7 takeaways from the MIAA power rankings reveal
The debut of the MIAA's Fall 2023 power rankings caused celebration and consternation.
There are teams in surprising places both good and bad. It's a lot of data. Arranging 1,256 teams across 28 total divisions can create some chaos.
Here's seven takeaways from the unveiling Friday:
Framingham flying high
If the season ended today (which is a hypothetical if) the Framingham football team would earn its first playoff berth in at least a decade. The Flyers (2-1), who went 1-7 a year ago and were 27th out of 28 teams in the final Division 1 rankings, are currently 10th. That's above its archrival Natick (11th), state semifinalist Methuen (13th) and last year's No. 1 seed Franklin, who would shockingly miss the playoffs at 17th. Framingham's last winning season was 2011.
Top of the heap
Holliston helped itself to the top of Division 4 despite a 1-2 record with one of the toughest schedules in the state. Its opponent rating of 26.5393 the highest in the state, even beating out Division 1 top seed Springfield Central (25.7516). The Panthers opened with a tight loss to Foxborough (Division 5 No. 1) before bouncing back with a double-digit win over Middleborough (Division 4 No. 7). Even losing by four touchdowns against Milton (Division 3 No. 1) last week probably helped more than it hurt in terms of seeding.
No wins no problem?
Despite dropping its first three games, Wellesley is the No. 14 seed in Division 2. There are only 22 teams in the division, which helps. The Raiders also have played the fourth-toughest schedule in the field, falling to Dedham (Division 5 No. 4), Milford (Division 3 No. 4) and Walpole (Division 3 No. 6). A team needs at least three wins and to have played at least seven games to qualify for the tournament at the end of the season.
Taking over
There are four MetroWest teams in the girls soccer Division 1 top 16. Natick (4-1-1) earned the No. 2 seed behind Bishop Feehan. Undefeated Hopkinton (9-0) slots in at No. 4 followed by No. 7 Wellesley (4-3) and No. 13 Franklin (5-1). Natick and Wellesley both hail from the Bay State conference. Both Natick and Wellesley reached the quarterfinals a year ago, while the Panthers were a Sweet 16 squad.
Power hitters
MetroWest teams occupy the top seeds in two division and are No. 2 in three of them. Undefeated reigning Division 2 state champion Westborough (7-0) kept its crown as the No. 1 seed.
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Nipmuc (8-0) earned the top line in Division 3. Franklin (8-0) has rampaged through Division 1 so far and sits second behind defending state champion Newton North. Algonquin (7-1) is No. 2 in Division 2 behind the Rangers, and Bellingham (8-0) occupies the second seed in Division 4.
What about the other sports?
Neither golf nor cross country use power rankings due to the individual nature of those sports.
The golf sectional tournaments will take place Monday, October 23 and Tuesday, October 24. Here's a list of the host courses:
Division 1 (All Monday, October 23)
North: Renaissance Golf Club, Haverhill, 11 a.m.
South: Easton Country Club, South Easton, 9 a.m.
Central: Pleasant Valley Country Club, Sutton, 10 a.m.
Division 2 (All Tuesday, October 24)
North: Stow Acres North Course, Stow, 10 a.m.
South: Easton Country Club, South Easton, 9 a.m.
Central: Maplegate Country Club, Bellingham, 9 a.m.
Division 3
North (October 23): Stow Acres North Course, Stow, 9 a.m.
South: TBA
Central (October 24): Kettle Brook Golf Club, Paxton, 10 a.m.
The state tournaments are scheduled for October 30.
Division 1: GreatHorse, Hampden, 10 a.m.
Division 2: Thorny Lea Golf Club, Brockton, 9 a.m.
Division 3: TBA
All cross country state qualifying meets will be November 11. The state championship meet will follow November 18.
Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: 7 takeaways from the MIAA Fall 2023 power rankings reveal
