Copyright The Boston Globe
At 16-1-1, Hingham secured the No. 1 seed in Division 2 after outscoring opponents 113-10. Nashoba Regional (17-0-1) is seeded second after an undefeated season, and the defending champions, Somerset Berkley (17-1), follow at No. 3. Four-time defending D4 champ Uxbridge (18-0) is the only MIAA team with an unblemished record and is expected to make an impact in the Division 3 tournament with the top seed. With a 5.33 rating, the Spartans have already defeated Walpole, Andover, Winchester, Franklin, Medfield, and Somerset Berkley. Last year’s runners-up, Sandwich (15-1-2), follow at No. 2, and Dover-Sherborn (15-2-1) secured the third seed. Four-time defending D3 champion, Watertown (15-2), fell to the fifth seed after its 103-game unbeaten streak was snapped by Somerset Berkley in September. A year after losing to Uxbridge in the Division 4 title game, Monomoy (12-5-1) enters as the top seed, ready to take advantage of the Spartans move up a division. No. 2 Dennis-Yarmouth (13-5) and No. 3 Cohasset (12-3-1) will try to stop them, and have years of postseason experience to draw on in their quest to do so. Favorite: No. 1 Walpole Sleeper: No. 8 Andover Players to watch: Kayla Bohlin (Wellesley, Sr.), Samantha Gal (Winchester, Sr.), Jordi Higgins (Bishop Feehan, Sr.), Gigi Mastrangelo (Belmont, Jr.), Kate Schneider (Walpole, Sr.), Ella Sewall (Andover, Sr.), Sabrina Tibbert (Lincoln-Sudbury, Jr.), Addi Weiss (Franklin, Sr.) Longest first-round road trip: No. 21 North Andover at No. 12 Bishop Feehan – 68.7 miles; 1 hour, 16 minutes Overview: The Round of 32 will set the stage for some potentially cutthroat matchups. Top-seeded Walpole’s pursuit of a second consecutive state championship could once again run through No. 8 Andover, though this time their paths would cross in the quarterfinals. But first, Andover must take care of business in its postseason opener against No. 25 Chelmsford in a Merrimack Valley clash — their third meeting of the season, with the Golden Warriors taking the previous two. At No. 4 is Lincoln-Sudbury, last year’s No. 1 seed, set to open against Westford Academy and potentially face No. 7 Concord-Carlisle, a team they tied and beat in two regular season meetings. If Concord-Carlisle advances to the quarterfinals, a rematch with No. 2 Franklin — who they also tied in September — could be waiting. Further down the draw, tournament newcomers No. 10 Hopkinton face No. 23 Brookline, and No. 11 Natick, No. 12 Bishop Feehan, and No. 13 Attleboro loom as capable mid-seeds. Favorite: No. 1 Hingham Sleeper: No. 7 Masconomet Players to watch: Sydney Balewicz (Nashoba, So.), Mia Costa (King Philip, Jr.), Ryan Crook (Somerset Berkley, Jr.), Addie Finlaw (Somerset Berkley, Jr.), Ryan Hallisey (Hingham, Sr.), Meg Hourihan (Nashoba, Jr.), Emily Kiernan (Hingham, Sr.), Shannon Lane (Canton, Sr.), Mia Marques (Masconomet, Jr.), Ella Morgan (King Philip, Jr.), Julie Pacheco (Somerset Berkley, Jr.), Carolyn Schiavo (Canton, Sr.), Savannah Stevens (Masconomet, Sr.), Ella Vaught (Somerset Berkley, Sr.). Longest first-round road trip: No. 17 Agawam at No. 16 Milton — 102 miles; 1 hour, 42 minutes Overview: Hingham plays the winner of No. 32 Minnechaug vs. No. 33 Marblehead on Sunday before facing No. 16 Milton or No. 17 Agawam. The defending champions, No. 3 Somerset Berkley, could force a rematch with Harborwomen after defeating them in the semifinals last fall. No. 2 Nashoba’s path to the finals could face roadblocks from No. 15 Notre Dame Academy (Hingham), No. 8 Longmeadow, No. 11 Duxbury, and No. 7 Masconomet. Nashoba and Somerset Berkley could clash in the semifinals. No. 11 Duxbury will first encounter Patriot League rival Plymouth South, and with a win, could face No. 6 Longmeadow in the Round of 16. Other fierce second-round matchups could include: No. 8 Newburyport vs. No. 9 Reading and No. 4 Canton vs. last year’s runners-up No. 13 Norwood. Favorite: No. 1 Uxbridge Sleeper: No. 9 St. Mary’s Players to watch: Reese Bent (Dover-Sherborn, So.), Elyse Bissada (Dover-Sherborn, Sr.), Addie Blood (Uxbridge, Jr.), Amelia Blood (Uxbridge, Sr.), Julianna Casucci (Uxbridge, Jr.), Camdyn Driscoll (St. Mary’s, So.), Grace Gilligan (Hanover, Sr.), Avery Hadfield (Dover-Sherborn, Sr.), Ava Korisianos (St. Mary’s, Sr.), Ava Lamacchia (Watertown, Sr.), Brooke Malmquist (Medfield, Jr.), Kaylee Master (Watertown, Jr.), Olivia McCormick (Hanover, So.), Genna McDonald (Medfield, Sr.), Sophia Morgese (Lynnfield, So.), Cameron Munion (Lynnfield, Sr.), Sophia Nielson (Medway, So.), Quinn Jordan (Sandwich, Sr.), Khloe Schultz (Sandwich, Sr.), Sophia Setouhi (Watertown, Sr.). Longest first-round road trip: No. 24 Belchertown at No. 9 Saint Mary’s — 93.8 miles; 1 hour, 55 minutes Overview: Just like in the regular season, top-seeded Uxbridge is the team to beat. The Spartans could confront tough opponents early on, starting with No. 8 Scituate or No. 9 St. Mary’s in the quarterfinals, and possibly ending with the four-time defending champions, fifth-seeded Watertown, in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Sandwich could face Cape & Islands rival, No. 15 Falmouth, in the Round of 16 before moving on to play the winner of a possible No. 7 Hanover vs. No. 10 Lynnfield matchup. With the third seed, Dover-Sherborn could also play No. 6 Medway, a Tri-Valley opponent, in the quarterfinals. Falling from the second seed last year, Watertown could have a long road ahead of what would be a fifth-straight state title. They could face No. 12 Gloucester in the Round of 16, and possibly No. 4 Medfield and Uxbridge in the following rounds. Favorite: No. 1 Monomoy Sleeper: No. 4 Sutton Players to watch: Claire Acocelli (Sutton, Sr.), Abbie Allen (Ipswich, Sr.), Emery Cappallo (Monomoy, Jr.), Mia Curley (St. John Paul II, Sr.), Macy DeMaio (Frontier, Sr.), Abby Kent (Manchester Essex, Sr.), Grace Kiernan (Cohasset, Jr.), Haylee Krakowski (West Bridgewater, Jr.). Longest first-round road trip: No. 23 Smith Academy (Hatfield) will travel 170 miles to No. 10 St. John Paul II (Hyannis), roughly three hours. However, No. 1 Monomoy’s first-round opponent will also make a lengthy trip: Either No. 32 St. Paul (116 miles away) or No. 33 Gardner (139 miles). The bracket’s shortest first-round trip: No. 8 Manchester Essex vs. Cape Ann League foe No. 25 Triton, which is just a 17 mile trip down scenic Route 133 to Route 1. Overview: The 34-team bracket is chock-full of teams from the corners of the Commonwealth. They are all vying to be the first team other than Uxbridge to win the Division 4 title, given the four-time champion Spartans have moved up to D3 . . . Monomoy earned the top seed playing a robust nonleague schedule. The Sharks (12-5-1) have played many of the state’s best, including No. 2 Dennis-Yarmouth (13-5-1). Even with that schedule, Monomoy’s path back to the title game would not include a single team they have faced this season . . . Dennis-Yarmouth’s path to a title game would include a league foe: No. 10 St. John Paul II, which it swept this season . . . Longtime power Cohasset (12-3-1) earned the third seed, and will hope to go further than the quarterfinal this season, having lost to Monomoy in that round last year . . . Central Mass. stronghold Sutton (12-3-3), which fell to Monomoy in the semifinals last fall, is seeded fourth. The Suzies’ regular season schedule has been tough, preparing them well for the tournament.
