Herald Sweet 16: Teams one victory away from state title game

Then there were That is the number of teams remaining in the hunt for MIAA Super Bowl titles Each has had a long journey to reach the semifinals and specific are in a better position than others to accomplish their ultimate goal Programs like St John s Prep have been dealing with the injury bug but keep on winning with epic performances Others like Duxbury have caught fire at precisely the right time and appear poised to exert more damage Regardless each school only demands one more triumph to reach Gillette St John s Prep Despite trailing midway through their Div quarterfinal bout with Leominster the top-ranked Eagles - came back to life in a - win Maxwell Parent had a championship for the ages yards rushing five touchdowns and will look to carry that momentum into a semifinal matchup with No Central Catholic Springfield Central After a shaky start to the Div playoffs the Golden Eagles - returned to their dominant avenues in a - romp of Lowell last week Now they will look to punch a ticket to Gillette when they face No Xaverian for the second time this season King Philip As a great number of expected the No Warriors - have been a force in Div outscoring opponents at a - clip in the playoffs They will attempt to keep things rolling this weekend facing a Cinderella company in No Malden Catholic Xaverian Powered by Will Wood four touchdown passes the third-seeded Hawks - cruised in the Div quarterfinals with an impressive - drubbing of Andover Locals have been clamoring for a rematch with second-ranked Springfield Central and they will get that opportunity in the semifinals Catholic Memorial Don t look now but the second-seeded Knights - are back Harvard commit Kise Flannery yards passing yards rushing four total touchdowns was vital during its - blanking of Wellesley in the Div quarterfinals Can he keep it going against fourth-ranked Winchester this time around Winchester Once again Gianni DePrimeo three touchdowns rushing starred in a win for the fourth-seeded Red and Black - His performance came in a - conquest over Lincoln-Sudbury Next up will be Winchester s toughest challenge yet a Div semifinal contest against Catholic Memorial Tewksbury The second-seeded Redmen - have been cruising all year long and absolutely continued their torrent run with a - mastery over Ashland in the Div quarterfinals They will be challenged by a Hockomock League heavyweight in No Canton next Shawsheen Al Costabile s group has now won a state-high games in a row the latest coming in a convincing - mastery over St Mary s during the Div playoffs The top-seeded Rams - will face a streaking unit in No North Reading which is coming off a dramatic - upset of Medfield Bishop Feehan The No Shamrocks - capitalized on their bye week to the Div quarterfinals coasting to a - domination over Chelmsford Coming up on the docket is a clash with third-seeded Bridgewater-Raynham Archbishop Williams In a dramatic battle that came down to the final seconds Hudson Garrity yards four touchdowns passing propelled the No Bishops - to a wild - win over Hanover A success over second-ranked Foxboro this week would be truly impressive Scituate Pomona-Pitzer commit Jonny Donovan shattered the operation record for touchdowns overall last week as the top-seeded Sailors - held on for a - win over Walpole Now they will look to clinch a trip to Gillette for the fourth time in five seasons when they battle a longtime nemesis in No Duxbury Milton Patrick Collins yards passing five total touchdowns saved his best for the playoffs leading the No Wildcats - during a - shootout win over Masconomet in the Div quarters He and his teammates will battle the reigning champion with No North Attleboro scheduled for the semifinals Amesbury Time to welcome the Redhawks - to the Sweet Last week Connor Scialdone erupted offensively yards three touchdowns rushing to key No Amesbury during an eye-opening - win over No Uxbridge in Div play Foxboro As numerous Div fans anticipated the second-ranked Warriors - have been a force to be reckoned with A tough opponent awaits in the semifinals with No Archbishop Williams With a win Foxboro would return to a state final for the third straight season in its home public no less Central Catholic Things got scary for a minute as the No Raiders watched their early - lead wilt against Natick last week in the Div quarterfinals However Caden Smith came through in the clutch with a pair of touchdowns rushing including the game-winner in overtime - accomplishment Can he and his group pull off an upset against No St John s Prep North Attleboro If you thought the seventh-seeded Rocketeers - would fade away after last year s Div Super Bowl win think again Frankie Strachan yards three touchdowns rushing led them to their biggest win of the year in the quarterfinals as North Attleboro pulled away for a stunning - rout of second-ranked Barnstable On the sideline Duxbury Bridgewater-Raynham Randolph Canton North Reading Cohasset Hudson Nashoba Tech Fairhaven