“It never gets old. You could play this game 1,000 times and it would never feel the same.”

Those were the words of Xaverian defensive end and Boston College commit Dominic Funke following his team’s 41-35 Div. 1 state championship win over rival St. John’s Prep. This was the third straight state championship for the Hawks, but these words showed how the feeling of hoisting the Agganis Trophy at the end of the season never gets stale.

On the losing side of that one was an Eagles team that had looked promising all season. They carried an undefeated record into Thanksgiving before dropping two consecutive games to the Hawks to end their season without any hardware.

Still, head coach Brian St. Pierre was proud of the way his team bounced back after falling down 27-7 in the first half and still managed to make it within a few inches of potentially winning a state championship.

“We challenged them at halftime that ‘you have to show you’re character, show what you are made of,’ ” St. Pierre said. “They did that and then some in the second half.”

The Division 2 championship game saw Catholic Memorial claim the top spot for the fourth time in five seasons, and gave head coach John DiBiaso the 17th title in his coaching career. This achievement came from a Knights team that dropped its two games against the Div. 1 finalists but put up statement victories throughout Div. 2 portion of the tournament.

“The fact that they were resilient enough (stands out),” said DiBiaso. “We lost those two tough Catholic Conference games. Very easily, attitudes could have really changed, but they didn’t. We remained focused, we got into the playoffs, and we took it one week at a time.”

The Division 3 title game saw the winners of the two divisions of the Hockomock League, King Philip and North Attleboro, face off for supremacy. King Philip would emerge victorious, 21-10, in its fifth straight trip to Gillette.

While North Attleboro couldn’t claim a second consecutive championship, head coach Mike Strachan said his team’s run after losing a lot of production from the 2024 team and entering the tournament as a No. 7 seed showed how much his team improved.

“They grew all season,” Strachan said. “We were very proud of what they did and how we got back here. It’s really hard to get back here.”

Perhaps the best game of the weekend came in Div. 4, where Scituate scored a go-ahead touchdown with 16 seconds left to claim a 42-41 victory over previously undefeated Tewksbury.

“I thought our guys played hard. I thought we did a lot of good things. I thought we kept them off balance on defense. They made more plays than we did. They were able to defend our receivers better than we’ve defended theirs,” Tewksbury head coach Brian Aylward. “Our guys fought hard because they are Tewksbury kids. They are proud of their town.”

Scituate produced 401 total yards and reclaimed the Div. 4 title for a second consecutive season, even if it looked dire at times against a tough Redmen team.

“The second time around it’s special, but we’ve been here before,” Scituate running back Grayson Foley said. “We stayed calm. We did what we needed to do.”

The Div. 5 title game saw Shawsheen Tech claim a second consecutive championship victory over Foxboro and extend its winning streak to 27 games, dating back to the 2023 season.

“You know, we all dig deep,” Shawsheen wide receiver Dyllon Pratt said. “We’re all, we’re all blue collar guys, you know? We dig deep in the trenches, work all week, all the hard work you put in, put in all over the summer – it just all came together and we ended just like this.”

The Div. 6 championship featured a Norwell team that was playing at Gillette Stadium for the first time in program history and a Fairhaven team that was playing in its third consecutive title game. In the end, experience made the difference and allowed Fairhaven to avenge last season’s loss in the championship game

“After I left this field last year, it’s been a goal of mine to make it back here and show what we can do,” Running back Ian Alexion said after the Blue Devils’ 28-14 win. “We really worked hard, and we really came together as a team, and that is what got us here.”

The Div. 7 championship game was the only one that didn’t feature a returning team from the 2024 Super Bowl. Cohasset topped Amesbury 22-14, and one of the biggest accomplishments came from running back Gus Greene, whose 131 yards in the championship game helped him eclipse 2,000 rushing yards on the season.

“Football is one of the biggest parts of my life,” Greene said. “When I’m playing (in this) game, it’s bittersweet. It’s the most emotional game ever. It’s the most emotional thing I’ve ever been through. It’s built on ups and downs. Finishing it off with that? 2,000 yards doesn’t mean anything; I just wanted to be with my team. I don’t care how we won, I just wanted to win.”

The Div. 8 championship game saw Randolph end West Boylston’s reign at the top with a 21-0 victory. Running back Mekhi White said the achievement allowed him and his teammates to end their high school careers on the best possible note.

“I just think over my past few years of high school, I’ve built a brotherhood with my teammates,” White said. “I’d say football is one of the best seasons ever. I also do track, but football is one of the best. We’re always bonding … and that really builds our chemistry.”