Division 3-4 Football Preview: Strong depth will make for intriguing season

When it comes to depth Divisions and for MIAA Football appears to be as strong as it can get Yearly powers like Mansfield North Attleboro Walpole Duxbury and Scituate already headlined the levels However notable drop-downs from big-time programs like King Philip Marshfield and Barnstable solidify that depth even more For King Philip the move aligns the project with several Hockomock league foes while still providing high-leverage matchups throughout the season The Warriors have been a top contender in Division over the years notably reaching the Super Bowl in every season since and winning it in While this run has helped set a strong custom for the effort head coach Brian Lee revealed the process can set extremely high expectations It s a tough thing when that happens because all of a sudden how you deem things flourishing that standard is raised Lee reported But certainly the boys feel like they want to hold themselves to that standard so we will continue to strive for that standard While reaching the title battle every year is an extreme challenge Lee reported his group will showcase the Warrior brand every week I like the association Lee announced We should be competitive and then it turns to having a couple of guys have a breakout year for you a couple of guys filling spots for you and then staying healthy D is loaded from top to bottom King Philip will see critical contributions from players like quarterback Zach Gebhard and Bentley commit Nate Crisci on the line Lee noted senior lineman Lex Chatham son of former New England Patriot Matt Chatham is a true breakout candidate While the Warriors enter as a heavyweight fellow Hockomock League member North Attleboro enters as the defending champion The Red Rocketeers went - and cruised to a dominant - accomplishment over Mansfield in the state championship They were powered by a potent running attack headlined by players like Brady Paradis Ryan Bannon and dual-threat quarterback Chase Frisoli While it will be daunting to replace that talent head coach Mike Strachan reported the company will continue to have a dynamic run challenge Overall we will continue to focus on our run match and our offensive line and building discipline around that Strachan revealed We re going to be very young compared to where we were a year ago but we have four or five returning starters and we re going to have chosen great senior leadership and captains this year The crew will rely on Corey Rufino and Frank Strachan to carry a essential load in the rushing attack while left tackle and defensive end Nate Rivera will be a game-breaker on both sides of the ball The Red Rocketeers have a schedule that features certain intriguing matchups and Strachan mentioned greater part weeks will feel like rivalry week These are all rivalry games Strachan announced Whether it s Foxboro Mansfield King Philip or Attleboro these are all historical traditional games and they date back to their days in youth football In addition to North Attleboro and King Philip other notable contenders in Div include Mansfield Marshfield Barnstable Billerica Reading and Masconomet Plymouth South Hingham Westboro and Silver Lake will be worth following as well Div has been run by Duxbury and Scituate in modern seasons The Dragons won consecutive titles in and with the latter coming over Scituate but the Sailors got their revenge in with a - success at Gillette Stadium The Sailors also knocked off Duxbury in the title match in so it s safe to say that these Patriot League foes are more than familiar with each other Scituate head coach Herb Devine spoke of the growing rivalry and credited Duxbury for building a operation to aspire to be When I first started out we just weren t at that level Devine disclosed It has taken time it has taken good coaching and it has taken kids who buy in and work hard Duxbury has inevitably been at the top of the pyramid and I think we are at that level now but it has taken time to get there The Sailors will be led by quarterback Jonny Donovan a Pomona-Pitzer commit as well as running back Grayson Foley and lineman Shea Tinkham Devine also shouted out juniors Owen Morley and Chris Weber who should be breakout players this season These kids that are playing this year want to continue that winning tradition Devine noted They want to keep the wins and championships going and it takes hard work to do that every year But that s the goal we set out to do every year and it s all about working hard and continuing the standard that our other teams have done in the past On the other side of that title encounter was Duxbury who expect to be in contention once again this season Head coach Matt Landolfi announced the Dragons will be a bit different this year with a pass-heavy attack closely aligned to the one they used with former quarterback Matt Festa a minimal years ago This group is really buying into what we are doing on the field but they are also putting a lot of work into practice by learning the system Landolfi stated They are excited to see the offense change from a heavy run offense from the last inadequate years into a more open spread offense that will be exciting for the fans as well The Dragons moved receiver Ian McNeil to running back and will also rely on Cooper Farabaugh and Hank Frazier to remain strong on the line Brady Rhinesmith will take over at quarterback Other notable contenders will be Walpole who dropped down from Div as well as Grafton Tewksbury Malden Catholic Marblehead and Burlington Other teams to keep an eye on include Middleboro Norwood and Somerset Berkley With the slate looking loaded Landolfi disclosed that the loaded nature of the division should keep fans on their toes It s just very competitive Landolfi explained I think every association is excited about it because you really want to play good teams I put Division up there with a lot of the divisions across the state PLAYERS TO WATCH Ryan Brooks Burlington Lex Chatham King Philip Kyle Coffin Barnstable Nathan Crisci King Philip Jonny Donovan Scituate Jayson Dyer Barnstable Jack Fabiano Masconomet Cooper Farabaugh Duxbury Grayson Foley Scituate Hank Frazier Duxbury Ramari Fernandez Mansfield Zachary Gebhard King Philip Will Harrison Tewksbury Jack Lightfoot Tewksbury Ian McNeil Duxbury Brady Rhinesmith Duxbury Nate Rivera North Attleboro Corey Rufino North Attleboro Frank Stachan North Attleboro Jonny Sullivan Tewksbury Shea Tinkham Scituate Ryan Thompson North Attleboro Tommy Vallett Mansfield