Marshfield leads the way as this season begins, but also watch out for Xaverian Brothers, Everett, St. John's Prep and Holliston in the Massachusetts #MaxPrepsFab5.
Video: Junior season highlights
Watch highlights of Marshfield quarterback Jack Masterson last season.2015 Massachusetts Preseason Football Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard
1. MarshfieldCoach: Lou Silva
2014 finish: 12-1
Team previewAfter opening the 2014 season with a loss, Marshfield rallied to win the final 12 games of its season and captured a Division 2 MIAA state championship. The road to defending the title will be led by returning senior quarterback
Jack Masterson. Masterson will be set up nicely with
Shane Leonard anchoring the offensive line and tight end
Danny Dalton, who has committed to Penn State, as the top receiving target. Coach Silva loses his top two tacklers from last year, but
Freddy Allen comes off a nice junior season and should be poised to lead the defensive unit.
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2. Xaverian Brothers (Westwood)Coach: Charles Stevenson
2014 finish: 12-0
Team preview
Xaverian Brothers won a Super Bowl title last season.
Photo by Mike Braca
The Hawks are set to defend their Division 1 super bowl championship from a season ago, but the path won't be an easy one. Coach Stevenson loses some major contributors to graduation and will be tasked with filling those holes. Senior wide receiver and defensive back
Coby Tippett will give the team a reliable option on both sides of the ball.
An opening-day contest with Everett marks a rematch of last year's title game and has all the makings of being an exciting tilt.
See the MaxPreps Massachusetts football photos page3. EverettCoach: John DiBiaso
2014 finish: 9-2
Team previewThe only two losses the team suffered last season were to the Xaverian Brothers. Leading the charge for the Crimson Tide this fall will be
Jordan McAfee and
Jj Colimon, who check in at quarterback and defensive end, respectively. McAfee enters his junior year and may be the state's top player in the Class of 2017.
Everett plays host to the Hawks to open their season and the game could set the tone for Crimson Tide season.
See last season's Massachusetts football computer rankings
4. St. John's Prep (Danvers)Coach: Brian St. Pierre
2014 finish: 8-3
Team previewFirst-year head coach Brian St. Pierre set the bar high in 2014, leading his team to the regional finals and ultimately losing a heartbreaker to Everett. Like others, the Eagles lost some key pieces to graduation but they have all the looks of being even better in coach St. Pierre's second season at the helm. Quarterback
Oliver Eberth returns to run the show on offense in his final ride on the gridiron. Matchups against Division 1's finest in Everett and Xaverian Brothers will be great tests for this rising team.
See the MaxPreps Massachusetts football playoff brackets5. HollistonCoach: Todd Kiley
2014 finish: 12-1
Team previewThe loss of quarterback Nick Athy will be a tough one for Holliston after Athy posted over 1,000 yards both passing and rushing last season. The strong point for the Panthers this season may be on the defensive side of the ball. Led by a pair of juniors,
Sam Athy and
Sam Ratcliffe, coach Kiley's defense has the makings to be a stingy one. Ratcliffe will likely contribute on the offensive side of the ball as well. Replacing the production of Nick Athy will be quite the task, but a tough defense could make the difference for the Panthers this fall.
