNA, Wakefield: McKenna was hit by a car during preseason of his sophomore year. Instead of becoming the team’s starting quarterback as planned that season, he spent the next two years recovering from a severe concussion and injuries that required surgery on his shoulder and knee. He returned this season as a wide receiver to lead the Warriors in touchdown receptions (5), catches (27) and receiving yards (626) with an average of 23.2 yards per catch.

TOMMY KENNEDY, Dennis-Yarmouth: Kennedy is an animal as a tackle on the defensive line. The 5-9, 210-pound senior registered 63 tackles this season (15 for loss), with seven sacks and five forced fumbles (two recovered), despite consistently drawing double teams. In his third year starting on defense he has also taken on a starting role at guard protecting star quarterback Montalto.

SAGE PHILIPPE, Cathedral: The 6-1, 235-pound junior is a starter at middle linebacker and left tackle. He registered an interception and three sacks to go with a team-high 118 tackles this season. Philippe is a physical presence on the field and a vocal leader in the locker room. Coach Duane Sigsbury describes him as fearless. ‘‘He would run through a brick wall,’’ Sigsbury said.

LUKE WENDT, Hamilton-Wenham: A first team all-star for CAL/ NEC Div. 4, the senior defensive end/tight end is a transfer from Masconomet, where he was also a starter. Generals coach Andrew Morency describes Wendt as a terror on defense. He registered five tackles and a sack in last Tuesday’s playoff win over Newburyport. His numbers as a tight end are not an accurate indicator of what an important role he plays in the Generals’ run-first offense, using ferocious blocking to open up space for Elliott Burr and quarterback
Trevor Lyons.

GRAHAM KILPATRICK, Mashpee: A dominant defensive end, Kilpatrick has battled injury for the better part of two seasons. He missed his entire junior year with a torn ACL, and has just begun playing at 100 per- cent in the last four weeks. In those four games, he has registered seven sacks, including three in the Falcons’ playoff win over Millis/Hopedale. The 6-3, 250-pound senior also starts at right tackle.

In Part 2 of The Huddle's Super Bowls preview, Bob Holmes and Zuri Berry discuss Lincoln-Sudbury's chances against Everett, Wakefield vs. Dennis-Yarmouth, Hamilton-Wenham vs. Bourne, Cathedral vs. Blue Hills and Latin Academy vs. Nantucket. You can find Part 1 here.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

Ahead of Saturday's big games, Globe High Schools sports editor Bob Holmes and Zuri Berry preview the four Eastern Massachusetts Super Bowls at Gillette Stadium, including BC High vs. Needham, Concord-Carlisle vs. Oliver Ames, Tewksbury vs. Duxbury and Cardinal Spellman vs. Mashpee. Part 2 of the Huddle's Super Bowl preview is on its way.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

The Patriots have forward some important information for fans attending Saturday's Super Bowls at Gillette Stadium as well as information on other attractions at the stadium. It goes as follows:

Tickets and Gate Information
The Gillette Stadium/MIAA Tournament experience admission is $15 for adults and $12 for students, children and seniors. Tickets will be available at the Gillette Stadium Ticket Office, located outside the Patriot Place Gate, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. All fans will enter the stadium via the Patriot Place Gate, located near The Hall at Patriot Place and CBS Scene.

Parking
Parking is included as part of the Gillette Stadium/MIAA Tournament experience. Fans arriving via Route 495 and Route 1 North should enter the stadium parking lots via the P8 entrance. Fans arriving via Route 95 and Route 1 South should enter the stadium parking lots via the P1 entrance. No tailgating will be allowed in the parking lots.

Concessions and Dining
Concessions will be available throughout the day inside Gillette Stadium. In addition, Patriot Place features 17 casual to high-end restaurants for pregame meals or postgame celebrations. Visit www.patriot-place.com for restaurant information.

The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon
The award-winning Hall at Patriot Place will offer $3 off admission on Saturday with a ticket to the High School Super Bowls. (Regular admission to The Hall is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and active military, $5 for children 5-12, and children 4 and younger are free.)

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Everett quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso has been named the Gatorade Massachusetts football player of the year.

The Crimson Tide quarterback, who has an offer to play at Holy Cross next year, has guided Everett to its second straight Super Bowl. He tossed 44 touchdown passes this year, surpassing the state record for touchdown passes in doing so. He threw 43 touchdown passes last season and holds the Massachusetts record with 103. His 44 touchdown passes bests his state record for the regular season.

The award is doled out in collaboration with ESPN High School, which takes into consideration local media input, including the Boston Globe and Boston Herald. DiBiaso was the Division 1 player of the year for the Globe last season. With the award, DiBiaso is a finalist for the national football player of the year award from Gatorade.

Last year's state award winner, Matt Costello, also came from Everett and was a frequent beneficiary of DiBiaso's deft passing.

Billerica's Nick LaSpada, who finished his career for the Indians this season, was the 2009-10 award winner as a sophomore.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

On Saturday, the six MIAA Super Bowls held at Gillette Stadium will be televised on local TV stations as well as on the radio. Here's the schedule of those games and what times they will be broadcast:

9 a.m. -- Concord-Carlisle vs. Oliver Ames; TV: Comcast SportsNet; Radio: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

11 a.m. -- St. John’s (Shrewsbury) vs Leominster; TV: Comcast SportsNet; Radio: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

1:30 p.m. -- Longmeadow vs. Springfield Central; TV: Comcast SportsNet; Radio: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

3:30 p.m. -- Tewksbury vs. Duxbury; TV: WSBK TV 38; Radio: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

6 p.m. -- BC High vs. Needham; TV: WSBK TV 38; Radio: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub**

8 p.m. -- Cardinal Spellman vs. Mashpee; TV: WSBK TV 38; Radio: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub**

All game times are approximate.

** = These games will not be broadcast live on radio due to Bruins hockey, but will be recorded and replayed at a later date to be determined.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The MIAA has set the times and locations for the Eastern Massachusetts Super Bowls. Four of the nine games will be held at Gillette Stadium. The others will be held at Bentley University, Manning Field in Lynn and at Taunton High School. Here is the schedule of the games:

Division 1
BC High vs. Needham, 6 p.m. at Gillette Stadium

Division 1A
Everett vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, 7 p.m. at Bentley University

Division 2
Tewksbury vs. Duxbury, 3:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium

Division 2A
Wakefield vs. Dennis-Yarmouth, 3 p.m. at Manning Field, Lynn

Division 3
Concord-Carlisle vs. Oliver Ames, 9 a.m. at Gillette Stadium

Division 3A
Hamilton-Wenham vs. Bourne, noon at Manning Field, Lynn

Division 4
Cardinal Spellman vs. Mashpee, 8 p.m. at Gillette Stadium

Division 4A
Cathedral vs. Blue Hills, 10 a.m. at Bentley University

Division 5
Latin Academy vs. Nantucket, noon at Taunton High School

In addition, the schedule and locations were set for Central and Western Massachusetts Super Bowls. This will be the first year in which teams from Central and Western Massachusetts play at Gillette Stadium. Here are the schedules for both:

Central

Division 1
St. John’s(Shrewsbury) vs Leominster, 11 a.m. at Gillette Stadium

Division 2
Holy Name Central Catholic vs. Nashoba Regional, 2 p.m. at Fitchburg State University

Division 3
Auburn vs. Hudson, 3 p.m. at Worcester State University

Division 4
Northbridge vs. Southbridge, 12:30 p.m. at Worcester State University

Division 5
Clinton vs. Leicester, 10 a.m. at Worcester State University

Division 6
Assabet Valley vs. Bay Path 11 a.m. Fitchburg State University

Western

Division 1
Longmeadow vs. Springfield Central, 1:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium

Division 2
High School of Commerce vs. Putnam, 12:30 p.m. at Westfield State University

Division 3
Mt. Greylock vs. Lee Middle/High, 10 a.m. at Westfield State University

Division 4
Pioneer Valley vs. McCann Technical, 3 p.m. at Westfield State University

Concord-Carlisle's George Craan ran for 222 yards and four touchdowns as his team beat Holliston for a Division 3 Super Bowl berth.

BC High beat Chelmsford 34-13 in the Division 1 high school football playoffs Tuesday at Cawley Stadium in Lowell. See the highlights above.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Thanksgiving, in all of its glory, tradition, and sleepless nights around here, has passed. That leaves us with nothing but playoffs and Super Bowls to ponder.

There are 16 games on Tuesday to account for and we cover a number of them in the latest edition of The Huddle, including the Division 1 matchup between Chelmsford and BC High, Concord-Carlisle vs. Holliston, King Philip against Duxbury, Everett vs. Lynn English and more.

On Friday, we'll come back with another special episode of The Huddle to preview Saturday's Super Bowls.

Until then.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

Latin Academy's football team will take on Nantucket in the MIAA Division 5 Super Bowl 1:30 p.m. Saturday Dec. 3 at Taunton High School, according to the MIAA's website.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

After further review, the Massachusetts Vocational football committee selected the wrong team to play in the Small Division Bowl game. Minuteman is out, and replaced by Lynn Tech, which will play Tri-County Thursday at Braintree.

Let Blackstone Valley AD and vocational football chair Michele Denise explain:

"A mistake was made in the calculation of percentages for both Lynn Tech and Minuteman. Lynn Tech had listed an extra loss, and Minuteman had listed without an additional loss. As a result, when these two mistakes were found we tried to quickly and efficiently make the change in matchups. Neither mistake was due to the schools, in fact several sets of eyes had reviewed the records and percentages and it was not found until late [Friday] afternoon -- the mistakes were not made on the schools ends, but rather in the process of gathering results over the course of the season. Both schools handled the situation with grace and we will work hard to assure this doesn’t happen in the future."

Lynn Tech finished the season 7-4, including a 44-8 loss to St. Mary's Wednesday night.

By Globe School Staff

Division 1
Greg Finley, Framingham - Finley rushed for three touchdowns and passed for another as Framingham beat Natick, 48-28, Thursday.
Matt McDermott, Central Catholic - McDermott passed for 239 yards and two TDs and rushed for 52 yards and two more scores, as well as the winning conversion in Central Catholic’s 48-46 double overtime win over North Andover.

Division 1A
D.J Crook, Barnstable - Crook, who played in his first game since fracturing his thumb Oct. 7, threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns to lead Barnstable to a 28-15 win over Falmouth.
Jonathan DiBiaso, Everett - DiBiaso threw four touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s 48-8 win over Cambridge, breaking the century mark and bringing his career total to 101.

Division 2
Eric Lacroix, Methuen - The Rangers quarterback tossed three touchdown passes and ran for another as Methuen took the annual Thanksgiving Day matchup with Dracut.
Marquis Chase, North Quincy - Chase rushed for three of the Red Raiders’ four touchdowns in a 27-17 win over cross-town rival Quincy on Thanksgiving.

Division 2A
Will Quigley, Marblehead - Quigley rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries in Marblehead’s must-win, 103rd Thanksgiving game against No. 16 Swampscott. The Magicians locked up the CAL/NEC and a Division 2 playoff berth.
Kyle Shields, Burlington - The senior captain knew that the Red Devils’ Thanksgiving tilt with Lexington would be his last high school game and he made the most of it. Shields scored three touchdowns on 18 carries, and the 104 yards he chewed up put him over the 3,000-yard mark for his career.

Division 3
Jhalen Bien-Aime, Boston Latin - The 5-foot-9 junior back tallied 148 yards rushing, scored on runs of 70 yards and 63 yards, and scooped up a block punt and returned it for another score as the Wolfpack dominated Boston English 50-0.
Aaron Mack, Stoughton - The 6-1 junior back reached the end zone four times as the Black Knights defeated rival Canton 27-7.

Division 3A
Corey Burnham, Manchester Essex - The junior signal caller carried 30 times for 151 yards and two scores and also tossed a touchdown pass in the Hornets’ 28-7 victory over host Georgetown.
Carl Lipani, North Reading - The 5-10 junior back totaled 249 yards on 38 carries and scored four times, leading the Hornets past Lynnfield 37-18. Lipani finished the season as Division 3A’s leading scorer.

Division 4
Christian Rivera, Greater Lawrence - With a berth in the Vocational bowl on the line, Rivera ran for 114 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries.
Corey Donahue, St. Mary’s - In big win over Lynn Tech, Donahue ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the season with more than 1,000 yards.

Division 4A
Hector Rivera, Chelsea - In a must win game for the Red Devils, Rivera came through for the second consecutive week. After scoring two vital touchdowns to beat North Shore and stay in contention in their last game, Rivera provided the same spark in the 42-22 win over Matignon. He ran for 160 yards and two TDs on just six carries and also returned a punt for a score. The Red Devils last two wins helped them clinch the Commonwealth Small for the first time in 15 years.
Robert McMaster and Malcolm Brown, Pope John - McMaster and Brown have dazzled all who have watched them play all season long, as they broke numerous school records and helped their team to four wins in which they scored 50 points or more. As the two seniors get set to graduate, they can look back at their final Thanksgiving Day football game, which they won 58-38, with pleasure. McMaster, snapped Malcolm Brown’s school record, with 574 total yards on the ground and through the air, including five touchdown passes. The five TDs also helped McMaster break the school’s single-season record with 30 total. Brown, who holds the schools record for TD’s in a game with six, amassed 221 yards receiving and four touchdowns on just 11 catches.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The MIAA has announced the times and locations for the high school football playoffs. On Thanksgiving, the playoff matchups were settled.

What hasn't been settled is the site for the Division 5 Super Bowl between Latin Academy and Nantucket. That game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 3.

All playoff games will be played on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

Here's the lineup, with times and location now:

Division 1
Chelmsford vs. BC High, 5:15 p.m. at Cawley Stadium, Lowell
New Bedford vs. Needham, 7:30 p.m. at Weymouth HS

Division 1A
Everett vs. Lynn English, 7:30 p.m. at Manning Field, Lynn
Barnstable vs. Lincoln-Sudbury, 5:15 p.m. at Taunton HS

Division 2
Tewksbury vs. Reading, 7:30 p.m. at Reading HS
King Philip vs. Duxbury, 5:15 p.m. at Weymouth HS

Division 2A
Marblehead vs. Wakefield, 5:15 p.m. at Manning Field, Lynn
Walpole vs. Dennis-Yarmouth, 7:30 p.m. at Bridgewater-Raynham HS

Division 3
Concord-Carlisle vs. Holliston, 7:30 p.m. at Cawley Stadium, Lowell
Oliver Ames vs. Pembroke, 7:30 p.m. at Franklin HS

Division 3A
Newburyport vs. Hamilton-Wenham, 7:30 p.m. at Andover HS
Bishop Feehan vs. Bourne, 5:15 p.m. at Bridgewater-Raynham HS

Division 4
Cardinal Spellman vs. Shawsheen, 5:15 p.m. at Andover HS
Millis-Hopedale vs. Mashpee, 7:30 p.m. at Taunton HS

Division 4A
Cathedral vs. Chelsea, 5:15 p.m. at Reading HS
East Boston vs. Blue Hills, 5:15 p.m. at Franklin HS

Division 5 (Super Bowl)
Latin Academy vs. Nantucket, TBA

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy takes a look at why Thanksgiving high school football means so much to Massachusetts and why it's a unique tradition.

The video includes a mix and mash Thanksgiving's action on the gridiron, including marching bands, cheerleaders and Globe photos.

Video by Matt Pepin, Globe Staff

BC High beat Catholic Memorial 13-0 for a spot in the Division 1 playoffs. The Eagle win, in the rivalry's 50th meeting, extended BC High's winning streak to seven in the series. Highlights and interviews from the game the game above.

Video produced by Scott LaPierre, Globe Staff

Jonathan DiBiaso won his 23d straight game leading the Everett Crimson Tide in a 48-8 win over Cambridge at Everett Memorial Stadium. It was DiBiaso's final game at the stadium, finishing a three-year tenure under the guide of his father, John DiBiaso. He threw four touchdowns on the day, giving him a Massachusetts all-time high of 101 career TD passes. Earlier in the year, he beat the previous record of 85. See John DiBiaso and Jonathan DiBiaso talk about how they make their father-son, coach-player relationship work. Also, see Dan Shaughnessy's column on the pair, too.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

With the conclusion of Thanksgiving day games, the MIAA high school football playoff matchups are settled in Eastern Massachusetts. Here's a look at which teams will be playing each other. The times and dates will be determined Friday.

Division 1
Chelmsford vs. BC High
New Bedford vs. Needham

Division 1A
Everett vs. Lynn English
Barnstable vs. Lincoln-Sudbury

Division 2
Tewksbury vs. Reading
King Philip vs. Duxbury

Division 2A
Marblehead vs. Wakefield
Walpole vs. Dennis-Yarmouth

Division 3
Concord-Carlisle vs. Holliston
Oliver Ames vs. Pembroke

Division 3A
Newburyport vs. Hamilton-Wenham
Bishop Feehan vs. Bourne

Division 4
Cardinal Spellman vs. Shawsheen
Millis-Hopedale vs. Mashpee

Division 4A
Cathedral vs. Chelsea
Boston North vs. Blue Hills

Division 5 (Super Bowl)
Latin Academy vs. Nantucket

We have concluded the updates portion of today's Thanksgiving Day coverage. Below, you can find select scores and updates from the top games. But for every score -- including everything that has been reported to the Globe -- visit our scoreboard page.

Again, happy Thanksgiving.

--

Final: Everett 48, Cambridge 8 -- Everett's Jonathan DiBiaso has four touchdown passes on the day and now 101 for his career.

Final: Pembroke 27, Silver Lake 14 -- In the second quarter, Pembroke's Luke Nagel threw a 41-yard TD pass to Nick Burns. Silver Lake's John Hurley ran in a 6-yard TD run in the first quarter followed by Pembroke's Jon Hooper breaking loose for a 50-yard TD. Hooper added a 4-yard TD run in the third. Nagel threw a 29-yard TD pass to Burns in the fourth quarter.

Final: Weymouth 20, Walpole 13 -- Cam McLevedge with a 3-yard TD pass to Shawn Whouley in the first quarter. He threw three touchdowns in the game.

Final: Needham 42, Wellesley 18 -- Needham locks up a playoff spot with the win.

Final: Concord-Carlisle 34, Bedford 7 -- Tim Badgley on an 8-yard TD for the Patriots in the first quarter. He added another touchdown in the third. C-C's Tyquan Culbreath ran for a 49-yard touchdown.

Final: Bridgewater-Raynham 14, Brockton 8 -- Nick Schlatz capped a 76-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run for B-R with 4:04 left in the quarter.He scored a second touchdown on a 6-yard jaunt off left tackle with 1:23 remaining in the first half. Brockton's Austin Roberts threw a 22-yard TD pass to Lucas Depina.

Final: New Bedford 18, Durfee 16 -- New Bedford heads to the playoffs with the win and a Brockton loss.

Final: Mansfield 14, Foxboro 7 -- Matt Bukuras threw a 14-yard touchdown with 3.7 seconds for the game-winning touchdown for Mansfield.

Final: Dennis-Yarmouth 27, Nauset 15 - The Dolphins are headed to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Final: BC High 13, Catholic Memorial 0 -- Jackson Bockhurst kicked two field goals for BC High in the first half and Luke Catarius ran in a touchdown as the Eagles locked up a spot in the Division 1 playoffs.

Final: Cardinal Spellman 34, Archbishop Williams 0 -- Spellman's Dan Kustka ran in a 1-yard TD in the third. Patt Hinkley ran for 108 yards through the first half and three Cardinal Spellman touchdowns.

Final: Lynn English 35, Lynn Classical 0 -- English's Josh Batista caught an 18-yard TD pass from Jermaine Kelly for a touchdown in the first quarter. Kelly went down with an injury in the second. English's P.J. Dorsey ran in two separate 5-yard TDs. Javon Brown-Simpson added a 23-yard TD run.

Final: East Boston 12, South Boston 6 -- Andre Rickerson ran in a 2-yard TD in the first quarter and then added a 7-yard run for a TD in the second.

Final: Chelsea 42, Matignon 22

Final: Xaverian 28, St. John's Prep 21

Final: Lincoln-Sudbury 35, Newton South 13

Final: Woburn 56, Winchester 0

Final: Wakefield 3, Melrose 0

Final: Lowell 39, Haverhill 29

Final: Arlington Catholic 28, Arlington 7

Final: Malden 36, Medford 0

Final: Marblehead 21, Swampscott 7

Final: Holliston 27, Westwood 0

Final: Mashpee 32, Sandwich 7

Final: North Attleborough 14, Attleborough 7

Final: Chelmsford 21, Billerica 7

Final: Barnstable 28, Falmouth 15

Final: Duxbury 33, Marshfield 6

Final: Newburport 24, Amesbury 6

Final: Oliver Ames 34, Sharon 6

Final: King Philip 42, Franklin 21

Final: Boston Latin 50, Boston English 0

Final: Hamilton-Wenham 33, Ipswich 8

--

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Today is no small day by any means. With that said, we will have scoring updates right here for all the major games, with our eyes on playoff implications and historic rivalries.

We'll also provide scores throughout the day as we receive them. For instant updates via Twitter, follow along @GlobeSchools. The hashtag for the day is #massfootball.

Check back here after the games to see the updates roll in. You can also see our full Thanksgiving Day scoreboard right here, which will compile the finals.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

On Thanksgiving, Twitter will be a big part of our coverage of the more than 100 football games that will be occurring in Eastern Massachusetts. During the day filled with updates, we will be tagging our tweets with the hashtag #massfootball, as we have all year long.

However, the benefit of the hashtag is twofold. In addition to giving you an easy search item outside of following our Twitter account @GlobeSchools, it gives you an opportunity to tag your tweets as well to report scores and share photos or videos with others interested in Thanksgiving football in Massachusetts.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments or on Twitter @zuriberry or @GlobeSchools.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

There are four games that are on our minds. Winners get a playoff spot, the losers stay home. Take a look at our Thanksgiving Day preview in our latest episode of The Huddle with an eye on these specific games. You'll also get Bob Holmes' take on what the holiday means in Massachusetts.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Thanksgiving Day is fast upon us and with that being the case, it's a good time to lay out what some of our endeavors will be for the full breadth of coverage.

There's more than 100 high school football games on Thanksgiving Day, which is a little nightmarish considering they all happen at roughly the same time (10, 10:30 and 11 a.m.). So this should give you an idea of what to expect from us leading up to and through the holiday.

Monday

We've already posted our Thanksgiving games to watch gallery. It's full of the top matchups in Eastern Massachusetts, including all the playoff implications and surveys so you can pick who you think will win each game.

Tuesday

We'll post The Huddle's Thanksgiving Preview. Bob Holmes and I will break down the top games that will have the biggest impact on the playoffs next week. In the newspaper, we'll print a list of all the matchups, including the historical records for each rivalry and team records.

Wednesday

Dan Shaugnessy is writing a column on the holiday. You can also expect our Thanksgiving Day advance, written by Globe Correspondent Ryan Mooney.

Thursday - Thanksgiving

In the morning, we'll have coverage of all of Wednesday's games, including Brockton vs. Bridgewater-Raynham. (Brockton needs a win to get in the playoffs.) By mid-morning, we'll switch over and focus on game updates for all of Thursday's action. We'll be covering 17 games, with quarter by quarter updates. We'll also be posting scores as they're reported to us. (Coaches and staff can call in scores at 617-929-2860.) We'll be conducting all of our updates right here on the high schools blog, but we'll also be updating our followers on Twitter @GlobeSchools.

(Also on Thursday, we'll be compiling reader photos of any action, tailgating or anything Thanksgiving football related. Readers can send photos to hspix@boston.com.)

Friday

We'll have all the scores, stories, photos and video from Thursday. We'll also have an update on playoff matchups that will likely come late Thursday. By mid-Friday, we'll know playoff sites for all the games.

Saturday

The final Bus page will be printed in the Globe and we'll have the Boston.com 100 ready to go for the playoffs on Tuesday.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Brighton football coach James Philips has coached his final game for the Bengals, reports BPSsports.com.

Philips, who led Brighton to a 2007 Super Bowl victory, will retire as a coach and history teacher at Brighton, according to the website.

"I probably won't get to feeling it till August when I'd be getting ready for football or in September when I realize I'm not going back to Brighton High School," Philips told the website. "But I think I can live with it. I think I can stand it."

In his 14th year as Brighton's head football coach, Philips compiled a 56-85-2 record. Brighton finished 5-5 this year and 3-1 in the Boston South.

Brighton lost to West Roxbury on Friday, 20-18.

By Liz Torres, Globe Correspondent

The heart of Boston Latin is in its school pride.

After the Wolfpack's football team started its season on three-game winning streak, students and faculty collaborated to put their own spin on rapper Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow" single, which is a popular Boston Bruins theme song at games and was played prominently during the team's Stanley Cup parade. The students and faculty created "Black and Purple."

The video encompasses Wolfpack pride, specifically in the football program that stands at 4-5, but it does not stop there.

"There's a lot of pride in what kids do extracurricular-wise," athletic director John McDonough. "Everyone is not in athletics or the arts, but they do so many different things. After school here it is like a banquet in terms of what you can select to do."

Boston Latin junior Stanley "Stizz" Debrosse is credited with the lyrics to the theme song "Black and Purple (Wolfpack remix)", which is featured on YouTube. The video was filmed and edited by Mike DeMarias.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

What's the worst thing that can happen this time of year? A three-way tie.

Bob Holmes explains Latin Academy's entrance into the Division 5 Super Bowl after a loss, a look at the 17 teams that punched their ticket for the playoffs in Week 10 of the high school football season, and highlights from Concord-Carlisle's win over Lincoln-Sudbury and Andover's win over Lowell. See it all in the latest edition of The Huddle

And yet, there are a ton of playoff matchups that have yet to be determined. That puts a greater emphasis on Thanksgiving. Next week, we'll have our Thanksgiving Day preview in The Huddle where we'll go over every single game that matters -- and provide some history lessons as well. Holmes is good for that.

Until next time.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By School Sports Staff

Football Players of the Week for Nov. 10-13.

Division 1
A.J. Doyle, Catholic Memorial – The senior quarterback threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter, and rushed for another score in the fourth as the Knights beat Xaverian, 33-11, Saturday. CM is tied with BC High for first in the Catholic Conference.

Andrew Coke, Andover – Coke racked up 283 yards from the line of scrimmage, and rushed for four touchdowns as Andover beat Lowell, 26-21, Friday.
Cam McLevedge, Weymouth – McLevedge has been on the list often this season, but his 34 touchdowns this year lead all of Division 1. The senior quarterback threw for four touchdowns and ran for another Friday as Weymouth crushed Framingham, 50-0.

Division 1A
Jonathan DiBiaso, Everett – DiBiaso threw for 232 yards and four touchdowns to lead Everett over Malden 42-20 Saturday. DiBiaso also rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Branden Morin, Bridgewater-Raynham – Morin caught two touchdown and ran for two scores to help B-R shut out Taunton, 26-0, Friday. Morin had 75-yard scoring run, as well as a 70-yard touchdown reception.

Division 2
Spyro Varetimos, North Attleboro — In the win over Mansfield, the senior quarterback had 18 carries for 73 yds and one TD. He was also 6-of-9 passing with two touchdowns.

Chucky Ortiz, Woburn — The Middlesex Large was decided in favor of Reading some time ago, but Ortiz will not let that ruin his senior year. He did a little bit of everything in a 24-7 win over Lexington on Friday, rushing for two touchdowns, throwing another and kicking a 28-yard field goal.

Nathan Baez, Lawrence — Baez threw for 198 yards and four touchdowns — three of them to Mario Encarnacion — in a 24-7 victory over Methuen.\

Division 2A
Michael Walsh, Swampscott — Saturday’s game against Gloucester was not a must win, but just in case anyone from Marblehead was watching Walsh made a statement by going 13-for-22 for 247 yards and four touchdowns for a 33-15 win. The Big Blue play Marblehead on Thanksgiving in a winner-take-all for the CAL/NEC title.

Colton Mitchell, Walpole — With six seconds remaining in regulation against Natick Friday night and the Bay State Herget title on the line, the sophomore booted the Rebels into the playoffs for the fourth time in six years with a game-winning 25-yard field goal.

Division 3
Mike Decina, Hopkinton — The 5-foot-10 senior QB was 17 of 22 through the air for 300 yards and six touchdowns, including four to Alex Hulme, in the Hillers’ 42-13 win over host Westwood on Friday.

Mike Surdek, Boston Latin — The 5-8 junior back tallied 237 all-purpose yards and scored three times in the Wolfpack’s 27-0 victory over Weston on Thursday night.

Division 3A
Joe Epps, Bourne — The senior back carried 22 times for 250 yards and scored on runs of 74 and 61 yards in the 38-33 victory for the Canalmen over host Fairhaven on Friday.

Carl Lipani, North Reading — The 5-10 junior powered his way to 237 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 35 carries in the Hornets 32-14 win over host Ipswich on Friday.

Nate Michael, Apponequet — Already holding the single-season rushing record for the Lakers (1,339 yards), Michael scored three touchdowns giving him 37 for his career and breaking the school record of 35.

Division 4
Pat Hinkley, Cardinal Spellman — Hinkley countered Arlington Catholics defensive speed with his strength as he rumbled for 116 yards and the final 3 Cardinal touchdowns. The cardinals won the Catholic Central Large with a 29-21 victory.

Team defense, Mashpee — Mashpee’s defense stopped East Bridgewater’s two-headed attack of Tim O’Brien and Casey DeAndrade. A Viking offense that was averaging 37 points per game were held to zero offensive in a 16-6 loss that their only score came from a kick off return. Leading the Mashpee defense was Graham Kilpatrick with 8 tackles, 3 solo and a sack. Mashpee also forced a turnover and stopped East Bridgewater of three different occasions within their 25 yard line. Mashpee clinched the South Shore League with the victory.

Devon Pratt, Shawsheen — The Rams clinched the Commonwealth Large title behind Pratt’s three touchdowns and a 29-yard field goal.

Division 4A
Hector Rivera, Chelsea — Rivera was icing on the cake for the newly crowned champion Red Devils. In the win-and-your-in battle with North Shore for the Commonwealth Small title and a playoff spot, Rivera did all he could to lead his team to a long-awaited celebration, scoring the Devils only two touchdowns and snagging an interception in the 14-6 comeback win. Chelsea will be playing in their first playoff since 1995.

Matt Owens, Cathedral — Owens continued to orchestrate Cathedral’s offense, throwing for 270 yards with four touchdowns as the Panthers clinched the Catholic Central Small title and remain undefeated at 10-0.

Division 5
Jared McAuliffe, South Shore — With Nantucket wrapping up the Mayflower Small title already, the Vikings were playing for pride and showed a lot of it in the, 20-18, come from behind win over West Bridgewater. In a 20-point second quarter, McAuliffe caught the winning TD pass on the last play of the half, and the game-saving 2-point conversion interception with 1:20 left to play.

NEPSAC
Elijah Morrissey and Tate Jozokos, Governor’s Academy — In an ISL title clinching win over Belmont Hill, Morrissey ran 27 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns and Jozokos ran for 140 yards and three scores.

Andreas Robinson, Phillips Exeter — In a 39-6 win over rival Phillips Andover, Robinson ran for 156 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns.

NEPSAC announced its bowl pairings Sunday. Here's the lineup:

Norm Walker Bowl: Kent School (6-0) at Taft (7-0), Sat., Nov. 19, 1:45.

Arthur Valicenti Bowl: Choate (7-2) at Cheshire (8-0), Fri., Nov. 18, 7 p.m.

Jack Etter Bowl: New Hampton (7-1) vs. Governor's Academy (8-0) at Cushing, Fri., Nov. 18, 6 p.m.

Tom Flaherty Bowl: Suffield (7-1) vs. Belmont Hill (7-1) at Worcester Academy, Sat., Nov. 19, time TBA

Dan Rorke Bowl: Pingree (7-1) vs. Rye Country Day (9-0) at Loomis Chaffee, Sat., Nov. 19, time TBA

Here's the rundown of what the matchups will be for EMass football so far:

Division 1
Chelmsford vs. CM/BC High winner
Big Three vs. Bay State Carey

Division 1A
Greater Boston vs. Lynn English
Barnstable vs. Lincoln-Sudbury

Division 2
Tewksbury vs. Reading
Hockomock Kelley-Rex vs. Duxbury

Division 2A
Swampscott/Marblehead winner vs. Wakefield
Walpole vs. D-Y/Nauset winner

Division 3
C-C/Bedford winner vs. TVL Large
Hockomock Davenport vs. Pembroke

Division 3A
Newburyport vs. Hamilton-Wenham
Bishop Feehan vs. Bourne

Division 4
Cardinal Spellman vs. Shawsheen
Millis-Hopedale vs. Mashpee

Division 4A
Cathedral vs. Chelsea
Boston North vs. Blue Hills

Division 5 (Super Bowl)
Latin Academy vs. Nantucket

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Concord-Carlisle's George Craan ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns while teammate Tyquan Culbreath ran for 108 yards and two scores in a 27-0 win over previously undefeated Lincoln-Sudbury.

All games Tuesday, Nov. 29. Sites and times will be announced Nov. 25 by the MIAA. All games will be played on artificial turf. Super Bowls will be played Saturday, Dec. 3.

Division 1
Chelmsford vs. Catholic Conference Big Three vs. Bay State Carey

Division 1A
Greater Boston vs. Lynn English Barnstable vs. Lincoln-Sudbury

Division 2
Tewksbury vs. Reading Hockomock Kelley-Rex vs. Duxbury

Division 2A
CAL/NEC Division 2 vs. Wakefield Walpole vs. Atlantic Coast League

Division 3
Dual County Small vs. Tri-Valley Large Hockomock Davenport vs. Pembroke

Division 3A
Newburyport vs. CAL/NEC Division 4 Bishop Feehan vs. South Coast

Division 4
AC/Spellman winner vs. Common- wealth Large Millis-Hopedale vs. Mashpee

Division 4A
Catholic Central Small vs. Common- wealth Small Boston North vs. Blue Hills

Division 5 (Super Bowl)
Latin Academy vs. Nantucket

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Billerica's Nick LaSpada, a two-time Globe All-Scholastic football player at quarterback and free safety, is done for the year after being rushed to the hospital for blood clots, according to a report from the Lowell Sun.

The newspaper reports that LaSpada was rushed to the hospital Saturday night where he underwent a CAT scan, which discovered the clots.

LaSpada has led the Billerica Indians for the past three seasons at quarterback. He was selected as the 2009 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.

See the story on the Lowell Sun's website.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Seven playoff tickets were punched in Week 9 and more are on the way. In this week's Huddle, we're talking playoffs and matchups. Highlights from the week include, Barnstable's overtime win over Bridgewater-Raynham, East Boston's rout of Boston English, and Swampscott's win over Beverly.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Eastern Mass representatives of the MIAA Football Committee voted 8-1 today to allow the Merrimack Valley Conference and Big Three Conference to continue their current policy for selecting their league champions. In a conference call this afternoon, two issues were discussed, each dealing with the MIAA’s eligibilty criteria for postseason play.

First was the Merrimack Valley Conference point formula that includes games played between Divisions 1 and 2. According to the MIAA’s eligibility rules, ‘‘only MIAA division games ... may be used to determine league champion.’’ But MVC teams get two points for a win in their division, one point for outside, in contradiction of MIAA rules.

Ipswich principal and Football Committee chair Barry Cahill said after a conversation with Dracut athletic director Tim Woods, that, ‘‘they [MVC] would not have been aware that they were in conflict with our rules. They were not cognizant of that first paragraph.’’

The Big Three issue involved a league champion that finished under .500 overall. In that case, by constitution, the second-place team would go, assuming that team was .500 or better. Brockton (4-5) plays New Bedford (4-4) Saturday. Brockton could beat New Bedford but then lose to Bridgewater-Raynham on Nov. 23. At 5-6, the Boxers would not go to the Division 1 playoffs. In that scenario, New Bedford would go if it beat Durfee on Thanksgiving to finish 5-5. If New Bedford lost to Durfee, Brockton would go because of the better win-loss percentage.

The committee voted to wave the eligibility requirements in the format for 2011 and allow the leagues to select their playoff representative using their current systems.

‘‘Whatever internal mechanisms they have, we’re not at this point going to interrupt that process,’’ said Cahill.

The lone decenting vote belong to St. John’s Prep athletic director and coach Jim O’Leary.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

It's been more than a month since the last Boston.com 100 poll was released and there's been considerable movement since then across the board.

East Bridgewater and Mashpee, both undefeated, jumped from the Nos. 65 and 66 spots to 28 and 30.

Bourne, also undefeated, moved up from No. 60 to No. 35.

On the outside of the Globe Top 20 looking in is No. 21 Xaverian, which fell from its perch at No. 11 last week after a 16-6 loss at No. 3 BC High -- the team's fourth loss of the year.

Wakefield (7-2), which has been in and out of the Top 20 all year and was ranked No. 20 last week, fell to No. 29 after losing to No. 26 Reading, 28-27.

For those paying attention to which teams are on the bus: Arlington Catholic (8-0) sits at No. 25, Pembroke (8-0) at No. 27, Blue Hills (9-0) at No. 37, Hamilton-Wenham (8-0) at No. 29 and Cathedral (9-0) at No. 43.

Traditional powerhouse Brockton (4-5) is No. 36. The Boxers have been shut out two weeks in a row, including a 26-0 defeat Friday to No. 9 Catholic Memorial.

The Bay State Conference features two teams sitting right outside the Top 20 in No. 22 Weymouth (7-2) and No. 23 Framingham (6-3). The Bay State is one of the particularly strong conferences this year, with Natick, Needham and Walpole all in the Top 20.

At No. 100 is Boston North's Madison Park, which is 5-2 overall.

View the Boston.com 100 and the Globe Top 20 on our rankings page. What do you think of the rankings? Let us know in the comments.

Football Players of the Week for Nov. 5-6.

Division 1

Jonathon Thomas, St. John’s Prep – The Eagles were led by Thomas, who had 13 carries for 98 yards and four touchdowns to help the Prep beat Malden Catholic, 36-14, Saturday.

Eddie Sheridan, Chelmsford – Sheridan ran for 168 yards and two touchdowns to help Chelmsford beat Lowell, 28-22, Saturday. Sheridan also converted on consecutive 4-and-1 conversions to help seal the win, and his performance brings his season total to 1,138 yards.

Division 1A

Theo France, Barnstable – France helped Barnstable upset No. 8 Bridgewater-Raynham when he scored three touchdowns in a 26-20 win. With the victory, the Red Raiders clinched the Old Colony title for the first time since 2003.

Chris Giorgio, Lincoln-Sudbury – Giorgio crossed the goal line twice for the Warriors, helping L-S beat Acton-Boxboro, 21-14, and clinch the Dual County League Large title. The win also clinched a playoff berth, and the Warriors are 9-0.

Division 2

Charles Ruffin, King Philip — What was most amazing about the Warriors’ victory over Attleboro on Friday was not that they put up 41 points against the Bombardiers but that they were all scored by Ruffin. The senior tailback rushed for 252 yards and six touchdowns on 21 carries.

Chucky Ortiz, Woburn — The Tanners have nothing left to play for except pride, and Ortiz can find pride in the performance he had Friday night. He rushed for four touchdowns (and kicked the extra-point on three of them) to lead Woburn past Belmont.

Division 2A

John Parsons, Wilmington — The senior RB/LB had 277 all purpose yards — including a 75-yard kick return — and 4 touchdowns in 47-14 thumping of Watertown on Friday.

Troy Flutie/Nick Lee, Natick — The Bay State Conference is far from won but Flutie (157 yards passing, 3 touchdowns) and Lee (18 carries, 165 yards, 3 touchdowns) helped to keep the Red and Blue in the hunt for the Herget title in their 39-20 win over Wellesley on Friday.

Division 3

Alex Hulme, Hopkinton — The 5-foot-11 senior played a key role on offense and defense for the Hillers on Friday night. Hulme threw three touchdown tosses (11, 15 8 yards) on offense and recorded two sacks on defense in Hopkinton’s 27-7 victory over host Medfield.

Carlton Williamson, Oliver Ames — The 5-9 senior did all he could to try and lead the Tigers past visiting Canton on Friday night. Williamson returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, one of 100 yards and the other of 98 yards, and ran for a 6 yard score in his team’s 27-21 setback to the Bulldogs.

Anthony Bires, Canton — In that same game, Bires, a senior, ran for 118 yards on 18 carries with three rushing touchdowns. He was also 7 of 10 passing with one touchdown.

Division 3A

Derek Chamberlain and Peter Moutevelis, Ipswich — The backfield duo of Chamberlain (21 carries, 123 yards, 3 TD) and Moutevelis (14 carries, 134 yards, 3TD) combined for six scores to lead the visiting Tigers past Manchester Essex 39-20 Friday night.

Bryan Rocha, Dighton-Rehoboth — The 5-9 senior back racked up 150 yards rushing and scored on runs of 4, 20, 4 and 50 yards in the Falcons’ 41-6 win over visiting Fairhaven on Friday.

Division 4

Jim Perkins, Millis — Millis (8-1, 4-0) clinched the Tri-Valley Small title behind the running of Jim Perkins. Perkins ran through the Bellingham defense to the tune of 280 yards. Perkins also scored two touchdowns on the ground.

Kyle Livingstone, Cohasset — Livingstone was literally all the offense the Clippers needed. The running back ran for 224 yards and scored all 5 Clipper touchdowns. Ten of his 22 carries went for 10 or more yards.

Division 4A

Entire offensive backfield, East Boston — With six different players (Kyle Jimenez-Fox, Andre Rickerson, Devonte Holloway, Dan Auch, Matt Robinson, Juan Donilla) scoring in the win over English, it would be hard to point out one key player for the first-place Jets, who piled up 300 yards of total offense in the win.

Gee Griffith, Cathedral — The Panthers are still soaring high and remain undefeated, in part because of Griffith’s impact offensively — particularly in the ground game. In the win over Matignon, Griffith rushed for a school record 377 yards on only 10 carries, including five touchdowns. In the past three games Gee has scored eight touchdowns.

Division 5

Kyle Dance, Latin Academy — Dance helped the Dragons inch a game closer to clinching the teams first playoff birth since 1994 and date with the division 5 Super Bowl Nov. 3. In the big down to the wire, 21-14, win over defending league champ Brighton, Dance rushed for a touchdown and passed for another in the first-half.

NEPSAC

Kenny Adinkra, Pingree — In a 59-39 win over Vermont Academy, Adinkra scored five touchdowns and ran for 230 yards.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Barnstable's Hayden Murphy ran in a 5-yard TD in overtime to beat Old Colony League rival Bridgewater-Raynham, 26-20. The win locked up a playoff spot for Barnstable and the league title. See the highlights above.

Retired NFL tight end Jermaine Wiggins, who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2001, will have his jersey retired at East Boston High School. (Globe file)

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

It was pretty much destined to happen as soon as he strapped on a helmet for the New York Jets way back in 1999 as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia. His chances were only bolstered in 2000 when, in his second year in the NFL, he signed on with his hometown team the New England Patriots. And in 2001, he might as well have started planning the date with his alma mater, East Boston High School, for the ceremony in which the school would retire his jersey.

The date has come for Jermaine Wiggins, the retired NFL tight end who won a Super Bowl with Patriots in 2001. Wiggins will have his jersey retired at Airport Stadium in East Boston tonight, along with longtime coach John Sousa, when the Jets host Boston English. It will be a long overdue honor for the North Shore resident who continues to opine and analyze football on TV, radio and on the web. He also runs a football program on the North Shore for young football players, “Train like a Pro … With a Pro.” (Editor’s Note: Wiggins also contributes to a weekly video series on Boston.com called “Inside the Playbook.”)

“You know I didn’t really expect it,” Wiggins explained. “It wasn’t something I thought about.

“I was a good player in high school, [but] more of a basketball player,” Wiggins continued. “I didn’t set a whole lot of records. Basketball is more of where I laid my hat.”

Wiggins’ old basketball coach, Michael Rubin, now the headmaster at East Boston High School, approached him about being getting his jersey retired.

“Hopefully, it’ll show my kids that with hard work -- and the kids that go to East Boston high school, -- is that anything can be done,” Wiggins said. “To me, that’s the biggest accomplishment. Is, you know, have those kids see that.”

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Bob Holmes, the Globe's high schools sports editor, puts Everett quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso's state record for touchdown passes in perspective in this week's edition of The Huddle. Also, highlights from Natick's 49-24 win over Needham and a look ahead at Bridgewater-Raynham against Barnstable.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By School Sports Staff

Division 1
Maurice Hurst, Xaverian – The 6-foot-2, 275-pound Hurst rumbled down the field Saturday, rushing for 126 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries to help Xaverian beat St. John’s (S), 27-9.
Cam McLevege, Weymouth – McLevedge tossed five touchdowns Friday to help Weymouth beat Braintree, 47-7. McLevedge leads Eastern Mass. with 30 touchdown passes.

Division 1A
Jonathan DiBiaso, Everett – DiBiaso heaved six touchdowns to break Tom Colombo’s career touchdown mark of 85. DiBiaso finished the night with 88, after throwing five in the first quarter in Friday’s, 41-14, win over Medford.
Nick Schlatz and Branden Morin, Bridgewater-Raynham – The dynamic duo helped B-R pile up 346 yards out of the backfield as B-R beat Dartmouth, 30-6, Friday. Morin rushed for 164, while Schlatz ran for 132.
Dylan Mann, Masconomet - The junior captain ran for one touchdown and had 8 carries for 101 yards to lead Masco to a 40-6 victory over Lynn Classical. Mann also caused one fumble and had one interception on defense.

Division 2
Greg Donahue, Mansfield — The senior running back rushed for 225 yards and two touchdowns on Friday, including the tying score in overtime to set up Matt Bukuras’ game-winning extra point, to help the No. 3 Hornets hold off Barnstable.
Chris Bettano, Tewksbury — Bettano saw plenty of touches against Methuen on Saturday (32 carries for 158 yards and two touchdowns) but none bigger than the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime, which he pounded in to put the Redmen on top of the Merrimack Valley Small standings.

Division 2A
Marcus Odiah, Burlington — Odiah to racked up 196 yards on 12 carries Friday, and his three touchdowns helped fuel a 44-12 rout over Middlesex Small rival Waertown.
Nathan Holmes, Nauset — After Colby Frodel put the warriors up, 7-0, the senior running back rushed for four unanswered touchdowns in a shutout over Atlantic Coast League opponent Falmouth.
Shane Blass, Walpole — It only took nine rushes for Blass to go 207 yards Friday. His productive afternoon included two touchdowns in the Rebels’ shutout of Newton North.

Division 3
Jake Frechette, Holliston — The 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior back gained 152 yards rushing and scored on a 5-yard rush in the Panthers’ 35-13 win over visiting Millis-Hopedale Friday night. A four-year starter, Frechette broke the school’s all-time rushing record by surpassing the previous record of 3,013 yards. Frechette now has 3,109 yards for his career.
Alex Hulme, Hopkinton — The 5-11, 160-pound senior hauled in a 17 yard touchdown pass, nabbed a 40-yard interception TD, and snuck in for a 1 yard rushing score in the first quarter of the Hillers’ 42-22 victory over host Bellingham on Friday.

Division 3A
Nolan Dragon, Pentucket — The 6-1, 210-pound senior back carried 25 times for 131 yards and scored three second half touchdowns to lead the Sachems to a 27-14 victory over Saugus on Saturday. Dragon’s scores were from 1, 3 and 25 yards out.
Mike Garrant, Somerset Berkley — The junior back ran 17 times for 118 yards and three scores to lead the host Blue Raiders past Durfee 19-8 on Friday night.

Division 4
Bernard Lynch, Arlington Catholic — Lynch carried the Cougar (7-0) offense rushing for 240 yards and scoring three touchdowns against Catholic Central Large foe Archbishop Williams.
Christian Rivera, Greater Lawrence — Rivera helped the Reggies (6-2) move into a first place tie of the Commonwealth Large by defeating Northeast 14-6. Rivera rushed for 122 yards, 102 of which came in the second half, and a touchdown.

Division 4a
John Flaherty, Matignon — The quarterback directed an explosive Matignon offense to a 50-19 win over Lowell Catholic. Flaherty ran for one score, passed for another, and threw a conversion pass.
James Poles, South Boston — In a 22-6 win over Madison Park, Poles ran for 168 yards on 10 carries, including two touchdowns.

Division 5
Dwight Kennedy, Brighton — In a 36-8 win over Burke, Kennedy ran for more than 100 yards and scored on a 21-yard run and a 65-yard interception.

NEPSAC
Kenny Adinkra, Pingree — In a 31-14 win over Tilton, the senior ran for 112 yards and four touchdowns.
George McLaughlin, Belmont Hill — In a 10-3 win over Milton Academy that kept them undefeated, McLaughlin ran for 207 yards and kicked a 22-yard third-quarter field goal, the only points of the second half.
Marcus Backlin, Lawrence Academy — LA beat Nobles led by Backlin, who ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and passed for 224 yards.

By the School Sports Staff

There was action elsewhere, as the calendar is set to turn to November. Here's a look at the best action tonight.

Blue Hills 24, Diman 0-- The hosts shut down Diman's rushing attack to improve to 8-0.

Natick 49, Needham 24 -- Natick sprinted away from the Rockets in the late stages of the game.

Bourne 22, Dighton-Rehoboth 6 -- Control of the South Coast Conference belongs to the Canalmen who moved to 4--0 SCC play.

Bridgewater-Raynham 30, Dartmouth 6 -- The Trojans broke open a close game at halftime and rolled to a 30-6 win. The loss leaves Dartmouth at 0-2 in the OCL while No. 8-ranked B-R won its first OCL contest, and improved to 6-1 overall.

Medway 35, Medfield 18 - One week after being shut out by Westwood, Medway bounced back in a 35-18 win.

Foxboro 26, East Providence 0 - The Warriors took advantage of turnover to rout the visitors from Rhode Island.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

In Week 7 of the high school football season, No. 1 Everett beat BC High, Billerica came back from a deficit to beat Haverhill in double OT, and in the city South Boston inched closer to a Boston North title. See the highlights and more in this week's edition of The Huddle.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By School Sports Staff

Football Players of the Week for Oct. 21-22.

Division 1

Ryan Charter, Needham – The sophomore quarterback turned in a huge game, going 5 for 10 with 215 yards and two touchdowns as Needham beat Walpole, 31-22, to give the Rebels their first loss of the season. The contest was Charter’s first career varsity start, as he filled in for senior Drew Burnett, who will miss the rest of the season with a broken ankle.

Trevor Leandro, Dartmouth – Leandro passed for two touchdowns and rushed for three more for the Indians as they beat New Bedford, 56-28, Friday. The big win helped Dartmouth bounce back from last week’s 37-0 loss to Barnstable.

AJ Doyle, Catholic Memorial — In a 33-13 win over Malden Catholic, Doyle was 15 of 19 for 238 yards and four touchdowns.

Andrew Deloury, Andover — Deloury had a great night on defense with 7 tackles, one for a loss and had two interceptions. The second interception resulted in a 55-yard touchdown. Deloury’s play heled Andover to a 52-13 win.

Division 1A

Ben Panunzio, Masconomet – The senior captain and quarterback ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more to lead Masconomet to a 35-9 league win over Peabody Friday. He was 8 for 12 with 144 yards, and also had a pass deflection at safety.

Nick Schlatz and Branden Morin, Bridgewater-Raynham – Morin scored two touchdowns, including the winning score as B-R beat Xaverian, 28-22, in double overtime. Morin also intercepted two passes. Schlatz rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns, while intercepting four passes in the Trojans win, a big win over the Catholic Conference power.

Division 2

Evan Conway/Chris Bettano, Tewksbury — The Redmen entered halftime of their game against No. 20 Lowell on Friday night trailing, 14-7. Conway returned a blocked field goal 68 yards to even the score in the third quarter. Bettano put the Redmen ahead on a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to complete the second-half comeback.

Malique Clark, Attleboro — Clark, a junior tailback, put the nail in Stoughton’s coffin on Friday night with a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He finished with 217 yards on 22 carries and Attleboro improved to 5-2.

Division 2A

Bryan Reale, Melrose — Reale factored into four of the Red Raiders five touchdowns in their first Middlesex Small victory Friday night. Even while sharing time under center with Brett Barbati, he still managed to pass for more than 100 yards (6 of 7, 125) including an 80-yard touchdown pass to Paul Hanson. He added touchdown runs of 68 and 30 yards (his third TD run of the night).

Matt Montalto/Hunter Oppedisano, Dennis-Yarmouth — Montalto eclipsed the century mark on the ground and in the air, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown and completing 12-of-17 passes for 143 yards and two scores. Oppedisano led the way on defense, registering 11 tackles and 2 sacks to help the Dolphins remain undefeated.

Kenny Pierce, Beverly — The junior running back carried the ball nine times during the Panthers’ rout of Danvers Friday, but he still managed to end up in the end zone five times for the second time this season. Pierce ripped off a 95-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and finished the night with 266 yards.

Division 3

Dan Barone, Holliston — Barone had a huge role in handing Hopkinton its first loss of the year, running for 217 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns.
Lucas Barisano, Scituate — Down 18-7 heading into the fourth quarter, Barisano scored three straight touchdowns to lead the Sailors past Hanover, 28-18. He finished with 130 yards on the ground.

Division 3A

Trevor Lyons, Hamilton-Wenham — The Generals remained unbeaten with a 35-6 win over Manchester Essex and Lyons ran for two touchdowns and passed for a third.

Matt Allen, Bishop Feehan — The Shamrocks won their third straight with Allen scoring two touchdowns and kicking three extra points.

Division 4

Bobby Novello, Northeast — Novello scored foour touchdowns, ran for a conversion and passed for another as Northeast beat Lynn Tech, 36-6.

Mike O’Hearn, Shawsheen — The Rams’ quarterback threw two touchdowns in the last 30 seconds to lead Shawsheen past Greater Lawrence, 13-12.

Bernard Lynch, Arlington Catholic -- Lynch guided the Cougar offense Saturday afternoon against Austin Prep, rushing for 132 yard over 11 carries. Lynch scored two touchdowns in two different ways, the first being from an 83-yard punt return and the second an 8-yard rush. Lynch ended the day with 247 all purpose yards.

Division 4A

John Padilla, Diman — In a 20-6 win over Bristol-Plymouth, Padilla ran 27 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns.

Carlos Bermudez, Cathedral — In a 36-8 win over St. Clement, Bermudez had a 96-yard punt return, the longest in school history.

Division 5

Taylor Hughes, Nantucket — In a 49-28 win over Upper Cape, Hughes ran for four touchdowns and threw for another as the Whalers improved to 6-1.

NEPSAC

Bryan Vieira, Thayer — In a 29-27 win over Lawrence Academy, the junior wide receiver had 12 catches for 237 yards and 4 touchdowns. In addition, he kicked three extra points and punted for Thayer, once pinning LA at their 1-yard line.

Jack Becker, Thayer — The sophomore quarterback connected on 14-of-20 passes for 250 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Abner Logan, Jr., Dexter — In a 21-8 win over Hyde, Logan scored three touchdowns, one on a 41-yard interception return. He also had 9 tackes and 2 sacks.

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

Everett, the No. 1 ranked team in Eastern Massachusetts, held on to beat BC High, 35-21, Saturday. See the video highlights above.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

BC High running back Preston Cooper suffered a dislocated ankle in a 35-21 loss to Everett, likely ending the prominent player's season, coaches said.

Cooper entered Saturday's game second best in Division 1 football with 14 touchdowns on the year. He was the Catholic Conference offensive player of the year last season.

He was injured in the fourth quarter on rush up the middle.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

It's a breezy 61 degrees and partly cloudy in Eastern Massachusetts. Another good day for high school football.

Today, we'll have updates from a number of top games.

Final: Everett 35, BC High 21-- Everett's Vondell Langston ran in two touchdowns in the first quarter, a 12-yarder and a 3-yarder. BC High's Bartley Regan threw a 73-yard strike to Lincoln Collins in the first. Everett QB Jonathan DiBiaso ran in a 4-yard TD in the second quarter and then a six-yarder not long later. Regan connected with Yosa Nosamiefan for a 71-yard touchdown. BC High's Preston Cooper broke loose for a 58-yard TD in the third. Cooper later suffered a leg injury and had to be taken away by ambulance. DiBiaso hit Jaylen McRae for a 64-yard TD pass to cap Everett's scoring on the day.

Final: Arlington Catholic 28, Austin Prep 0 -- Bernard Lynch returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown for Arlington Catholic in the first quarter. Pat O'Donnell added a 17-yard TD run to open the third quarter. Lynch finished with 136 yards rushing and added a fourth quarter touchdown.

Final: Bridgewater Raynham 28, Xaverian 22 (2OT) -- Xaverian scored first on a 58-yard pass from Austin DeCarr to Mike Warren, but B-R closed the first half with a 4-yard TD run by Nick Schaltz and a 45-yard interception return by Branden Morin. Xaverian's Chris Calvanese tied the game with a 6-yard TD to push it to overtime.

For all of Saturday's scores, visit our scoreboard page. You can also follow along on Twitter.

By Bob Holmes and Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

The rain and thunder of last week are gone, setting up a great night of football. Here goes with the top games tonight.

Final: Needham 31, Walpole 22-- Needham went up 7-0 on a running back pass from Dan Pierce. Walpole's Steve Thulin ran in a touchdown and Needham responded with a 67-yard TD pass to Mark Riley in the second quarter. Needham played without their starting quarterback. Ian Riley had 65 yards rushing at half for Needham.

Final: Lynn English 38, Revere 13 -- P.J. Dorsey ran in a 1-yard TD for Lynn English to get things going for the Bulldogs. Jermaine Kelly ran for 122 yards and threw for 62, including a touchdown..

Final: Holliston 20, Hopkinton 0 -- Max Athy ran for a 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Holliston's Dan Barone ran in a 1-yard TD in the first quarter and had a 60-yard score in the second quarter to lead the Panthers.

Final: Melrose 35, Watertown 7 -- Watertown is knocked off the bus with Friday's loss.

Final: Madison Park 36, Brighton 14 -- Two of the best in city. The Cardinals (4-1) ran out to an early lead and were never threatened.

Final: King Philip 28, Foxboro 7 -- Foxboro went up 7-0, but King Philip bounced back with three straight touchdowns.

For all the scores from Friday night, visit our scoreboard page.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Everett graduate Matt Costello has been named one of five winners of the 2011 National Football Foundation High School Scholar-Athlete Awards.

Costello was the Northeast Region winner and he, along with the four other winners, will be honored for their high school accomplishments during the NFF Chapter Awards luncheon Dec. 6 in New York City. Criteria for the award incoludes academic achievement, athletic accomplishments, and leadership in the community.

Costello, currently a freshman and playing for Princeton, was a Globe All-Scholastic receiver and was the state's Gatorade Player of the Year.

"I have had the pleasure of coaching Matt for the past four years,'' said Everett coach John DiBiaso. "During that period Matt has excelled as a player, a student, and most of all, as a person. Matt is genuinely a great kid and makes for a perfect recipient of this fine award."

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

I would venture to say we've learned a lot after six weeks in the high school football season. With a quick recap of Week 6, Bob and I discuss the year and also the ongoing football playoff format discussion.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By School Sports Staff

Division 1

Jonathan Thomas, St. John’s Prep – The sophomore running back turned in a hefty performance Saturday, rushing for 223 yards and three touchdowns to help the Eagles take down St. John’s (S), 41-20.
R.J. Noel, Lowell – Noel threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for two more to help Lowell beat Central Catholic, 42-15, Friday.

Division 1A

Brandon Walsh, North Andover – The senior quarterback turned in a big night for the Knights, scoring five touchdowns. Walsh had three through the air, one on the ground, and the final one on a 26-yard interception return to help North Andover beat Phillips Andover 46-0 Friday.
Nick Peabody, Barnstable – Peabody had some big shoes to fill, replacing D.J. Crook who is out with an injury to his throwing hand. Peabody threw two touchdowns and rushed for another, helping Barnstable beat Dartmouth, 37-0, Friday.
Kurt Hunziker and Dylan Mann, Masconomet — In an upset win over Beverly, Hunziker, a senior linebacker, made 15 tackles and forced a fumble. Mann scored three touchdowns and recovered a fumble.

Division 2

Kevin McCarthy, Hingham — The Harbormen won their first Patriot Keenan game of the season Saturday and McCarthy was a force, rushing for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only nine carries.
Charles Ruffin, King Philip — The senior tailback carried the ball 22 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns to help the Warriors improve to 5-1 with their first Hockomock Kelly-Rex win.

Division 2A

Matt Montalto, Dennis-Yarmouth — The undefeated Dolphins beat Marshfield in an Atlantic Coast League game for the first time ever Friday night. The dual-threat quarterback led the way on the ground with 146 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
Giovanni Ortiz, Watertown — Ortiz showed his versatility Friday night in a 27-14 victory over Middlesex Small foe Stoneham. The senior wide receiver scored three touchdowns — one by reception (28 yards), one on special teams (82-yard punt return) and one rushing (11 yards) — to help the Red Raiders remain undefeated.

Division 3

Tyquan Culbreth, Concord-Carlisle — The 5-foot-7 senior back scored four rushing touchdowns as the Patriots rolled past visiting Westford, 61-14, Friday.
Armani Reed, Randolph — The 5-9 senior back racked up 162 yards rushing and scored on runs of 55, 35 and 9 yards in the Blue Devils’ 29-22 win over visiting Cape Cod Tech on Saturday.

Division 3A

Brett Fontaine, Newburyport — The 6-1 senior receiver hauled in touchdown receptions of 65, 8 and 11 yards in the Clippers’ 34-14 win over visiting Ipswich Saturday. He finished with seven receptions for 165 yards. Fontaine now holds the school’s single-season receiving record.
Trevor Lyons, Hamilton-Wenham — The 5-9 junior back carried 11 times for 287 yards and tied a school record with five touchdowns in the Generals’ 46-13 win over visiting Bishop Fenwick Saturday. Lyons scored on runs of 30, 67, 10, 40 and 71 yards.

Division 4

Pat O’Donnell, Arlington Catholic — The senior quarterback threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 87 yards and two scores, as the Cougars knocked off previously unbeaten St. Mary’s.
Joey Meuse and Ian Strom, Millis-Hopedale — In a 12-7 win over Westwood, the pair each had a second-half interception to hold off the Wolverines.

Division 4A

Derek Bruce, Greater Lowell — With a win at Cheslea, the Gryphons (2-3) assumed first place in the Commonwealth Small. Bruce powered the attack providing all of the Gryphon’s points in the 16-9 win, scoring on a 1-yard rush and a 46-yard TD strike to Joe Forester in the third to seal the it.
Matt Owens, Cathedral — The red-hot Panthers (6-0) remain on a tear led by players like Owens executing on offense. The senior rushed for three touchdowns, including a 90 yarder and a 70-yard score, in the 40-7 rout of Lowell Catholic. The Panthers are tied with Pope John for first in the league.

Division 5

Jake Petruzzelli, South Shore — With the Vikings (2-4) losing four straight after their opening day win, the senior quarterback was instrumental in righting the ship, tossing two touchdown passes and running for another in the team’s 36-16 win over Upper Cape Tech.
Jonathan Marrero, Brighton — The Bengals (3-2) remain in the hunt for the postseason and will have a good chance if Marrero can provide a spark as he did this past weekend. The senior rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bengals past Southie, 16-0.

NEPSAC
Riley McCabe, St. George’s — The senior quarterback threw three touchdown passes to dig the dragons out of an early 7-0 hole and lead St. George’s past St. Mark’s, 28-14.
Mackay Lowrie, Roxbury Latin — In a 34-7 win over St. Paul’s, Lowrie, a junior quarterback, ran for two touchdowns and threw for two others as the Foxes improved to 4-0.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Vondell Langston ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns, Kenny Calaj added two more scores and the Everett Crimson Tide rolled over Xaverian 42-21. See the highlights from the game above.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Millis-Hopedale QB Bay Tangney hit Derek Latosek for a 27-yard touchdown pass and Jimmy Perkins punched in a 2-yard TD run to lead the Mohawks past Westwood Friday, 12-7.

See the highlights from the game above.

By Juan Rivera, Globe Correspondent

Final: Dennis-Yarmouth 14, Marshfield 0 -- Two first half touchdowns propelled D-Y to a 14-0 victory. The Dolphins remain undefeated in the regular season, 6-0, and 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast League. Marshfield dropped to 3-3 and 1-1 in league play.

Final: Millis-Hopedale 12, Westwood 7 -- Westwood (5-1) scored a touchdown right after a rain delay but 1Millis (6-0) was able to hang on.

Final: BC High 32, Marlborough 0 -- The Eagles were up 12-0 at the half with three forced fumbles against Marlborough leading to two touchdown drives. Preston Cooper scored two of the three touchdowns and finished with three in the game.

Final: Malden 16, Swampscott 6 -- Malden and Swampscott had their nonleague game suspended due to lightning at the 4:26 mark of the second quarter. It will resume 6 p.m. Saturday.

For all of Friday's scores, go to our scoreboard page.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Some games have been postponed. Take a look at our postponements post for all of those updates. As usual, you can find all of Friday's scores on the scoreboard page.

FRIDAY

Millis (5-0) at Westwood (5-0), 7 p.m. -- The best of the Tri-Valley Large and Small dance in this game of unbeatens. Millis has allowed 27 points this season is led on offense by senior Jim Perkins (12 touchdowns). Westwood is led by RB Brandon Rodenbush (five touchdowns) and QB Glenn Parsons.
My pick: Westwood

Dennis-Yarmouth (5-0) at Marshfield (3-2), 7 p.m. -- It's starting to look like Dennis-Yarmouth is going to tear through the Atlantic Coast conference. Led by QB Matt Montalto (16 total touchdowns), the Dolphins are playing at a high level.
My pick: Dennis-Yarmouth

Weymouth (4-1) at Natick (4-1), 7 p.m. -- This Bay State conference clash also has league implications down the road as both teams should be competing for the league title. Weymouth features WR Khary Bailey-Smith (eight touchdowns) while Natick features QB Troy Flutie (10 TD passes, six TD runs).
My pick: Natick

Westford (3-2) at Concord-Carlisle (5-0), 7 p.m. -- Concord-Carlisle's George Craan has 10 touchdowns through five games. He's off to an amazing year. Watch out for Westford's Troy Faretra (five touchdowns).
My pick: Concord-Carlisle

SATURDAY

St. John's Prep (1-3) at St. John's of Shrewsbury (4-1), 1 p.m. -- St. John's vs. St. John's. There might be some ill feeling left from last winter's Division 1 basketball championship. Shrewsbury's version of St. John's features QB Connor Kurtz while the Prep features RB Jack Sharrio.
My pick: St. John's of Shrewsbury

Xaverian (4-1) at Everett (5-0), 2 p.m. -- It's so obvious this is the game of the week. Everett, the Globe's No. 1 team, against Xaverian, the Globe's No. 4 team. Expect fireworks with Everett's Jonathan DiBiaso (20 touchdown passes) leading the way and Xaverian's duo of Hunter Taute (six touchdowns) and D.J. Pagliuca (five touchdowns).
My pick: Everett

North Attleboro (5-0) at King Philip (4-1), 2 p.m. -- In the Hockomock, these two teams are both vying for a league title. A King Philip win could make things interesting. North Attleboro is led by Alex Jette (seven touchdowns) and King Philip is led by RB Charles Ruffin (11 touchdowns).
My pick: North Attleboro

Andover (4-1) at Chelmsford (4-1), 6 p.m. -- This is always a good game to watch with two really great programs here. With both teams sitting at 4-1 in the Merrimack Valley (Div. 1), this game could go a long way to determining the league title. Andover is led by QB/RB Andrew Coke (seven touchdowns) and Chelmsford is led by RB Eddie Sheridan (12 touchdowns).
My pick: Chelmsford

Arlington Catholic (4-0) at St. Mary's (5-0), 7 p.m. -- Another good game featuring two unbeaten teams. St. Mary's RB Todd Collier (11 touchdowns) is one of our players to watch. Arlington Catholic's Bernard Lynch (11 touchdowns) is a player to watch in his own right.
My pick: St. Mary's

Greater Lawrence (4-1) at Lynn Tech (5-0), 10:15 p.m. -- Greater Lawrence's Christian Rivera (eight touchdowns) is a dynamic player, by all accounts. Lynn Tech features Kennedy Gomes and Pedro Martinez.
My pick: Greater Lawrence

We've got a number of football games that have been postponed because of the weather. Here are the new times for each game. They should be updated on our scoreboard page. We'll update as we learn more. If you know of a postponement, you can e-mail zberry@boston.com.

Saturday

North Attleboro at King Philip, Sat. 2 p.m.
Bedford at Waltham, Sat. 2 p.m.
Wakefield at Wilmington, Sat. 2 p.m.
Ipswich at Newburyport: Sat. 4 p.m.
Andover at Chelmsford, Sat. 6 p.m.
Peabody at Revere, Sat. 6 p.m.
Mahar at Belchertown, Sat. 7 p.m.
Grafton at Southbridge, Sat. 2 p.m.
Nashoba Tech at Oxford, Sat. 12:30 p.m.
Leicester at Auburn, Sat. 5 p.m.
Oakmont at Ayer, Sat. 6 p.m.
Wachusett at St Peter Marian, Sat. 7 p.m. at Anna Maria
Blue Hills at Southeastern, Sat. 11 a.m.
Haverhill at Methuen, Sat. 7 p.m.
West Bridgewater at Nantucket, Sun. 1:30 p.m.
Littleton at St. Bernards, Sat. 6 p.m.
Plymouth North at Nauset, Sat. 12:30 p.m.
Lynn English at Salem, Sat. 7 p.m.
Wareham at Dighton-Rehoboth, Sat. 3 p.m.

Sunday

Seekonk at Cardinal Spellman, Sun. 1 p.m.

Catholic Memorial quarterback A.J. Doyle will not attend North Carolina State after verbally committing because the Wolfpack wanted him to play linebacker.

‘‘A.J. really wants an opportunity to be a college quarterback,’’ said Catholic Memorial coach Alex Campea. ‘‘He certainly can compete at that level. N.C. State offered him a tremendous opportunity, he has great respect for their school and their program, but the reality is he wants a shot to be a quarterback for a Division 1 school.’’

The three-year starter and all conference player will consider all his options.

‘‘He’s not making the decision today or tomorrow,’’ Campea said.

Division 1

Greg Finley, Framingham – The senior quarterback threw for 150 yards and three touchdowns Thursday to help the Flyers down Braintree, 36-9. Finley also added an 11-yard touchdown run, accounting four of the team’s five touchdowns.

Matt Clifford, Billerica – Once again, Clifford used his electric speed to lead Billerica to victory. With the game tied 14-14 in the third quarter, the senior wide receiver returned a kick for 80 yards to give the Indians a 20-14 win over Tewksbury Friday. Clifford also caught two touchdown passes in the win.

Division 1A

Drew Lauria, Revere – The senior running back rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns, while catching three balls for 85 yards and a touchdown as Revere beat Cambridge 42-33 Friday. The Patriots are 4-1 on the season.

Brian Carroll/Malik Layne, Lincoln Sudbury – You can’t mention one of these guys without mentioning the other. The backfield duo of Carroll and Layne scored four touchdowns (two a piece) to help L-S beat Waltham, 49-6, Thursday. The Warriors improved to 5-0.

Division 2

Chucky Ortiz, Woburn — The Tanner senior scored five touchdowns against Wilmington on Friday — three rushing, one receiving and one by interception — and racked up 171 yards on 22 carries.

Matt O’Keefe/Reilly Naton, Duxbury — O’Keefe and Naton were instrumental in helping the second-ranked Dragons defeat No. 3 Xaverian Saturday afternoon. O’Keefe rushed for a score and finished 16 of 26 for 233 yards; he connected with Naton for two touchdowns. Naton finished with three cathes for 93 yards and had an interception in the fourth quarter that all but sealed the victory.

Division 2A

Brendan Flaherty, Beverly — Flaherty rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns — one of them for 60 yards — in a rout of Peabody Friday. He capped off his high-scoring afternoon by returning an interception 85 yards for a touchdown.

Matt DeSimone, Melrose — Good high school kickers get no love and it is about time that changed. At 5-0, the Red Raiders have already eclipsed their win total from last season by two games, and remain undefeated thanks in part to the go-ahead 28-yard field goal DeSimone kicked in the fourth quarter to lift Melrose past Lexington.

Division 3

George Craan, Concord-Carlisle — The 5-foot-11 senior only got the ball five times, but he made the most of it, racking up 156 yards rushing and scoring on runs of 71 yards and 55 yards to help host Concord-Carlisle down Boston Latin 35-7 Thursday.

Dexter Green, Canton — In a loss to Attleboro, Green ran for 218 yards on 29 carries, and added 18 yards receiving and 39 yards on kickoff returns.

Jon Hooper, Pembroke — The senior back carried 13 times for 155 yards and scored on runs of 55 yards and 5 yards as the 4-0 Titans defeated visiting Martha’s Vineyard 19-7 Thursday.

Division 3A

Joe Epps, Bourne — The senior carried 23 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns as visiting Bourne defeated Bishop Stang, 28-13, on Friday, moving to 5-0.

Robert Diaz, Winthrop — The 5-10 junior scored on a 24-yard interception return and caught a 12-yard TD pass to help visiting Winthrop defeat Weston, 28-6, on Thursday.

Division 4

Jared Taylor, Mashpee — With starting running back Jordan Keli’inui limited to kicking due to a hip injury, Jared Taylor has stepped in and flourished. Taylor, a junior, took his first six rushing attempts for 158 yards and 3 touchdown runs from 51, 66, and 10 yards. Taylor ran for 204 total yards, and helped the Falcons defeat Norwell, 31-8, and improve to 2-0 in the South Shore League and 5-0 overall.

Division 4A

Juan Martinez, Chelsea — The first-place Red Devils (3-1) are fortunate to have a player as skillful as Martinez in the backfield. The senior rushed for three touchdowns, including a 34-yard rumble, in the big win over defending Super Bowl champs Shawsheen. The win was the Devils third straight.

Ken Brodie, Southeastern — Brodie ran for three touchdowns for the Hawks (3-2), setting up Steve Ellis with the winning run in overtime from 3 yards out. Brodie’s efforts helped the Hawks rebound from a week 4 loss. Southeastern faces first-place Blue Hills this week.

Division 5

Kyle Dance, Latin Academy — Dance has been an integral part of the Dragons surge this season, named Player of the Week for the second consecutive week in the midst of the team’s four-game win streak. In LA’s 27-0 rout of Burke, Dance ran for three scores and threw for another, upping his TD total to seven in the past two games. The Dragons (4-1) stand atop the Boston South.

Taylor Hughes, Nantucket — Hughes completed all 14 of his pass attempts for 213 yards and four touchdowns in the Whaler’s (4-1) non-conference win over Pope John Paul II. In the two-game win streak, Hughes has scored four touchdowns.
NEPSAC

Tate Jozokis, Governor’s Academy — In a 36-14 win over BB&N, the junior quarterback threw three touchdown passes.

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

Reilly Naton caught two touchdown passes from Matt O’Keefe and killed a late Xaverian rally with an interception to lead No. 2 Duxbury over the No. 3 Hawks, 31-14. See the highlights above.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

On Friday night, Barnstable quarterback DJ Crook suffered a thumb injury midway through the third quarter against New Bedford. According to an e-mail from Crook's father, Doug Crook Sr., the Red Raiders quarterback hopes to be back on the field in 3-4 weeks with a transverse fracture on his right thumb. However no firm timetable has been set.

Crook will undergoe an MRI this weekend to determine if there's any more damage to the thumb. It was initially thought his thumb had been dislocated.

The Barnstable quarterback is currently tied for second in Massachusetts state history with 74 career touchdown passes.

Barnstable lost to New Bedford Friday night 31-17.

Zuri Berry can be reached at zberry@boston.com. Follow him on Twitter @zuriberry.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Preston Cooper broke off three touchdowns and Gordon McLeod had an eclectic 60-yard TD reception as BC High routed Central Catholic 41-7. See the highlights above, particularly a look at McLeod's TD.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Massachusetts' longest high school football winning streak has been snapped after Auburn lost to Shepherd Hill 32-22 Friday night.

Brad Picard and Anthony Wilga each scored two touchdowns to help the Fighting Rams snap the Rockets' state-long 41-game win streak.

Currently, the longest streak in Eastern Massachusetts is Duxbury's at 17 games. At 4-0, that streak will be tested when the No. 2 Dragons visit No. 3 Xaverian (4-0) Saturday afternoon.

View the Auburn-Sherpherd Hill box score here.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

In Week 5, we'll have updates from several games in the region. For a look at all the scores on Boston.com, visit our scoreboard page.

Final: Beverly 34, Peabody 0 -- Beverly's (4-1) relentless ground game carried the Panthers past Peabody (3-1) as they handed the Tanners their first loss of the season. Brendan Flaherty led both teams in production with three touchdowns and 190 yards of offense, the bulk of which came on three plays: a 13-yard touchdown run, a 60-yard touchdown run, and an 85-yard interception returned for a TD. Teammate Kenny Pierce had 90 yards. Dom Abate had 52 yards on the ground and a 20-yard touchdown reception on the back-heavy Panthers' sole passing play of the game. Quarterback Dave Rollins had a one-yard touchdown run. Nat Gaye led Peabody with 61 yards. -- Braden Campbell

Final: New Bedford 31, Barnstable 17 -- Myles Medeiros led three fourth quarter touchdown drives as the Whalers came back to beat Barnstable. Barnstable quarterback D.J. Crook suffered a thumb injury in the game.

Final: Blue Hills 40, South Boston 8 -- Blue Hills' Vincent Burton ran in two touchdowns in the first two quarters. The game was halted for a bit because the lights to Saunders stadium in Boston needed to be turned on.

Final: BC High 41, Central Catholic 7 -- On BC High's first play, Preston Cooper broke loose for a 57-yard touchdown run. Gordon McLeod added an eclectic 60-yard TD reception from Eagles quarterback Bartley Regan. Regan also completed an 80-yard TD pass to Cooper on a screen. Cooper tacked on a 33-yard TD in the third quarter. On the other side of the ball, John Snee took a fumble 8 yards for another BC High touchdown. Central Catholic got on the board with a 23-yard TD pass from Matt McDermott to Brandon Lamphier. Deontae Ramey-Doe capped the big night for BC High with a 10-yard TD run.

Final: Dennis-Yarmouth 27, Plymouth North 18 -- Despite three turnovers that led directly to Plymouth North scores, the No. 6 Dolphins edged their Atlantic Coast League foes, 27-18. D-Y improved to 5-0, while Plymouth North fell to 2-3.

View Friday's scoreboard.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

Here's the latest edition of The Huddle with highlights from the weekend and a look ahead at Duxbury visiting Xaverian in Week 5.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

Needham held off a rally by Weymouth and ended up beating the Globe's No. 5 team for a huge upset Saturday. Watch the highlights above.

By Zuri Berry, Globe Staff

WRENTHAM -- Charles Ruffin scored two late touchdowns for King Philip to bring the Warriors within one point of beating the Mansfield Hornets Friday night. But a key defensive stop by Mansfield on King Philip's 2-point conversion attempt helped the Hornets secure a 27-26 win. See the highlights above.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

In Week 4, the emphasis has now turned to league games with key matchups being played across Eastern Massachusetts. However, there’s still a few nonleague games worth taking in for the casual fan. The 10 games to watch here are a sampling of some of the top competition to look forward to this weekend.

FRIDAY

Mansfield (3-0) at King Philip (2-1), 7 p.m. – Great programs in Mansfield and King Philip and a great matchup for Friday night in the Hockomock (Kelly-Rex) league. King Philip has allowed only 14 points this season. Mansfield had a tough 8-0 loss to Stoughton last week. Watch out for King Philip’s Charles Ruffin and Mansfield’s Greg Donahue.
My pick: King Philip

Billerica (2-1) at Dracut (2-1), 7 p.m. – This will be a good nonleague matchup. We like to tout the great quarterbacks around here and this game will feature one of the best in Billerica’s Nick LaSpada. The problem is Dracut has a better team.
My pick: Dracut

Hull (2-1) at East Bridgewater (3-0), 7 p.m. – In the South Shore league, we’ll get a good idea of how good East Bridgewater is and whether Hull can hang. Tim O’Brien has emerged as a force for East Bridgewater. Watch out for Hull’s Chris Shaffer.
My pick: East Bridgewater

Latin Academy (2-1) at Dorchester (1-1), 3:30 p.m. -- We’ll get a chance to see which team will contend with Brighton in the Boston South league this season. Watch out for Dorchester’s Robin Cyprien and Latin Academy’s Shavar Lazarus.
My pick: Latin Academy

New Bedford (2-1) at Bridgewater-Raynham (2-1), 7 p.m. -- One thing we can get from this non-league matchup is how much other teams should fear them. New Bedford is coming off a tough loss to Duxbury. It’s one thing the two teams have in common after B-R dropped its Week 1 matchup with the Dragons. Watch out for B-R’s Eric Wabrek and New Bedford’s Myles Meideros.
My pick: Bridgewater-Raynham

SATURDAY

St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) at BC High, 2 p.m. – The question is simple enough: Will BC High go 0-2 against New Jersey. This is the second nonleague matchup the Eagles will face against a New Jersey prep school, losing in Week 2 to DePaul Catholic.
My pick: BC High

Lynn English (2-1) at Swampscott (3-0), 2:30 p.m. – Lynn English had a disappointing collapse last week against Beverly, losing 36-35 on a last minute touchdown. Swampscott has banged some good wins. Watch out for Swampscott’s connection between QB Michael Walsh and WR Nick Meninno.
My pick: Lynn English

St. Paul’s (1-0) at Belmont Hill (1-0), 3:30 p.m. – So last week, both of these ISL schools surprised us with stunning wins over BB&N and Rivers. At 1-0, somebody’s gotta lose and be the favorite. Keep an eye on Belmont Hill’s George McLaughlin and St. Paul’s Richard Bradley.
My pick: Belmont Hill

Weymouth (3-0) at Needham (2-1), 4:30 p.m. – This Bay State (Carey) matchup will likely solidify Weymouth’s stranglehold on the conference or propel Needham as a team to beat. There are two great wide receivers to watch in this game with Weymouth’s Khary Bailey-Smith and Needham’s Mark Riley.
My pick: Weymouth

Everett (3-0) at Barnstable (2-1), 5 p.m. – It’s an arms race. Two of the top three quarterbacks in Eastern Massachusetts are playing in this game with Everett’s Jonathan DiBiaso and Barnstable’s D.J. Crook. But it’s obvious that DiBiaso has more weapons at his disposal.
My pick: Barnstable

Last week: 4-6
Season: 12-18

Zuri Berry can be reached at zberry@boston.com. You can follow him on Twitter @zuriberry.

By Anthony Gulizia, Globe Correspondent

While the No. 3 Xaverian Hawks (3-0) were building their lead for a 31-0 win over Brockton (1-2) Saturday, Jules Murphy was busy on the sidelines.

The senior kicker was constantly punting and kicking the ball into the net to keep loose, waiting for his number to be called.

Xaverian averages 29 points per game – while giving up only six per game – and Murphy’s field goal Friday was his first of the year. But there’s no doubt the Hawks posses the best kicker in the state.

When Murphy came on the field he was a terror for Brockton, constantly pinning the Boxers behind their own 20-yard line with every punt. On kickoffs, he was sending the ball past the 5-yard line or into the end zone every time.

After Xaverian failed to score on its first drive of the game, Murphy blasted a punt that rolled 57 yards to Brockton’s 4-yard line.

Brockton’s offense was stagnant and they were forced to punt from the back of their endzone, which led to Xaverian’s first touchdown as they only had to go 31 yards to score.

“The drop is everything – setting a low drop and keep it straight,” Murphy said. “If I get it straight I’m fine. You always look for open field where the guy is not and get it around them.”

Before his time at Xaverian, Murphy played soccer while growing up but said he always had a passion for football.

“I couldn’t play anywhere else [on the football field],” Murphy said. “I was a soccer goalie so I always took those long goal kicks. Ever since I stopped soccer, this is all I’ve been doing. I come out at practice every day just kicking.”

Murphy punted the ball two more times in the game for a total of 88 yards, and he added a 38-yard field goal at the end of the first-half that looked like it could have traveled another 20 yards.

“Jules kicked the ball excellently and punted the ball excellently,’’ Xaverian head coach Charlie Stevenson said. “He’s a three-year starter and he has a very strong leg.”

Late in the fourth quarter, Murphy kicked a 26-yard field goal, but Brockton’s Moise Edouard barreled into the kicker, resulting in a first down and a touchdown run by junior Hunter Toute.

“I just kicked it and I didn’t really expect [the hit], Murphy said. “But I just got up and wanted to make the next kick.”

There have been some great kickers from Xaverian, most notably Jon Barker who went to Syracuse and Paul Asack who played at Duke.

Murphy, who said he has received some Division 1 offers, is right up there with the best according to kicking coach John Fiatarone.

“I’ve been working with Jules since his freshman year and he’s done nothing but improve,” Fiatarone said, who’s in his 11th year at Xaverian. “He takes it real serious and he works real hard. Talent alone isn’t enough to be a kicker, but you got to have a strong work ethic. I don’t like to rank kickers because every situation is different, but we’ve had two great kickers here and Jules is right up there with them.”

But more important than Murphy’s knack for kicking and his work ethic is his admiration for the team, Fiatarone said.

“People say he’s only a kicker and he just kicks the ball, but he appreciates the linemen, the long snapper and the holder,” Fiatarone said. “It’s so important because Jules has a lot of confidence in them.”

Senior Matt Stapleton is the long snapper for Xaverian, and junior backup quarterback Austin DeCarr does the holding.

“He’s a great kid, he’s always at practice and we always go out 30 minutes early and snapped and kicked,” Stapleton said, who is snapping for Murphy for the second straight season. “We practiced a lot over the summer and we’ve always been together. If Jules doesn’t trust me then nothing will happen. It’s all based on how the snap goes, but Jules can always put it up there. Just watching him kick, I have so much confidence in him.”

At the high school level, it’s not common to have a steady placekicker. But having Murphy on the team makes all the difference, according to senior quarterback Chris Calvanese.

“There’s no worries when we need to rely on Jules,” Calvanese said. “He’s a great kicker.”

Anthony Gulizia can be reached at AGulizia@globe.com. You can follow him on Twitter @gulizia8.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

How many upsets did we witness? So many, I think, we lost count. But I know one thing for a fact, my high school picks for Week 3 looked like an abomination by Sunday.

That's fine by me. I like being surprised. I mean, who would have thought that Belmont Hill would top BB&N in their opener? Or their ISL counterparts and league heavyweights Lawrence Academy and Rivers would lose close games. I don't think anyone had in mind the Lynn English Bulldogs blowing a 21-point lead at home against Beverly. Or, more surprisingly, that Brockton would get shut out against Xaverian.

With the 10 games I picked this past week, I was surprised I got four right.

(Can I blame it on the rain?)

There are many, many games to highlight in what was a fantastic week in football. But unfortunately, we could only get to a few. Check out the highlights of Week 3 action above.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

Also: Coaches or parents who would like to contribute video for The Huddle are encouraged to contact me via email to make arrangements to supply short clips.

A look around the EMass football scene:

Duxbury 42, New Bedford 19 - Matt O'Keefe threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in the first half and the host Green Dragons never looked back in winning their 16th straight.

Milton Academy 29, Lawrence Academy 28 - Otis Handy caught a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to put Milton on top, 29-22, and the Milton defense stopped a two-point coversion attempt after jacob Knox score for LA.

Catholic Memorial 28, St. John's (S) 20 - CM went up 14-0 at the half thanks to its defense and then held on to beat the host Pioneers.

Xaverian 31, Brockton 0 - The visiting Boxers were blanked for the second time this year.

Go here for Saturday's full scoreboard.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

We've already had an exciting Friday in high school football. But as we make our way through the weekend (and the rain), we're going to see some pretty high profile games being played. Forgive me for saying what is becoming an overused term, but at least three of these games are "can't miss." So make your way to Westwood, or find your way to Duxbury and on Sunday get your tail to Danvers. After this, league game starts and we won't get an opportunity to see nonleague matchups of this type for awhile.

SATURDAY

1. New Bedford (2-0) at Duxbury (2-0), 1 p.m. -- Myles Medeiros has thrown eight touchdowns for New Bedford while Duxbury is on an unbeaten streak dating back to 2009.
My pick: Duxbury

2. Brockton (1-1) at Xaverian (2-0), 1:30 p.m. – There’s going to be fireworks in Westwood. Enjoy the talents of Brockton’s Paul Mroz (QB), Josh Brewster (RB), Lucas DePina (WR), Austin Roberts (WR) and Xaverian’s Chris Calvanese (QB), Ryan Farrell (WR) and Mike Warren (WR).
My pick: Brockton

3. Lawrence Academy (0-0) vs. Milton (0-0), 1 p.m. – We’ll be seeing a new chapter for Lawrence Academy when they open up against Milton Academy in their ISL opener.
My pick: Lawrence Academy

4. Rivers (0-0) at St. Paul’s (0-0), 2:30 p.m. – Watch out for Rivers QB Ash’Shaquor Sandiford. He leads a Rivers team that will be the favorite in the ISL this season.
My pick: Rivers

SUNDAY

5. Everett (2-0) at St. John’s Prep (0-2), 2p.m. – A rematch of last season’s Division 1 Super Bowl. However, only one of these teams looks the part. Everett features quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso who is on a torrid pace for touchdown passes. He has eight touchdown passes through two games.
My pick: Everett

Video by Ryan Mooney for Boston.com

Dan Keohane takes over for a Rivers program that is arguably coming off of its best season ever. With senior captains Ash'Shaquor Sandiford, George Crowley, Sam Birger and Billy Oldach leading the way, the school is primed for another strong season in the ISL.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

In Week 3, we have the ISL opening up its season and lots of games to watch, despite the downpour of rain in the region. So I'm going to split from my normal "10 games to watch" and instead give you five to choose from. I'll come back with another five tomorrow morning.

1. Belmont Hill at BB&N, 4 p.m. – It’s the season opener for ISL games and we get a chance to see powerhouse BB&N go to work right away. Chris Coady, who played running back for the Knights last year, will be the team’s QB. Add in a couple of stud linemen in Eric Olson and Dan Connaughton, and they’ve got a great team to watch.
My pick: BB&N

2. Lawrence (2-0) at Lowell (1-1), 7 p.m. – Two great athletes in this matchup, with Lawrence’s Kelvin Severino and Lowell’s R.J. Noel.
My pick: Lawrence

3. BC High (1-1) at Chelmsford (2-0), 7 p.m. – BC High lost last week against New Jersey power DePaul Catholic, but that doesn’t mean they lack for power. Seniors Preston Cooper and Gordon McLeod provide the scoring punch. For Chelmsford, quarterback Colby Emanouil keeps the Lions’ offensive engine running smooth and Tim Joy anchors one of the state’s top defenses.
My pick: BC High

4. Weymouth (2-0) at Gloucester (0-2), 7 p.m. – Gloucester’s on a new streak already, having lost two games in a row after reeling of 26 straight. Weymouth features one of the top receivers in the state in Khary Bailey-Smith.
My pick: Weymouth

5. Beverly (1-1) at Lynn English (2-0), 7 p.m. – Dom Abate and Brendan Flaherty are the scoring options for Beverly while Lynn English will rely upon deep threat receiver Malcolm Brown-Simpson and running back P.J. Dorsey. Jermaine Kelley orchestrates Lynn English’s offense at QB.
My pick: Lynn English

There were tons of great games in Week 2 of the high school football season and we've got a few featured in The Huddle, including a look at Dennis-Yarmouth's close win over Barnstable and Central Catholic's overtime win over St. John's Prep. There's plenty to enjoy in the highlights.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

Also: Coaches or parents who would like to contribute video for The Huddle are encouraged to contact me via email to make arrangements to supply short clips.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Duxbury's home football game against defending Big Three champion New Bedford has been moved to Saturday at 1 p.m. because of a EEE curfew. The game had been scheduled for Friday night at 7. Duxbury also moved its game against Whitman-Hanson the following week to saturday at 3:30. Duxbury is 2-0 this fall and has EMass longest win streak at 15 straight. New Bedford is 2-0.

And late Monday, Brockton said its new field won't be ready by Friday so the game against Xaverian has been moved to Saturday in Westwood.

High school football players of the week, as chosen by the Globe staff:

Division 1

R.J. Noel, Lowell -- Noel threw for over 500 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 140 and a rushing touchdown, but his monstrous efforts were not enough as Lowell fell to Nashua South (N.H.) 44-41 Saturday.

Myles Medeiros, New Bedford -- Medeiros threw for three touchdowns Friday as New Bedford beat Silver Lake 41-20 Saturday. The senior quarterback has eight total touchdowns, the second-best in Eastern Mass. behind Weymouth's Cam McLevedge.

Division 1A

Jonathan DiBiaso, Everett -- The senior gunslinger threw for 216 yards and four touchdowns on 12 completions as Everett cruised past Springfield Central 42-13 Friday.

Nat Gaye, Peabody -- The senior running back ran for 205 rushing yards and three touchdowns as Peabody beat Danvers 21-7 Friday.

Division 2

Chance Brady, Haverhill -- The Hillies running back rushed for 301 yards and four touchdowns against Triton on Friday night…enough said.

Matt O'Keefe and Don Webber, Duxbury -- Quarterback Matt O’Keefe and receiver Don Webber connected on two touchdowns for the second-ranked Dragons in a 35-21 victory over Plymouth North. O’Keefe threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns total. Webber hauled in seven passes for 133 yards.

Division 2A

Marcus Odiah, Burlington -- The junior took advantage of every opportunity Friday night—and there were plenty in a 48-6 dismantling of Arlington—rushing for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

Tommy Munro, Norwood -- The Norwood quarterback looked more like a running back during Norwood’s win over Natick on Saturday. He finished with 122 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. He only threw the ball three times, including a 22-yard touchdown pass to T.J. George. It was the Mustangs’ first victory over the Red and Blue since 2005.

Division 3

Mike Decina, Hopkinton -- The senior quarterback completed four passes for 142 yards and a score while also carrying 11 times for 93 yards and a score in his team's 32-6 win over visiting Nipmuc on Friday.

Dexter Green, Canton -- The 5-foot-10, 185-pound fullback torched the Quincy defense on Friday night, totaling 262 yards rushing and two scores on 19 carries while grabbing two passes for 43 yards and another touchdown.

Division 3A

Anthony Abbott, Wareham -- In only his second game as a quarterback the 6-foot junior went 8-of-12 passing for 87 yards and two touchdowns and scored a rushing touchdown of his own to end his school's 10-game losing streak.

Adam Benvie, Dighton-Rehoboth -- The 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior fullback tore through the Apponequet defense for 164 yards on nine carries and three scores in the Falcons' 21-7 victory on Saturday.

Division 4

Pat Hinkley, Cardinal Spellman -- The senior carried the ball 21 times for 217 yards and three touchdowns to help the Cardinals get off to a 2-0 start.

Division 4A

Malcolm Brown, Pope John (Everett) -- Brown was electric in helping the Tigers pick up their first win and league win of the season. The senior receiver hauled in four TD passes, ran back an interception, and punched in a 82-yard kick return in the teams 62-38 win over Pope John of Hyannis. The six touchdowns in a single game is a new Pope John record according to coach Brian Vaughan.

Vincent Burton, Blue Hills -- Burton is off and running at the prospect of breaking Blue Hills all-time touchdown mark for a season. The junior tied a career-high with five touchdowns in the win over case. He also set a career-high in attempts with 48 carries to go along with 276 yards rushing. Burton now has eight touchdowns and 428 yards rushing in just two games.

Division 5

Andrew Maestre, Brighton -- Maestre’s three touchdown rushes helped the defending Boston South champs open their season with a win.

Ernest Kellough, Latin Academy -- The Dragons picked up their first win of the season, stumping Boston North champion Madison Park, 12-0, with much help from Kellough. The junior rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown in the win.

--

Update: This has been updated to reflect a change with R.J. Noel's touchdown count. He threw five touchdowns against Nashua South.

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

Central Catholic (1-1) scored first in overtime, St. John’s Prep (0-2) matched the touchdown, but the Eagles’ game-winning, two-point conversion attempt failed, giving the Raiders a 7-6 victory. See the highlights above.

Final: Norwood 27, Natick 14 -- Tommy Munro let everyone know he was the best quarterback on the field today as Norwood dominated Natick. Munro accounted for three touchdowns in the game, including a 58-yard rushing TD and a 22-yard scoring strike to T.J. George. Natick quarterback Troy Flutie ran for a 6-yard touchdown and threw a 10-yard TD to Brian Dunlap for the Red & Blue.

Final: Pope John (Everett) 62, Pope John Paul (Hyannis) 38 -- Pope John's Malcolm Brown scored six touchdowns in a dominating effort for the team from Everett.

Final: Hingham 14, Cohassett 10 -- Cohasset burned itself with a number of turnovers in the loss.

Final: Dighton-Rehoboth 21, Apponequet 7

For all of Saturday's scores, visit our scoreboard page. For Friday's scores, see yesterday's scoreboard.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Chelmsford quarterback Colby Emanouil accounted for three touchdowns, including two scrambles for 46 and 32 yards in the Lions' 26-0 win over Acton-Boxboro. He also threw a 29-yard touchdown pass as his team beat the Colonials for the third straight year after previously losing to A-B for 12 straight years. See the highlights above.

A look at some of the top games around the state tonight.

Latin Academy 12, Madison Park 0 - The Dragons surprised defending champion MP, getting a second-quarter touchdown from Shavar Lazarus and a fourth-quarter scoring run from Ernest Kellog to pull off the win.

Dennis-Yarmouth 28, Barnstable 27 - D-Y stopped Barnstable quarterback D. Crooks (3 TD passes) short on a two-point conversion run and the host Dolphins held on for the win. It was a back-n-forth affair all game. D-Y jumped out to a 14-0 lead after one quarter, Barnstable tied it in the second, but the Dolphins scored with less than a minute to play in the half to take a 20-14 halftime lead. But Barnstable scored in the third quarter to take a one-point lead heading into the fourth.

Chelmsford 35, Acton-Boxboro 0 - Colby Emanouil had two TDs and the Lions beat A-B for the third straight year.

Auburn 14, Holliston 13 - Despite two touchdowns from Dan Barone, Holliston couldn't stop Auburn from winning its 39th straight ngame.

Everett 42, Springfield Central 13- Top-ranked Everett rolled behind Jonathan DiBiaso's four touchdown passes.

Andover 133, Gloucester 16- Visiting Andover has two touchdown runs from Andrew Coke and holds the lead in the fourth quarter.

Weymouth 49, Wellesley 14 - Bay State Carey champion Weymouth has a convincing win over Wellesley.

Foxboro 35, Falmouth 0 - The Warriors cruised behind three touchdown receptions by Greg Stamatov.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Every week for the past 15 seasons, the New England Patriots have joined the NFL in awarding a high school football coach of the week for an astounding achievement or milestone by inviting the coach and his captains to the team's stadium.

This year, in its 16th season honoring high school football coaches, Andre Tippett and the Patriots will travel to each school to hand out the award and donate $1,000 toward the school's football program while filming a weekly segment for "Patriots All-Access" to be aired on WBZ-TV 7 p.m. Fridays.

“We thought it would be fun this year to take the weekly award on the road and actually visit the schools that will benefit from this program,” said Tippett in a statement, who oversees the program through the Patriots Charitable Foundation. “I look forward to the coaches being recognized by their team, their colleagues and others in the school community, and for all of those people to have a chance to be seen on ‘Patriots All Access.’ ”

At the end of the high school football season, one coach will be named the New England Patriots high school football coach of the year and receive an additional $2,000 contribution from the team.

And new this year as well, the Patriots are accepting nominations for the coach of the week. Nominations can be e-mailed to nominatecoach@patriots.com

Zuri Berry can be reached at zberry@boston.com. You can follow him on Twitter @zuriberry.

Andover's Andrew Coke and the Golden Warriors will take on Gloucester in Week 2 high school football action. (Jim Davis / Globe file)

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

It’s only Week 2 of the season so we’re still making our way through a number of great teams to see this year. This week I’ll get an opportunity to be up on the North Shore for our game of the week, Acton-Boxboro vs. Chelmsford, but there’s tons more to watch than that. Here are 10 games to watch in Week 2, plus my picks.

FRIDAY

3:30 p.m. Latin Academy (0-1) at Madison Park (1-0) – It’s the first game of the year for Madison Park, which won the Boston North league last year. The Cardinals play a Latin Academy team that didn’t have a good first showing against Millis, a 27-6 loss. Madison Park features senior running back Isaibrier White while sophomore quarterback Kyle Dance leads Latin Academy.
My pick: Madison Park

7 p.m. Andover (1-0) at Gloucester (0-1) – Gloucester’s 26-game winning streak was snapped last week in a 41-0 blowout to Lynn English. The Fishermen lost 22 seniors from last year. Andover started strong with a 30-20 win over North Andover powered by three touchdowns from C.J. Scarpa. They also have Andrew Coke at running back.
My pick: Andover

7 p.m. Barnstable (1-0) at Dennis-Yarmouth (1-0) – Barnstable stormed the high school football season with a 65-0 win over Durfee. QB D.J. Crook was up to his usual dominance, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Dennis-Yarmouth, in an equally impressive win, beat Taunton 41-7 behind quarterback Matt Montalto’s 270 yards and three touchdowns. Both quarterbacks were on our QBs to watch list.
My pick: Barnstable

7 p.m. Springfield Central (0-1) at Everett (1-0) – The Crimson Tide are rolling. QB Jonathan DiBiaso is on point (four TDs last week) and with last week’s win over Central Mass power Leominster (47-12) should be telling that Springfield Central doesn’t have much of a chance either. The Western Mass team comes into Everett without their with a new starting QB.
My pick: Everett

7 p.m. Auburn (1-0) at Holliston (1-0) – Central Mass power Auburn is on a 38-game winning streak, the best in the state. They’re playing a Holliston team that is on a 10-game winning streak. Somebody’s gotta lose. Holliston features running backs Max Athy and Jake Frechette, while Dan Barone is under center for the Panthers.
My pick: Holliston

SATURDAY

1 p.m. Natick (1-0) at Norwood (0-1) – It was interesting to see another Flutie doing so well for Natick. But there really is nothing to smirk about. Troy Flutie, the nephew of New England legend Doug Flutie, threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-7 win over Brookline last week. The Red and Blue face a Norwood team in a Bay State Herget matchup that dropped its first game to Needham, 19-12. Tommy Munro quarterbacks Norwood.
My pick: Natick

1 p.m. Cohasset (1-0) at Hingham (0-1) – Cohasset had a strong victory against Quincy, getting multiple touchdowns on offense and defense. Running backs Jamie Faber and Kyle Livingstone are their weapons. Hingham depends on seniors Kevin McCarthy and Rob Murray in their backfield.
My pick: Cohasset

1 p.m. Pope John (Everett) vs. Pope John II (Hyannis) at Chelsea – In its first year as a varsity program, Pope John II, hailing from Hyannis, is already off to a fast start with a 46-6 win over Upper Cape. Pope John, out of Everett, didn’t have such a great start, losing its opener 31-8 to Greater Lawrence. Watch out for receiver Malcolm Brown (Pope John of Everett) who was on our players to watch list.
My pick: Pope John (Everett)

1 p.m. Dighton-Rehoboth (1-0) at Apponequet (1-0) – Ethan Berry and Bryan Rocha powered Dighton-Rehoboth in Week 1 as coach Dave Driscoll picked up his 200th career win. Zack Nanfelt (3 TDs) and Nate Michael (2 TDs) lead Apponequet. This South Coast league matchup is worth the price of admission.
My pick: Apponequet

7 p.m. St. John’s Prep (0-1) at Central Catholic (0-1) – St. John’s Prep lost its opener to No. 11 Dracut, 13-7. Tom Gaudet quarterbacks Eagles again this year. Central Catholic dropped its opener 9-7 to Marlborough. Matt McDermott is back at QB for CC, which features running backs Fortune Kalala and Santino Brancato.
My pick: St. John’s Prep

Last week: 5-5
Season: 5-5

Zuri Berry can be reached via e-mail at zberry@boston.com. You can follow him on Twitter @zuriberry.

UPDATE: This post has been updated to reflect a change regarding Springfield Central's quarterback. Springfield Central switched quarterbacks last week.

Programming note: Most weeks, The Huddle will be posted on Tuesday.

Programming note 2: Coaches or parents who would like to contribute video for The Huddle are encouraged to contact Zuri via email to make arrangements to supply short clips.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

Wakefield beat Lexington 20-14 Saturday. But it was not a ho hum affair. It was the first game for Lexington's new coach George Peterson, who replaced the legendary coach Bill Tighe who had been at the school for the last 35 years. Cal Borchers chronicled the event in the video above for Boston.com

By Tim Healey, Globe Correspondent

Senior quarterback Matt Owens did it all for Cathedral on Saturday, throwing for 174 yards and three touchdowns on 9 of 12 passing while running in another score to lead his Panthers to a 30-8 win over O'Bryant.

"It allows us the ability to spread people out and use him as the threat that he is," said Cathedral coach Duane Sigsbury. "It makes teams off balance, that’s for sure."

The Panthers were down 8-0 when Owens had his first scoring strike, a 12-yard pass to Carlos Bermudez. Gee Griffith, another one of Cathedral's senior leaders, scored on the two-point conversion to tie the game going into the second half.

Owens followed with a five-yard touchdown run. He tallied 120 yards rushing on the day. In the fourth quarter, he hit Bermudez with 50-yard TD pass and Griffith for a 44-yarder. Griffith finished the game with 110 yards rushing on 22 carries.

Owens' performance was especially impressive considering his long layoff from the gridiron. For reasons unknown to Sigsbury, who has just started his second year as Cathedral's coach, Owens didn't play football his junior year.

"He is a very, very talented young man," Sigsbury said. "We’re lucky to have a guy like him at quarterback. He was absolutely the difference in the game today."

By Eric Russo, Globe Correspondent

After struggling in his freshman year at Natick High, Troy Flutie, the nephew of New England football legend Doug Flutie, started off his sophomore campaign in style. In a 21-7 victory over Brookline, Flutie completed 19 of 27 passes and threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

The Red and Blue star also contributed with a big day on the ground, rushing for 110 yards on nine carries.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Final: Wakefield 20, Lexington 14 -- It was George Peterson's debut game for Lexington, taking over for Bill Tighe who had guided the Minutemen for the last 35 years. Peterson's squad got off to a good start with Nick Murray running in a 2-yard TD as the Minutemen jumped to a 7-0 lead. Wakefield stormed back in the second quarter scoring three touchdowns. QB James Bourque connected with Dan Cardillo twice for scores and Zach Bates ran for a 4-yard TD before the end of the first half. Lexington Connor Murray connected with Samir Pathan for an 11-yard TD pass for Lexington's other score.

Final: Dracut 13, St. John's Prep 7 -- Zach Bassett ran in a 3-yard TD and QB Jimmy Ryan ran for a 16-yard score as Dracut topped St. John's Prep.

For just the scores, visit our scoreboard page for Saturday's games.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com

The Globe's No. 3 and No. 5 ranked teams met up in Week 1 of the high school football season with BC High routing Brockton 42-0. Preston Cooper rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns while teammate Gordon McLeod had a dazzling 42-yard TD reception. See the highlights above.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Lynn Classical got the season off to a great start Thursday with a win over East Longmeadow and now the rest of the state gets to join the fun. Here's a look at some of the key games on the first Friday night of football.

Blue Hills 24, East Boston 0 - Thanks to three Vincent Burton touchdown runs, visiting Blue Hills opened with a shutout win.

BC High 42, Brockton 0 - The host Eagles were led by Preston Cooper's three touchdowns and a stout defense to shut out the Boxers. Senior WR Gordon McLeod had a nifty 42-yard screen pass for a score.

Barnstable 65, Durfee 0 - There was no pumping of the brakes tonight. Two first-quarter touchdown runs by Chel France got the Raiders off to a fast start and quarterback D.J. Crook had two touchdown passes in the rout.

Billerica 28, Burlington 14 - Billerica QB Nick LaSpada has thrown two touchdown passes and ran for two more and the hosts are in control at the half.

Duxbury 26, Bridgewater-Raynham 0 - After a scoreless first quarter, Duxbury's Joe Guilfoile and John Hurvitz scored for the Green Dragons to give the hosts the halftime lead and Duxbury went on to win, 26-0. Reilly Naton added a third-quarter touchdown and the Green Dragons were up 19-0 after three. Duxbury's final score was by Khai Perry.

Everett 47, Leominster 12 - The Globe's No. 1 ranked team took the lead after one quarter after two touchdown passes from Jonathan DiBiaso. By the end of the third quarter the Crimson were in command. Everett winning streak against Leominster has now stretched to 10 games.

King Philip 42, Wayland 7 - The Warriors broke out to a commanding halftime lead and cruised home for the win.

Cardinal Spellman 24, Winchester 0 - Spellman built a 14-0 halftime lead and went on to blank the Sachems. Pat Hinckley scored twice for Spellman in the first half.

For all of the scores from Friday night, go to our scoreboard page.

Have a great high school football photo? Share it with Boston.com readers here.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Games at Georgetown high school today were called off after a cluster of mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile Virus, said athletic director Guy Prescott.

"We're shutting the whole school down," Prescott said.

Seven games were affected, including four soccer games and two field hockey games today. Saturday's varsity football game, which was scheduled to be hosted at the North Shore school, has been moved to West Bridgewater at noon.

Prescott said the board of health alerted Georgetown's school district at 2:15 p.m. of its findings. It's especially disturbing, said Prescott, because of the stream that surrounds the school "like a moat."

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

It's our first installment in the 2011 season of games to watch. This year, I'm including my picks.

Tell me how you're feeling in the comments.

4:30 p.m. Blue Hills at East Boston -- Andre Rickerson tallied 11 touchdowns as a backup running back for Eastie last year. We'll see how he stacks up against Blue Hills' Vincent Burton who exploded onto the scene with 30 touchdowns last season.
My pick: East Boston

7 p.m. Catholic Memorial at Marshfield -- We pretty much expect Catholic Memorial, our No. 4 school, to improve on its 5-5 record. They do return three-year QB A.J. Doyle, WR/DB Armani Reeves (15 touchdowns), RB Donovan Henry and 13 other lettermen. Marshfield features QB Mark Pomella and FB/LB Mike Williams.
My pick: Catholic Memorial

7 p.m. Burlington at Billerica -- A young Burlington team is coming age with Marcus Odiah in the lead. Odiah tallied 16 TDs last season. For the third straight year, Billerica is led by quarterback Nick LaSpada. The senior has an athletic trio of receivers to get the ball to in Matt Clifford, Justin Fritz, and Cam Slatton.
My pick: Burlington

7 p.m. Brockton at BC High -- There are two great running backs to watch in this game. BC High's Preston Cooper was the Catholic Conference offensive player of the year last year and Brockton's Josh Brewster is bound to do great things after 11 TDs as a backup a year ago.
My pick: Brockton

7 p.m. Leominster at Everett -- QB Jonathan DiBiaso -- he of the 43 passing touchdowns for a single season state record fame -- leads No. 1 ranked Everett against the Central Mass power.
My pick: Everett

7 p.m. Beverly at Concord-Carlisle -- Two Super Bowl contesting teams playing each other in Week 1? That's a gimme. Plus, Concord-Carlisle's George Craan is a running back to watch. He tallied 24 TDs last season and almost 2,000 yards as our Division 2A player of the year.
My pick: Concord-Carlisle

7 p.m. Bridgewater-Raynham at Duxbury -- Duxbury, Super Bowl champions almost a year ago, bring back QB Matt O'Keefe. Bridgewater-Raynahm, which lost in the Division 1A Super Bowl to Gloucester almost a year ago, return 17 lettermen.
My pick: Bridgewater-Raynham

7 p.m. Andover at North Andover -- Andrew Coke. Brandon Walsh. One's a pocket passer and the other is in the pocket on occasion. This is a great game to catch for quarterbacks. Last year, Walsh missed the opener. I'm sure he'll want to make up for it.
My pick: Andover

SATURDAY

1:30 p.m. Dracut at St. John's Prep -- Dracut is young, relying on junior wide receiver Zach Bassett. St. John's Prep returns QB Tom Gaudet but are young elsewhere too.
My pick: Dracut

1:30 Wakefield at Lexington -- Lexington plays its first game under new head coach George Peterson, who takes over for Bill Tighe after 35 years on the sideline for the Minutemen. They'll continue to be led by Connor and Nick Murray.
My pick: Lexington

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

We launched our high school sports preview capsules on Thursday morning, the first of four new Huddle episodes on Wednesday, and then the first games were recorded on the book yesterday afternoon.

I know, I know. We're geared up already. Blah, blah, blah.

Everett opens the year as they closed it last season as the No. 1 team in our poll. The Crimson Tide are more than deserving. Our capsule notes, "Everett returns a boatload of talent all over the field including Division 1 Player of the Year quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso, a sizable line featuring the coveted John Montelus and a linebacking corps showcasing Vondell Langston and Chris McCarthy." All of whom are exceptional talents that will likely be playing regularly on Saturdays.

But it's not all for naught in Eastern Mass. There's reason to believe that perennial power Brockton should be at the mountain top. The Boxers also boast a stable of returnees and expect running back Josh Brewster to be nothing short of amazing, which we readily agree. Coach Peter Colombo said "[Brewster's] a big time running back who can get tough yards inside and break it big." But Brockton's No. 5 on our list. That's right, the Boxers fall behind Everett, No. 2 Duxbury, No. 3 BC High and No. 4 Catholic Memorial. And for good reason. The top teams are stacked. (Four players from Catholic Memorial have committed to Division 1 schools in 2012.)

We haven't even mentioned Gloucester yet -- winners of 26 games in a row -- or the other five winners of EMass Super Bowls. (Mansfield, Beverly, Holliston, Shawsheen, and Northeast Regional.) All of which are fighting for respect out of the gates.

(While we're on Gloucester, they dropped all the way to No. 17 in our poll after finishing at No. 2 last year. It should have been expected. They lost 22 seniors. The type of success they've had in the past two years will be hard to replicate.)

In the coming weeks, we expect this list to get shaken up. It's the nature of things. And it's also good for the game. With some programs on the rise, regular powerhouses on the outside, and the Catholic Conference holding a death grip on some of the top positions, we're bound to see some early upsets. Everett has 99 teams gunning for them. Do all 99 teams have a chance to sit at the mountaintop? No, that's just unrealistic. But any one of them can blow it up. And that's something to be pumped about.

Check out The Boston.com 100 here. See last season's 100 here.

By Globe Staff

Straight from our high school football preview, games to watch in the 2011 season:

WAKEFIELD AT LEXINGTON, Saturday: George Peterson, the successor to legend- ary Lexington coach Bill Tighe, leads his Minutemen to battle for the first time. And that’s not the only change. This is a nonleague game for the first time in series history with Wakefield in Middlesex Small, Lexington in the large.

XAVERIAN AT BROCKTON, Sept. 23: If construction stays on schedule at Mar- ciano Stadium, this intense non-league matchup should be the first game at the new and improved home field of the Boxers. Xaverian has won four in a row against Brockton, including last year’s two-overtime thriller.

EVERETT AT ST. JOHN’S PREP, Sept. 24: The Crimson Tide visit the Eagles in Week 3 for a rematch of last season’s Division 1 Super Bowl. Everett’s move to Division 1A makes a Super Bowl meeting in 2011 impossible, so this will be the only chance for the Eagles to get revenge this season.

EVERETT AT BARNSTABLE, Oct. 1: Based on last year’s 43-14 Everett win, this may not be a scoreboard-to-watch. But with Barnstable’s D.J. Crook and Ever- ett’s Jonathan DiBiaso both chasing Tom Colombo’s long-standing career TD record of 85, it could be the season’s must-see game.

DENNIS-YARMOUTH AT MARSHFIELD, Oct. 14: Marshfield handed the Atlantic Coast League champions their only loss last season and with Matt Montalto back to lead the D-Y offense, this one could decide the league title.

ST. MARY’S AT CARDINAL SPELLMAN, Oct. 22: Spellman took last year’s matchup, 18-9, and went on to win the Catholic Central Large title. With St. Mary’s All-Scholastic Todd Collier back, the Spartans could hold the edge this season.

LOWELL AT ANDOVER, Nov. 11: These teams combined for 170 points in an eight-overtime thriller last season. Globe All-Scholastic running back Andrew Coke scored eight touchdowns for the victorious Golden Warriors.

NORTH ATTLEBORO AT MANSFIELD, Nov. 11: Coaches Don Johnson and Mike Redding — former teammates at North Attleboro and Holy Cross — face off after each led their teams to impressive 10-1 seasons last fall. Mansfield won the head- to-head matchup, 24-15, and went on to win the Division 2 Super Bowl.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Because of low participation numbers, Burke has forfeited today’s game with Boston English. It will be credited as a win for English, which went 0-11 last fall.

It wasn’t the only news of the day for English, which also learned that former Natick coach Tom Lamb has been hired as an assistant coach. Lamb coached for 38 years, most at Natick High, and finished with 248 career wins. He retired as Natick football coach in December of 2009.

Two city football games were moved because of playing conditions. East Boston's game with Blue Hills was moved to the artificial turf at East Boston. And the North Quincy vs. Boston Latin game was moved to Madison Park.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Bob Holmes and I take a look at five of the top quarterbacks in Eastern Mass for the 2011 high school football season.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

In continuance with our high school previews that started with 10 teams to watch in the 2011 season, we've got five running backs to watch for this fall.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

A look at five of the top receivers in Eastern Massachusetts for the 2011 high school football season.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

Globe Staff

In no particular order, here’s a look at 25 top lineman for the 2011 season.

1-2. Khahleel Alcide and Giovanni Hyppolite, Brockton — Each 6-foot, 245 pounds, the big men up front hope to give the Boxers their first Super Bowl title since 2005.

3. John Baker, Millis — A Tri-Valley League All-Star on the defensive line.

4. Brendan Battles-Santos, Nauset — A state champion and Globe All-Scholastic wrestler at 215 pounds, he’s headed for UConn next fall.

5. Michael Braunsdork, Seekonk — A South Coast Conference All-Star at defensive end.

6. Christian Cabbrera, Durfee — The Big Three All-Star on the interior line is the only returning all-star lineman in the conference.

7. Justen Galego, Dighton-Rehoboth — A South Coast Conference All-Star at defensive line.

8. Ryan Goulet, Whittier — At 6-8, 290 pounds, it will be easy to keep an eye on the senior.

9. Ralph Jonathas, Everett — A Greater Boston League All-Star at defensive end for the Division 1 Super Bowl champions.

10. Tommy Kennedy, Dennis-Yarmouth — Atlantic Coast League All-Star for the Dolphins.

11. Scott Layton, Malden Catholic — A Catholic Conference All-League defensive lineman last fall.

12. Mark Maradei, Austin Prep — Catholic Central Large All-Star, one of only four juniors who earned all-star honors last fall.

13. James McCormack, Pope John — Catholic Central Small All-Star on offensive line and defensive tackle.

14. Jameson McShea, BC High — A Catholic Conference All-League lineman last fall.

15. Stephen O’Grady, North Andover — Cape Ann All-League team on the offensive line.

16. Peter Salem, Dracut — Merrimack Valley Conference Division 2 Lineman of the Year.

17. Dylan Shea, Hull — South Shore League All-Star at offensive line.

18. Darian Sousa-Bizarro, New Bedford — Started on line for the Big Three champions and at 6-1, 255 will be counted on this fall.

19. Chris Whitehouse, Lincoln-Sudbury — The Dual County League Large All-Star was overshadowed by the presence of All-Scholastic Zach Smerlas.

20. Dan Woods, Walpole — Bay State Conference All-Star on defensive line.

21. Anthony Libby, Masconomet — Honorable Mention Cape Ann League All-Star.

22-23. TJ Leeman and Matt Crush, Andover — The pair were each Merrimack Valley Conference Division 1 All-Stars.

24. Tyler Loring, Catholic Memorial — The 6-4, 290-pound senior is another reason the Knights may be the team to beat in the Catholic Conference.

25. John Montelius, Everett — Another in a long line of outstanding Crimson lineman and a huge reason (6-4, 295) Everett’s passing attack is so efficient.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Straight from our high school football preview section, we've compiled 10 changes for EMass football this season.

1. After playing as an Independent, Nauset will rejoin the Atlantic Coast League.

2. Hyde Park no longer has a football team, leaving Boston South with five teams.

3. Wilmington (from Cape Ann) and Arlington (from Dual County) move to the Middlesex League with Arlington joining the Large Division, Wilmington the Small.

4. Hockomock, Middlesex, and Tri-Valley Leagues get two playoff berths, one for the Large Division, one for the Small.

5. MIAA adds Division 5 which includes Boston South and Mayflower Small. League winners advance to the Super Bowl.

6. Central and Western Mass Division 1 Super Bowls will be played at Gillette Stadium for the first time. This means five EMass Super Bowls won't be played at Gillette.

7. The Cape Ann League and Northeastern Conference merge to form four leagues, the CAL/NEC Div. 1, CAL/NEC Div. 2, CAL/NEC Div. 3, and CAL/NEC Div. 4.

8. Pope John Paul of Hyannis begins play as a varsity program in the Catholic Central Small. Yes, that means the league will have two schools named Pope John. And Upper Cape does the same, but as a member of the Mayflower Small. Upper Cape will face Pope John Paul in the opener for both schools Friday night.

9. Boston Latin moves from the Dual County Large to the DCL Small. Latin has gone 1-29 over the last five years in the DCL Large.

10. For the first time since 1974, Bill Tighe will not be on the Lexington sideline. George Peterson takes over as head coach of the Minutemen.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Depending on which numbers you go by, the top high school football team in Eastern Mass since 2000 is up for debate.

If you're looking strictly at percentage of wins, Everett wins hands down. The Crimson Tide are 102-5 since the turn of the century and clock a 95.33 winning percentage. But if you're looking strictly at wins, not only does Everett fall behind, but the Tide fall into a tie with Acton-Boxboro (102-17) for second place. Gloucester, with 105 wins and 11 losses, is in the lead. The Fishermen are on a 26-game winning streak.

1. Gloucester 105-11 (90.51 percent)
2. Everett 102-5 (95.33)
2. Acton-Boxboro 102-17 (85.71)
4. Mansfield 101-13-2 (87.93)
5. Duxbury 97-17-3 (84.19)
6. Walpole 96-25 (79.34)
7. Wilmington 95-26 (78.51)
8. Abington 94-23 (80.34)
9. Xaverian 91-29-1 (75.62)
10. East Boston 90-23 (73.17)

Despite these phenomenal records, the real winners in the state right now appear to be Central Mass's Auburn which is on a 37-game streak that includes three straight Super Bowls.

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Not to be confused with the first 10 teams in our Globe Top 20, we've compiled 10 teams that are just plain interesting to watch.

It just so happens that some of them are subsequently in that special group of 20. And some are not. One, in particular, went winless in 2010. Another managed to lose all of its non-league games before winning a Super Bowl. One school can't seem to escape controversy -- until now.

In our second season of The Huddle, we open with a look at 10 teams to watch in the 2011 season with an eye on the peculiar. See which teams we find interesting in the episode above and then let us know what you think in the comments below.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to boston.com/huddle. Subscribe to The Huddle in iTunes (video). (Also available in audio only.)

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

The Holliston Panthers football team will host the third annual Joey Larracey Bowl 7 p.m. Friday at Kamitian Field in Holliston in honor of the former Panthers player who died in 2008.

Larracey collapsed and later died in 2008 after a scrimmage against Apponequet. He was remembered as a gifted athlete among his peers. The school, stewarded by coach Todd Kiley, began the bowl game the year after his death in 2009 with all proceeds going toward the Joseph J. Larracey Scholarship Fund.

What: The Joey Larracey Bowl
When: 7 p.m. Friday Sept. 2
Where: Kamitian Field, Holliston

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Fall is upon us. Last Monday, high schools around the state began their first practices for the upcoming football season. On Thursday, they put the pads on while other sports began their first practices of the year. With schools getting back in the groove of things, it's only right that we ramp up ourselves.

This fall, you can count on a new group of correspondents for your high school football coverage on Boston.com and in the Globe. Here's our list of football correspondents and their assigned beats:

Division 1 and 1A - Anthony Gulizia
D2 and 2A - Ryan Mooney
D3 and 3A - Patrick McHugh
D4 - Juan Rivera
D4A and 5 - Lorenzo Recupero

Our beloved correspondents Mike Carraggi and Mike Grossi are now busied with other endeavors (including moving on with life), but I doubt we've seen the last of them. You can also be sure that I'll fill in wherever else is needed.

For volleyball, you can expect to see stories again from Liz Torres, and for soccer you can expect coverage from both Craig Forde (boys) and Seth Lakso (girls). We'll have a host of people chip in elsewhere.

As always, you can contact the entire group via e-mail at hssports@globe.com. You can also follow their work via our Twitter account, @GlobeSchools.

If you have story ideas for us, please pass them along. We're always open for any ideas. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? We'll take those too.

I'm looking forward to another great season while bringing you some great coverage throughout the year. Vacation is now officially over.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

The track needed to be replaced before any school meets could be held there and with the football field also showing signs of wear it made sense to replace both. A delay in the money appropriation pushed the start of the project to this week. School officials are hoping the new field is up and running to host Xaverian on Sept. 23. Until then school teams will have to play and practice elsewhere.

The Boxers open their season Fri., Sept. 9 at BC High.

Another story to keep an eye on this fall is the much-discussed merger of the Atlantic Coast League and the Old Colony League. With Taunton scheduled to move to the Hockomock League in 2012, the OCL would be left with three schools. Those three, Barnstable, Bridgewater-Raynham and Dartmouth, would join the seven ACL schools and split into two five-team leagues.

Donovan Henry has committed to Boston College.
( Lifetouch / Catholic Memorial)

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Catholic Memorial has announced that four of its top football players will be playing this fall at Division 1 colleges.

LB Camren Williams committed to play at Penn State last spring while quarterback A.J. Doyle committed to play at North Carolina State in June. On Tuesday, defensive back Donovan Henry committed to Boston College while fellow defensive back Armanie Reeves is boiling down his decision to Penn State or Notre Dame, according to a release by the school.

"We are proud of these four top student-athletes, who have distinguished themselves and earned the attention of some of the best football programs in the country," Coach Alexa Campea said in the release, noting that others on his team may make their choices known soon.

According to the school, 20 Catholic Memorial football players have gone on to play at the collegiate level in the last five years.

By Michael Grossi, Globe correspondent

Here is the schedule:
Sunday, July 10: Awards ceremony (at Manning Field, Lynn), 10 am; 14th Softball Classic (Fraser Field, Lynn), 12:30 pm; 17th Baseball Classic (Fraser Field), 2:30 pm.

Monday, July 11: 7th Women's Basketball Classic (Lynn Classical), 6 pm; 7th Men's Basketball Classic (Lynn Classical), 7:30 pm.

Tuesday, July 12: 16th Women's Soccer Classic (Manning Field), 5:30 pm; 16th Men's Soccer Classic (Manning Field), 7:30 pm.

Thursday, July 14: 50th Football Classic (Manning Field), 7 pm.

Click on the Full Entry link to see the North and South rosters for the Football Classic.

By Mike Carraggi, Globe Correspondent

Dan Giovacchini’s star has always shone bright on the local and regional level. But now, the Globe All-Scholastic and Brown University-commit from Lawrence Academy is getting his due nationally.

Giovacchini is one of eight finalists in consideration for the first ever AAU High School Sullivan Award. The award is meant to recognize the country’s premier high school athlete, with an eye towards academics and character.

Last season in football, the 6-foot-3-inch linebacker/running back stood out even among several of his Division 1-bound teammates, winning the Independent Schools League MVP award en route to a second-straight undefeated regular season and league title. He also was a league all-star as a guard/forward in basketball, where the Spartans are a year removed from a flawless season and championship. Giovacchini completed the trifecta by being given Honorable Mention in each of the last two baseball seasons as a center fielder and catcher. Lawrence Academy baseball took the ISL championship in the spring.

Save the quartet of championships, this honor is as high as any he has received.

‘‘My favorite memories are probably winning the titles,’’ he said. ‘‘But this is up there, it’s pretty awesome. It’s a great way to end my high school career.’’

At Brown, Giovacchini will focus on football and play as much basketball as he can.

By Seth Lakso, Globe Correspondent

Boston College extended a scholarship offer to Chelmsford’s Tim Joy on Friday and it took the returning senior captain less than a day to call head football coach Frank Spaziani and verbally commit to play for the Eagles.

BC had been Joy’s top choice all along, although the All-Conference tight end/linebacker had also taken unofficial visits to Maryland, Duke, NC State and UConn.

At 6-foot-2, 220-pounds, Joy posted 131 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks last season, earning All-Merrimack Valley Conference honors for the second year in a row. He was made captain as a junior prior to last season, the first non-senior to captain the Lions in 50 years, according to head coach Bruce Rich.

“I’m glad he’s making BC his choice,” Rich said. “It’ll be nice to be able to see him develop so close to home. I know that [BC] was his number one.”

Joy’s explosive athletic ability has gained him a bit of Internet fame as well after a video hit the web showing him leap out of the 3-and-a-half-foot shallow end of a swimming pool and onto his feet, impressing several scouts in the process. Joy reportedly has a 37-inch vertical.

“He’s explosive, but it’s more than being able to jump out of a pool,” said Rich. “[Joy] has a tremendous work ethic, one of the best I've ever seen. He takes the ability he has and works hard everyday to improve upon it.”

Former Winchester coach Paul Sobolewski has been named the new football coach at Georgetown.

Sobolewski was the head coach at Winchester from 2006-10 and prior to that was the head coach at Pope John from 2003-05. He's a 1988 graduate of Pope John, played football at Merrimack, and is a resident of Revere.

Winchester finished 5-6 last fall. Georgetown was 2-8.

"His academic and athletic philosophies are in line with Georgetown's standards and this made a good fit for our school. He has a lot to offer on and off the field and we are happy to have him join us as the head football coach,'' said athletic Director Guy Prescott in a release emailed to the media.

Here are the rosters for the North and South teams of June 17's Shriners Football Classic at Gillette Stadium.

Tewksbury's Anthony Arcari has signed his national letter of intent to play football and run track for Merrimack College. (Jon Chase / For the Globe)

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Tewksbury's Anthony Arcari, a Merrimack Valley (Small) all-star running back, has signed his national letter of intent to play at Merrimack College in the fall.

Arcari, who received an athletic scholarship, will be expected to play at running back, safety and on kick returns. He'll also attend the school for indoor and outdoor track in which he'll run the 55-meter, 60-meter, 100-meter and 4x100-meter sprints.

In his senior year, he tallied 700 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 102 carries.

By Mike Carraggi, Globe Correspondent

If nothing else, Arlington's newest football coach sure has the name for the job.

The Spy Ponders have appointed John Dubzinski head coach, a position that generations of Dubzinkis have enjoyed great success at.

Dubzinski replaces Dan Hirsch after a 3-8 season.

“Being a head coach has always been a dream of mine,” said Dubzinski. “Arlington has all the ingredients for a great football program.”

Dubzinski comes from a long line of prestigious Central Massachusetts coaches, including his grandfather Walter, his uncle Walter, and his father John who are all members of the Massachusetts State Football Coaches Hall of Fame. His cousin Michael has led Wachusett to a plethora of wins over the past few seasons.

Dubzinski started out as an assistant coach for Everett before spending the last two years under coach Rico Dello Iacono at Medford, which went winless last year. He knows that football is about much more than wins and losses.

“The impact a coach can have on a kid can go on for years,” he said. “Hard work, discipline, working with a team towards a single goal.”

Dubzinski expressed anxiousness to get the ball rolling at Arlington, starting with building a coaching staff, meeting the players, and building connections with the community. His dealings at Medford gave him the patience that a rebuilding program needs, while his Everett experience gave him a feel for the hard work necessary to sustain a winning program both on and off the field.

So should the Massachusetts State Football Coaches Hall of Fame start clearing space for another Dubzinski?

“Let's try to make it through the first year,” he said. “Then we can see where we are at.”

By Mike Carraggi, Globe Correspondent

Lawrence Academy is expected to start next season with a new football coach, a new athletic director, and now, it seems, a new headmaster.

Scott Wiggins handed in his letter of resignation today, effective June 30, 2011, one year before his contract was set to expire. The decision comes in light of recent sanctions handed down to Lawrence Academy from the Independent School League.

‘‘Today Scott Wiggins turned in his resignation to the board,’’ said David Casanave, Lawrence Academy’s director of communications and marketing. ‘‘He made this decision now because he felt it was in the best interest of the school and the community given the tumult that has resulted from the sanctions handed down by the ISL last week.’’

For more, read tomorrow's Globe.

By Mike Carraggi, Globe Correspondent

With a new coach and a large amount of seniors graduating, it seems that Lawrence Academy's brief era of monumental success is coming to an end. Meanwhile, the accompanying turbulence and controversy seems to be going as strong as ever.

Prompted by a sit-down silent protest by the students to express their displeasure with not being told what the school was punished for -- the Independent School League recently decided to take back the Spartans' back-to-back league titles, among other penalties -- the school released a statement giving a closer look as to why they were sanctioned against.

According an unnamed student source, Lawrence Academy administration approached former coach Mike Taylor for a donation a handful of times when the school fell short of being able to provide enough financial aid, with the understanding that the donation would go to covering the balance.

The source also claims that Lawrence Academy was penalized for players holding summer weight-lifting sessions, an offense that he claims the ISL athletic directors had to misinterpret the rules to penalize the school.

Previously, the ISL has been adamant about not commenting outside of their general statement that was released with the sanctions earlier this week.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

‘‘The seriousness of the sanctions we have imposed reflects our commitment to ensure the safety and well-being of our student-athletes,’’ said a letter composed by the 16 ISL schools and confirmed by Groton School headmaster and committee chairman Rick Commons.

The Spartans went 8-0 in the regular season and won their second straight Independent School League title last fall, but the success created controversy. In October, St. George’s forfeited its game with Lawrence Academy, citing safety concerns. The forfeit made national news. As Lawrence Academy rolled through its regular-season schedule, the focus wasn’t on a great season put together by talented students but of a school that had to be doing something wrong to achieve that success.

In a November story in the Globe, coach Mike Taylor spoke of the scrutiny and criticism his players were taking. LA’s season ended with a 24-21 loss to Salisbury in a NEPSAC postseason bowl. In February Taylor resigned as head coach and until Tuesday, it appeared the controversy was over.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Cambridge Rindge and Latin has named former assistant John Shea as its new head football coach.

Shea was head coach at Middleboro from 2008-2010. He was also an assistant coach at Pope John and at Cambridge in 2003.

"John brings the ability to motivate our student-athletes to be successful,'' said athletic director Maryann Cappello. "He is dedicated to developing a quality program that stresses academics first, while helping each team member fully develop their athletic skills.''

By Mike Grossi, Globe Corresopndent

Winchester has hired former Northeastern defensive coordinator Wally Dembowski as its new football coach.

"To get a hire like Wally is really great for the kids," said Winchester athletic director Brian Carroll. "He is really an A+ hire."

Dembowski is excited about the new gig.

"This is a great opportunity and I look forward to working with these kids," Dembowski said. "I just want to thank [superintendent] Bill McAlduff, [principal] Thomas Gwin, [vice principal] Gerald Chapman and [athletic director] Brian Carroll. They were all so helpful in this process."

Dembowski, a 1988 graduate of Holy Cross, had an extensive 19-year career coaching in the college ranks. Most recently, Dembowski was a defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Northeastern. But he was also head coach at UMass-Lowell for two years and coached at BU, AIC and Holy Cross.

Dembowski does have some familiarity with the high school ranks as well. He was a volunteer coach at Swampscott under head coach Steve Dembowski, his cousin, and was also a recruiter while coaching in college.

"From my days as a recruiter, I learned that the Middlesex League is a great league," Dembowski said. "I look forward to the test."

Methuen football coach Pat Graham, who was named 2010 Boston Globe Division 2 coach of the year, was named the defensive coordinator at Merrimack College by head coach John Perry Tuesday.

Graham led Methuen to a 26-18 record over four seasons from 2007-10, snapping the team's dreadful 33-game losing streak.

At Merrimack, coaching the defense will not be unfamiliar territory for Graham.

Graham was the defensive coordinator at Lowell High school from 2003-06, and was an assistant defensive line coach at Harvard from 2000-03.

This is Graham's second stint at Merrimack. He was the college's linebackers and strength coach from 1996 to 1999.

By Mike Carraggi, Globe Correspondent

Catholic Memorial's Cam Williams has given a verbal commitment to Penn St., according to a Big-10 coach. Catholic Memorial head coach Alex Campea has confirmed the report.

He follows his brother Brennan's move to a Division 1 college football program.

William's dad, Brent, was a lineman in the NFL and played for the Patriots. The wide receiver/ running back/linebacker/safety was being primarily recruited as a linebacker, according to Campea.

He missed much of the season with an injury but still made the Catholic Conference's all-star team.

Editor's note: This post originally mentioned Williams committing Tennessee. Williams has indeed committed to Penn St.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

The Rivers School has hired former Waltham head coach Dan Keohane as its new football coach. Keohane, who most recently was an assistant coach at Bentley, replaces Rich Fisher, who accepted an assistant coaching position at Nebraska. Keohane was Waltham's head coach for 14 years where he compiled a 101-31-1 record.

"This is not just a great football program but a great school,'' said Keohane. "From my first moments on campus I've really felt at home."

Lexington High has named George Peterson as its new head football coach, replacing Bill Tighe, who retired last season. Peterson was the defensive coordinator at Bedford (N.H.) High School last fall. He has also coached at Wakefield High as the freshman football coach.

By Bob Holmes, Globe staff

By Bob Holmes, Globe staff

According to reports, Lowell football coach Jeff Moore has been informed he won’t return for the 2011 season. Moore led the Red Raiders to a 5-6 overall record last fall in his first year at the school. He coached the previous two years at Dracut High where the Middies to the Division 1A Super Bowl title in his first year and a spot in the playoffs his second year.

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Rich Fisher became the second ISL coach in a week to resign, leaving Rivers to pursue other opportunities after two years at the Weston school. MikeTaylor resigned from Lawrence Academy last Friday.

This past fall Fisher led Rivers to an 8-0 regular season and a berth opposite Pingree a NEPSAC bowl game. Rivers lost to Pingree, 36-28, in the game, which was played at Gillette Stadium.

Lawrence Academy's Mike Taylor has resigned from his position as head football coach. (Mark Wilson / For the Globe)

By Bob Holmes, Globe Staff

Lawrence Academy football coach Mike Taylor has resigned, ending a tenure of incredible success and controversy at the Groton school.

Taylor spoke with headmaster Scott Wiggins Friday and ended three seasons leading one of the best football teams in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference.

"It was a fantastic experience,’’ said Taylor in confirming his decision.

But he said yesterday the move wasn't to get away from the storm that seemed to follow his team.

"It had nothing to do with it. I think [BB&N coach John] Papas had the same thing a few years ago. It wasn’t normal for us in the sense of the forfeit. If it wasn't for the forfeit I don’t think it would have been bad.

Here's the list that appeared in Wednesday's newspaper of all the commitments in the area. We'll update this list going forward. If you have any commitments you'd like to add, please e-mail hssports@globe.com.

Player | High school | College

Taariq Allen | Rivers | Nebraska

Manny Asprilla | Everett | Boston College

Andrew Barrett | Holliston | Bryant

Nick Broughton | Marblehead | Merrimack

Robert Costa | Rivers | Tufts

Matt Costello | Everett | Princeton

Jeff Covitz | Reading | Bryant

Kevin Curry | Holliston | Amherst

Nate Cyr | St. John’s Prep | Trinity

Ryan Delisle | St. John’s Prep | Harvard

Anthony Fabiano | Wakefield | Harvard

Ryan Flannery | North Attleboro | Columbia

Josh Friedland | Marblehead | Bates

Marcus Grant | Lawrence Academy | Iowa

Will Guinee | Malden Catholic | Dartmouth

Dan Johnson | North Attleboro | Bowdoin

Andrew Kestenbaum | Dartmouth | URI

Anthony Knight | Lawrence Academy | Nevada

Ben Koopman | Marblehead | Holy Cross

John Lavin | Falmouth | Bryant

Ryan Lipka | Bishop Fenwick | Tampa

Albert Louis-Jean | Brockton | Boston College

Brian Miller | Andover | Boston College

Rodman Noel | Milford Academy | N.C. State

Paul Nwokeji | Thayer | UConn

Obum Obukwelu | BC High | Harvard

Michael Orloff | Lawrence Academy | UCLA

Matt Perlow | Marblehead | Bowdoin

Liam Porter | Natick | Boston College

Max Ricci | Lawrence Academy | Boston College

Bobby Richman | North Attleboro | Bentley

Richard Rodgers | St. John’s Shrewsbury | California

Andrew Siden | Natick | Tulane

Zach Smerlas | Lincoln-Sudbury | Brown

Brian Strachan | St. Sebastian’s | Brown

Chris Tamasi | Xaverian | Amherst

Chris Unis | Gloucester | Merrimack

John Wallace | Somerville | UMass

AJ Walsh | Rivers | Williams

Archie Cataldi, the legendary Clinton High football coach, has died, reports the Telegram & Gazette.

Cataldi coached the Gaels to 212 wins from 1975 until his retirement in 2006. He previously coached at Springfield Classical. His career record, spanning 37 seasons at both schools, was 246-135-2.

"He was like a second father to us," Paul Constantino told the Telegram & Gazette, who took over for Cataldi at Clinton and was his assistant coach with the Gaels for 19 years. "He was a role model for us, in more than just athletics. He had a pride and dignity about him that is from a different era."

Read the full story on the T&G's website.

National Signing Day is the first day high school seniors can sign their binding National Letters of Intent to play college athletics. But it isn't the last. Keep checking back as more names continue to trickle in.

Keshaudus Spence, Catholic Memorial, Sacred Heart

Jeff Synan, Plymouth North, Bryant

Randall Jette, Martha's Vineyard, UMass

Brandon Howard, King Philip/Worcester Academy, UMass

By Lorenzo Recupero, Globe Correspondent

Jake Giovanucci, a 6-foot-2-inch, 260-pound offensive and defensive lineman from the Dexter School in Brookline has committed to Bowdoin College. Giovanucci was named the Evergreen Lineman of the Year, and the New England Class C Lineman of the Year.

Noah McMillan, an Avon Old Farms product via Southborough, Mass., signed with Holy Cross. The 6-foot-4-inch, 280-pound offensive lineman is an honor roll student who aspires to attend law school.

All Chris Unis ever knew at Gloucester was success. Now the three-time Super Bowl champion is heading to Merrimack, finding himself back at square one.

"I'm happy, they have a quality program there," said Unis, whose brother Jim played at Boston College. "They have a lot of great things and a lot of great players. I've just got to continue the success there."

A Globe All-Scholastic and a member of the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association all-state team, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound lineman terrorized offenses as a feared pass-rusher on the edge, a position he plans to resume at Merrimack.

Unis, who has built a reputation as one of the most passionate and vocal leaders on arguably the most successful team of the past few years, will be entering a new enviroment as a freshman and is going to have to earn the respect he had at Gloucester. To Unis, it's just another challenge to win.

"I think no matter what year you are you can always lead the team," he said. " I've got to help build another dynstaty and go there with the same mindset of winning."

Also , Malden Catholic lineman Will Guinee is heading to play at Dartmouth.

Former Everett and Milford Academy (N.Y.) safety Rodman Noel committed today to play football at North Carolina State.

Noel was ranked as the seventh-best prep school prospect in the country by Rivals.com.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 205-pounder was interested in other schools, including Maryland, but committed after taking an official visit to NC State over the weekend.

Rodman's older brother, Jim, is a safety at Boston College. His younger brother, Nerlens, plays hoops at Tilton and is regarded as the cream of the 2013 crop.

NC State had secured former Xaverian and Lawrence Academy running back Anthony Knight, but he changed his mind about a month ago and recently gave a verbal commitment to Nevada.

Barnstable has filled its vacant head coaching position, tabbing defensive coordinator Chris Whidden to succeed departed coach Doug Crook.

Whidden, 29, has coached within the Barnstable system since 2006. He had been the defensive boss since 2008.

Crook resigned after the season because of a reported incident where he used profanity to address some of his players after some rifts arose. He was placed on administrative leave before last year’s Thanksgiving game, a 46-14 win over Falmouth in which Whidden coached.

‘‘I’m definitely excited,’’ said Whidden, who will remain defensive coordinator in addition to his new position. ‘‘The way it came about wasn’t the way I anticipated getting it, but (Crook) is definitely a supporter of our staff staying on.’’

Barnstable went 7-4 last year after winning a share of the Old Colony League champsionship in 2009. The offense has been one of the most prolific in the state since Crook’s son, D.J., took over at quarterback. He enters the season with 63 touchdown passes, just 22 shy of the state record.

Whidden, who spent the last two weekends watching the NFL playoffs at the Crook residence, expects him to stick around for his senior year, despite his father’s departure.

‘‘A kid like that is someone you want to keep around the program, not just because he’s a good football player, but the kind of kid he is as well,’’ he said.

Duxbury junior tight end and wide receiver Don Webber has been named to the Air Force Junior All-American second team. MaxPreps selected Webber as part of the 2010 U.S Air Force Junior All-American Team that was announced Thursday.

Webber led Duxbury to the Division 2A Super Bowl title and set school records in receptions (52), receiving yards (921) and receiving touchdowns (10). He was also selected to the Globe's All-Scholastic football team.

By Seth Lakso, Globe correspondent

Louis-Jean withdrew his verbal commitment to Miami shortly after the firing of coach Randy Shannon in late November, citing his personal relationship with the former coach as one for the reasons for his withdrawal.

“I know they were very impressed with Randy [Shannon] and the direction of the Miami program under him and disappointed when he was let go,” Said Brockton High Coach Peter Colombo.

“It came down to the fact that there just wasn’t enough time to get to know the new guys in Miami,” said Louis-Jean. “So it was either Penn State or BC. BC being close to home and the relationship I’ve built with the coaches for the past two years pushed it over the edge for me.”

ESPN Scouts Inc. ranks Louis-Jean, a 6-foot-1, 175-pounder, as the No. 9 cornerback in the nation. The commitment gives the Eagles their first four-star prospect for 2011 and the top-rated prospect in Massachusetts.

Louis-Jean joins a growing list of players to withdraw their commitment from Miami after the dismissal of Shannon. The list includes highly touted quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and wide receiver Eli Rodgers, who both verbally committed to Louisville.

Scouts Inc.'s Billy Tucker reports that “[Louis-Jean] has a lot of physical tools to develop in Chestnut Hill and should be one of the more athletic defensive backs on the Eagles depth chart as soon as he arrives on campus.”

“He should excel in B.C.'s zone schemes with his good closing burst and physicality.”

Louis-Jean led the Boxers with 60 tackles and five interceptions this season. He also finished with 600 yards receiving and five touchdowns.

“I’m thrilled for BC and for our area,” said Colombo. “Football's big right now, I think Albert can really help them. This is a clear sign that football in our area is getting better. I think it says a lot that he was recruited nationally. It starts with the school programs and goes right up to the Patriots and all the work the Krafts have done for football in the area.”

Globe correspondent Mike Carraggi contributed to this report.

Brockton High standout defensive back/receiver Albert Louis-Jean has verbally committed to attend Boston College, answering the nearly month-long question of where the state's top senior recruit will land. He withdrew his commitment to Miami shortly after head coach Randy Shannon was fired in late November, citing the move as one of the reasons for his withdrawal.

Louis-Jean's speed, cover skills, and hard hitting tackles have made him the envy of many colleges for the last few years, though he has struggled to stay healthy.

Score one more for Everett's championship football team.

The Eastern Massachusetts Division 1 Super Bowl champions feature three of the Super 26 players selected for the Massachusetts High School Coaches Association's all-state team.

Everett quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso, the Globe's Division 1 player of the year, Matt Costello (WR) and Manny Asprilla (DB) all made the all-state team. Both Costello and Asprilla were also Globe All-Scholastics.

Gloucester was the only other school to feature more than one player on the team. Running back Jordan Shairs (1,350 yards and 31 touchdowns) and defensive lineman Chris Unis both made the team. Both of the Fishermen were also All-Scholastics.

Here is the complete team:

OFFENSE

Quarterback
Jonathan DiBiaso, Jr., Everett
Nick LaSpada, Jr., Billerica
Tom Murphy, Sr., Northbridge

Running back
Isaiah Jones, Sr., Mahar
Jamel Marshall, Sr., Mansfield
Jordan Shairs, Sr., Gloucester

Receiver
Matt Costello, Sr., Everett
Richard Rodgers, Sr., St. John's (Shrewsbury)

Offensive line
Lance Burlingame, Sr., New Bedford
Jeff Covitz, Sr., Reading
George Kallas, Sr., Beverly
Obum Obukwelu, Sr., BC High
Liam Porter, Sr., Natick

DEFENSE

Defensive line
Brian Miller, Sr., Andover
Zach Smerlas, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Chris Unis, Sr., Gloucester

Linebacker
Seth DeMello, Sr., Somerset
Dan Giovacchini, Sr., Lawrence Academy
Matthew LeBlanc, Sr., Wachusett
Mike Mercadante, Sr., Minnechaug
Conor Wyand, Sr., Nashoba

Defensive back
Manny Asprilla, Sr., Everett
Dan Johnson, Sr., North Attleboro
Joe Colton, Sr., Xaverian
Albert Louis-Jean, Sr., Brockton
Brian Strachan, Sr., St. Sebastian's

In the final USA Today Super 25 national high school football poll, the Everett Crimson Tide jumped up a spot from No. 23 to No. 22.

In the final RivalsHigh national 100 poll, the Crimson Tide came in at No. 100 -- the lone Massachusetts school to be ranked.

You can find USA Today's Super 25 rankings here. You can find the RivalsHigh rankings here.

Everett finished its season 12-0, winning the Division 1 Super Bowl over St. John's Prep 31-7 at Gillette Stadium. The team's quarterback, Jonathan DiBiaso, passed for a state record 43 touchdowns and was named the Globe's Division 1 player of the year. Crimson Tide wide receiver Matt Costello was named a Globe All-Scholastic and the Gatorade Massachusetts football player of the year.

Our final Boston.com 100 poll is out for the fall 2010 season. There were some good arguments about this one in the office. We wanted to make sure the top teams were really at (or near) the top of the heap and we wanted to see a good spectrum of teams from all divisions get fair play.

What you have now, through all of the debate, are Northeast and Shawsheen storming up into the Top 20 and Beverly, as Division 3 Super Bowl champions with six losses, staying just outside the bubble at No. 21.

Is it any surprise that Everett (12-0) is No. 1? Or Gloucester (13-0) is No. 2?

Then there are peculiar teams like BC High, which despite having what Eagles fans would surely call a down year, are respected enough by our staff to merit a spot at No. 31 despite four losses. In fact, St. John's Prep, with five losses, is our No. 7 team. They're the Division 1 runnerup. Dracut, at 8-4 is No. 11, and Andover (8-4), playing stellar down the stretch, is our No. 14 team. Postseason action highly affected our judgment, which I think was for the best. However, let me know if you think otherwise in the comments below.

Find the Boston.com 100 here.

On Sunday, our All-Scholastics section will come out in the paper. The Globe's Chad Finn and high school sports editor Bob Holmes take a brief look at some of the football stars that made the cut.

Beverly's head coach Dan Bauer gets doused with a water by Jamie Conant after his team won the Division 3 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium Saturday. Bauer was named the Patriots coach of the week. (John Tlumacki / Globe Staff)

The accolades keep rolling in for the Beverly Panthers.

Beverly coach Dan Bauer was awarded the New England Patriots coach of the Week after his squad came from behind to beat Somerset, 28-20, in the Division 3 Super Bowl.

The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation will donate $1,000 to Beverly's football program in recognition of the award.

The Panthers started the season 0-5, but won 7 of its final 8 games en route to the championship.

“In winning their first ever High School Super Bowl, The Beverly Panthers were the epitome of perseverance, hard work, and resiliency,” said Andre Tippett, the team’s executive director of community affairs, in a press release. “As players, those are crucial traits if you want to recover from failure and setbacks in sports competition. For the Panthers to come back the way they did, here at Gillette Stadium to win the Division III Super Bowl, they proved they are capable of doing just that. This is a dream come true for these young men and a real test of their character and something they are going to remember the rest of their lives.”

Video by Cal Borchers for Boston.com

There was a lot to take in Saturday with the thousands of fans from all over Eastern Massachusetts descending upon Gillette Stadium to see their school play. Here's a slice of that.

Brandon Cusumano scored two touchdowns to lead Gloucester past Bridgewater-Raynham 34-13 in the Division 1A Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium.

Gloucester (13-0) defended its title in a rematch of last season's Division 1A Super Bowl.

Quarterback Joseph Avila threw touchdown passes of 30 and 19 yards for Gloucester.

B-R's Mike Chicoine scored on a 22-yard pass from Billy Zolga, and Zolga scored B-R's other touchdown on a 3-yard run. B-R finished the season 10-3.

4th quarter, 3:15, Gloucester 34-13: B-R drove to the 10, but misfired on fourth down and turned the ball over on downs. B-R has only one time out left.

4th quarter, 6:36, Gloucester 34-13: Gloucester QB Joseph Avila passes 19 yards over the middle to Michael Tomaino for a touchdown.

3d quarter, 0:21, Gloucester 27-13: B-R's Billy Zolga runs in almost untouched to cut into the Gloucester lead. A pass interference penalty brought B-R into the red zone.

3d quarter, 6:27, Gloucester 27-6: Brandon Cusumano's 5-yard touchdown run, a sweep around left end, pushes Gloucester's lead higher. The extra-point attempt failed.

2d quarter, 0:39, Gloucester 21-6: Gilbert Brown sweeps around left end for a 5-yard touchdown run to put Gloucester in control just before halftime.

2d quarter, 5:21, Gloucester 14-6: Gloucester's Jordan Shairs runs two yards for a touchdown.

1st quarter, 0:05, Gloucester 7-6: Mike Chicoine scores on a 22-yard touchdown pass, but B-R misses the extra point attempt.

1st quarter, 4:37, Gloucester 7-0: Brandon Cusumano caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Joseph Avila to put Gloucester on the scoreboard first.

1st quarter, 6:42, 0-0: Gloucester has already used two timeouts.

The final Super Bowl of the day is about to kick off. The game is a rematch of last year's final, which Gloucester won 33-13.

Matt Costello caught three touchdown passes and Everett cruised past St. John's 31-7 to win the Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium.

Costello's scores came on 29-, 10- and 36-yard passes from quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso. Everett, which lost last year's Division 1 Super Bowl to Xaverian, finished the season 12-0.

Everett outgained St. John's 422-201 and had 20 first downs to St. John's 10.

"We said from the beginning of the year we were not gonna be satisfied winning the [Greater Boston League], making the playoffs, winning the first round, making it to Gillete. We wanted to win in Gillette," Everett coach John DiBiaso Jr. said.

Costello finished with 145 yards on 11 receptions. Manny Asprilla had 84 yards on three catches, and also ran 10 times for 78 yards.

"Its a team effort. I couldn't have done it without (my team)," Costello said. "Manny being on the field at the same time as me, it makes it harder for them to cover just me. Manny takes up a lot of attention over the middle, so that a lot of times leaves me with just the CB to work off of. We knew this was our last year in D1, we wanted to make a statement. It's great to be part of such a great program like Everett with such a history of winning."

DiBiaso connected on 16 of 21 pass attempt for 248 yards and three touchdowns.

"It feels really good, this is the last time I'll play with all these kids, I'll miss them all.We didn't come here to get here, we came here to win," Asprilla said.

Tyler Coppola had 22 carries for 151 yards for St. John's (8-5).

(Globe correspondent Mike Carraggi contributed to this report)

In-game updates:
4th quarter, 1:18, Everett 31-7: Victory formation for Everett to run out the clock.

4th quarter, 7:37, Everett 31-7: Matt Costello's third TD catch further expands Everett's lead. Costello now has 11 catches for 145 yards.

3d quarter, 3:46, Everett 24-7: Gilly DeSouza's 21-yard field goal pads Everett's lead.

2d quarter, 0:46, Everett 21-7: Matt Costello catches another TD pass, this for 10 yards, to push Everett ahead by two touchdowns.

2d quarter, 8:20, Everett 14-7: Everett's Manny Asprilla scores on a two-yard run to give Everett its first lead.

1st quarter, 5:35, Tied 7-7: Everett's Matt Costello catches a 29-yard TD pass from Jonathan DiBiaso to even things up.

1st quarter, 7:49, St. John's 7-0: Tyler Coppola races 48 yards to put St. John's on top.

St. John's Prep has deferred to the second half and will kick off.

Northeast (11-2) scored five unanswered touchdowns in the first half to topple Brighton 38-14 in the Division 4A Super Bowl at Curry College.

Bobby Novello (2 TDs), Donato DiPietrantonio (1 TD), Mike Cross (1 TD) and Brandon Sullivan (1 TD) scored for the Golden Knights. All but one was on a running play. Cross caught the only touchdown pass, 35 yards from DiPietrantonio.

Novello tallied 113 yards over 18 carries and DiPietrantonio recorded 64 yards of combined offense.

Brighton (9-3) shut out Northeast in the second half, but couldn't overcome the deficit.

Dwight Kennedy and Damien Robinson each caught a touchdown pass from Jonathan Marrero in the second half for Brighton. Kennedy's for 10 yards and Robinson's for 19. This was the fourth time in five years that Brighton appeared in a Super Bowl game.

Barry Chin/Globe Staff

Mansfield's Jeff Hill had 5 catches for 191 yards.

Mansfield appeared to have its chance at victory ended when Reading's Sean Gildea snuffed a Manfield drive at the goal line with an interception late in the fourth quarter. The ball was spotted at the 1, and on second down, Reading attempted a pass from its own end zone. Mansfield's Dan Gilmore intercepted the pass at the 20 and returned it to the 2-yard line.

"Maybe we were a little too aggressive near our goal line, but we were thinking about putting the game away," said Reading coach John Fiore. "We saw something on first down that we liked. Hats off to Mansfield, they made some big plays early in the second half."

After Gilmore's interception, Marshal took it in on the first play, and on the ensuing kickoff, Mansfield kicked a bouncing squib kick that struck a Reading player and was recovered by Mansfield's Ken Barsomian.

"I was expecting a pass, I don't know why," Gilmore said. "I just saw the ball and went up and got it."

Mansfield trailed 26-7 at halftime, but scored three touchdowns in the second half and its defense pitched a shutout.

"We made some football adjustments at halftime," said Mansfield coach Mike Redding. "Our motto is never surrender and we still had 20 minutes left to play at Gillette. I felt if we could score first, we could change the momentum."

Jeff Hill caught touchdown passes of 47 and 68 yards to lead Mansfield. Marshal had two touchdown runs.

Reading was led by quarterback Brian Bourque, who ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. Nick Scali ran for a touchdown and caught Bourque's 32-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

Mansfield had 404 yards of total offense. Marshall had 18 carries for 91 yards and Hill had five receptions for 191 yards. Mansfield quarterback George Busharis completed 8 of 14 attempts for 231 yards.

(Globe correspondent Mike Grossi contributed to this report)
In-game updates:
4th quarter, 1:01, Mansfield 29-26: Mansfield's Ken Barsomian recovers a bouncy, short kickoff that hit a Reading player.

4th quarter, 1:07, Mansfield 29-26: Jamel Marshall plunges in from the 2-yard line after Dan Gilmore intercepted a Reading pass and returned it to the 2. Jamel Marshal adds two-point conversion.

4th quarter, 1:32, Reading 26-21: Reading's Sean Gildea intercepted George Busharis' pass attempt on the Reading 1. A key turnover, but Reading's in a tight spot backed up to its own goal line.

4th quarter, 5:08, Reading 26-21: Mansfield fails to convert on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line and turns it over on downs. Pass attempt was over receiver's head.

3d quarter, 2:51, Reading 26-21: Jamel Marshall's 6-yard TD run caps a fast drive for Mansfield, highlighted by yet another long gain through the air (Jeff Hill gains 54 yards after catching a tipped pass and going down the sideline).

3d quarter, 5:49, Reading 26-14: Mansfield's Jeff Hill pulls in his second long touchdown pass, this time a 68-yarder from George Busharis, for the first score of the third quarter. Hill has three catches for 126 yards.

2d quarter, 0:00, Reading 26-7: Brilliant scramble by Reading quarterback Brian Bourque for an 18-yard touchdown adds to the lead. But the PAT woes continue, as this one also fails.

2d quarter, 1:01, Reading 20-7: Nick Scali caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Brian Bourque, who pump-faked the defense into letting Scali get free behind it, then the same combo hooked up on a two-point conversion as Reading increased its lead.

2d quarter, 8:55, Reading 12-7: Brian Bourque's 2-yard run puts Reading back in front, but Reading had another misfire on the extra point, this time a botched snap.

1st quarter, 0:08, Mansfield 7-6: Jeff Hill hauls in a 47-yard touchdown pass -- much of it in the air -- from Jamell Marshal and Mansfield takes the lead.

1st quarter, 3:02, Reading 6-0: Nick Scali sprinted around end and down the sideline 11 yards to put Reading on top. Reading missed the extra point wide right.

1st quarter, 8:50, 0-0: Reading gets its first possession after Tommy Beucler recovered a fumble on Reading's 26.

The Division 2 Super Bowl matches a pair of high-scoring teams. Mansfield averages 31.2 and Reading 34.

Reading is the defending champ of Division 2.

Kickoff is moments away.

By Mike Grossi, Globe correspondent

John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

Kane Haffey (right) and Henry Buonagurio celebrate.

“It doesn’t matter what you’re playing, it’s tough to win them all. Our kids showed a lot of heart and desire, a lot of heart and determination to come out perfect,” Duxbury coach David Maimaron said. "The kids support each other, the whole town and community supports us. It’s great to be back here.”
 
Duxbury quarterbacks Kane Haffey and Matt O'Keefe combined to pass for 298 yards and four touchdowns as Duxbury defeated Concord Carlisle 35-13 at Gillette Stadium.

“This is the best win of my life. Football is unlike any other sport because of the preparation, because of the work you have to put in to be successful. All the sweat, all the work, all the sprints, all that – there’s nothing else like it to win this," Haffey said.

Concord-Carlisle was led by George Craan, who rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries.

(Globe correspondent Patrick McHugh contributed to this report)

In-game updates:
4th quarter, 4:18, 35-13, Duxbury: Don Webber caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Kane Haffey on a wide receiver screen. The drive chewed nearly five minutes off the clock.

End of 3rd quarter, 29-13, Duxbury: Stats through the 3rd quarter: Duxbury --266 total yards (226 passing). Concord-Carlisle -- 308 yards (234 rushing).

3rd quarter, 2:07, 29-13, Duxbury: The Green Dragons are just pouring it on. After stopping Concord-Carlisle on fourth down, it took Duxbury just three plays to score. Matt O'Keefe hit a wide open Don Webber for a 40-yard touchdown. The Green Dragons faked the PAT and Tucker Hannon found Seamus Connelly for the 2-point coversion. Key play on the drive: 28-yard pass from O'Keefe to Joe Guilfoile.

3rd quarter, 4:16, 21-13, Duxbury: Kane Haffey tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Matt Hallisey. Hallisey now has 105 yards receiving on three catches. Key play on the drive: 33-yard pass from Haffey to Don Webber.

3rd quarter, 4:55, 14-13, Duxbury: The Patriots pulled within a point on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Peter George to Max Barrett on 4th and goal. They faked the PAT and the pass fell incomplete. Key to the drive: George Craan rushed for 61 yards on the 75-yard scoring drive.

Halftime, 14-7 Duxbury: The Green Dragons are on top thanks to a blocked punt that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown and a 9-yard TD reception by Andrew Buron. Sandwiched between the two scores was Concord-Carlisle's TD, a 14-yard rush by George Craan.

Concord-Carlisle stats -- 132 yards rushing, 37 passing. George Craan -- 15 rushes, 58 yards and a touchdown. Tim Badgley -- 4 rushes 65 yards.

Duxbury stats -- 108 yards passing, 41 rushing. Kane Haffey -- 1-3, 52 yards passing. Matt O'Keefe -- 3-3, 56 yards passing. Matt Hallisey -- 92 yards receiving.

2nd quarter, 0:19, 14-7 Duxbury: Green Dragons with a big stop on fourth down and 1 at their own 11-yard line to preserve the lead. Concord-Carlisle got into the red zone on Tim Badgley's 60-yard run.

2nd quarter, 2:10, 14-7 Duxbury: The Green Dragons wasted no time retaking the lead. Matt O'Keefe found Andrew Buron for a 9-yard touchdown strike. Key play on the drive: 40-yard pass from O'Keefe to Matt Hallisey.

2nd quarter, 4:54, 7-7: George Craan took a pitch and scampered 14 yards for the tying score. Key plays on the drive: 37-yard pass from Peter George to Evan Boynton and Craan conversion on 4th down and 2 at the Duxbury 16-yard line.

2nd quarter, 8:39, 7-0 Duxbury: Denis Maguire blocked a Henry Bumpus punt and Reilly Naton pounced on it in the end zone, giving the Green Dragons a lead.

End of the 1st quarter, 0-0: Duxbury had 80 total yards in the first while Concord-Carlisle had 22.

1st quarter, 4:16, 0-0 : Duxbury's Denis Maguire delivers a timely sack on third-and-8 and Concord forced to punt. Back-and-forth game so far.

Concord-Carlisle will kick off.

John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

Brendan Flaherty's second-quarter TD catch.

Brendan Flaherty caught two touchdown passes and Nick Theriault ran 74 yards for another as Beverly defeated Somerset 28-20 at Gillette Stadium.

Theriault's run four minutes into the third quarter put Beverly up 21-20. Quarterback Joe Wioncek sealed the victory with a one-yard touchdown run with 2:19 left in the fourth quarter to cap an 80-yard drive.

"This feels amazing – words can’t describe it. You grow up watching this field. To not only play on it, but also win a Super Bowl is amazing," Wioncek said.

"They were running over us in the first half. We knew that was where we needed to stop them. Our defense really stepped it up and got the ball back to our offense. We had intensity in that second half," Theriault said. "We did what we had to do. It’s unbelievable.”

Somerset's Jaron Spear rushed 9 times for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Seth DeMello had 70 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown.

Beverly finished the season 7-6. Somerset lost for the first time and finished the season 12-1.

"Our linebackers did a great job. It took us a couple series. We had to get the hang of it, but I’m so proud of our defense. They all did a great job, especially with that big stop at the end. More importantly, this is a good team win," Beverly coach Dan Bauer said. "It hasn’t sunk in yet. It feels like there’s another game to get ready for. But this is it. It’s unbelievable.”

(Globe correspondent Doug Saffir contributed to this report)

In-game updates:
4th quarter, 1:35, Beverly 28-20: Somerset QB Adam Ledoux was sacked on 4th down. Beverly takes over at its own 48.

4th quarter, 2:19, Beverly 28-20: Joe Wioncek plunged one yard to push Beverly's lead to 28-20. The TD capped an 80-yard drive.

4th quarter, 9:05, Beverly 21-20: Somerset kicker TJ Eisle's 30-yard field goal attempt hit the upright and bounced out.

3d quarter, 6:01, Beverly 21-20: Nick Theriault found a big gap and raced 74 yards to put Beverly on top for the first time in this game.

2d quarter, 0:59, Somerset 20-14: Beverly's Brendan Flaherty caught his second touchdown pass, this one 15 yards to the back of the end zone, to cut the lead to six. Somerset missed its PAT after its third TD.

2d quarter, 3:06, Somerset 20-7: Jaron Spear scored his second touchdown, a 1-yard run, to increase Somerset's lead. He has eight carries for 135 yards so far. PAT failed.

2d quarter, 7:41, Somerset 14-7: Beverly quarterback Joe Wioncek threw a 13-yard strike to Brendan Flaherty to cut Somerset's lead.

1st quarter, 0:18, Somerset 14-0:Seth DeMello punches in from 1 yard to increase Somerset's lead.

1st quarter, 7:06, Somerset 7-0: Jaron Spear's 59-yard touchdown run puts Somerset on top early. He burst through the line at right guard and ran down the numbers on the right side of the field.

The second Super Bowl of the day is about to kick off. Somerset has won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. We'll have updates throughout.

Shawsheen's first appearance in the Super Bowl since 1978 proved to be a noteworthy one last night. The Rams took home the trophy after taking down Blue Hills 20-6 in the EMass Division 4 Super Bowl at Curry College.

After a scoreless first quarter, Shawsheen put its first points on the board off of a Ryan Woolaver 30-yard TD rush. The PAT failed, leaving room for Blue Hills to take a lead. The Warriors answered in the third quarter from the 1-yard line when Isaiah Teixiera drove in the tying TD. A failed conversion rush left the game up in the air.

The remainder of the match-up belonged to Shawsheen. Steve Reynolds scored on a 25-yard TD run and Matt Costello returned an interception 35 yards to ice the cake with the final TD in the fourth quarter.

Reynolds also had two interceptions for Shawsheen, which finished the season 11-1. Blue Hills back Vincent Burton put up 108 yards rushing over 22 attempts.

Both teams finish the season 12-1.

Kevin Curry carried 36 times for 182 yards and a touchdown for Holliston, which lost to Austin Prep in last year's Division 3A Super Bowl. Holliston gained 323 total yards -- 283 rushing and 40 passing.

Holliston limited Cardinal Spellman to 56 yards total offense. Spellman gained three first downs, while Holliston had 21 and dominated time of possession.

"Their defense dominated us," Spellman coach Ron St. George said. "Offensively, we couldn’t do anything. And then when we lost our one weapon, Blaise Branch, for the whole second half, that knocked our kids down a little bit."

Branch was sidelined by a concussion.

"I’ve coached at all levels, Division 1," St. George said. "They could play at Division 1 easy and beat most of the teams. They’re that good."
 
Curry's 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter sealed the victory.

"We’ve never told the team this, but as a staff, we joke about, 'Feeding the beast,'" Kiley said about Curry. "He is the beast. That was our theme, feed the beast."

(Globe correspondent Jake Seiner contributed to this report)

In-game updates:
4th quarter, 1:54, Holliston 21-7:Brody Ciarcello's interception for Holliston has likely sealed this one. Holliston's defense has kept Spellman in check all game.

4th quarter, 3:11, Holliston 21-7: Kevin Curry ran 10 yards for a touchdown on first-and-goal to increase Holliston's lead.

3d quarter, 0:00, Holliston 14-7: Sean Mayo ran 1 yard to cap a long, time-consuming drive and put Holliston in front as time ran out on the third quarter.

3d quarter, 4:27, Tied 7-7: Holliston failed to convert on 4th-and-14 from the Spellman 34.

3d quarter, 7:24, Tied 7-7: Spellman star running back Blaise Branch was injured on the opening possession of the quarter. He's on the bench now, and QB Zac Cooney has taken his place on defense.

Halftime, Tied 7-7: Holliston tried to get something going in the final seconds, but QB Sean Mayo's Hail Mary from midfield was batted away near the goal line. It was quite a heave.

Halftime stats: Holliston had 169 total yards -- 124 rushing, 39 passing. The Panthers have two turnovers. Spellman has 50 total yards, all through the air on 6-for-6 passing by Zac Cooney. Spellman has no turnovers.

2d quarter, 0:23, Tied 7-7: Spellman's Joe Glynn caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Zac Cooney to tie this up just before halftime. The drive was set up when Spellman's Patrick Hinkley intercepted a pass with 2:05 left in the second quarter.

2d quarter, 5:57, Holliston 7, Spellman 0: Quarterback Sean Mayo scrambled two yards for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Holliston has 119 yards on the ground.

End of 1st quarter, 0-0: Holliston has had the ball most of the first half so far, but has yet to score.

1st quarter, 0-0, 3:32: Holliston received the opening kickoff and drove into Spellman territory, but fumbled. The Panthers have the ball back and are again in Spellman's half of the field.

Holliston's Adam Camilli (left) and Kevin Curry celebrate their victory in the Division 3A Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

FOXBOROUGH -- Good morning football fans. It's a beautiful day in Foxborough. Holliston and Cardinal Spellman are currently getting prepared for their Division 3A Super Bowl at 9 a.m., the first of six games slated at Gillette Stadium today for the EMass Super Bowls.

Right now, it's 32 degrees locally with a Northwest wind at 9 miles per hour. There's no doubt it's supposed to be chilly today, but we're not expecting snow as it was last year (knock on wood).

Stay here on the high schools blog for all the updates, videos and photos from the day.

For the Twitterati, follow along at @GlobeSchools for all the scoring updates.

And good luck to all the teams playing.

Barnstable football coach Doug Crook resigned today. Crook led the Red Raiders to a 7-4 record this fall that included his son, Doug Jr., throwing a school-record 33 touchdown passes. It was his third year as head coach at Barnstable.

Before Thanksgiving an incident was reported by the Cape Cod Times that Crook swore in a meeting with his senior players.

Crook said there was a number of things that led to his resignation.

"There was a ridiculous series of events," Crook said.

He declined to elaborate.

Crook had a 17-14 overall record for Barnstable. He replaced Coach Paul ‘Spanky’ Demanche in 2008, who now coaches for Harwich High School.

-- Globe Correspondent Liz Cohen contributed to this report.

If you could bottle the emotions of the high school football players at Gillette Stadium Thursday and encapsulate their feelings in what is undoubtedly the biggest game of their young lives slated to come, you'd start using words like giddy, hungry, wide-eyed, anxious and, in some cases, vengeful to describe them.

The dreams of playing catch like Tom Brady and Wes Welker in Foxboro are now coming to a close. On Saturday, Gillette Stadium will again host six games for the EMass Super Bowls.

Everybody reacts differently to the bright lights of Gillette Stadium and to the challenges that lay ahead. There were a number of players I caught up with Thursday to ask their thoughts upon this and their season. And then, how they plan on winning a title in the midst of all this glitz.

Kevin Curry (11) and the Holliston Panthers have their work cut out for them against Cardinal Spellman. (Rose Lincoln for The Boston Globe)

By Zuri Berry, Boston.com Staff

Ask Kevin Curry how many touchdowns he's had called back this year and he knows the exact number.

Curry has had an amazing year for the Holliston Panthers. He was named the Tri-Valley League most valuable player for his outstanding defense and play-making skills, he's a part of a group of Holliston players that literally fly around the ball on defense and then, when they get the on the other side of the line of scrimmage, show what I call ECOD -- Escapability and change of direction. He's racked up 16 touchdowns to help put the Panthers in a position to bring home a Super Bowl title after finishing last season as the Division 3A runnerup. The team still feels the sting of losing to Austin Prep 38-15 at Gillette Stadium.

Curry and the Panthers have a tall task ahead of them. Holliston (11-1) has to beat a Cardinal Spellman (12-0) team that features one of the most elusive running backs in the state in Blaise Branch (Division 3A leading 36 touchdowns). None of which is lost on Curry.

What's the best part about playing at Gillette in your second year coming?
Second year in a row is even better than the first time around. It's just the atmosphere here. You got a stadium all the way around you, you got your fans. You got your whole community behind you. You've got great teams playing here all day. So you've just got the best competition, the best environment and the best sport.

What's the No. 1 thing you have to do for your team to win the game?
I just have to play into the scheme we're gonna have for the game. Play my best every single play. Make sure the kids are doing as best they can. Encourage the team that way. Lead by example and motivate.

What was the best moment of your season prior to making it to the Super Bowl?
Would definitely have to be beating Medway at our home. The revenge game. That's what it's kinda known for. It was definitely sweet. It was perfect. It was definitely necessary for us to get to the playoffs.

Thoughts on Cardinal Spellman? How hard is it going to be chasing around Blaise Branch?
Blaise Branch, he seems like a great running back. He's got great stats. His team's got great stats. They've put up big numbers. They've played a lot of good teams in their division. It's gonna be a challenge that way. But I feel like our team speed is exceptional. The way our defense runs from sideline to sideline, 10 of our 11 kids run sub-5 40's. Everybody's getting after it. So I feel like we can contain the speed.

It's Round 2 for you guys in the Super Bowl. What's the mentality after not getting the title last year?
My first thought goes right to the kids last year, the seniors. (We're) getting it done for our team this year. But definitely for the kids last year. All those seniors that worked so hard to get us there, that taught us a lot of things, and brought us here. We want to get it done for those guys. Because they didn't have the opportunity to complete the task.

Holliston allegedly has the most touchdowns called back this year. Any proof in that?
Well, me, personally, I have seven touchdowns called back. I'm trying to make things happen and that's just how it happens sometimes.

Here are the staff Super Bowl picks for each high school football game this Saturday at Gillette Stadium and Curry College.

Division 1

Everett - Bob Holmes, Zuri Berry, Mike Grossi, Mike Carraggi, Emily Wright, Jake Seiner, Lorenzo Recupero
v.
St. John's Prep

It seems to be Everett's year; the Crimson Tide have passed every test that has come their way, quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso has set the single-season passing touchdowns record with 40, and receiver Matt Costello has been name Gatorade Massachusetts Football Player of the Year. But the Prep could benefit from the wild-card: 10-minute quarters. The Eagles have a dominant offensive line/rushing attack led by lineman Nate Cyr and tailback Tyler Coppola. They kept the ball away from Xaverian when it counted on Thanksgiving without passing the ball, and Everett struggled stopping the run against Andover when the Golden Warriors kept the ball for all but one play of the first quarter. As has been the case all season long, Everett has too many weapons. - Mike Carraggi

Division 1A

Bridgewater-Raynham - Bob Holmes, Emily Wright,
v.
Gloucester - Zuri Berry, Mike Grossi, Mike Carraggi, Jake Seiner, Lorenzo Recupero

After watching Bridgewater-Raynham play three contests this year, I am confident that their combined team approach on offense and defense is what is going to seal a victory for them this season. The No. 6 Trojans lost running back Nick Schlatz on Thanksgiving when he tore his shoulder while playing cross-county rival, Brockton, but B-R's arsenal of back-ups stepped up to the plate on Tuesday against Weymouth. Look out for Branden Morin making big plays towards the end zone and quarterback Billy Zolga whose impressive reads to players like Mike Chicoine have helped the Trojans score all season. Gloucester (12-0) boasts Jordan Shairs (30 TDs) and Chris Unis, a pair of 2-way players that have become the stars for the Fishermen this season and will no doubt pose a threat to the B-R (10-2) seven game win streak. - Emily Wright

Division 2

Mansfield - Zuri Berry, Mike Grossi, Mike Carraggi, Emily Wright, Jake Seiner
v.
Reading - Bob Holmes, Lorenzo Recupero

This game has the makings of a classic. Both defending Division 2 champion Reading and Mansfield overwhelm opponents with strong running games and punishing defenses. The Hornets' attack is spearheaded by running back Jamel Marshall. Marshall has a blend of speed and toughness that make him a threat to score every time he touches the ball. The Rockets are led by quarterback Brian Bourque, who has had a hand in over 40 percent of the Rockets' touchdowns. The key to victory in this contest will be stopping the run. Whichever team can do that will take home the title. - Mike Grossi

Division 2A

Concord-Carlisle - Mike Grossi, Lorenzo Recupero
v.
Duxbury - Bob Holmes, Zuri Berry, Mike Carraggi, Emily Wright, Jake Seiner

Duxbury and Concord-Carlisle are two teams with contrasting offensive styles. The Green Dragons run the spread offense while the Patriots run the Wing-T. Duxbury quarterback Kane Haffey has a plethora of receiving options including Don Webber and Matt Hallisey. Concord-Carlisle is powered by George Craan. The junior has 23 touchdowns this season and has yet to be stopped. The key for Duxbury is its defense. The Green Dragons are built to defend spread offenses and have had some trouble with physical teams. If they can rise to the occasion, they have a chance to win. Concord-Carlisle's key is to control the clock with Craan and keep the ball out of the hands of Haffey. - Mike Grossi

Division 3

Beverly - Zuri Berry
v.
Somerset - Bob Holmes, Mike Grossi, Mike Carraggi, Emily Wright, Jake Seiner, Lorenzo Recupero

Beverly's Cinderella Super Bowl story is a good one, but Somerset isn't Scituate. The Raiders bring one of Division 3's most powerful running games, headed by Seth DeMello and Jaron Spear. Beverly is one of the few teams in D-3 that might have enough size to slow down Somerset's powerful ground attack, but the thinking here is it won't quite be enough, and Somerset will slide by for the D-3 crown. - Jake Seiner

Division 3A

Cardinal Spellman - Emily Wright, Lorenzo Recupero
v.
Holliston - Bob Holmes, Zuri Berry, Mike Grossi, Mike Carraggi, Jake Seiner

Everybody is going to want to talk about the matchup between the Panthers' explosive spread offense (39.9 points per game) and the Cardinals' defense (7.2 points allowed per game), but this game will be decided on the other side of the ball. Power backs like Medway's Mike Ozzella and Rockland's Mike Driscoll have proven you can run over the Holliston defense, but running around it is a much more daunting task. Blaise Branch is the most athletic back in Division 3A, but his speed may not be enough to outmatch the Panthers' very athletic D. TVL MVP Kevin Curry and company are nearly impossible to beat to the corner. This game will hinge on Branch outrunning the Panther defense, and even D 3A's leading scorer might not have the wheels for that daunting task. - Jake Seiner

Division 4

Blue Hills - Zuri Berry, Mike Carraggi, Emily Wright,
v.
Shawsheen - Bob Holmes, Mike Grossi, Jake Seiner, Lorenzo Recupero

Blue Hills has a powerful backfield lead by Division 4 leading scorer Vincent Burton, but they've only played in one game since Nov.12 and will probably be a little rusty. The Shawsheen Rams have stormed through Division 4 with a strong defense. Including the playoffs, Shawsheen has shut out its last four opponents.. A great defense on one end and an elusive, electrifying offense on the other should make for a great, competitive game. - Lorenzo Recupero

Division 4A

Brighton - Mike Carraggi, Emily Wright, Jake Seiner
v.
Northeast - Bob Holmes, Zuri Berry, Mike Grossi, Lorenzo Recupero

Led by J.P. O’Connell and Ryan Adams, Northeast has a ground game that’s tough to defend. In last year’s game, Northeast threw just two passes and it could be more of the same tomorrow. Brighton’s challenge will be the same as last fall, play mistake free on offense and bend but don’t break on defense. Brighton was down 14-0 in last year’s game. That can’t happen again. - Bob Holmes

Everett's Matt Costello (15) and teammate Manny Asprilla (2) celebrated Costello's second quarter touchdown Tuesday night against Andover. Everett quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso (6) is off to the side. Costello was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year Thursday. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

Top-ranked Everett has another accolade in its impressive season.

Senior receiver Matt Costello was honored with the Gatorade Massachusetts Football Player of the Year award.

"That's something that is a banner in the old school that has (Frank) Nuzzo, Omar (Easy) and Diamond's (Ferri) names," Costello said when informed of the award. "So just to be considered with names like those, that's pretty cool."

Costello hauled in 65 receptions for 1,156 yards and 20 touchdown, leading Division 1 in scoring catches. He was the main target for junior quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso, who set the single-season record with 40 touchdown passes.

He also punts and plays defensive back for the Greater Boston League champions, recording 18 tackles and two interceptions.

According to an official press release, the award "recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field."

Costello, who has his sights set on the Ivy League with Princeton as his lead candidate, compiled a 3.98 GPA, is involved in school clubs, and volunteers in the community.

Everett (11-0) will face St. John's Prep (8-4) this Saturday for the Division 1 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium.

In one of our last episodes of The Huddle this season, Chad Finn and Bob Holmes preview all of the Super Bowl games slated for Saturday.

For past episodes of The Huddle, go to http://www.boston.com/huddle.

There were plenty of story lines last night in the Eastern Massachusetts high school football playoffs. One was the record-breaking performance of Everett's junior quarterback. We also learned to not underestimate six-loss teams like Beverly, and the fact that the margin of victory between winners and losers is not a case of parity gone wrong. Let's just say playing on Tuesdays is rough.

Related

EMass football playoffs

• St. John’s Prep 35, New Bedford 0 Eagles taking flight
• Everett 21, Andover 0 DiBiaso aces Andover test
• B-R 34, Weymouth 22 Trojans wear down weary Wildcats
• Gloucester 21, Lincoln-Sudbury 0 Gloucester wins big
• Reading 15, Dracut 14 Reading finishes off Dracut
• C-Carlisle 35, N. Andover 16 Patriots survive, advance
• Mansfield 28, Walpole 0 Mansfield cooks up a nice win
• Duxbury 19, D-Y 7 Duxbury
  too much for Dolphins
• Beverly 41, Scituate 14 Beverly makes it worth the wait
• Somerset 28, D-R 0 Somerset gets the best of Falcons
• Spellman 28, H-W 16 Spellman looks super in victory
• Holliston 35, Rockland 20 Rockland can’t hold the Mayo
• Shawsheen 21, Madison Park 0 Rams pitch a shutout
• Brighton 36, W. Bridge. 13 Brighton returns to the Bowl
• Northeast 42, Pope John 0 Northeast back in title game
• Notes Winners head to
  Gillette for a Super day
• H.S. football playoff coverage

Here's how the list looks now:

1. Jonathan DiBiaso, Everett - 40
2. Kyle Beatrice, Swampscott, 2002 - 39
3. Ricky Santos, Bellingham, 2002 - 35
4. Kyle Beatirice, Swampscott, 2001 - 34
5. D.J. Crook, Barnstable, 2010 - 33
6. Greg Warren, Westwood, 1988 - 32
7. Tom Colombo, Brockton, 1984 - 31
8. Vincent Orlando, Manchester, 2003, 30
9. David St. Pierre, North Shore, 2009 - 30

(You can see video of Everett's victory below.)

Parity is not really the case
There were six shutouts last night. Count 'em. Six. Everett, Gloucester, Mansfield, Somerset, Shawsheen and Northeast all shut out their playoff opponents in what can be considered one of the most lopsided semifinals in recent memory. This year, winning teams outscored their opponents 439 to 129. The average margin of victory was 20.3 points. Yesterday's largest margin? Northeast's 42-0 shutout of Pope John. Smallest? Reading's come-from-behind 15-14 win over Dracut.