Foxboro has been here before, but the Warriors are looking for a little more.

Standing in the way of Foxboro and a berth in the Div. 5 state championship game is a Shawsheen Tech team looking for some redemption of its own. These teams meet in a state semifinal contest Friday evening at Assabet Valley.

Foxboro appeared in the Div. 4 semifinals in each of the last two seasons, losing to Duxbury in 2021 (38-21) and Grafton last season (21-12). The second-seeded Warriors (9-1) enter the contest on a roll, having allowed one touchdown in their last four games since a hard-fought 13-7 loss to undefeated King Philip.

“I guess we’ve been the bridesmaids, but not the bride the last two years,” said Foxboro coach Jack Martinelli, who recently won his 300th game. “There is no better teacher than experience, so they know about playing in this game.”

Shawsheen (9-0) was able to get to Gillette last year, losing 44-28 to North Reading. Many of those same players who were on the field a year ago are back, led by standout quarterback Sidney Tildsley.

“Having played there last year is such a big help in many ways,” Shawsheen coach Al Costabile said. “You just can’t create that type of pressure and atmosphere in practice.”

Costabile has seen enough of Foxboro to know getting past the Warriors will require a maximum effort.

“Foxboro is a big, powerful team with an excellent coach. They are the most balanced team we’ve seen so far,” Costabile said. “They can run the ball, they can throw the ball and they have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.”

Shawsheen hasn’t been a shrinking violet either. The closest games they Rams had all season was a season-opening 21-7 win over Bedford, followed by a 21-6 triumph over Middlesex Liberty champion Belmont.

“They are a very good team with a lot of tough, confident kids,” Martinelli said. “They have a lot of speed in the skill positions, the quarterback (Tildsley) is the head of the snake and we are going to have to find a way to contain him.”

Elsewhere on state semifinal weekend, Xaverian and St. John’s Prep are on a collision course to potentially meet twice (Thanksgiving and the Div. 1 state championship), but both will have to overcome worthy competitors. St. John’s Prep faces Andover, while Xaverian takes on a dangerous Needham squad.

Catholic Memorial’s quest for a three-peat in Div. 2 continues as the Knights take on Marshfield. Fresh off a wild 39-31 win over Mansfield, Walpole faces another worthy Hockomock League foe in Milford in a Div. 3 semifinal.

Franklin’s Brendan Larivee (2) and Julian Rampino (8) tackle Duxbury runner Alex Barlow during the first half of a regular-season game. Duxbury will face Tewksbury in a Division 4 state semifinal. (Photo by Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)

Patriot League perennial contenders Duxbury and Scituate are one game closer to a rematch at Gillette for the Div. 4 state title. Duxbury faces Tewksbury, while Scituate takes on Grafton.

Several local teams will be competing in the NEPSAC Bowls on Saturday. Belmont Hill hosts Deerfield Academy in the Danny Smith Bowl, Dexter Southfield travels to Hamden Hall in the Joe Lang Bowl, BB&N visits Tabor in the John Papas Bowl, the Bob Souza Bowl pits Rivers at Pingree and St. Paul’s visits Lawrence Academy in the Kevin Macdonald Bowl.