When Stoneham football coach Bob Almeida walked off Fred Green Memorial Field in Melrose on Sept. 29, he wondered: will we ever win a game?

For Almeida and the Spartans, September Sorrow has morphed into November Nirvana.

After an 0-4 start, Stoneham had four straight wins to earn a Div. 6 tournament berth. The 15th-seeded Spartans made the most of their second opportunity, hitting the road to knock off No. 2 Abington, 22-14.

“I give all the credit to the players and my assistant coaches, they stayed the course,” Almeida said. “We have two terrific captains (Matt Tran and Ty Baker) who have been very instrumental all season long. They are not the most demonstrative types, but they are the type of kids who know when something needs to be said and everyone listens.”

Almeida figured his team would suffer some growing pains. The Spartans graduated a large chunk of players from the 2022 team which advanced to the Div, 6 state championship game, so there were plenty of new faces in the lineup.

“I mean, we were starting three sophomores on the line and I don’t think they weigh 200 pounds,” Almeida said with a laugh. “We were killing ourselves with mistakes which we kind of expected. Every day, I would go to practice asking myself what we need to do to win.”

Things turned for the better in Week 5 when Stoneham broke through with a 44-0 win over Watertown, followed by a nailbiter over Wilmington. Solid wins over Burlington (41-32) and Wakefield (22-6) clinched a tourney bid.

Almeida knew the opening round matchup would not be easy as Abington also had plenty of incentive. The Green Wave’s Hall of Fame coach Jim Kelliher announced before the start of the season that his 50th year as head coach would be his last on the sideline.

That mattered little to a group of Stoneham players peaking at the right time.

“At this point, I told the kids that there is no pressure on us whatsoever,” Almeida said. “But I don’t know if the kids were wearing rose-colored glasses or what, but they were very confident. They really looked at this game as one they could win and didn’t think it would be an upset at all if they did.”

Tied 14-14 at the half, the only points of the second half came on a Kevin Gilmartin 2-yard TD run, followed by a conversion run from Sean Kilty. The defense bent at times down the stretch, but made the big plays when needed – something that was not happening for them in September.

“It was a great win for the kids, but we have to move,” said Almeida, whose team next travels to Bellingham for a quarterfinal matchup. “I really think that Div. 6 is one of the best divisions, there are a lot of really good teams in the tournament. It’s not going to be easy regardless of who you play.”

What is for certain is Stoneham is one of eight teams with a chance to take home a state title – something few thought was possible five short weeks ago.

SWEET 16

1. St. John’s Prep (9-0) – Eagles opened defense of their Div. 1 title with an easy win over Leominster.

2. Catholic Memorial (6-2) – Knights had little trouble with Cambridge.

3. Xaverian (7-2) – Hawks get another chance to exorcise some demons when they host Springfield Central.

4. King Philip (9-0) – Defense registers its fourth shutout of the season.

5. Milford (8-1) – Having dispatched one Hockomock League opponent in the tournament, Milford gets another one in North Attleboro.

6. Needham (8-1) – Should be a good quarterfinal matchup with Methuen.

7. Everett (8-1) – Not exactly the Crimson Tide’s best effort, but circumstances out of their control made it understandable.

8. Hanover (9-0) – The Scalzi Air Show overwhelmed yet another defense.

9. Duxbury (7-1) – Zach Falls is becoming a big problem for opposing defenses.

10. Methuen (7-2) – No opening night tourney jitters for the Rangers.

11. Andover (8-1) – Defense turned in its best performance of the season.

12. Foxboro (8-1) – Solid tournament opening night victory over Wilmington.

13. Billerica (8-1) – Indians survive a major scare against Plymouth South to advance to the Div. 3 quarterfinals.

14. Marshfield (7-2) – Points were not a problem for the Rams’ offense Friday night.

15. Mansfield (6-3) – Six straight double-figure wins for the Hornets.

16. BC High (6-3) – Eagles get a second crack at a St. John’s Prep team which had its way with them two weeks ago.

ON THE BENCH: Barnstable (8-1), Weymouth (7-2), Dartmouth (9-0), Walpole (6-3), Milton (6-3), Scituate (6-3), Lincoln-Sudbury (7-2), Bishop Feehan (7-1), Peabody (9-0), Winchester (8-1), Shawsheen (8-0), Norwell (8-1), Carver (9-0).