There’s mix reactions around the Bay State when it comes to the proposal by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) football subcommittee to bring the Super 8 to high school football in the foreseeable future.
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Especially those from the private side of things like the Catholic Conference head coaches. A few spoke to reporters on Thursday evening during a showcase to speak out on the possibility of the Super 8 becoming the new playoff format and Westwood (Mass.) Xaverian Brothers head coach Al Fornaro didn’t hold back when asked to comment.
“This is an anti-catholic (school) movement to get us out of the tournament,” Fornaro said to reporters this past Thursday evening. “I’m gonna get in trouble for that. I knew it was going to happen in some point and time.”
Another prominent head coach from the Catholic Conference that touched on the hot topic was Danvers (Mass.) St. John’s Preparatory School head coach Brian St. Pierre, who remained more neutral on the Super 8.
“The Super 8 doesn’t mean much to us,” St. Pierre said, according to a New England Football Journal report. “Playing in Division 1 means you’re playing the iron so it doesn’t change much. I guess Catholic Memorial may have to play up and that makes the Division Two people happy but we play them anyways. We love the competition. They are a great program. St. John’s Prep will adhere to whatever the structure is and compete. There is too much complaining going on about football playoffs. It’s high school football. Our job descriptions go much deeper than state titles. I think too many coaches have lost sight of the mission. Whatever the system is sign us up and we’ll compete and be happy to do so.”
The Super 8 is one step away from becoming the new format for Massachusetts high school football as the subcommittee voted 13-4 to bring the playoff to the MIAA for the start of the 2027 season.
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