Predicting the winner of every quarterfinal South Shore high school football playoff game

The first week of the MIAA high school football playoffs was exciting.

The state quarterfinals are going to be really exciting. This week should be filled with games that come down to the final seconds in every division.

Weymouth and Randolph pulled off big upsets last week. Can they repeat the feat? BC High is aiming to upset rival and defending state champion St. John's Prep in Div. 1. Some of the area's top-ranked teams played the part last week and will look to do the same this week.

PLAYOFFS

Thursday, Nov. 9

Div. 1 − No. 12 Weymouth (7-2) at No. 4 Andover (8-1), 7

The Wildcats pulled off a stunning upset over No. 5 Lincoln-Sudbury to collect the program's first-ever playoff win. Can Weymouth pull off another upset? The pick: Andover 21, Weymouth 18

Div. 3 − No. 6 Dartmouth (9-0) at No. 3 Milton (6-3), 6:30

Dartmouth has had an incredible run to reach this stage of the season still undefeated, but I don't think it's played a team close to Milton's caliber. The pick: Milton 27, Dartmouth 21

More: The slump ends here: Milton football busts out of losing streak in dominant playoff opener

Friday, Nov. 10

Div. 1 − No. 8 BC High (6-3) at No. 1 St. John’s Prep (9-0), 6

Two weeks ago, BC High dropped this matchup, 34-6, with its worst showing of the season. The Eagles bounced back strong with arguably its best of the year, drilling Taunton, 46-8. I think BC High makes this a competitive game, but the defending state champs just have too much firepower and will pull away late. The pick: SJP 39, BC High 32

Div. 2 − No. 6 Bishop Feehan (7-1) at No. 3 Marshfield (7-2), 6

The Rams have scored 40 or more points in five consecutive weeks and dropped a season-best 55 points on Plymouth North last week. During a seven-game winning streak, the Shamrocks have just 36 points total with four shutouts. Talk about a style clash. The pick: Marshfield 26, Feehan 20

More: Difference-makers: 40 unsung heroes in South Shore high school football

Div. 4 − No. 8 Somerset Berkley (7-2) at No. 1 Duxbury (7-1), 7

Look for the Dragons to push their winning streak to eight games. Duxbury looked like the top seed in a 33-6 win over No. 16 Bedford last week. The pick: Duxbury 30, SBR 19

No. 7 Scituate (6-3) at No. 2 Holliston (6-3), 5

This is the game I've circled as the best among South Shore games this week. Both teams are coming into this one red hot. Holliston ended Scituate's playoff run last year, but I think the Sailors return the favor this time around. The pick: Scituate 28, Holliston 24

Div. 5 − No. 9 Bishop Stang (4-5) at No. 1 Hanover (9-0), 6

The Spartans snuck into the playoffs by winning their final two games of the season, including a big upset over Bishop Fenwick. A 28-17 win over Norton made it three wins in a row for Stang, but the Hawks are on a different level. The pick: Hanover 38, Stang 22

Div. 6 − No. 8 Fairhaven (8-1) at No. 1 Norwell (8-1), 6:30

The Clippers have aced just about every test they've had this season (and there's been plenty in a tough South Shore League), but this is among the toughest. Fairhaven running back Justin Marques (24 touchdowns) might be the best player Norwell has gone against this fall. The pick: Norwell 24, Fairhaven 20

No. 6 Cardinal Spellman (7-2) at No. 3 Salem (7-2), 6:30

Both of these teams had similar seasons. Spellman started 5-0 before dropping two games in a row. Salem was 6-0, but then lost one-point battles against Peabody and Winthrop. After knocking off state champion St. Mary's last week, the Cardinals have another huge test this week. The pick: Spellman 19, Salem 16

More: Welcome back: O'Donnell dominates, Cardinal Spellman football advances in D-6 tournament

Div. 7 − No. 5 Clinton (5-4) at No. 4 Rockland (6-3), 6

The Bulldogs have been more like magicians this fall, finding ways to pull out wins out of a hat. Last week's 14-7 win over Millbury was no different. The Bulldogs want to grind out wins, but Clinton averages nearly 32 points per game. The pick: Rockland 22, Clinton 20

Div. 7 − No. 6 Amesbury (7-1) at No. 3 West Bridgewater (7-2), 6

Both teams opened the playoffs in style last week. Amesbury handled No. 11 Wahconah, 44-14, while the Wildcats took down No. 14 South Hadley, 39-8. This should be a good one. The pick: WB 24, Amesbury 22

Div. 7 − No. 7 Mashpee (6-3) at No. 2 Cohasset (5-3), 6

Earlier in the season, I made the idiotic choice of picking Mashpee over Cohasset. The Skippers made me look like a fool, coasting to a 42-0 victory. I won't make the same mistake again, but I expect the Falcons to put up a better showing this time around. The pick: Cohasset 33, Mashpee 21

Div. 8 − No. 12 Randolph (4-4) at No. 4 Cathedral (6-2), 7

The Blue Devils are looking for another upset after taking down No. 5 Ware last week. Cathedral survived a scare from No. 13 Bourne, 30-28, last week. The pick: Randolph 17, Cathedral 13

Div. 8 − No. 7 KIPP Academy (7-2) at No. 2 Carver (9-0), 6:30

KIPP is a tough challenge for Carver. KIPP's lone losses came against Div. 6 St. Mary's and Div. 7 Manchester Essex by a combined 3 points. Cathedral isn't the most stout team defensively, so expect a lot of points. The pick: Carver 40, KIPP 31

MVADA Playoffs

Thursday, Nov. 9

Small School Div. − No. 6 Nashoba Tech (5-4) at No. 3 Blue Hills (5-3), 6

These two schools always seem to play in classic games. Nashoba won the first meeting in the season opener, 28-22. The pick: Blue Hills 28, Nashoba 22

Saturday, Nov. 11

Small School Div. − No. 5 South Shore Tech (5-4) at No. 4 Tri-County (5-3), 3

The Vikings have scored just 8 points over the last two weeks. They'll need the offense to get rolling to make a run in this tournament. The pick: Tri-County 22, SST 16

Big School Div. − No. 6 Southeastern (5-3) at No. 3 Blackstone Valley Tech (4-3), 11 a.m.

The Hawks have come a long way in coach Josh Brewster's first year, but BVT is the best team they'll play this fall. The pick: BVT 28, Southeastern 20

Non-playoffs

Taunton OVER Brockton

Plymouth North OVER North Quincy

Plymouth South OVER Hingham

Canton OVER Westwood

Stoughton OVER Ashland

Middleboro OVER Norwood

Quincy OVER Newton North

Silver Lake OVER Brookline

Mills OVER Holbrook/Avon

Hull OVER Atlantis Charter

Braintree OVER New Bedford

Pembroke OVER Abington

Archbishop Williams OVER East Bridgewater

Oliver Ames OVER Martha's Vineyard

Whitman-Hanson OVER Bridgewater-Raynham

Last week: 26-5, 21-2 in playoffs

Overall: 180-55 (76.6%)

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore high school football playoff predictions for Elite 8