The long-awaited MIAA statewide football rankings came out for the first time this week.
Not surprisingly, there were some early glitches and curious rankings, but that was to be expected. Where a team is ranked in Week 4 is likely going to be a far cry from where it stands four weeks from now.
In looking through the divisional rankings, there were a few things that caught our eye, starting in Division 2.
No. 1-ranked Catholic Memorial went into Saturday’s game with St. John’s (Shrewsbury) holding down the 16th and final spot due to a weak schedule. With the Knights heading into Catholic Conference play, that ranking is going to soar in the upcoming weeks.
Still, it’s amazing to see how people reacted to our tweet that if the season were to end today, the Knights would be on the road against top-seeded Lincoln-Sudbury (ranked sixth in the Sweet 16). A potential championship game being contested in the final round would drive the never-statewide critics into a fit of frenzy.
Rest assured, Catholic Memorial will not be ranked 16th in the statewide rankings much longer.
The big boys are clearly holding the fort in Div. 1 as Franklin, St. John’s Prep, Xaverian, Central Catholic and Everett are the top five teams in the statewide rankings. Everett’s status could be interesting as it goes into the Greater Boston League portion of schedule, one which may not give them a lot of value points as the rest of the league is struggling a bit.
Marblehead entered the week as the top-ranked team in Div. 3 and were pushed mightily by No. 4 Masconomet before prevailing. Milton at No. 15 is another one of those just-wait-a-bit-before-panic-sets-in rankings as the Wildcats are a legitimate top-5 team in Div 3.
Scituate holds the top spot in Div. 4 with the only team to beat them (Duxbury) sitting at No. 8. Imagine a second-round tilt between these two Patriot League power, who already played a classic regular-season contest.
Hudson came in at No. 1 in Div. 5 with Bishop Feehan and North Reading. Swampscott, who is ranked No. 1 in the Herald’s weekly divisional rankings, is sitting down at No. 20. Again, patience needs to be exercised here.
Despite a 1-2 record, Blackstone Valley went into Week 5 as the top-ranked team followed by a slew of solid Eastern Mass. teams led by St, Mary’s, Stoneham, Abington and Rockland. Rockland certainly helped itself Friday night with a 17-7 road win at Abington.
Central Mass. has a monopoly at the top of the Div. 7 rankings as Northbridhe, West Boylston, Lunenburg and Clinton hold down the top four spots, respectively. Look for the winner of this week’s East Boston-Latin Academy game to take a quantum leap as well as undefeated Blue Hills.
Old Colony held on the top spot in Div. 8, but Manchester-Essex should get close to the top after beating No. 5 KIPP Saturday afternoon at Manning Field. A trio of South Shore League teams (Randolph, Carver and Hull) are sitting in the top 10.
Enjoy the next four weeks.
Sweet 16
1. CATHOLIC MEMORIAL (5-0): Knights open defense of their Catholic Conference title in style.
2. EVERETT (4-0): Crimson Tide defense stepped up against Lynn Classical team which has scored some points.
3. ST. JOHN’S PREP (5-0): Not as easy as expected against Malden Catholic but a win is a win.
4. XAVERIAN (4-1): Jake Gilbert is getting better with each week, a dangerous thing for future opponents
5. CENTRAL CATHOLIC (4-1): A second straight dominant defensive performance for the Raiders.
6. LINCOLN-SUDBURY (4-0): Friday night, Thursday night, it doesn’t matter for this talented team.
7. READING (5-0): Will due respect, the Rockets pretty much salted away the Middlesex Liberty title.
8. MARBLEHEAD (5-0): Magicians showed that they can come from behind if necessary.
9. FRANKLIN (5-0): No hangover effect as the Panthers took care of business against Taunton.
10. MARSHFIELD (4-1): People might want to start looking at this team as a legitimate Div. 2 contender.
11. BARNSTABLE (4-1): Ground game grounds out another easy win.
12. MILFORD (5-0): Scarlet Hawks coach Dale Olson says his team is a top 6-8 squad in the state. He’s getting closer in our eyes.
13. NATICK (4-1): Redhawks showing some depth at the skill positions, namely quarterback.
14. DUXBURY (3-1): The week layoff certainly didn’t affect the Dragons.
15. SCITUATE (4-1): High powered offense capable of hurting you with the run or pass.
16. METHUEN (4-1): Rangers get their big chance this week against Central Catholic.
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October 11, 2021 at 02:33AM
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Week 5 Sweet 16: Here comes Catholic Memorial - Boston Herald
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