New QBs and league races: Six questions about South Shore high school football in 2023

It’s almost time for high school football to start back up. Training camps open on Friday and the first game is just a few weeks away (Hanover and Duxbury kickstart the season Thursday, Sept. 7).

Last fall was an eventful one for Super Bowl champions Hull and Duxbury (both of which lost in the state finals in 2021), but everybody's record is back to 0-0. It's a new year and everything that happened last year is in the past.

From new coaches to new budding stars, there's plenty of intriguing storylines to keep an eye on this fall. Here's a couple that jump out to us.

Several star quarterbacks graduated; who has next?

Last season, the Dragons finished undefeated and won a state championship thanks to the help of Matt Festa. The current University of the New Hampshire player finished with 99 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Now it's former safety Finn Carley's time to take the snaps for Duxbury.

Milton made it to the championship before falling to Wakefield Memorial. Owen McHugh led that Wildcat bunch and he leaves big shoes to fill. Defensive back Patrick Miller will step into the role this spring and look to continue Milton's recent tradition of great QB play.

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Will Baker, who led Cohasset to a state title in 2021 and a semifinal in 2022, has graduated. Skippers coach Peter Afanasiw said "most skill positions will be up for grabs," so it'll be interesting to see who takes the reins behind center. Elsewhere in the South Shore League Tobin Division, Hull graduates a big senior class from a Div. 8 championship team. It looks like Luke Dunham will be the new starter at QB. Can he help Hull continue its recent run?

Who will win the South Shore League Sullivan Division?

The Sullivan Division is filled with a lot of unknowns. Abington is coming off its first losing season in over 20 years. Rockland has always been in the state-title conversation under Nick Liquori, but the Bulldogs graduated a huge senior class. Middleboro will need to replace quarterback Jacob Briggs, the winner of the Otto Graham Award last year. East Bridgewater has struggled since winning a Super Bowl in 2016. Norwell went 4-7 last year, but John Willis could coach the Patriot Ledger staff into being a respectable team in any sport.

More: Undefeated state champs and more: South Shore High School Football All-Scholastics

Oh yeah, and don't forget newcomer Sandwich, which has left the Cape & Islands League to join the SSL and will have a new coach this fall in Robert Lomp, who boasts a 131-44 career record from his time at Apponequet and Wareham.

It's anybody's guess who comes out on top.

Who will win the South Shore League Tobin?

Similar to the SSL Sullivan Division, there's a lot of unknowns in the Tobin. Hull, the defending Div. 8 champs, graduated a lot of seniors this past year, but they have some returning players who could keep them in the mix. Nick Tiani and Sean Reilly will be key returners for the Pirates.

Randolph, which won the Div. 8 title in 2021, will get a chance to bounce back from an injury-riddled season. The Blue Devils finished 2-6 last season, but they have a talented group returning. Sophomore Abraham Cornett will most likely play quarterback with senior Nate Gomes as his running back. Lineman Elton Stubbs, guard and linebacker Chris Covino will be seen on both sides of the ball. The two teams will play against each other this fall. The winner might win this league.

Cohasset has graduated some key pieces like the aforementioned Baker, but Liam Appleton might be the best player in the league. The Skippers won the Div. 7 title in 2021 and lost in the semifinals last year.

Carver, which finished 3-8, looks to be a breakout candidate this fall with quarterback Tyler Lennox back under center. Mashpee, along with Abington, might be the league's most consistent team this century.

Who should be the favorite in the Patriot League Fisher Division?

At first glance, it’s tough to not pick Plymouth South. The Panthers will have senior Casious Johnson, who is the second all-time leading rusher in school history. Add in his younger brother, Gio Lynch-Ruberio, and home-run hitter Justin LaChance and you might have the best backfield in the state.

But the Panthers will have plenty of competition. Hanover was oh-so-close to going to the Div. 3 final last year, losing to Milton in an unforgettable semifinal, 32-30. Quarterback Ben Scalzi might have been the breakout star of 2022, but he's not a terrifying matchup for opposing defenses.

All but one of Pembroke's six losses last year were decided by a score. The Titans return a lot of talent (Will McNamara and Will Johnson jump out) and have high hopes. Scituate can never be overlooked, especially with Jackson Belsan returning at quarterback.

North Quincy took its lumps with a young roster last fall, but should be improved. Quincy's Gabe Rodrigues is one of the best players in the league and he's back for his senior season.

Which new coach is set up for the most success?

The coaching carousel was busy this offseason. Former New England Patriot Vernon Crawford will coach Quincy. Former Brown and Bryant University assistant coach Michael Donovan will take over at Weymouth. And T.J. Byrne left Weymouth to coach at Hingham this fall. Each team has its own holes to fill in the roster, but each team also has tremendous strengths in certain positions. Quarterback Tyler Nordstrom gives Donovan a solid building block at Weymouth. And he's got a strong receiving corps to work with in Cam Fernandez, Dante Tordiglione and Joe Fitzgerald.

What team will break out this spring?

Expect big things from Pembroke this season. Patrick Norman (6-foot-5), Cole Griffin (6-foot-1) and MacNamara (6-foot-4) are all returning with a lot of size for the Titans. The league is ultra-tough, but Pembroke has already shown it can compete with all of those teams.

Another team to keep an eye on is Norwell. With the league in more flux than it has been in recent years, the Clippers could make a jump. They've got big pieces back in running back William Bostrom, linebacker Jake Touhey and quarterback Colin McCarthy. Willis took over late in the summer last year, but he'll have more time to have this crew ready in the fall this time around.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore high school football: Six questions about 2023 season