Rematches & reunions: 10 high school football games you can't afford to miss this fall

The preseason is always a time of optimism. Every team is energetic, full of promise and 0-0 in the standings.

And while coaches always harp on the important of week-to-week improvement and staying focused on the task at hand, fans are often inclined to look ahead to project potential wins and losses and perhaps a pathway to the playoffs.

Though we’ll refrain from making any predictions or projections, here is a list of 10 non-Thanksgiving high school football games that we’ve circled on our calendar. From rematches to long-awaited reunions, these are the games you’ll want to make sure you carve out time to see.

Looking for more?: Find all of our preseason coverage here

Gardner at Quabbin, Friday, Sept. 9

Yes, once again we’re cheating the system again as these two opponents last met on Thanksgiving eve when Owen Faulha and the Panthers ran roughshod over the Wildcats.

But with Faulha settling in at Boston University, the playing field should be far more level this time around. It will be interesting to see how the Quabbin offense adjusts to life without their bruising fullback and the direction Gardner takes on offense following the graduation of quarterback Carter Santos.

Oakmont at Narragansett, Friday, Sept. 9

Though the Spartans and Warriors have faced one another frequently in the preseason this will be their first regular season meeting since 2014 when both teams narrowly missed out on the playoffs and squared off on Halloween.

Oakmont, which qualified for the Division 6 state tournament last year, will be a good opening test for a ’Gansett team that graduated 10 seniors from last year’s team, which reached the Division 8 state quarterfinals. Regardless of the result, playing an opponent two divisions higher than them should only help the Warriors’ power rating.

Murdock at Monty Tech, Friday, Sept. 9

With a third double-local contest on the docket, fans will need to be selective about picking a game to attend on the first weekend of the 2022 season.

So, why not choose one which featured a trick play last season? In a contest in which talented running backs Calvin Tenney and Ryan Quinn are sure to be heavily featured by the Blue Devils and Bulldogs, respectively, wouldn’t it be fun if another trick play in the passing game helped decide the victor again?

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Marlborough at Oakmont, Friday, Sept. 23

Few onlookers across Central Mass. will have reason to quibble should Oakmont qualify for the Division 6 State Tournament once again. With four consecutive games against 2021 playoff teams to open the season, the Spartans will have certainly earned their postseason placement.

This Week 3 matchup against the Panthers, who fell to Grafton in the first round of the Division 4 state tournament last year, also serves as the Spartans’ home opener following trips to Narragansett and Clinton.

Monty Tech at Gardner, Friday, Sept. 23

Ball control was an issue for both teams when they met in the second week of the 2021 season, but a goal-line stand by the Bulldogs — following a lost fumble at their own 4 yard line — helped them secure a 24-14 win last year.

It is conceivable that this game could go right down to the wire again this fall.

Murdock at Quabbin, Friday, Sept. 30

The aforementioned Owen Faulha returned a fumble 50 yards for a touchdown which helped the Panthers seal a 38-27 victory over the Blue Devils in Winchendon last year.

But now that Faulha has moved on, can the Blue Devils’ tandem of Jarius Williams and Calvin Tenney, both of whom reached 100 yards rushing against Quabbin a year ago, carry the visitors to a league win on the road?

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Narragansett at Auburn, Friday, Oct. 7

The Oakmont Spartans aren’t the only higher division team the Warriors want to take a swing at, metaphorically speaking, this fall.

Auburn, a perennial power which missed out on the Div. 5 playoffs a year ago, managed a 6-3 record in 2021 while playing in a tough Southern Worcester County League which also featured Grafton — which lost in the Div. 4 semifinals to eventual champion Scituate — and Northbridge, which fell in the Div. 7 semifinals to eventual state champ Wahconah.

St. Paul at Monty Tech, Friday, Oct. 14

A young offensive line struggled to provide rushing lanes for Cenceir Mills or adequate time for quarterback T.J. Farr to find his targets downfield the last time Monty Tech faced St. Paul in a Fall II contest at Quinsigamond State Park in mid-April 2021.

Those issues plus a five-touchdown day for the Knights’ Issaih Agnew resulted in a 39-6 Bulldogs loss.

There are reasons for Monty Tech to be optimistic about the rematch, however, as Agnew graduated that spring and the Bulldogs return with a ground-and-pound offense led by a veteran offensive line which returns four of its five starters from last year.

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Gardner at Murdock, Friday, Oct. 21

The Wildcats will be seeking their first win over the Blue Devils in five seasons, but must find a way to slow down Tenney, who nearly reached 200 yards rushing while scoring three touchdowns in Murdock’s 27-6 win at Watkins Field last fall.

A win could potentially help either team make a push for a Division 8 playoff spot in the waning weeks of the regular season.

Narragansett at Gardner, Saturday, Oct. 29

This late-season contest against Gardner could determine whether the Warriors’ effort to beef up their schedule with the likes of Oakmont, Worcester South and Auburn pays off with an improved berth in the Division 8 state tournament.

With a tougher slate of games on the schedule, the Warriors may very well need a win over their Mid-Wach E league rival to secure a spot in the postseason.

The Wildcats, of course, would rather secure a win and possibly a postseason berth for themselves by avenging last year’s 48-7 loss.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Greater Gardner's 10 must-see high school football games this fall