The 2025 football delivered, to put it simply.

Many were wondering if Xaverian could win its third consecutive state title in a loaded Div. 1 field. The Hawks (11-2) stumbled out of the gate, but found their footing in Catholic Conference play.

The school embarked on a nine-game winning streak. This included a buzzer-beating 25-22 victory over Catholic Memorial (Oct. 17). They captured their first league title since 2018 by defeating St. John’s Prep on Thanksgiving (a wild 21-18 victory). One week later, Xaverian completed the three-peat with a 41-35 win over the same Eagles to claim the Super Bowl crown. Will Wood (five touchdowns passing) and UMass commit Dave Chiavegato (three touchdowns receiving) tied MIAA championship records.

“It had only been done twice (before),” Fornaro said following his team’s three-peat. “Everett, and Xaverian twice – ‘94, ‘95, ‘96, and whatever this (round) is, ‘23, ‘24 and ‘25.”

“I’ve made this comment before, it’s like asking a mom who her favorite child is,” Fornaro said when asked to compare the two installments. “This is really, really good, because we just played (St. John’s Prep) 10 days ago. That’s difficult. Two years ago, we played them five days later.”

Catholic Memorial (10-2) entered with high expectations. The Knights stampeded through the Div. 2 tournament en route to their second straight Super Bowl title (outscoring opponents 137-14 in the postseason). The program defeated Bishop Feehan to take home its fourth championship in five years. It was the 17th state title for John DiBiaso in his head coaching career.

“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.”

Earlier this fall, King Philip coach Brian Lee took some of his players on a trip to Noon Hill in nearby Medfield. At its peak was a picturesque view of Gillette Stadium.

“Some coaches say you’re not supposed to talk about winning,” Lee said after a playoff win. “But we looked at Gillette, and we said: ‘We’re going back. It’s going to be your work ethic. It’s your team now, and your time to go. You’re the ones up.’ ”

The Warriors completed a perfect season (13-0), capping things off with their first state title in the Div. 3 ranks with a 21-10 win over Hockomock League rival North Attleboro. It was the fourth Super Bowl title for the school since 2016. Keigan Canto-Osorio (103 yards rushing, touchdown) was a catalyst in the victory.

Following a perfect 2024 campaign, Scituate lost most of its key starters. Yet, the Sailors rattled off multiple dramatic Div. 4 playoff victories, and found themselves right back at 1 Patriot Place on Dec. 6, vying for the state championship against an unbeaten Tewksbury team. They proved the doubters wrong, as Jonny Donovan fired a game-winning 15-yard touchdown strike to Miller Shea with 16 seconds left to deliver the Sailors (11-2) a memorable 42-41 win. It was the fourth Super Bowl championship for Herb Devine’s program since 2018.

“The team we had last year, we had a lot of guys,” Devine said. “They were a bunch of dudes, so we had multiple weapons. This team, if you saw us play in August and September, when you have a lot of guys that weren’t playing, and now they’re starters? It took time. We weren’t a machine at all, and it took time. I give credit to our coaches and our players who continued grinding. … As playoff football started, we got healthy, and then we started to play some pretty damn good football.”

Shawsheen (13-0) completed its second straight perfect season, extending the state’s longest active winning streak to 27 games. Led by Jake Banda, Adam Caruso and Dyllon Pratt, the Rams claimed their second straight Div. 5 Super Bowl title with a 14-7 win over Foxboro.

“Well, I think people will look at us a little differently and certainly realize last year wasn’t a fluke,” said Shawsheen coach Al Costabile. “To do it back to back and to do it with some different people in the forefront after losing that senior class, three starting offensive linemen. You know, that’s a tough thing to replace. And this is the strongest team I’ve ever coached. The strongest team and that’s their hard work.”

After coming up short in the Div. 6 Super Bowl in 2024, Fairhaven (12-1) returned to the mountaintop with a 28-14 victory over top-seeded Norwell. Senior running backs Ian Alexion (182 yard rushing, two touchdowns) and Grant Darmofal (192 yards rushing, two touchdowns) propelled the Blue Devils to their second state title since 2023. When the season concluded, Derek Almeida was selected as the New England Patriots Coach of the Year.

“We did it with a special group of kids,” Almeida said. “I think that’s the memory you take away – the relationships. This group of kids, I’m very close to. They’re likeable kids. They work hard, and they deserve it. Some groups you have, they’re talented but they don’t have the work ethic. This group is good at football, they care about each other, and they worked really hard to get here.”

It would be tough to top the run Cohasset enjoyed in 2025. Senior Gus Greene made historic strides for the Skippers (11-2). The running back broke off a game-clinching 42-yard touchdown rush to deliver his team the Div. 7 Super Bowl title (22-14 victory over Amesbury). During his final game, Greene eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing this season. It was the first championship for Pete Afanasiw’s group since 2021.

“These guys are so resilient,” Afanasiw said after the win. “They’re so physically and mentally tough. Not only that, they’re best friends. They’ve been together their whole lives. We only have 89, 90 kids in the senior class. The junior class as well, they’re small classes. They’re like best friends.”

Jon Marshall has done an outstanding job in his tenure at Randolph. Since his arrival, the Blue Devils have won two Div. 8 Super Bowls, the latest coming Dec. 4 (21-0 victory over West Boylston) to finish a perfect season (12-0). Senior Mekhi White rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown in the state final.

“Really, this whole process started about a year ago, when we walked off this field not getting the result we wanted,” said Marshall. “It wasn’t about revenge. It’s a good, good team, and I don’t think revenge is a value we teach young men. We talk about ourselves, and being better ourselves. We talk about our word, which is redemption. We just wanted to prove that we could be better ourselves.”