BC High will take on North Attleboro in Week 1 of the high school football season. (Barry Chin / Globe Staff)
Here’s the first installment of weekly posts highlighting the 10 high school football games to watch in Eastern Massachusetts.
Friday
No. 7 Barnstable at Dennis-Yarmouth, 6 p.m. -- Barnstable's only blemish in 2012 came in a Division 1A Super Bowl loss to Everett. But their first test in 2013 comes against a Dennis-Yarmouth team with 16 returning starters that finished one game out in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Abington at No. 8 Duxbury, 7 p.m. -- Something’s got to give in this matchup. Abington is coming off a 13-0, Division 4 Super Bowl crown. Duxbury comes into this game winners of 37 of their last 38, including 42-straight regular season wins.
No. 9 Walpole at Foxborough, 7 p.m. -- Walpole, like many other teams, will benefit from the state’s new playoff system after a 10-1 showing in 2012 left the Rebels out of the playoffs. Foxborough will serve as no cake-walk, especially at home.
Springfield Central at No. 2 Everett, 7 p.m. -- Western and Eastern Mass. Super Bowl champions collide.
No. 17 BC High at North Attleboro, 7 p.m. -- North Attleboro got the best of BC high in last year’s Week 1 matchup. BC High tries to rebound from an injury-filled 2012 season while North Attleboro deals with the graduation of a large senior class.
No. 20 Andover at North Andover, 7 p.m. -- It’s the Jack Sylvester show for Andover this year as the Golden Warriors try to get back to the playoffs out of a tough Merrimack Valley Conference.
No. 6 Lowell at Westford, 7 p.m. -- Adam Gagne faces his first challenge as head coach of Westford when Lowell comes to town with its stockpile of skill players.
Saturday
No. 16 King Philip at Middleborough, 1 p.m. -- King Philip came up just short in what amounted to the Hockomock Kelley-Rex title game, a 21-14 loss to Mansfield. The loss kept the Warriors out of the playoffs despite a 10-1 record. King Philip gets back to business against a Middleborough team that appears to be heading in the right direction.
No. 11 Bridgewater-Raynham at No. 1 St. John’s Prep, 1:30 p.m. -- It’s the first chance for Johnathan Thomas to carry the load after sharing carries with Alex Moore, last year’s Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year. Moore graduated in the spring, turning all eyes on Thomas. Meanwhile, Bridgewater-Raynham is out to avenge a miserable 5-6 record in 2012 as they try and get back into the thick of things in the Old Colony while giving chase to No. 7 Barnstable, the league’s only automatic qualifier to the postseason.
No. 14 Needham at Westwood, Saturday, 7 p.m. -- A pair of reigning conference champions go at it in a Saturday night showdown.
