Bishop Feehan marched through the regular season without a blemish to its record. Now it must stay that way for the Shamrocks to earn a state title.
Second-seeded Feehan is the only team in the Division 1 field that enters the state tournament unbeaten on the campaign and the Shamrocks are a juggernaut thanks to a wealth of assets, featuring standout scorers Quinn Dwomoh and Tia LaBrecque.
The Shamrocks came up just a win shy of the state crown last year, losing to a Wellesley squad that is in prime position to repeat as the No. 3 seed. The Raiders and No. 4 Natick got their hands on the state title the last two years and top-seeded Needham has what it takes to keep the run of Bay State Conference dominance going.
No. 9 Central Catholic has a good opportunity to go on a deep run while several double-digit seeds in No. 10 Concord-Carlisle, No. 11 Lincoln-Sudbury, No. 12 Lexington, No. 14 Hopkinton and No. 16 Arlington are all dangerous threats.
In Division 2, fourth-seeded Masconomet, which is spearheaded by Maryland commit Maggie Blosser, has its sights set on going back-to-back following a 14-3-1 regular season.
Top-seeded Duxbury will try to prevent that from happening and claim its first state title since 2008. Patriot League foe Hingham, which split the regular-season series with the Dragons, is formidable and the fifth-seeded Harborwomen could have an intriguing second-round matchup on tap against in-town rival No. 12 Notre Dame (Hingham).
Led by twins Maddie and Aly Fernandes, No. 3 Mansfield could very well cap off Aaron Salter’s first season at the helm in celebratory fashion. The Hornets aren’t the only contender from the Hockomock League as No. 7 Oliver Ames, No. 11 King Philip and No. 15 Canton will all be difficult to beat.
There are not many teams, if any, that can match the talent of Medfield – Sidney Heavey (Central Florida), Elizabeth George (Dartmouth) and Emily Hoffman (High Point) are all Division 1 commits – making the top-seeded Warriors the favorites in Division 3. Medfield, which looks to avenge last year’s state final loss to Nipmuc, enters the postseason on a 13-game winning streak and outscored its opponents by an astonishing 94-14 margin in the regular season.
Louisville commit Kelsey Tuttle powers No. 3 Norwell and the Clippers have plenty of options surrounding Tuttle to claim a second state title in three years.
No. 5 Hanover has the firepower for a long run as well, while Cardinal Spellman, which recorded a late-season tie against Feehan, is lurking as the No. 7 seed. No. 13 Apponequet, which registered 16 wins, can’t be counted out, either.
In Division 4, fourth-seeded Hamilton-Wenham will look to get back to the state final and end the reign of two-time defending state champion Sutton, which defeated the Generals for the crown last season. No. 5 Cohasset has a tough draw with a potential second-round matchup with No. 12 Sandwich and the Skippers could see Hamilton-Wenham in the quarterfinals.
Hull also will try to turn the heartbreak of a Division 5 state final loss from a year ago into sweet redemption. The Pirates have a great chance to do so as the No. 3 seed. No. 5 St. John Paul II and No. 8 Rockport could make some noise as well.
Div. 1 predictions
Champion: Needham
Runner-up: Wellesley
Sleeper: Lincoln-Sudbury
Best first-round matchup: Plymouth North at Concord-Carlisle
Upset Special: Weymouth over Hopkinton
Div. 2
Champion: Mansfield
Runner-up: Masconomet
Sleeper: Notre Dame (Hingham)
Best first-round matchup: North Quincy at Canton
Upset Special: Whitman-Hanson over Westwood
Div. 3
Champion: Medfield
Runner-up: Norwell
Sleeper: Cardinal Spellman
Best first-round matchup: Dedham at Apponequet
Upset Special: Foxboro over Ludlow
Div. 4
Champion: Hamilton-Wenham
Runner-up: South Hadley
Sleeper: Sandwich
Best first-round matchup: Manchester Essex at Rockland
Upset Special: West Bridgewater over Hampshire
Div. 5
Champion: Hull
Runner-up: Monson
Sleeper: Holbrook
Best first-round matchup: Pioneer Valley at Norfolk Aggie
Upset Special: N/A
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