PHOTO GALLERY: Blackstone Valley Tech vs St. Mary's in the D7 Super Bowl

Photos by Andrew Bowman (@andrew_bowman5)

Foxboro, Mass. - In the second state championship game of the day at Gillette Stadium, Blackstone Valley Tech shut out St. Mary's 18-0 to capture the D7 Super Bowl.

Our Andrew Bowman was down on the field to capture images of both teams, which you can view below. Note that you can click any image to enlarge.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Blackstone Valley Tech blanks St. Mary's in D7 Super Bowl

Videos by Matt Siegel (@SportVideoMA)

Foxboro, Mass. - Thanks to a dominant defensive performance, and some big offensive plays, Blackstone Valley Tech won the Division 7 state championship against St. Mary's, 18-0.

Our Matt Siegel was down on field level to bring you video highlights, which you can view below.

Blackstone Valley Tech's Revenge Tour ends with a D7 State Title

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Foxboro, Mass. - A year after coming up just short on the hallowed turf of Gillette Stadium, Blackstone Valley Tech broke through.

The Beavers, big underdogs against a dynastic Mashpee team last season, handled their business routinely against St. Mary's (Lynn), smothering the Spartans 18-0 in Saturday's Division 7 state championship game. BVT held a talented St. Mary's offense to just 75 total yards, including only 27 in the first half when the game was still in doubt.

"St. Mary's is a great team, don't get me wrong, but they didn't come out  to execute today," BVT junior J.D. Antaya. "They looked a little nervous, like us last year at Gillette, but we just came out and treated (Saturday) like any other game."

For BVT, the win meant not just a title, but also state-wide respect, something the Beavers felt they were shorted the last time they visited Foxboro. The Beavers also became the first vocational school to ever win a state-wide football championship in Massachusetts.

MIAA Football: Our 2018 Super Bowl Picks

King Philip has tasted victory at Gillette each of the last two years. Will the Warriors raise another trophy Friday night?

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612), Featuring Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

The MIAA High School Football season has officially reached its final days with Super Bowl weekend upon us and set to unfold over the course of Friday night and all day Saturday. 

On Friday, Nashoba will try to win its fourth state title since 2010 when they take on red hot Dighton-Rehoboth in the Division 4 Super Bowl. That will be followed by what could end up being the best game on the slate with King Philip going for a three-peat versus North Andover.

Saturday is one of the best days of the high school sports season with six Super Bowls scheduled to be played.

Here is the full schedule:

Friday, November 30th

Division 4: Dighton-Rehoboth vs. Nashoba, 5pm
Division 2: North Andover vs. King Philip, 730pm

Saturday, December 1st

Division 8: St. Bernard's vs. Pope John, 9am
Division 7: St. Mary's vs. Blackstone Valley Tech, 11am
Division 5: Nipmuc vs. Scituate, 130pm
Division 6: Stoneham vs. Old Rochester, 330pm
Division 3: Springfield Central vs. Tewksbury, 6pm
Division 1: Catholic Memorial vs. St. John's Prep, 8pm

With that, co-editors Joe Parello and Matt Feld are here to make their picks for all eight Super Bowls. Heading into the final weekend, here is how our editors stack up:

Feld: 85-29
Parello: 74-40

Now, for our Super Bowl picks!

MIAA Football: Super Bowl Week Podcast

Scituate's Will Sheskey hopes to lead the Sailors to their first Super Bowl in school history on Saturday when they take on Nipmuc for the Division 5 crown (Photo Courtesy: Brian Woods). 

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612), Featuring Joe Parello (@HereWeGoJoe)

On Sunday night, SuiteSports editors Joe Parello and Matt Feld convened for a second time at Jake N Joes in Waltham to discuss the latest happenings across the MIAA High School Football landscape.

With the Thanksgiving Day games in the rearview mirror and Super Bowl week among us, the two took the time to discuss how Thanksgiving should be handled going forward, broke down each of the eight matchups set to take place over the course of Friday and Saturday, and talked about some of the top players to watch out for on each team.

Lastly, the two concluded by breaking down our MIAA High School Football Player of the Year finalists, and grappling over what characteristics are most important when deciding who the ultimate victor should be.

Take a listen here, and check back in to SuiteSports throughout the week for the latest MIAA High School Football content:

Springfield Central, Blackstone Valley Tech Clinch Super Bowl Berths

By John McGuirk (@Patsfan1313)

WESTFIELD -- Two intangibles that you cannot teach are athleticism and speed. St. John's found out the hard way that you cannot defend them, either.

Springfield Central proved lethal in both categories as the Golden Eagles rolled past the defending Div. 3 Super Bowl Champion Pioneers, 56-20, in the Division 3 state semifinal held at Westfield State University's Alumni Field Saturday evening.

Winners of 10 straight, Springfield Central (10-1) advances to the state championship versus Tewksbury (a 29-21 victor over Duxbury) at Gillette Stadium.

Mashpee Outlasts Blackstone Valley Tech for Third Straight State Championship

By Brendan Hall (@BHallUFA)

FOXBOROUGH -Matt Triveri’s tenure at Mashpee High has been marked by transcendent running back production year-in and year-out. And, while he’s still got another year with a pretty good one in Devaun Ford, the coach didn’t hesitate to put him in the ranks with past legends.

“He’s right up there with Jordan [Keli’inui], DeShaun [Dias], Jared Taylor,” Triveri said of his workhorse back, who worked through some early injury to finish with a game-high 24 carries for 177 yards and a touchdown, and added three catches for 45 yards and another score in the Falcons’ 22-16 win over Blackstone Valley Tech. The win handed Mashpee the MIAA Division 7 State Championship at Gillette Stadium, the program's third state championship in a row.

“All those guys, he’s right there… He’s one of the smartest we’ve ever had here. He just gets it. He’s a complete player.”

The Falcons have now won three straight state-wide titles at Gillette Stadium, and four Super Bowls in the past seven seasons, dating back to Jared Taylor’s epic 308-yard masterpiece in their Division 4A Super Bowl rout of Cardinal Spellman in 2011.

But before Mashpee could bask in the luster of more championship hardware, and before Ford could permeate himself in the annals of the school’s all-time greats, the Falcons had to hold on for dear life.

PHOTO GALLERY: Mashpee vs Blackstone Valley Tech at Gillette

Photos By Eamon Convey (@eamonconvey)

FOXBOROUGH - We will have a full recap of Mashpee's Division 7 state championship win against Blackstone Valley Tech a little later. But, for now, check out these images from our Eamon Convey.

Note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Previewing the MIAA State Football Championships: Divisions 4 & 7

Will it be three state championships in a row for Mashpee, or can underdog Blackstone Valley Tech shock the state?

By Jake Levin (@JakeLevin09)

Our Matt Feld kicked MIAA football championship week off with a preview of both Friday night games at Gillette. You can check out that preview of the Division 2 and Division 3 title games here, and continue below for Jake Levin's breakdown of the D4 and D7 championships.

Division 4 Super Bowl

Nashoba (10-1) vs Melrose (12-0), 11 am

The second game to kickoff in Foxboro Saturday pits the Nashoba Chieftains out of the D4 Central bracket against the Melrose Red Raiders, who will be representing the North.

With no Division 4 West region, one sectional champion from the Division 4 ranks receives a bye each year. This season, it was the Central’s turn, and Nashoba likely needed all the rest it could get after a thrilling 21-19 overtime victory over Marlboro in the regional final.

The Chieftains are back at Gillette following a one-year absence, making their return to a stadium where they won the old Division 2 Super Bowl in 2015. With 16 seniors on the roster, several players have experienced being on the hallowed turf in Foxboro.

Cam Powell Stands Tall as Grafton/BVT Tops Oakmont in D3A Central

By William Aubin

FITCHBURG, Mass. - Grafton/Blackstone Valley Tech will compete for state championship against South Hadley on Thursday night, thanks to sophomore goaltender Cam Powell turning aside 25 shots, as Grafton staved off the Oakmont, 5-2, to win the Central Mass Division 3A Championship Saturday at the Wallace Civic Center in Fitchburg.

Grafton/ Blackstone Valley (16-6-1) was aided by two 2 goal performances from both sophomore forward Jake Baker and senior assistant captain Cam Thomas in the victory. Oakmont sophomore forward Ryan Peralta was the only Spartans player to solve Powell, scoring twice in his team’s loss.

Postgame Blog: Blackstone Valley Tech Pulls Away from Monty Tech Late

BVT middie Reece Hendricks was all smiles after his six-goal performance Monday.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Blackstone Valley Tech used a 5-0 fourth quarter run to pull away from host Monty Tech 16-12 Monday, completing a season sweep of the Bulldogs, and seizing total control of the Colonial.

This one was far from easy for the Beavers (5-3, 5-0 Colonial), though, as Monty Tech (4-4, 2-2 Colonial) held a 12-11 lead with 9:30 remaining in the game. Then, BVT turned it on, rattling off five goals, while goalie Casey Gosselin stood on his head, turning away 5 shots, three of them at point-blank range.

"Their goalie, wow, he stopped a lot of them," Monty Tech coach Jonathan Shea said with a laugh. "Even one where our kid picked it right up off the ground in front and tried to flick it in. Just… What can ya do about that?"

Central Mass HS Football Power Rankings: 10/20/14

Worcester North gave Inter-High power Doherty all it could handle Friday, but Highlander quarterback Eric Vecsey's four touchdown passes helped Doherty hold on for another league win.

 By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Wow, what a weekend for CMass football. Friday brought a bevy of big games and close calls, as Littleton barely continued its region-long winning streak of 19 games against up-and-coming Maynard, while Doherty continued its Inter-High dominance by out-dueling North. The Highlanders edged the Polar Bears thanks to the electric combination of quarterback Eric Vecsey, who threw for four touchdowns, and wide receiver Matt Lyons, who caught three of them.

There were also a pair of big upsets as hungry Wachusett knocked off regional power St. John's (Shrewsbury) Saturday. That wasn't the first upset of the weekend, however, as Holy Name got back on track with a huge win over Division 5 power Auburn Friday night.

How did all of these games affect our Power Rankings? Find out below.

Central Mass HS Football Power Rankings: 10/13/14

Behind one of the state's best lines, Shepherd Hill quarterback Drew Jean-Guilliaume has excelled both running and throwing the football.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

St. John's scored a big win over cross-town rival Shrewsbury Saturday in a game with big Division 2 Central playoff implications, and also one that shook up our Power Rankings.

First of all, it strengthened the Pioneers' case for No. 1, but it also sent the Colonials tumbling out of our Top-5, making room for a Division 6 power that has been on the outside looking in all year.

See our complete Power Rankings below.

Central Mass HS Football Preview: Week 3

Doherty running back Jahkari Carpenter will look to carry the Highlanders to a critical win against stingy Holy Name

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

I've already looked back on Week 2 of CMass high school football in my latest Power Rankings, so I'm not going to waste any time on introductions. Let's get right to Friday and Saturday's biggest games.

Game of the Week

Shrewsbury at Nashoba, Friday at 7 pm

If you read my Power Rankings, you know that the final spot in my Top-5 went to Shrewsbury, but that I was essentially splitting hairs between the Colonials and Nashoba, along with Wachusett. Well, here's where we find out which of these teams deserves to crack our Top-5, as well as move up in the T&G's Media Poll.

But this game is about more than outsider opinion. The winner will have the inside track to capturing Mid-Wach A, and be in great positions to earn a Top-2 seed in the Division 2 Central Playoffs.

CMass HS Football Power Rankings: The End of a Statement Season

Thanks in large part to a special group of seniors, Doherty has gone from regional doormat to state champion in just two years.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

The first year of Massachusetts' state-wide football playoff format was a rousing success for Central Mass, as the region sent teams to Gillette in all four Divisions it participated in, including two that would go on to win state championships.

The great season couldn't have come at a better time, as CMass was able to prove itself against the best teams in Western and Eastern Mass, going 6-2 in playoff games against the Commonwealth's other two regions. So, we'll get into our final Central Mass Power Rankings at the bottom, but first, here are the teams, stories and players that made 2013 a special year for CMass high school football.

Also, don't forget to check back Wednesday for our Central Mass All Stars and Award Winners.