Mike Vaughan’s program is no stranger to the MIAA State Tournament.
Once again, Mansfield is one of the premier contenders to bring home a state championship as the Hornets enter the Div. 2 tournament as the No. 5 seed. Courtesy of stars Devaun Sanders and Trevor Foley, Mansfield begins its tournament run having won seven straight games.
“The road doesn’t matter,” Vaughan said. “When you start worrying about that you’re like a fish swimming up water. We really chip away at this one game at a time. It’s fun to look at future matchups and potential rematches, but our focus is right what’s in front of us.”
The Hornets fell in last year’s final to two-time defending state champion Malden Catholic. The Lancers are the No. 1 seed in the Div. 2 tournament buoyed by a strong schedule and superstar Matt Gaffney. A matchup in the state quarterfinals with No. 8 Holyoke would be one to watch. Somerset Berkley and its high octane offense enter the tournament scoring nearly 75 points per game. Leominster and No. 3 Pope Francis are threats. The Patriot League tandem of No. 15 Scituate and No. 22 Whitman-Hanson are both capable of reaching the state semifinals.
Worcester North took home the Div. 1 crown a year ago and are the odds-on favorites to win it this year.
Elsewhere, No. 2 Catholic Memorial has freshman star Josiah Adamson but will face either a dangerous Needham or Taunton team if it advances past the first round. Third-seeded Franklin ran through the Hockomock League. No. 4 North Andover has the benefit of experience having reached the state semifinal a year along with Boston Herald Dream-Teamer Zach Wolinski. BC High defeated the Rockets and No. 7 Central Catholic down the stretch and was rewarded with two home games if it can handle business.
Cambridge, Newton North, and Attleboro are all teams worth keeping an eye on. The Tigers have one of the best pure scorers in the tournament in Teagan Swint.
Charlestown won the IAABO Board 27 Comcast and Boston City League Tournaments to enter the Div. 3 state tournament as the team to beat.
Jaylen Hunter-Coleman and Jaylin Williams-Crawford will make Charlestown a tough out, but Old Rochester has shown it can take down tough competition by beating the likes of Bourne and Somerset Berkley during the season. No. 3 Pittsfield has strong guard play in Nunu Brown and Malachi Perry but could have a tough quarterfinal matchup with No. 14 Watertown.
If chalk holds, Norwell and Taconic would be an intriguing state quarterfinal game, though the Rangers may be in for a tough matchup with No. 13 Pembroke in the Round of 16.
Wareham will have to navigate a loaded Div. 4 field if it hopes to repeat as state champions.
Along with the Vikings, the other top six seeds are all capable of being the last team standing. Second seed Bourne holds a win over Wareham and has guard Leo Andrade along with star forwards Nate Reynolds and Mike Dankert. Monument Mountain enters the postseason undefeated. Millbury holds wins over Div. 2 favorite Malden Catholic and fellow Div. 4 contender Burke. Speaking of the Bulldogs, Jaeden Roberts and Jaeshawn Rogers give them plenty of star power to win a title.
Burke is the only team to defeat No. 5 Manchester-Essex. The Hornets have a strong inside-out scoring combination in guard Cade Furse and center Eddie Chareas. Seventh-seeded Clinton and No. 13 New Heights Charter are both sleepers.
Top seed Hoosac Valley and No. 2 New Mission are the primary contenders in Div. 5.
Elsewhere, No. 4 Maynard is no stranger to the big stage. One team to watch is No. 7 Holbrook. If the Bulldogs hold serve, a state quarterfinal with the aforementioned Titans would draw interest.
DIV. 1
CHAMPION: Worcester North
RUNNER-UP: BC High
SLEEPER: Taunton
FINAL FOUR: Worcester North, Catholic Memorial, BC High, North Andover
BEST FIRST ROUND MATCH: Natick at Waltham
POTENTIAL UPSET: Taunton over Needham
DIV. 2
CHAMPION: Malden Catholic
RUNNER-UP: Leominster
SLEEPER: Whitman-Hanson
FINAL FOUR: Malden Catholic, Leominster, Pope Francis, Somerset Berkley
BEST FIRST ROUND MATCH: Stoughton at Canton
POTENTIAL UPSET: Whitman-Hanson over Burlington
DIV. 3
CHAMPION: Charlestown
RUNNER-UP: Old Rochester
SLEEPER: East Boston
FINAL FOUR: Charlestown, Old Rochester, Pittsfield, Norwell
BEST FIRST ROUND MATCH: Dedham at Apponequet
POTENTIAL UPSET: None
DIV. 4
CHAMPION: Bourne
RUNNER-UP: Wareham
SLEEPER: New Heights Charter
FINAL FOUR: Bourne, Wareham, Manchester-Essex, Burke
BEST FIRST ROUND MATCH: Cathedral/Mystic Valley winner at Monomoy
POTENTIAL UPSET: Carver over Nantucket
DIV. 5
CHAMPION: Hoosac Valley
RUNNER-UP: Holbrook
SLEEPER: Hopedale
FINAL FOUR: Hoosac Valley, Holbrook, Pioneer Valley, Maynard
BEST FIRST ROUND MATCH: Ware at Tahanto
POTENTIAL UPSET: Boston Prep over Monson