The state tournament is officially here.
The MIAA announced the brackets for its hockey and basketball state tournaments on Saturday, with a plethora of Recorder area schools earning spots in the field.
The Pioneer boys basketball team is the highest-seeded local squad, as the Western Mass. Class D champions enter as the No. 4 seed in the Div. 5 field. Pioneer earns a bye to the Round of 32 and awaits the winner between No. 29 Keefe Tech and No. 36 Boston Prep Charter, which face off in the preliminary round.
Greenfield earned the No. 12 seed in the Div. 5 field and will host No. 53 St. Mary’s in the preliminary round on Monday at 6 p.m. The winner of that contest will take on the victor between No. 21 Duggan and No. 44 Prospect Hill in the Round of 32.
Athol will be on the road for the preliminary round, as the No. 37 Bears travel to take on No. 28 Hull on Monday at 6 p.m.. The winner of that contest takes on No. 5 Maynard, the defending Div. 5 champs, in the Round of 32.
Both the Mahar and Frontier boys will be on the road in the preliminary round of the Div. 4 tournament. The Senators drew the No. 33 seed and will face off against No. 32 Winthrop on the road. That winner earns the right to face top-seeded Wareham in the Round of 32.
The Redhawks won their two non-playoff games to lock up a spot in the tournament, where they’re seeded No. 36. They’ll be traveling to Haverhill to take on No. 29 Whittier Tech in the preliminary round, with the winner scheduled to face No. 4 Bourne.
In the girls’ tournament, Frontier earned the No. 23 seed in the Div. 4 field and a bye into the Round of 32, where it’ll take on No. 10 Millbury on the road.
Mahar is the No. 26 seed in the Div. 4 bracket and will host No. 39 Pioneer Valley Christian in the preliminary round. The winner of that game will travel to No. 7 Littleton in the Round of 32.
Franklin Tech, Pioneer and Turners all qualified in the Div. 5 field, with the Eagles the top-seeded side of the group coming in ranked No. 17. Tech earned a bye into the Round of 32, where it will head out to Fitchburg to face off against No. 16 St. Bernard’s.
Pioneer and Turners will both play preliminary games, the Panthers hosting theirs while the Thunder head on the road. Pioneer comes in at No. 32 and will host No. 33 Salem Academy, with the winner getting the right to face No. 1 Millis.
Turners is seeded No. 35 and will play at No. 30 Renaissance, with the winner heading to No. 3 Sutton.
On the ice, Western Mass. Class C champion Greenfield drew the No. 24 seed and will face off against No. 8 Stoneham on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Stoneham Arena in the Round of 32.