Catholic Memorial remembered the feeling of what happened in the Div. 2 state semifinals in 2023 and it served as motivation for the underclassmen.

The Knights dropped a season-opening contest to Cardinal Hayes of New York, then proceeded to run the table en route to the school’s third state title in four years. As a result, they richly deserve the title of Sweet 16 champion, one no one in their right mind can quarrel about.

King Philip, which saw its 25-game winning streak come to an end against Catholic Memorial in the Div. 2 final, landed in the second spot. The Hockomock League power never seems to be in a rebuilding mode, rather reloading, and that’s a tribute to head coach Brian Lee.

Xaverian was like the wily race jockey, holding his horse back until the stretch run. The Hawks lost four games, but when they needed to come up with big efforts, they came through and successfully defended their Div. 1 state title to end the season ranked third.

It was a memorable run for Needham, taking down Central Catholic and St. John’s Prep on its way to the Div. 1 state final. The senior class played a large part in putting the Rockets on the statewide map this season.

Rounding out the top five is Scituate. Herb Devine knew very early on that he had a special team and the results over the next 13 weeks bore itself out. The Sailors were capable of putting up big numbers but also showed they could play championship defense when the situation called for it.

Thanks to all for reading and following this space throughout the season. I generally enjoyed all the feedback, both positive and negative (though the preference was toward the positive) and hope everyone has a safe and healthy holiday season.

Final Sweet 16

1. Catholic Memorial (12-1): Regardless of what division they competed in, the Knights were the top dog in Massachusetts.

2. King Philip (12-1): Another terrific season for the Warriors, who put together a 25-game winning streak before losing in the Div. 2 state final.

3. Xaverian (9-4): As head coach Al Fornaro said in essence following the Div. 1 final, rumors of Xaverian’s demise were exaggerated.

4. Needham (12-1): What a great two-year run for the Rockets, a senior class that helped propel the school to unparalleled heights.

5. St. John’s Prep (10-2): Looking forward to seeing how much talented freshman quarterback Chris Vargas progresses over the summer.

6. Scituate (13-0): Sailors capped the perfect season by defeating the team that ended their 2023 season at Gillette Stadium.

7. Marshfield (10-2): Rams put together another solid season in reaching the Div. 2 state semifinals before bowing to King Philip again.

8. BC High (8-3): The program is clearly in good hands and ready to contend for a Catholic Conference title in 2025.

9. Natick (9-2): Good to see running back Sam Hubbard honored by the Bay State Conference after a terrific season.

10. Shawsheen (13-0): Banner year for the vocational school power, winning its second championship under Al Costabile.

11. North Attleboro (11-2): Red Rocketeers clearly saved their best game for last in the Div. 3 state championship.

12. Central Catholic (7-4): I am expecting the Raiders to be one of the teams to watch for in Div. 1 in 2025.

13. Methuen (9-2): It won’t be easy, correction impossible, to replace Shane Eason and all his contributions to the program.

14. Duxbury (10-3): Dragons did well to advance to the Div. 4 state final this season.

15. Wellesley (8-4): The final record looks better when one does a deep dive and checks out who the losses came to.

16. Mansfield (9-4): This wasn’t the way a red-hot Mansfield envisioned things happening at Gillette Stadium.

Catholic Memorial copped the top spot in the final Sweet 16 poll for the fourth time in five years with a 39-21 win over previously undefeated King Philip. Here is a look at the history of the Sweet 16 with past winners.

SWEET 16 HISTORY

1993 – Wellesley (11-0)

1994 – New Bedford (11-0)

1995 – Barnstable (11-0)

1996 – Mansfield (12-0)

1997 – St. John’s Prep (11-0)

1998 – Xaverian (10-0)

1999 – North Attleboro (11-0)

2000 – Norwood (12-0)

2001 – Everett (11-1)

2002 – Everett (12-0)

2003 – Everett (11-0)

2004 – Brockton (11-2)

2005 – Brockton (13-0)

2006 – Everett (12-0)

2007 – Everett (13-0)

2008 – BC High (11-1)

2009 – Xaverian (13-0)

2010 – Everett (12-0)

2011 – Everett (13-0)

2012 – Everett (11-1)

2013 – Mansfield (13-0)

2014 – Xaverian (12-0)

2015 – Xaverian (12-0)

2016 – Everett (10-2)

2017 – Everett (11-0)

2018 – North Andover (12-0)

2019 – St. John’s Prep (11-1)

2020 – Catholic Memorial (4-0)

2021 – Catholic Memorial (13-0)

2022 – Catholic Memorial (12-0)

2023 – Xaverian (11-2)

2024 – Catholic Memorial (12-1)