Football Playoffs – 2015

Football

D2 South

#4 Mansfield @ #1 Marshfield, Friday 7:00
Marshfield Preview
By Brendan Hall, ESPNBoston.com
Mansfield is no stranger to the Wing-T family of football, but what Marshfield has done over the last two years with it has yet to be stymied by even the most tactical of coaching staffs. The Rams came into the preseason as the No. 1 team in our statewide poll, and has done nothing to dissuade otherwise as they’ve run rampant through their schedule so far in 2015. A lot of the difficulty in slowing the Rams’ machine comes in the form of Penn State-bound tight end Danny Dalton, a returning All-State selection and the No. 1 overall prospect in Massachusetts according to ESPNU. The 6-foot-5, 244-pounder is a matchup nightmare for even the most sound pass defenses, and he has the numbers to back it up, with 26 catches for 392 yards and five scores on 36 targets through eight games. He rarely drops a pass, and tends to do some acrobatic stuff not befitting of a man with his body mass – just ask Stoughton.
 
The Rams returned their entire offensive line from last season, led by Boston College commit Shane Leonard, and they have been arguably the best o-line unit in Massachusetts this fall. As previously mentioned, the Rams have tweaked coach Lou Silva’s tried and true Wing-T approach over the last few years to give a litany of “pistol” looks, and the hoggies up front have run the complex blocking scheme to near perfection. At the center position, Leonard has been simply a road grader.
 
Defensively, linebacker Freddy Allen and defensive end Sean Burger garner most of the attention, and for good reason. But the Rams’ secondary isn’t something to overlook. Kyle Meeken, he of the ridiculous one-handed interception in last year’s D2 State Final, ranks third on the team in tackles (53), while Adam McNamara has five picks in eight games.
 
The most underrated piece of this team is undoubtedly quarterback Jack Masterson. The conversation for the state’s best signal-callers is an unusually crowded bunch, but at the end of the day Masterson ought to be the one you go to war with. He is a classic throwback, in the mold of option quarterbacks that used to dominate the college game, able to beat you with his feet as much as his arm. He’s shown an adept ability at scanning the defense and making adjustments on the fly, and Marshfield’s perimeter weapons have reaped the benefits.
 

D3 Southwest

#2 North Attleboro vs. #3 Duxbury, Friday 7:00
 
#5 Stoughton @ #1 Milton, Friday 7:00
Milton Preview
By Brendan Hall, ESPNBoston.com
When Steve Dembowski took over the Milton job in the spring, after a decade and half of sustained success at Swampscott, I called this a home run hire. Dembowski is a well-known figure in the Massachusetts high school football landscape. He served as president of the Coaches’ Association last year, and annually does presentations on his patented passing attack at coaches clinics around New England. His style of offense fit very well with the type of athletes that typically come through Milton.
 
So far, year one of the Dembo era at Milton has been a grand slam.
 
The Wildcats clinched their first Bay State Conference title since 1962 two weeks ago, and have taken the state by storm this fall with their wide-open passing attack. In years past as Swampscott, we were accustomed to seeing an array of all types of screens. But with a plethora of speed at the receiver positions, and a cannon of an arm in senior quarterback Mike Fallon, Dembowski is dialing up the vertical passing plays like crazy, for an attack that looks like something out of a Steve Spurrier or Bruce Arians playbook.
 
The Wildcats took a hit earlier this fall when they lost dynamic receiver Ludwig Federique to injury for the season, but David and Derek Perkins have more than picked up the slack as the team’s two leading receivers. Fallon’s arm strength has been impressive so far, but he has deceivingly good feet, able to extend the play with his mobility. Defensively, linebacker Mack Feeney will be the guy Stoughton needs to key in the front seven. The senior comes downhill aggressively, and opens things up for the pass rush as a result.
 
Wellesley, which runs a Flexbone attack similar to Stoughton’s, laid out a good blueprint for how to slow down the Wildcats, and I think the Black Knights could have success in the run game on Friday. But the way things have gone through the air for Milton as of late, the Knights may have to win a track meet if they are to survive and advance.
 

D4 South

#2 Foxboro vs. #3 Hanover, Friday 7:00
Hanover Preview
By Matt Cook, The Patriot Ledger
It can be argued Hanover should never even have won their Div. 4 South quarterfinals game against Westwood.
 
As the No. 3 seed, the Indians (7-1, Patriot League Fisher division champions) surrendered 275 passing yards and mustered just five first downs. But they escaped with a 21-6 decision nonetheless, and set up a road trip to No. 2 Foxboro (7-1) Friday night in a semifinals bout.
 
With a shoddy defense, Hanover incorporated a ground game that flourished behind senior running back Dimitry LaForest’s 111 yards on just seven carries, which included a 75-yard touchdown.
 
LaForest chipped in with nine tackles and two sacks at cornerback. Senior captain/safety Colin Boutin and junior linebacker Kenny Jannotta each had an interception, while junior captain/defensive tackle Patrick Flynn (6-3, 260 pounds) grabbed a fumble recovery.
 
The performance doesn’t take away from the Indians’ +222 point differential (291-69), in addition to their two shutouts. Furthermore, Hanover has held opponents to 13 points or fewer in seven of eight games (the lone exception a 25-22 defeat at the hands of undefeated East Bridgewater Week 2).
 
Averaging 36.4 points a game, Hanover enters Friday boasting a six game winning streak dates back to Sept. 25.
 
For evidence of the Indians’ offensive capability, look no further than their 48-14 victory over Middleboro in the regular-season finale. Senior captain/quarterback Joe Byrne played the role of Mr. Efficiency, completing 11 of his 13 passes for 89 yards.
 
But junior running back Brad Rogers put on the real spectacle, taking the ball 23 times for 124 yards and five end-zone visits.
 
Hanover works best when away from home. Prior to their tilt against Foxboro, the Indians are 5-0 on the road. They’ve outscored opponents, 200-27 in those victories.

PREDICTIONS