Week 9 Sweet 16: Championship season looms

With the MIAA statewide tournament pairings out, let’s take a look at the eight defending champions and their prospects of returning to Gillette.

Div. 1 (Xaverian): This hasn’t been the smoothest season for the Hawks, who lost three games (two within the Catholic Conference). Xaverian opens with Brockton, a team they used to play for years in one of the best nonleague rivalries around.

Div. 2 (King Philip): The Warriors ran the table in the regular season (8-0) to extend their winning streak to 21. King Philip could very well face Marshfield, a team that they defeated in the championship game, in the semifinals.

Div. 3 (Milton): The Wildcats went through a rare losing season under Steve Dembowski. They enter the tournament at 3-5 with an 11-seed but, as any coach will tell you, they are 0-0 right now. They open against a Dartmouth team with a gaudy record, but hasn’t faced the level of competition Milton has, making for a potentially juicy opener.

Div. 4 (Duxbury): Scituate has garnered much of the fanfare in the Patriot League and in this division with good reason, but Duxbury is slowly rounding into championship form. Since losing to Franklin, the Dragons have won four straight by 17 points or more.

Div. 5 (Foxboro): After an early-season struggle, the Warriors soared down the stretch. They ended the season on a 5-0 run highlighted by wins over Canton and North Attleboro.

Div. 6 (Fairhaven): The Blue Devils are 7-1, the only loss coming to Div. 1 contender BC High. Justin Marques and company are a team with the confidence and talent to repeat as champions.

Div. 7 (Uxbridge): The undefeated Spartans don’t appear to be ready to relinquish their crown any time soon. Uxbridge has one of the better offenses in the state, scoring at least 34 points in seven games.

Div. 8 (West Boylston): The Lions have won three straight to enter the tournament with a 6-2 record and a six-seed. They appear to have received the benefit of a favorable draw as Eastern Mass. stalwarts Randolph and Nashoba Tech are on the other side of the draw.

COACHING MILESTONES

Northbridge’s Ken LaChapelle can become the first coach in state history to win 400 games when his team faces. LaChapelle has an overall record of 399-136-6 in his tenure at Northbridge which began as head coach in 1976.

Pentucket’s Steve Hayden will look to become the 19th coach in state history to amass 250 wins this weekend in a non-playoff game against an opponent to be named. West Bridgewater’s Justin Kogler can join the 100-win fraternity as his team takes on Cohasset.

SWEET 16

1. Catholic Memorial (7-1): Knights roll into the postseason on the heels of a dominant start to the Catholic Conference portion of the schedule.

2. King Philip (8-0): Blackjack for the Warriors – 21 straight wins.

3. Needham (8-0): A dominant regular season for the Bay State Conference champions.

4. St. John’s Prep (7-1): Safe to say the Eagles suffered no ill effects following their first loss.

5. Marshfield (7-1): Rams have rolled since a mid-season bye.

6. BC High (6-1): Time to regroup after seeing their undefeated run come to an end at St. John’s Prep last Friday.

7. Xaverian (5-3): Hawks closed the regular season with one-sided wins against Catholic Conference foes Malden Catholic and St. John’s (Shrewsbury).

8. Scituate (8-0): Sailors dominated during the regular season, but know full well that means nothing moving forward.

9. Methuen (7-1): When Methuen faced Franklin in the tournament two years ago, Drew Eason pulled a rabbit out of his hat to give Methuen a win.

10. Natick (7-1): Tough draw for the Redhawks, getting highly touted Springfield Central in the first round of the Div. 1 tournament.

11. Central Catholic (5-3): Youthful Raiders playing their best ball down the stretch.

12. Reading (8-0): Rockets prepared for the postseason by putting a 60-spot on Belmont.

13. Franklin (7-1): Todd Kiley has quietly done a fantastic job in his first season at Franklin.

14. Duxbury (7-1): Dragons have a history of knowing what it takes to get the job done in November and December.

15. Fairhaven (7-1): Blue Devils enter the Div. 6 tournament as one of the favorites to defend their state title.

16. Bishop Feehan (7-1): Champions of the Central Catholic League, the Shamrocks will test their mettle in the Div. 2 state tournament.