Week 8 Greater Taunton area high school football picks and previews
TAUNTON— The final week of the regular high school football season is upon us in the Greater Taunton area.
Last week, Taunton (4-3, 1-2 Hockomock Kelley-Rex) used a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to earn a 21-14 non-league win over Milton. Bridgewater-Raynham (1-6, 1-1 Southeast Conference) fell short of Dartmouth, 35-22, in non-league action. Bristol-Plymouth (2-5, 0-2 Mayflower Large) scored first before ultimately falling 22-8 to Tri-County while Dighton-Rehoboth (2-5, 0-3 South Coast Blue) went down the Cape and scored a non-league win over Nauset, 35-26.
The latest edition of the MIAA Power Rankings were released Tuesday. As it stands, Taunton is No. 10 in Division 1, Bridgewater-Raynham is No. 13 in Division 2, Bristol-Plymouth is No. 34 in Division 4 and Dighton-Rehoboth is No. 24 in Division 5. The top 16 teams in each division with at least three wins and seven games played qualify for their respective division's tournament.
This week, Taunton plays host to Attleboro (1-6, 0-3 Hockomock Kelley-Rex) Friday while Bridgewater-Raynham heads out to Shrewsbury (3-4, 1-1 Midland Wachusett) and Dighton-Rehoboth faces off with Greater New Bedford (3-4, 1-2 South Coast Blue). On Saturday, Bristol-Plymouth welcomes Southeastern (4-3, 1-2 Mayflower Large).
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Here's a preview of all four matchups involving Greater Taunton area teams as well as predictions on the outcomes:
Taunton vs. Attleboro
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Records: Taunton (4-3, 1-2 Hockomock Kelley-Rex); Attleboro (1-6, 0-3 Hockomock Kelley-Rex)
Preview: The Tigers followed up an impressive win over North Attleboro with an even more impressive 21-14 win over 2022 Division 3 Super Bowl finalists Milton. Down 7-0 at the half, Taunton battled back and took the lead thanks to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns by senior running back Ethan Harris. They now face a visit from an Attleboro team that's been winless since defeating Old Rochester in Week 1. The Blue Bombardiers most recent outing was a 21-14 loss to Franklin. Senior running back Adrian Rivera ran in a 55-yard touchdown while senior quarterback Matt Harvie found senior wide receiver Aidan Pantages in the end zone from 27 yards out for another touchdown. Rivera also caught a 2-yard conversion pass from Harvie.
While it was an improvement over consecutive blowout losses to King Philip and Stoughton, Attleboro is now faced with a Taunton team carrying all of the momentum that shows no sign of stopping. A decade ago, a playoff-bound Blue Bombardier squad came into Aleixo "Tiger" Stadium and handed the Tigers a 45-0 loss. Don't be surprised if the opposite happens Friday night.
Prediction: Taunton 42, Attleboro 7
Bridgewater-Raynham at Shrewsbury
When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Records: Bridgewater-Raynham (1-6, 1-1 Southeast Conference); Shrewsbury (3-4, 1-1 Midland Wachusett)
Preview: Despite still being ranked in the top 16 in Division 2, last week's 35-22 loss to Datmouth guaranteed the Trojans cannot reach the three-win requirement to qualify for the playoffs. Junior quarterback/fullback Caleb Tripp led the way for B-R with a pair of touchdown runs and a 2-point conversion while senior running back Ryan Catino ran in the other touchdown. Shrewsbury comes into this contest off a 48-26 loss to Leominster, in which senior wide receiver Felix Pittorino had both a rushing and receiving touchdown while sophomore quarterback Drew Vincequere threw for a touchdown and ran one in himself. The defense also got in on the scoring as junior safety Ryan Keddy recovered a fumble and took it in from 12 yards out.
The loss marked the third in a row for the Colonials, while the Trojans have dropped their last two. While Shrewsbury, the No. 22 seed in Division 1, can still qualify for the tournament, they have several other eligible teams in the way, meaning they too will most likely being playing non-playoff ball next week. If B-R can get their run game going again like they did against Dartmouth, a game which the Trojans put up their highest points total of the season, then they should be able to grind out a win in what looks set to be a close, hard-fought non-league contest.
Prediction: Bridgewater-Raynham 21, Shrewsbury 14
Bristol-Plymouth vs. Southeastern
When: Saturday, 5:00 p.m.
Records: Bristol-Plymouth (2-5, 0-2 Mayflower Large); Southeastern (4-3, 1-2 Mayflower Large)
Preview: The Craftsmen have had a rough go of things the last three weeks, being outscored a combined 84-16 by Diman, West Bridgewater and most recently Tri-County in a 22-8 loss. Senior quarterback Ryan Donovan threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Nick Pemberton before the Cougars put up 22 straight points. They now face a Southeastern team coming off a 13-12 win over Diman last Thursday, in which junior quarterback Aidan Hughes threw a 5-yard touchdown to junior wide receiver Peyton Volz and senior wide receiver/quarterback Joey Tully had seven carries for 48 yards and a touchdown. The win snapped a two-game losing skid for the Hawks, who'll be looking to spoil the Craftsmen's Homecoming night.
Both teams technically could qualify for the Division 4 playoff with a win, but it's unlikely. Given that the Craftsmen are home and desperate to end their losing skid, as long as their line can hold up, B-P should be able to squeeze out a hard-fought win in a close Mayflower Large contest.
Prediction: Bristol-Plymouth 13, Southeastern 10
Dighton-Rehoboth vs. Greater New Bedford
When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Records: Dighton-Rehoboth (2-5, 0-3 South Coast Blue); Greater New Bedford (3-4, 1-2 South Coast Blue)
Preview: The Falcons went down the Cape last Friday and came back with a 35-26 non-league win over Nauset to snap a three game losing skid. Senior running back David Diaz-Tavares led the way for the Falcons with 11 carries for 89 yards and a pair of touchdowns while hauling in six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Senior quarterback Joel DaSilva went 12-of-16 passing for 43 yards and three touchdowns to Diaz-Tavares, senior running back Kevin Gousie Jr. and junior wide receiver Aiden Thurber. The defense also looked strong, combining for three sacks, two of which belonged to junior linebacker Gavin Salera. Greater New Bedford, meanwhile, comes into this contest off a 23-14 win over Apponequet. Twelve of the Bears' points came courtesy of the foot of senior kicker Connor McManus, who hit three field goals from 27, 37 and 40 yards out and went two-for-two on extra points. Senior quarterback Jhaden Reis threw a 48-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Alex Pellegrino while senior defensive end Kiegan Anacleto recovered a fumble and returned it for a 30 yard touchdown.
When the Falcons faced the Lakers two weeks ago, they put up 21 more points than Greater New Bedford, but also surrendered 30 more. If the offense can continue their strong run of form while the defense makes some key stops, then D-R should be able to grind out the hard-fought South Coast Blue win.
Prediction: Dighton-Rehoboth 22, Greater New Bedford 21
Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Greater Taunton Week 8 high school football picks and previews
