Hudson/D-S rematch among 2023 high school football games to watch in MetroWest/Milford
Thursday games are a highlight – but we're not talking Thanksgiving just yet.
Lights do not exclusively belong to Friday anymore, due to a shortage of officials.
The top games to look for this fall (not including the obvious ones on the fourth Thursday in November) in MetroWest/Milford aren’t all on Friday evenings.
Sept. 7, Wachusett at Franklin (7 p.m.)
Quite literally the first game of the season in our area, on the same night the NFL opens (Lions at Chiefs). There are just six others that night, one of them also involving a Hockomock League team: Mansfield at two-time defending Division 2 state champion Catholic Memorial, which owns the state’s longest active winning streak at 29 games.
But the game at Pisini Field in Franklin should also be worth watching. Wachusett finished 8-3 last year, though the Mountaineers fell to the Panthers, 32-22, on opening night in Holden. Wachusett then ran off five consecutive victories, averaging 47.8 points in that span.
Franklin was 7-3 last year.
Both teams will be looking to replace graduated quarterbacks (Franklin’s Jase Lyons; Wachusett’s Tucker McDonald) in addition to starting the season on the right foot (arm?).
If that doesn’t get you to come out, consider this: No Red Sox game that night.
Sept. 8, E. Longmeadow at Framingham (Bowditch), 6 p.m.
The first week always involves non-league games, but the Flyers did not play outside of the Bay State Conference during last year’s regular season. This year, the visitors are making a 70-mile trip to face a Flyer team eager to erase the memory of a one-win season.
East Longmeadow finished 8-2 a year ago, but lost senior Conner Robidoux, now at UMass-Dartmouth.
Framingham returns a strong senior class, including three-year starters/captains Henry Goldberg (middle linebacker) and RB/LB Ben Lincoln. Goldberg is a ”strong leader who tackles well inside the box,” said FHS coach David Wright, who added that Lincoln, is a ”physical running with good speed; normally will break the initial tackle.”
Other captains include OL/DL Angel Colon, DE/WR/K Caiden Whitney and FS/LB Nick Duplessis.
Sept. 14, Hudson at Dover-Sherborn, 7 p.m.
This game would be good on any night, but we’re back to another Thursday night must-see.
Parents of a certain age will remember ”Must See TV” Thursdays when Cheers, Mad About You and Seinfeld ruled the NBC airwaves 30 years ago. But there will be no need to "tape" Wings on this night.
D-S ruined Hudson’s perfect season last November in the rain, and fans won’t have to wait long for the rematch. The Hawks will be looking for redemption after the Raiders held them to a season-low seven points at Morgan Bowl.
Yes, there is an NFL game, but you can use the DVR for this one that also includes raiders and raptors: Vikings at Eagles.
Sept. 22, Natick at Milford; Milton at Holliston
This evening, a Friday, includes a pair of interesting games just seven miles apart. At 6, Holliston hosts Milton, a Super Bowl team a year ago (losing to Wakefield at Gillette Stadium). The Wildcats handed Holliston its only regular-season loss last year.
Milford’s 7 p.m. kickoff against Natick represents the first night game to be played on the school's new turf. And the Redhawks would like nothing more than to play the spoiler; Milford has defeated Natick three times over the past two seasons.
Oct. 13, Marlborough at Algonquin, 7 p.m.
Speaking of new turf, the first football game scheduled at the “Gonkplex” is scheduled for, yes, Friday the 13th.
The athletic campus at Algonquin is getting a makeover to the extreme. Among the upgrades are two turf fields (replacing overused and outdated grass), a new track, ADA compliant stands and even pickleball courts and an amphitheater.
The football team, at the moment, has just one game scheduled for the new Gonkplex, against a Marlborough team accustomed to playing on grass at Kelleher Field.
Oct. 21, Natick at Wellesley, 1 p.m.
Friday night always serves as a dramatic backdrop for high school football. But it’s hard to beat a crisp autumn afternoon at Hunnewell Field. And, maybe, the top spot in the Bay State Carey Division will be on the line.
Oct. 27, Nipmuc at Northbridge
James Royster begins his first season as a head coach on Sept. 9 against St. Paul in Worcester, but when Nipmuc travels to his alma mater in late October, the game will serve as the first of two homecomings. Royster and the Rams won two Central/Western Mass. Division 2 Super Bowls before he graduated 20 years ago.
On Thanksgiving, Nipmuc plays it traditional across-the-street game with Blackstone Valley Tech, this time at BVT, where Royster once served as an assistant. Anthony Landini, Valley Tech’s head coach, and Royster already have Thanksgiving history: Landini played at Uxbridge in the early 2000s against Royster’s Northbridge team on Turkey Day.
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Our choices for 2023 MetroWest high school football games to watch
