Gators great on the gridiron: Grafton repeats on top in the final Terrific 10 large schools poll
What a fantastic football season it was for so, so many teams in Central Mass., and with the final pass thrown and the last tackle made, here’s the final T&G large schools poll, one that has been expanded to a Terrific 10.
More: Hometeam Central Mass. high school football standings, leaders
1. Grafton (9-3)
Previous ranking: 1
The Gators finish atop the poll for the second straight season after making their third consecutive trip to the Division 4 state semifinals. They defeated the likes of Doherty, Shrewsbury and South with losses to the tournament-qualifying trio of South (1 point), Holliston (2) and Scituate (10).
2. Leominster (6-5)
Previous ranking: 4
The Blue Devils overcame a 1-4 start that included a pair of one-score setbacks to win five of their final six games, including W’s against Wachusett, Shrewsbury and Westborough.
3. Shrewsbury (6-5)
Previous ranking: 6
The Colonials averaged 21.6 points and allowed 21.7 against a stacked schedule, posting wins over St. John’s and Doherty along the way.
4. Wachusett (5-6)
Previous ranking: NR
The Mountaineers, who led at halftime in three of their losses, finally staged a comeback of their own as they rallied to defeat Shrewsbury to finish the season with a three-game winning streak.
5. Doherty (8-3)
Previous ranking: 2
The Highlanders posted wins over Leominster and South while five more games than a year ago and advancing to the statewide tournament for the first time.
6. South (7-4)
Previous ranking: 3
The Colonels finished with a winning record for the fourth straight (full) season while earning a postseason invite to the Division 4 state tournament for the third consecutive season.
7. St. John’s (5-6)
Previous ranking: NR
The Pioneers opened and closed the season with a pair of wins and had a total of four losses to the trio of Division 1 state champion Xaverian, D1 state finalist St. John’s Prep and D2 power Catholic Memorial.
8. Westborough (8-3)
Previous ranking: 5
The Rangers, who went 2-20 the last two seasons, had a terrific turnaround while securing their first berth in the Division 3 state tournament.
9. Marlborough (6-5)
Previous ranking: NR
The Panthers finished with a winning record for the third straight season, a stretch that has seen them go 21-12.
10. Tantasqua (5-6)
Previous ranking: NR
The Warriors won three of their final four games, highlighted by a season-ending, fourth-quarter comeback against rival Shepherd Hill.
Dropped out: Shepherd Hill
—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: A Terrific 10 final large school football poll caps a splendid season
