Do or die. Crunch time. The big stage.
The last two months have been action-packed — three, if you count those hot summer days of camp — but this week, single-elimination state tournament football begins for local high school teams.
St. John’s Prep (8-0) dominated during the regular season, which included crucial wins against Springfield Central and Catholic Memorial this past Saturday.
Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., the Eagles were rewarded with the No. 1 seed in Division 1.
Led by sophomore standout Chris Vargas at quarterback, St. John’s Prep will take on No. 16 Framingham (4-3). Before last Friday’s loss against Needham, the Flyers were red-hot with four consecutive wins.
Despite a high-powered offense that scored 29 or more points four times this season, Framingham will run into a different kind of beast at Glatz Field. St. John’s Prep shut out BC High and allowed just eight points against Marshfield.
Marblehead was upset by Danvers Friday night, but that doesn’t mean the Magicians (6-2) won’t be favorites in their postseason opener. They received the No. 6 seed in Division 4 and will host No. 11 Shepherd Hill Regional.
The good news: Shepherd Hill went 7-1 during the regular season.
The bad news: Its one loss was at home against Marblehead (35-22 final).
Now at Piper Field, the Magicians look to double up. They’ll be led by dual-threat quarterback Finn Gallup and running back Breydan Callahan.
The Division 5 bracket came with a tough test for No. 8 St. Mary’s (5-3), which will welcome No. 9 Greater Lawrence Tech (6-2) to Manning Field Friday at 6 p.m.
The Spartans suffered three consecutive losses against Gloucester, Bishop Feehan, and Shawsheen Valley Tech, but have since rebounded with three clutch wins.
St. Mary’s Rowan Merryman — as he’s been all season — was productive with two touchdowns in the regular-season finale against Old Rochester. The powerful ball-carrier looks to sustain his rhythm in the Round of 16.
No. 11 Swampscott (6-2) will hit the road and face undefeated Archbishop Williams (8-0). The Big Blue have been powered by running back/linebacker Will Bush, who has rushed for seven touchdowns the last two weeks.
Quarterback Jon Von Barta has been effective under center, but faces a Williams defense that hasn’t allowed a point since Oct. 17.
In Division 6, Bishop Fenwick (4-4) received the No. 7 seed and will host No. 10 Medway (5-3).
This season, Fenwick’s high-scoring offense has been led by quarterback Andrew Kiricopoles (1,633 yards passing), Dylan Patturelli (807 yards rushing), and Jamie Dube (507 yards receiving).
No. 11 Winthrop (3-5) will take on No. 6 Stoneham (6-2) in enemy territory. After a mid-October loss against Swampscott, the Vikings rebounded with key wins against Salem and Gloucester.
It’s been quite the comeback for Winthrop, which began the fall 0-4 and failed to reach double-digit points through three games.
A pair of Lynn teams look to make runs in Division 8: No. 9 KIPP (3-5) and No. 11 Lynn Tech (4-3).
The Panthers, paced by the two-headed monster of Elai Machado and Aavian Peña, look to keep their momentum intact after Saturday’s 35-point victory against Lowell Catholic.
That said, undefeated No. 8 Frontier Regional (8-0) and its dynamic defense stands in KIPP’s way. The Red Hawks held opponents to single digits in six of eight games this season.
Lynn Tech will take on No. 6 Bourne (6-2) — the Tigers’ second trip to Cape Cod in just a few weeks.
Tech’s offense has been versatile behind Jadiel Ortega, Eddie Lewis, Anthony Brown, and Jacob Garcia, among others. The Tigers can catch Bourne at the right time, as the Canalmen have lost two of their last three games.
Lynn English (6-2), Lynn Classical (3-5), Saugus (1-7), Peabody (0-8), and Lynnfield (2-6) failed to make the postseason.
