The quest for statewide supremacy begins for Franklin Country field hockey teams this week. On Tuesday morning, the MIAA revealed the brackets for all four divisions.
Unless noted, exact dates and times for each contest have yet to be determined. Higher seeds host all games until the state semifinals, where the MIAA selects neutral locations.
The highest seed in the region is No. 5 Frontier, who will host a game against No. 28 Stoneham in South Deerfield in the Round of 32 of the Division 4 bracket. The Red Hawks play Saturday at 2 p.m.
There is area for improvement for Frontier heading into the state tournament. The Red Hawks fell in the Western Mass. Class A final to Longmeadow.
“We can play more as one,” Frontier coach Missy Mahar said after the Class A final game. “We could play more as a team in our counter attacks. At times people try to do it on their own. That can make it very challenging. Just playing more cohesive as one unit.”
The Spartans finished their regular season with a record of 1-11-6. Should the Red Hawks advance, they would play the winner of No. 12 Seekonk and No. 21 Carver.
Also in Division 4, No. 17 Greenfield (8-9-1) faces a trip to No. 16 Lunenburg in the Round of 32. The Blue Knights are undefeated (12-0-4) heading into postseason play and were the only undefeated team in Central Mass.
Should Greenfield advance, they would likely play the top-seed in the tournament. No. 1 Monomoy awaits the winner of a preliminary game between No. 32 Saint Paul Diocesan and No. 33 Gardner.
The Green Wave had an up and down season, but have rounded into form at the best possible time. The Green Wave play at 3:30 pm on Friday.
“We are a pretty small team,” Greenfield head coach Erin Thayer said. “But the past three weeks have probably been the best three weeks of our season. They’ve really come into their own. The teamwork I am seeing on the field is the best. The atmosphere is great. The teamwork is great. It’s finally all coming together.”
In the Division 3 bracket, Franklin Tech made the preliminary round field with its record of 10-8-1. No. 35 Franklin Tech travels to No. 30 Bellingham. The Blackhawks finished their season with a 2-17 record under first year coach Kerry Cowell.
With a victory, the Eagles would face No. 3 Dover-Sherborn in the Round of 32.
