There will be a lot on the line for the Franklin Tech football team when it hosts Ware on Friday night.
The game will essentially be for the Intercounty League North title, as the Eagles (5-1, 3-0) and Ware (6-0, 3-0) are tied for first place with a two-game lead and two games to go.
And by the looks of it, it’ll be Franklin Tech’s best case to secure a spot in the postseason.
The Eagles came in at No. 17 in the latest MIAA Div. 8 power rankings, which were released on Tuesday. With only the top 16 making it to the dance, and with Ware ranked No. 6 in the Div. 8 field, a win would go a long way toward locking up a spot.
As it stands going into the final two regular season games, there are the no Recorder area team in the football postseason. Athol (3-3, 1-2) is ranked No. 19, Frontier (2-4, 0-3) comes in at No. 24, Mahar (3-3, 1-2) is ranked No. 25 and Greenfield (1-5, 0-3) is on the outside looking in at No. 36.
It’s been the Eagles defense that has put them in position to take home a league title on Friday.
Franklin Tech has given up just 10.3 points-per-game through its opening six games of the season, with shutout wins over McCann Tech and Palmer.
That defense will be put to the test on Friday. Since the 2020 COVID-19 season, when the realignment went into place to establish the Intercounty League North, Ware has yet to lose a league game, going 5-0 to win titles in both 2021 and 2022.
Through six games this year, Ware has looked like a team on a mission to three-peat. So far Ware has outscored its opponents 156-40, with its defense coming up with shutout wins against Easthampton, Drury, Greenfield and Mahar. And despite losing quarterback John Auchter last year, Ware has been just as effective offensively to date.
• Elsewhere, the stakes will also be high at the Woodward Complex on Friday, when Athol heads to Orange to take on the Sens.
The Bears and Mahar began playing a regular season game in addition to the Turkey Day game in 2016, and in that time, there hasn’t been a regular season matchup between the historic rivals where both teams had a .500 record or better, adding to the intrigue.
Greenfield is hoping to end a four-game skid when it travels to Palmer on Thursday, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. The Panthers (1-5, 1-2) are ranked No. 41.
Down in the Intercounty League South, it looks like it’ll be Hoosac Valley’s title to lose.
The Hurricanes, ranked No. 4 in the Div. 8 field, are an unbeaten 6-0 on the season and have gone 3-0 in league play. Hoosac takes on Easthampton — which is 4-2 overall, 2-1 in the league and ranked No. 21 in Div. 7 — on Friday. A win, and a Belchertown loss to Commerce, would clinch the league title for the Hurricanes. If the Orioles are able to win, Hoosac would need to beat Lee the following week to secure the title outright.
Belchertown (4-1, 2-1) is playing its best football of late, coming off a 41-14 drubbing of the Eagles last Friday. The Orioles are currently in the mix to earn a spot in the Div. 5 playoffs, ranked No. 16.
Commerce (3-3, 1-2) sits at No. 25 in the Div. 7 rankings while Lee — which travels to South Deerfield Friday to take on the Redhawks — is ranked No. 18 in the Div. 8 field. The Wildcats sit at 3-3 overall and 1-2 in league play.
In Tuesday’s rankings, plenty of Recorder area teams are positioned to make runs at a state title.
That starts over at Frontier, where the defending state champion Redhawks volleyball team (11-5) is ranked No. 4 in the Div. 4 field. In boys soccer, Frontier (12-1) has been on the doorsteps of a state title the last two years and it looks like it’ll be in the mix again. The Hawks are No. 4 in the Div. 4 field as of Tuesday.
Sticking on the volleyball court, the Div. 5 field looks like it’ll be full of Recorder area teams. Turners Falls (15-2) is ranked No. 4, Mohawk Trail (10-4) comes in at No. 13, Franklin Tech (12-5) is ranked No. 15 while Athol (7-9) is in the top 32 at No. 23. Pioneer (4-9) is just outside the field at No. 34.
Frontier isn’t the only local school with a boys soccer team ranked in the top five. Athol (12-2) has had a big turnaround this fall and comes in at No. 5 in the Div. 5 rankings.
Mahar (9-2) isn’t far behind in the Div. 5 field, ranked No. 13. Greenfield (9-4) comes in at No. 37, though its .500 record will earn it an automatic bid. Pioneer (8-6-1) and Turners (5-2-1) are in similar positions, the Thunder ranked No. 45 and the Panthers ranked No. 48, but strong finishes can assure they both hit the .500 mark. Franklin Tech (3-10-1) is just on the outside looking in, ranked No. 35.
On the girls soccer pitch, Frontier (6-7-1) is just outside the Div. 4 top 32, ranked No. 33. None of the Recorder area teams are in the top 32 in the Div. 5 rankings, though Athol (11-1-1, No. 40) has locked up a spot with its .500 record. Mahar (4-7-1, No. 36), Franklin Tech (7-4-2, No. 41), Pioneer (5-5, No. 48) and Greenfield (5-7-1, No. 54) will likely need .500 records to get in.
Frontier (6-6-4, No. 13), Greenfield (6-5-3, No. 15) and Franklin Tech (11-1-1, No. 27) all look like they’re secure in the Div. 4 field hockey bracket.