Football playoffs intact; realignment still on agenda

The MIAA football playoffs will continue in the current format - for now.

The Football Committee met yesterday in Franklin after the Tournament Management Committee rejected an EMass proposal last month that would have allowed more teams to qualify for the playoffs, although no changes would have been made this season.

St. John's Prep athletic director and football coach Jim O'Leary's motion to have a subcommittee formulate a realignment plan by Thanksgiving was unanimously approved. The subcommittee will entertain the idea of splitting leagues into large and small divisions to increase the number of playoff berths.

"We are going to approach leagues to see if they are interested in splitting," said O'Leary. "We have to see where we stand before we make a proposal."

The Merrimack Valley Conference could split. Dracut athletic director Tim Woods, speaking on behalf of the MVC, said the reason for a split is inequity. Some schools in the MVC have 2,000 or more students; others have around 1,000.

Another ruling came after a presentation by Natick athletic director and football coach Tom Lamb on behalf of the Bay State Conference. According to Lamb and the BSC Constitution, all teams from the Carey and Herget divisions must play each other. Also, the winner of each division will be decided by the team's overall record, not its division record.

This was a point of contention for committee members. Many believed division record should determine the team that gets the playoff berth. Others believed the leagues should have the final say in determining a winner. By an 11-6 vote, the committee ruled that for the purpose of qualifying for the football tournament, only division games should be considered. This policy will be implemented in 2009.

Also, Western Massachusetts outlined its football playoff picture. There will be four divisions, and four teams from each will qualify. League winners will receive an automatic bid to the playoffs, while the remaining spots will be filled using a power ranking formula.

Field hockey
North Division 1: Jessie Richissin scored twice during Reading's 6-1 win over Framingham . . . Chelmsford got a goal apiece from Chelsea Gillies, Katrina Squeri, and Alex Fakelarios in a 3-0 victory over Danvers . . . Olivia Frontiero's goal gave Gloucester a 1-0 win over Natick.

North Division 2: Meriam Gehret led the way with two goals, bringing her season total to 30, as Lynnfield knocked off Ipswich, 3-0 . . . Wayland defeated Swampscott, 3-0, behind a relentless attack that featured 28 shots.

South Division 2: Carissa Vizakis, who stands 5 feet 1 inch, came up big in overtime with the goal that lifted Bellingham over Dedham, 2-1.

Eastern Independent: A hat trick by sophomore Whitney Reimann highlighted Dana Hall's 4-0 victory over Lexington Christian.

Boys' soccer
Cape Ann: Kevin McAllister's two goals and one assist lifted Masconomet (16-0-1) to a 3-2 win over North Andover in a battle of unbeaten conference foes. Masconomet clinched the championship for the seventh consecutive year. Eastern Independent: Sophomore Jae Lee scored three goals, raising his league-leading point total to 20 and propelling Chapel Hill past Landmark, 5-1 . . . Cocaptain Andrew Smeallie had a hand in all three scores for Pingree as his two goals and one assist sparked a 3-1 victory over Concord Academy.

South Coast: Junior striker Justin Rose broke a school record with his 33d goal of the season as Dighton-Rehoboth breezed past Wareham, 9-1.

Girls' soccer
Dual County: Junior Kate Sisk scored three goals and had two assists while classmate Elizabeth Newman chipped in with a goal and three assists as Lincoln-Sudbury disposed of Tyngsboro, 8-1.

Middlesex: Belmont senior Tara Feeley made her first career goal count as it beat Stoneham, 2-1.

Nonleague: Hull's 5-0 defeat of Minuteman Tech improved its record to 8-6-3 and secured a spot in the MIAA tournament for the first time in school history . . . Caitlin Martell scored the go-ahead goal with 15 minutes remaining to lift Cardinal Spellman over Coyle & Cassidy, 2-1.

Globe correspondent Andrew Melchiorri contributed to this report.