MIAA Football: Eastern Mass. Divisions 7 and 8 Tournament Preview

Mashpee has been a fixture at Gillette in recent years, but the Falcons will have to navigate one of the state's trickiest brackets to get back again this season.

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

Throughout this week, we have broken down each of the 12 sections spanning Divisions 1 through 6 in Eastern Mass.

On Monday, we began by breaking down Divisions 1 and 2, continued on Tuesday with Divisions 3 and 4, and then yesterday took a dive into Divisions 5 and 6.

Today, we are ready to cap off our Eastern Mass. sectional previews as we unveil our preview and picks for Division 7 and 8. Continue below for breakdowns from our Matt Feld, and picks from each of our editors.

Check in back in tonight and tomorrow as we provide coverage from the top first round games across the Eastern Mass. playoffs, and check in on the final regular season meetings out in Central and Western Mass.

MIAA Football: Our Latest Player of the Year Watch List

Mike Masse (#44) continues to strengthen his candidacy with his play on both sides of the ball.

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Two weeks ago, SuiteSports unveiled its initial 2018 MIAA Football Player of the Year Candidates. Now, we are ready to add a seventh name to the list.

Two seasons ago, Duxbury's Bobby Maimaron took home the honor, while last season King Philip's Shane Frommer won the award in a runaway.

We began with five candidates, and added a sixth last week, but players have the opportunity to add their name into consideration as we gradually add to the list while the season plays out over the next three weeks.

This week, we have added our first lineman to the list bring our total number of candidates to seven, and each week going forward we will add one additional player.

We will then release our final 10 candidates for the award on the Monday of Super Bowl week.

Here is our  updated list of MIAA Football Player of the Year Candidates as selected by our panel of writers, correspondents, and editors.

MIAA Football: Updated Player Of The Year Caniddates

Mashpee's Devaun Ford is undoubtedly one of the most valuable players in the state.

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Last week, SuiteSports unveiled its initial 2018 MIAA Football Player of the Year Candidates. Now, we are ready to add a sixth name to the list.

Two seasons ago, Duxbury's Bobby Maimaron took home the honor, while last season King Philip's Shane Frommer won the award in a runaway.

Last week, we began with five candidates, but players have the opportunity to add their name into consideration as we gradually add to the while the season plays out over the next four weeks.

This week, we have added our second quarterback to the list, and each week going forward we will add one additional player.

We will then release our final 10 candidates for the award on the Monday of Super Bowl week.

Here is our  updated list of MIAA Football Player of the Year Candidates as selected by our panel of writers, correspondents, and editors.

MIAA Football: Top Performances From Week Four

Cooper DeVeau caught the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime to give Xaverian an overtime win over Catholic Memorial.  

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

To say week four of the MIAA football season was the most exciting to date would be an understatement of immense proportions.

Between wild finishes, unforeseen upsets, and highlight performances, week four brought everything that players, fans, and coaches around the state adore about high school football.

No. 23 Acton-Boxboro provided the biggest shocker of the weekend with quarterback Finn Murray completing a four-yard touchdown pass to Victor Otero at the buzzer to give the Colonials a stunning 37-35 win over No. 2 Lincoln-Sudbury. 

Not to be lost was the effort from Warriors’ quarterback Braden O’Connell’s . O’Connell threw four second half touchdowns to lead L-S back after they fell behind 28-0.

Elsewhere, Xaverian overcame an early 17-0 deficit to defeat Catholic Conference rival Catholic Memorial in overtime, 25-17. The Hawks tied the game with less than two minutes to play on a 30-yard field goal by Justin Wenstrom before winning in overtime courtesy of a 10-yard touchdown reception by Cooper DeVeau.

“We played 50 minutes of gritty football,” said Xaverian captain Mike Saliba. “That game was the epitome of Xaverian football.”

In a wild finish, No. 7 Mansfield halted No. 13 King Philip's two-point try with just 30 seconds remaining to hold for a 28-27 win. It’s the Hornets first win over the Warriors since 2013.

To cap it all off, St. John’s Shrewsbury overcame a 31-14 deficit against Wachusett, with Colin Deso coming through with the game-winning pick-six to give the Pioneers a much needed, 38-31 win.

To finish off our content from week four, here are our top 10 performances from this weekend’s slate of MIAA football games.

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.