Twenty-nine groups have tried to knock off Catholic Memorial. All 29 left the sphere on the quick finish of the scoreboard.
Despite some heavy commencement losses, the Knights have sufficient again within the fold to get the nod because the preseason No. 1 ranked crew within the Boston Herald’s thirty first annual preseason Eastern Mass. Sweet 16 rankings. It received’t be straightforward for Catholic Memorial to stay atop the heap because the Knights open the season with a superb Mansfield crew, play a pair of out-of-state groups (Cardinal Newman of Florida and St. Francis of New York) in addition to fellow Catholic Conference powers St. John’s Prep and Xaverian.
St. John’s Prep shut down Springfield Central to seize the Div. 1 state title and can be among the many contenders as soon as once more. Xaverian returns some high quality gamers on either side of the ball and are hungry to make an announcement.
King Philip has been as persistently profitable as any faculty in Eastern Mass. And can’t see that altering any time quickly. The Eason brothers give Methuen loads of purpose for optimism, whereas Mike Redding’s Mansfield crew can be within the combine for a Div. 3 state championship.
Sweet 16
1. Catholic Memorial (12-0): The defending Div. 2 state championship can be superb upfront as extremely touted Guerby Lambert leads a returning group which incorporates Harvard-bound Brandon Sullivan, James Mullin and Jack Holland. Peter Bourque takes over at quarterback and he’ll look to working again Mekhi Dodd, broad receiver Isaiah Faublas and tight finish J.D, Rayner. On protection, the Knights return Colin Murphy, Joao Pires and Rayner on the road, Will Claude and David Timson at linebacker and Eric Perkins within the secondary.
2. Xaverian (7-4): The Hawks return a wholesome dose of expertise on either side of the ball led by Michigan State-bound quarterback Henry Hasselbeck and Liberty-bound broad receiver Jonathan Monteiro. The hope is that broad receiver/defensive again Charlie Comella (BC commit) can return from a collarbone damage sooner or later. Other returning gamers embody offensive linemen Greg Celestin, Andrew Dufault (headed to Penn State as a long-snapper) and Brendan Berube, defensive lineman Nick Angelini, linebacker Vincent Busa, defensive backs Mike O’Connor amd Caleb Brown.
3. St. John’s Prep (11-2): The protection rose to the problem within the Div. 1 state title recreation victory over Springfield Central and count on extra of the identical this fall. All 4 linebackers return (John Droggitis, Marquese Avery, Jackson Tucker and Matt Callahan) together with nostril guard Alex Bajoras and defensive finish Mason McSweeney. Quarterback Deacon Robillard will work behind a proficient line consisting of Jack DiFilippo, Graham Roberts, Wells Gillett and McSweeney.
4. Methuen (9-3): Quarterback Drew Eason and working again Shane Eason returns for a Rangers’ crew which superior to the Div. 1 state semifinalists. The receiving corps is strong with Aiden O’Shaughnessy, Adrian Blake and Kian Greeley return to the fold, whereas the offensive line can be keyed by Brady Gourley and Matt McCormick. On protection, Methuen can be strong within the secondary as Josh Kwakye, Ibrahima Ba, Aaron Chiocca and Joey Bolduc are again together with linebackers Marcel Kekedi and McCormick.
5. Mansfield (9-2): The Hornets have a very good nucleus of returning gamers and must be among the many favorites in Div. 3. Connor Curtis takes over at quarterback for Conner Zukowski and he’ll lean on broad receivers Trevor Foley and Brandon Jackman together with working backs Tommy Smith and Brian Butler. The offensive line must be strong as Aidan Gleavy, Matt Tryon, Jason Riley, Chris Holts and Colin Gill are again. On the defensive aspect of the ball, Jackman and Foley are the defensive backs, Mason Bordieri and Butler are the linebackers and Gleavy is essentially the most skilled returning defensive lineman.
6. Lincoln-Sudbury (7-4): The Warriors return a strong group of seniors on either side of the ball. Quarterback Cooper Tarantino, working backs Darius Braithwaite and Jenson Martin, broad receiver Jake Haarde and offensive linemen Reese Sinclair, Henry Lowery, Jake Leverone and Kieran Fagan. Defensive linemen Abdulraheem Kareem and Peter Abair, linebackers Luke Ohler, Logan Umbach and Calvin Pendergast and defensive backs Eric Siegal, Ollie Reinhardt and Haarde are again.
7. Duxbury (12-0): The defending Div. 4 state champions misplaced some key components, however there are many gamers again to try to defend their title. The protection must be strong as defensive backs Finn Carley, Rob Heppenstall, Sam Wien and Trevor Jones, linebackers Thomas Sheehan, Jack Rees and Joe Barberia together with defensive linemen Ryder Thomas and Jon Rovegno return. Standout working again Alex Barlow is again and he’ll run behind an offensive line keyed by Brent Watts. Spencer Moore and Jack Johnson. Zach Falls and Adam Barr would be the high receivers.
8. King Philip (9-3): Two-time Div. 2 finalist can be among the many better of a loaded Hockomock League subject. Quarterback Tommy McLeish will function behind a strong line keyed by Sean King, Luke Danson and Logan Van Vaerenewyck together with tight finish Dan Silveria. King and Danson return on the defensive position together with lineback Aiden Astorino and defensive again David Constantine.
9. Central Catholic (9-3): New coach John Sexton will depend on quarterback Blake Hebert (Clemson commit), broad receiver Max Frediani and linemen Thomas Galusha and Sedwin Vasquez on the offensive aspect of the ball. Defensive finish Presley Titus is again with safeties Mason Bachry and Jaxon Pereira.
10. Everett (8-2): Justin Flores takes over and can look to BC-bound Christian Zamor (broad receiver/defensive again) to be one of many leaders. Other gamers seeking to make an affect embody offensive linemen Seajae Gaskill and Carlos Cornejo, broad receivers Pedro Rodrigues and Jayden Prophete. For key gamers on protection, Matthew LaMonica and Dominic Papa are the linebackers, Aidan Duclos and Shane MacKenzie on the road and Rodrigies and Prophete within the secondary.
11. Billerica (10-1): Indians are loaded with returning gamers on either side of the ball. On protection, they’ve linemen Dan Moore, Tyler Bornstein, Logan Mueller and Xavier Mosley, linebackers Cole Dillon, Matt MacLeod, Steven Gentile, Aidan Gibbons and Jizaiah Candelario together with cornerbacks Judd Dorival, Gus O’Gara, Mike Murnane and Gryffin Bordeau. On offense, Brendon Ganley, Moore, Bornstein, Mueller and Mosley are on the road, Gentile will play quarterback, Dorival is the highest returning again, whereas the receiving group will include Dillon, Gibbons, O’Gara amd Bordeau.
12. North Attleboro (8-3): Red Rocketeers ought to have the ability to rating some factors this fall as standout quarterback Chase Frisoli is again in addition to tight finish Ryan Bannon, broad receiver Bryce Kiser and linemen Nolan McLaughlin and Lucas Matson. On protection, the leaders must be lineman Patrick Hamilton, Bannon at linebacker and Chris Hanewich and Kiser within the secondary.
13. Andover (10-1): The Golden Warriors return 14 starters from a crew which received the Merrimack Valley Conference Large title. Leading the way in which on offense are broad receivers Chris Dessin and Andrew Walles, tight finish Brian Hnat, offensive linemen Ryan Zannoni, Brady Carlson, Liam Finn and Jamyl Figueroa, working again Dante Berger and Connor Acheson. On protection, be aware of linebackers Brian McSweeney, Will Dever and Sammy Joseph, and defensive backs Patrick Cote, Connor Lebrun, Hnat and Dessin.
14. Milford (10-2): Yet one other within the crowded subject of Hockomock League contenders, the Scarlet Hawks are able to soar once more. Milford is strong at broad receiver with Aidan Watson, Andrew Rivera and C.J. Farrell again in addition to linemen Keith Lee, Tony Dew and Oliver McKee on either side of the ball. Watson and Farrell can be within the secondary, whereas Rivera and Nick Araujo are again at linebacker. Araujo, who’s slated to play working again, can also be one of many high kickers within the state.
15. Milton (11-1): Fresh off one other profitable season, the Wildcats will want a slew of gamers to step as much as keep the current degree of excellence. The protection must be strong as Griffin White and Anderson Perez-Ruiz return up entrance together with linebackers A.J. Cicerone and Ben Caledonia and defensive backs Patrick Miller, Ferris Collins and Luke Haley. Miller takes over at quarterback and has three linemen again in Josh Ricciardi, White and Perez-Ruiz.
16. Barnstable (3-8): Red Raiders performed a troublesome schedule final 12 months and that can play dividends this fall as a lot of these gamers are again, The offense can be led by quarterback Aiden Kundel, working backs Tajardo France and Brandon Silva, broad receivers Chevy Shakespeare and Darren Thomas together with linemen Ian Mulcahy, Mauricio Duran and Harry Ellis. On the opposite aspect of the ball, Spencer LaValley, Kurt Campbell and Ellis return up entrance together with linebackers Cole Raposo, Jadus Roderick and Silva and defensive backs Andrew Lovell, Eric Lovell, Karon Ford and France.
ON THE BENCH: Franklin (7-3), Brockton (9-2), Chelmsford (8-3), North Andover (5-6), Marblehead (8-2), Tewksbury (7-4), Marshfield (7-4), Plymouth South (10-1), Reading (9-2), Woburn (7-4), Walpole (9-2), Peabody (10-1), Scituate (5-5), Shawsheen (12-1), Bishop Fenwick (9-3), Hanover (9-3)
Source: www.bostonherald.com