Massachusetts high school playoff brackets set: 128 teams advance

Massachusetts high school football fans have a full slate of games to watch this Friday, as the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association released the official seedings for its eight-division playoff tournament. The brackets confirm that 128 teams will compete for a spot at Gillette Stadium. Qualification for the postseason required a minimum of three wins during the regular season.

The tournament structure remains consistent with recent years. Each division field consists of 16 teams. A team must win three games to reach the state championship game. Winning the final match crowns the state champion. Most first-round games are scheduled to begin on Friday.

In Division 1, St. John’s Prep enters as the No. 1 seed with an 8-0 record. They will host Weymouth, who are 5-3. Wachusett, also undefeated at 8-0, is seeded No. 4 and will face Shrewsbury. Central Catholic, the No. 3 seed, hosts Everett. The bracket also features a matchup between No. 5 Springfield Central and No. 12 New Bedford.

Division 4 features Scituate as the top seed, holding an 8-0 record. They will face Ashland, who finished the season with a 3-5 mark. Tewksbury and Danvers are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively. Tewksbury hosts Wakefield, while Danvers hosts Bedford. Duxbury, the No. 4 seed, plays Nashoba Regional.

In Division 5, Shawsheen leads the seeding with a 7-0 record. They will play Oakmont. Watertown is also undefeated at 8-0 and is the No. 3 seed. They will host North Reading. Gloucester, the No. 2 seed, faces Blackstone Valley. The division includes three undefeated teams: Shawsheen, Watertown, and Apponequet, who are 8-0 but seeded No. 10.

Division 6 sees Norwell as the No. 1 seed with a 7-1 record. They will face Belchertown, who are 7-1. Hudson is the No. 2 seed and is undefeated at 8-0. They will host Bishop Fenwick. Fairhaven is also 8-0 and is seeded No. 6. They will face Joseph Case. Old Rochester, the No. 7 seed, plays Bay Path.

Division 7 features Cohasset as the No. 1 seed with a 5-2 record. They will host Gardner. Tyngsboro is the No. 2 seed with a 7-0 record and will host West Bridgewater. St. Bernard’s is the No. 3 seed and is undefeated at 8-0. They will host Easthampton. Northbridge, the No. 4 seed, faces Mashpee.

In Division 8, Lee holds the No. 1 seed with an 8-0 record. They will host Ware. Randolph is the No. 2 seed with a 6-2 record and will host Cathedral. Nashoba Valley is the No. 3 seed and is 6-1. They will host Springfield Int’l. Cape Cod Tech is the No. 4 seed with a 7-0 record and will host Bartlett.