The high school football season is coming down to the wire, and there are five local teams that still have a chance to reach their respective Super Bowls.
There is guaranteed to be at least one local team in the Super Bowl, as one of the two Division 5 semifinal games features a pair of North Shore schools in No. 3 Bishop Fenwick (8-2) and No. 2 Swampscott (10-0).
A true powerhouse matchup, Fenwick and Swampscott both made it to the Super Bowl back in 2019 (Swampscott in Division 5 and Fenwick in Division 6), with Swampscott winning the title and Fenwick coming up short to Ashland.
The Big Blue are coming off of a grind-it-out 23-9 win over No. 7 Dover-Sherborn Saturday at Blocksidge Field, where Xaviah Bascon totaled nearly 200 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown while adding three receptions for 61 yards. Receivers Elijah Burns (21 yards) and Jason Codispoti (14 yards) each had three receptions, while receiver Nakaree Davis had one reception for 44 yards. Quarterback Cam O’Brien completed 10-of-18 passes for 140 yards and also rushed for 43 yards and two touchdowns.
Fenwick didn’t have much trouble on its side of the bracket, rolling to a 42-13 win over No. 11 Hudson. Quarterback Steven Woods completed 15-of-29 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns in the win, while receiver Jason Romans caught five passes for an eye-popping 174 yards and two touchdowns. Tight ends Aidan Breen and Mike Zaimi each caught a touchdown pass for Fenwick, while running backs Troy Irizarry and Luke Connolly each rushed for a touchdown.
The two sides will meet Friday night (8) at Lynn’s Manning Field, with the winner moving on to the Super Bowl.
Over in Division 6, No. 3 St. Mary’s (9-1) punched its ticket to the semifinal round after knocking off No. 6 Medway by a score of 40-14.
Running back David Brown Jr. once again had a massive game to spark the Spartans, rushing for 168 yards and two touchdowns while also intercepting a pass on defense and returning that for a touchdown. Fellow running back Donovan Clark rushed for 46 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Derick Coulanges rushed for 57 yards. Quarterback Ali Barry completed 3-of-9 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, while receiver Nick Sacco had one reception for 23 yards and a touchdown.
The win earned the Spartans a date with No. 2 Abington in the Division 6 semifinal, which will be played Friday night (7) at Veterans Stadium in Quincy.
St. John’s Prep (8-2) is in the hunt for its third straight Super Bowl berth, having won the Division 1 title in 2018 and 2019. The No. 3 Eagles are riding high after their 57-20 quarterfinal win over No. 6 Wachusett, getting more than 100 yards to go along with three touchdowns from running back Carson Browne. Quarterback Jack Perry continued his stellar senior season by throwing for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown as well. Receivers Stephon Patrick and Jackson Delaney each gathered more than 100 receiving yards in the win, with Patrick catching two touchdowns and Delaney catching one.
The Prep will now face No. 2 Central Catholic in the semifinal round Friday night (7) at Cawley Stadium in Lowell. It is a rematch of a Sept. 18 game that saw St. John’s roll to a 49-14 win.
Rounding out the local teams in the hunt is No. 1 Marblehead (10-0), which currently holds a 19-game winning streak. The Magicians are coming off of a 21-7 win against Northeastern Conference foe No. 8 Masconomet in the quarterfinal round. Quarterback Joshua Robertson finished the night with 171 yards passing and completed 77 percent of his passes while racking up two total touchdowns. Running back George Percy also rushed for a touchdown in the win.
Marblehead will now take on No. 5 Westfield Saturday afternoon (3) at Shrewsbury High School.