What are the Top 3 high school football playoff games to watch in Week 10?
One round down, three more to go as we head into the Elite 8 (also known as quarterfinals) of the statewide playoff format. There are still nine teams from MetroWest and Greater Milford alive in the postseason and at least one team will move on to the final four in their respective division.
More: Journey to Gillette: The Daily News' Week 10 high school football schedule
Without further ado, here are the Top 3 games to watch this weekend.
D2: No. 7 Natick (8-1) at No. 2 Milford (7-2), Thursday, 6 p.m.
Moved up a day to Thursday due to expected inclement weather, this matchup is a rematch of the Week 3 classic between these two teams in which the Scarlet Hawks came away with an epic 28-27 victory. Redhawks coach Mark Mortarelli opted to go for two and the win following a last-second touchdown as time expired, but Milford hung on for the win.
That setback in Week 3 was the only loss of the season for Natick, and the Redhawks will be looking for revenge Thursday night. Since that game, Natick has won seven games in a row, outscoring opponents 245-110 and averaging over 40 points per game over that span.
The rematch should be another instant classic that comes down to the wire once again.
More: Milford and Natick stage an instant high school football classic
D1: No. 8 Methuen (7-2) at No. 1 Franklin (8-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Franklin cruised to a 42-6 win over No. 16 Braintree last week as the Panthers continued to "Row the Boat" in its quest for a state championship.
Methuen is coming off a three-point win over No. 9 Everett, a perennial power. The Rangers (7-2) average 26.3 points per game and have allowed 22.3 ppg.
The Franklin offense, led by quarterback Jared Arone, is averaging 30 ppg and allowing just 10 ppg. The average margin of victory for the Panthers has been 20 ppg.
More: Franklin High football defeats Hockomock League foe Milford to keep perfect record intact
D5: No. 11 Hudson (8-1) at No. 3 Bishop Fenwick (7-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Hudson's resurgence season continued last week with a win over No. 6 Austin Prep, and the game wasn't all that close as the Hawks (8-1) cruised to a 27-6 victory.
What makes this run even more surprising is that it's been freshman quarterback Jake Attaway leading the way for Hudson. Will the Hawks underdog story continue beyond this week?
It will be tough as they take on a Bishop Fenwick team that demolished Maynard/AMSA last week, 49-14. The Crusaders have outscored opponents this season 296-125 (32.9-13.9).
The Hawks, on the other hand, have averaged to score 28.8 ppg (259) and have given up an average of 13.6 ppg (122).
More: Hudson freshman Jake Attaway starts at quarterback, carries on family legacy on gridiron
What else to watch?
On Friday, fifth-seeded Lincoln-Sudbury travels to No. 4 Marshfield in Division 2 and No. 8 Ashland travels to top-seeded Scituate in Div. 4. In Div. 6, No. 6 Medway travels to the North Shore to take on No. 3 St. Mary's of Lynn at Manning Field with a 6 p.m. kickoff. Also, No. 8 Blackstone Valley Tech travels to Melrose to take on top-seeded Stoneham (6:30 p.m.).
On Saturday in Div. 5, No. 7 Dover-Sherborn travels to take on No. 2 Swampscott at noon.
Ethan Winter is a senior multimedia sports journalist at the Daily News. He can be reached at ewinter@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @EWints.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: The top 3 high school football playoff games to watch in Week 10
