Eight MIAA Super Bowls will return to Gillette in December with a new Thursday-Friday-Saturday schedule.
Eight MIAA Super Bowls will return to Gillette in December with a new Thursday-Friday-Saturday schedule.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
The 2025 MIAA Super Bowl schedule is set.
Now we just need to know which teams will be suiting up.
At Wednesday’s football committee meeting at MIAA headquarters in Franklin, it was revealed that this year’s championship games will be played Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Dec. 4-6, at Gillette Stadium. There will be two games on Thursday and Friday (5 and 8 p.m.) followed by four on Saturday (10 a.m., plus 1, 4, and 7 p.m.).
The three hours between games is an increase from 2.5 in recent years. It helps the Patriots are on their bye week.
“Teams can hopefully get a full hour on the field to eliminate, as much as possible, warming up on concourses,” said tournament director Reilly Christie, the athletic director at Salem. “We’re really excited to highlight these games on Saturday and get our teams more time on the field.”
Also discussed:
By unanimous advisory vote (15-0) the committee declared its support for eight divisions. But there was a desire to better distribute the divisions, with Division 2 currently housing just 22 teams, while Division 8 has 45. Thus, 73 percent of D2 teams make the postseason vs. 36 percent in D8. One reason: A large number of vocational schools in D2 automatically move down. “Protecting the small schools has to be a major concern for this committee or we’ll have schools cutting programs,” said Milton coach Steve Dembowski, noting there are 13 fewer schools offering football compared to six years ago.
The committee had conflicting opinions on the proposed calendar for 2026-27, which was built around four pillars: 1. The fall season starts two Mondays before Labor Day (Aug. 24); 2. Spring season ends the third Sunday in June (June 21); 3. Winter season starts on the second Tuesday in December; 4. Playoff brackets are not released on weekends. The committee’s primary issues were with Nos. 1 and 4. A Monday bracket release means playoff teams get a later start on scouting, and it would be harder to schedule nonplayoff games. The season starting later – and football beginning the same day as other sports – drew mixed reviews. Some ADs liked that it meant fewer conflicts with family vacations, while coaches noted it would leave just one weekend available for scrimmages instead of two. “Nobody wanted any part of this in our district,” said Franklin Tech coach and AD Joe Gamache. “Families will still go on vacation anyway, they don’t care when you start. Kids are going to work in the summer. Having those two extra days of flexibility and that extra scrimmage date was important to everyone in our district.”
Discussion was held, but no changes made, on several rules, including tiebreaker scenarios, which are an amalgam of NCAA and NFHS guidelines; whether under mercy rule conditions the clock should run following scores; the use of drones as end-zone cameras (legal in the regular season, illegal in the postseason); matching the MIAA field equipment rule to match the NFHS’s, which allows the use of tablets; and what constitutes a defenseless receiver.
Chick-fil-A was announced as title sponsor of the MIAA football tournament. During the season the chicken chain will run a series of social media campaigns highlighting the most demontrative student sections, best game clips, and Most Valuable Parents, with prizes ranging from tailgate packs to pep rallies.
2. Milestones
▪ With Ella Marzullo’s fourth-quarter winner Wednesday, No. 10 Franklin field hockey defeated Attleboro, extending the Panthers’ Hockomock League unbeaten streak to 100 games (95-0-5).
▪ Canton boys’ cross-country defeated Stoughton, 26-31, marking the Bulldogs’ first dual meet win in two years.
▪ No. 14 Attleboro volleyball knocked off No. 8 Franklin in a Hockomock League upset on the back of Haley Carter’s 36 assists.
▪ Take a moment to check out Cam Kerry’s story about how Winchester senior Lily Ossen ended Lexington’s perfect defensive start to the season.
▪ Find more than 200 scores and 80-plus recaps from Wednesday’s action in our redesigned scoreboard.
3. Commitment corner
Concord-Carlisle junior midfielder Aubrey Monaghan, who led the Patriots to the first girls’ lacrosse state championship in program history, announced she will play women’s lacrosse at Merrimack.
Concord-Carlisle junior Aubrey Monaghan, who helped steer the Patriots to the first state title in program history, will continue her lacrosse career at Merrimack College @GlobeSchools @CCPatsAD pic.twitter.com/CViBAScLqx
— Trevor Hass (@TrevorHass) September 17, 2025
4. Clip of the day
Abington ended up on the wrong end of a 6-2 loss to Hull, but junior Carly Agnew provided a highlight when she bent home this beautiful corner.
Tough loss but for the second time this season a beautiful goal scored by Carly Agnew on a corner pic.twitter.com/iwuHBHwcbx
— Abington HS Girls Soccer Parents (@SoccerAbington) September 17, 2025
5. Soccer leaders
Goals
Luca Titrella, Danvers, 4
Aidan Anker, Watertown, 3
Caroline Bligh, Cardinal Spellman, 3
Claudia Drakos, Danvers, 3
Rowan Jensen, Apponequet, 3
Haylee Krakowski, West Bridgewater, 3
Giana Thorne, Hull, 3
Layla Venancio, Somerset Berkley, 3
Addison Balser, Middleborough, 2
Gavin Foley, Watertown, 2
Libby Harper, Hull, 2
Gianluca Locilento, Danvers, 2
Sarah Powers, Phillips Andover, 2
Wylie Roossien, Phillips Andover, 2
Josselyn Sanchez, Bishop Fenwick, 2
Annie Smith, Apponequet, 2
Connor Sullivan, Beverly, 2
Points
Anker, Watertown, 7
Harper, Hull, 6
Roossien, Phillips Andover, 6
Brendan Foster, Old Rochester, 5
Jensen, Apponequet, 5
Savannah Ryan, Bishop Feehan, 5
6. Field hockey leaders
Goals
Maeve Gavin, Whitman-Hanson, 2
Kylie George, North Andover, 2
Quinn Jordan, Sandwich, 2
Abby Nash, Whitman-Hanson, 2
Sadie Patterson, Nantucket, 2
Abbey Pompei, King Philip, 2
Paige Sampson, Whitman-Hanson, 2
Khloe Schultz, Sandwich, 2
Cami Walsh, Whitman-Hanson, 2
Points
Jordan, Sandwich, 4
7. Volleyball leaders
Kills
Olivia Leonardo, Attleboro, 18
Jessie Wang, Andover, 16
Kyra Ward, Chelmsford, 14
Naomi Vajada, Andover, 14
Julie Hall, Central Catholic, 13
Brenna Dugan, Fairhaven, 12
Cece Kilroy, King Philip, 12
Chelsea Wagner, Oliver Ames, 12
Elise Horton, Apponequet, 11
Jasmine Idehen, Beaver, 11
Lila Paster, Swampscott, 11
Lily Rego, Joseph Case, 11
Assists
Haley Carter, Attleboro, 36
Madison Blanchet, Central Catholic, 35
Tina Zheng, Andover, 32
Ellen Griswold, Chelmsford, 30
Lyla McDonough, Oliver Ames, 25
Reese Schailberger, Swampscott, 25
El strom, Beaver, 24
Erin Bigham, Canton, 21
Rafaela Prebianchi, Dennis-Yarmouth, 20
Molly McCarthy, Apponequet, 19
Maya Morrison, Old Rochester, 18
Digs
Julie Hall, Central Catholic, 25
Farah Berty, Andover, 24
Isabella Sayarath, Monty Tech, 24
Caitlin Cauley, Swampscott, 22
Alexia Faria, Central Catholic, 22
Aubrey Sweeney, Fairhaven, 17
Leonardo, Attleboro 16
Rodriguez Martinez, Canton, 16
Jasmine Idehen, Beaver, 15
Bailey Tetreault, Monty Tech, 13
Blocks
Naomi Vajada, Andover, 5
Taylor Donohue, Oliver Ames, 4
Braswell, Lynn Classical, 3
Bella Sierpina, Central Catholic, 3
Aces
Rego, Joseph Case, 8
Botelho, Joseph Case, 7
Dugan, Fairhaven, 7
Ward, Chelmsford, 5
Braswell, Lynn Classical, 4
Olivia Lesswing, Haverhill, 4
Morrison, Old Rochester, 4
Ella Niles, Andover, 4
Politzer, Chelmsford, 4
Naomi Vajada, Andover, 4
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.