Div. 4 overview

A couple of years ago, Concord-Carlisle rolled to the Dual County League Small title and parlayed that success into a Super Bowl title. Could fellow DCL Small foe Bedford take the same route? The Buccaneers feature a talented backfield tandem of Olan Abner and Bob McDonald and they’ll run behind a line consisting of returnees Bill Eliason, Mike Hayes and Ryan Clasby.

The toughest challenges figure to come from a pair of Cape Ann League teams. Lynnfield returns some talent from a team that advanced to the Div. 3A Super Bowl year ago, while Hamilton-Wenham brings back a quartet of league all-stars. In fact, the CAL pool of contenders can easily extend down to Amesbury, North Reading and Newburyport, turning Div. 4 North into a pseudo CAL Invitational.

In the South, it’s safe to say the power here lies in the Tri-Valley League. Holliston, Westwood and Medway will be among the contenders to capture the inaugural title. Holliston and Westwood have sampled the postseason fruits in recent years, while Medway returns some key personnel on the offensive line as well as in the backfield.

Paul Funk has done a spectacular job in breathing life into a once-struggling Dennis-Yarmouth program. While he may not have the powerhouse squad he had two years ago, no one should take these Dolphins lightly. Apponequet won seven games a year ago and have many players back, while Foxboro is Foxboro.