Seven weeks of the regular season have led us to the finale, as local high school football teams enter their final league games this weekend before the state tournament begins.
All eyes will be on David Wright Field in Northampton, where the Blue Devils seek to cap an outstanding regular season with some hardware – and a state playoff berth.
Northampton (6-1) hosts Agawam (4-3) in the Suburban League South finale for both schools, and the Devils have quite a bit to play for when things kick off at 7 p.m.
Northampton is 4-0 in the SL South, sitting atop the standings with just one game to go. A win and Northampton will secure the outright league title. East Longmeadow is just one game back at 3-1, and the Spartans (6-1) host Amherst on Friday. Northampton won the regular season meeting with East Longmeadow just two weeks ago, 38-28.
While the Devils are certainly looking to cap a perfect league record with a banner, Friday’s game also holds significant state tournament implications. Seeds and brackets for the eight divisions of high school football will be released on Monday, and Round of 16 games are slated for next weekend (Nov. 4-5).
Northampton was ranked No. 12 in the most recent Division 4 Power Rankings, sitting with a rating of 8.4007. Coincidentally, the Devils are one spot behind East Longmeadow (8.9999).
If the season ended today, Northampton would be slated to play at No. 5 Tewksbury in the opening round, though the Devils are still holding out hope of climbing the rankings with eyes on a top 8 seed and a home playoff game.
Agawam still has something to play for as well, as the 19th-ranked team in the most recent Div. 3 Power Rankings has an outside shot at a postseason berth if it can spring the road victory.
Northampton looks safe even if it suffers a loss, though the Devils are expected to be the only Gazette-area playoff football this fall.
Frontier still carries a glimmer of state tournament hope when it closes its Intercounty League South slate on Saturday. The Redhawks (5-2) travel to play Easthampton (4-3) in a game at Smith Vocational in Northampton at 6 p.m.
The two squads are currently tied for second place in the IL South with 3-1 records, one game behind first place Lee (5-2, 4-0). The league-leading Wildcats host Belchertown on Friday, looking to put a bow on the IL South crown.
Frontier sits No. 21 in the most recent Div. 8 Power Rankings, still outside the top 16 necessary for a postseason berth. A win over Div. 6 foe Easthampton would help boost its rating.
It’s an interesting situation for the Redhawks, which qualified inside the top 16 a year ago but didn’t meet the three-win minimum threshold for postseason consideration after finishing 2-6. Fast forward a year, and Frontier has nearly flipped its record completely, but now sits outside the top 16. There are three teams above the Hawks with just two wins currently, meaning there could still be some major changes in the Div. 8 rankings by the end of this weekend. Stay tuned.
In Div. 3, Holyoke (1-6) was No. 28 in the most recent Power Rankings. The Purple Knights play Chicopee Comp on Friday.
In Div. 4, Amherst (2-5) was No. 29 in the most recent Power Rankings. The Hurricanes head to East Longmeadow on Friday.
In Div. 5, Belchertown (3-4) was No. 34 in the most recent Power Rankings.
In Div. 6, South Hadley (3-4, No. 24) and Easthampton (4-3, No. 25) look to be on the outside looking in. The Tigers host Taconic on Friday.
In Div. 8, Smith Vocational (0-7) sits at No. 40, and the Vikings close out their regular season on Friday with a home game against McCann Tech (No. 41).
As a reminder, all non-playoff teams will once again be matched up against comparably-ranked teams across Western Mass. for two more non-qualifier games over the next two weeks before concluding their seasons on Thanksgiving.