High school football Gridbits: Shrewsbury-St. John's rivalry highlights a week of new matchups
The Shrewsbury versus St. John’s matchup is always widely anticipated, although the Pioneers have a big edge all-time at 45-13-3 and have won the last six meetings.
Aside from this series, St. John’s has lost three straight games going back to last season and has not had a four-game losing streak since 2003.
Nashoba set for WMass foe
It is a clash of two Massachusetts football giants when Nashoba and Longmeadow play this weekend. Between them, the two schools are 866-409-11 through the years for a .690 winning percentage. They have played twice before, in 1997 and ’98, Longmeadow winning each game.
However, they are both 0-1 to start this season.
Algonquin renews rivalry with Hopkinton
Algonquin and Hopkinton play this weekend. The schools first played in 1898 when Algonquin was Northborough High, then most recently in 1960. Northborough won in 1898, 5-2, and in ’60 by 34-13. Overall the series is dead even at 5-5-0.
Masconomet heads to Grafton
Grafton plays host to Masconomet Regional of Boxford on Friday night. It will be Masconomet’s first game ever against a Central Mass. team. Grafton has occasionally played against faraway schools in the regular season, its opponents including Portsmouth Abbey of Rhode Island (1982) and Provincetown (1966).
Masconomet is, by the way, the alma mater of Debra Jo Rupp who played Kitty on “That ‘70s Show”.
Out of area foes not kind to locals
Central Mass. teams did not do well in games with schools from other regions over the weekend, winning four and losing seven. The winners were Sutton over Martha’s Vineyard, Maynard over Chelmsford, Auburn over Swampscott and Quaboag over Ludlow.
Northbridge looks to rebound
West Boylston’s 37 points at Lasell Field Friday night were the most surrendered at home by Northbridge since Nov. 15, 2013 when Bartlett scored 37, but lost to the Rams, 50-37. Friday’s rout was not the most lopsided defeat in the school’s Lasell Field history. Southbridge won, 61-6, in 1957.
Rare meetup for Westborough
After playing Burlington for the first time ever last weekend, Westborough takes on Sharon for the first time ever this weekend. Those matchups took a while. Westborough has played more than 1,110 games through the years.
What's in a score?
The days when half the high school games played every week were either 6-0 or 7-6 outcomes are long gone, so duplicate scores are more unusual than ever.
How to explain, then, that last weekend featured three separate 22-20 games? That list included Worcester Tech over Ayer, Sutton over Martha’s Vineyard and Abby Kelley over North. Both Tech and Abby Kelley won in OT.
Marlborough close to milestone
Marlborough plays Shepherd Hill and needs to score at least five points — a field goal and a safety would do but a touchdown is more likely — to reach the 15,000 point mark in recorded school history, which dates back to 1893.
Milestone for Millbury's Richards
Congratulations to Millbury coach Ray Richards, whose Woolies beat Assabet last weekend for his 60th triumph. He is the second coach from that school to get to 60. Dave Palazzi, who won 69 games from 1998 through 2007, is the other.
Contact Bill Ballou at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillBallouTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: High school football Gridbits: Shrewsbury-St. John's rivalry highlights a week of new matchups
