After his team’s victory over BC High a few weeks ago, Central Catholic coach Mark Dunham said something that caught my ear. He was talking about how excited he is about his young group, and he steered into another thought.
“I think that this year we’re really excited because it doesn’t seem like there’s a dominant team in Division 1,” Dunham said.
It’s a fair observation. Worcester North – which won 45 consecutive games en route to back-to-back state championships – is no longer a threat in Division 1 after the Polar Bears lost their stars of those teams. What’s left this season is a strong collection of Div. 1 contenders, which seemingly have little separation. It’s reflected in our rankings.
Eight Division 1 teams appear in this week’s MIAA boys Top 10, with six of them, in my opinion, in a class of their own. There’s still a long way to go this season, but those six have not left our Top 10 yet this season. I could see any one of them cutting down the nets come March, and there are even more knocking on the door.
