The Everett High School football team will host Acton-Boxborough in a Division 1 North quarterfinal round playoff game Friday at 7 p.m. at Everett Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Everett (6-1) is the No. 4 seed in the eight-team sectional. Acton-Boxborough (5-2) is the No. 5 seed.
AB is a regional high school that competes in the tough Dual County League and draws students from the towns of Acton, Boxborough, and Stow. AB was a Division 2 superpower in the early 2000s, compiling a 50-game winning streak and capturing four Super Bowl titles under Coach Bill Maver. Long-time Everett Pop Warner fans will remember the AB youth football teams as being perennial contenders for state and New England championships.
Everett, led by head coach Theluxon Pierre, carries a six-game winning streak in to the playoffs. After a misstep in the season opener versus Springfield Central, the Tide have been on a roll, with junior quarterback Duke Doherty piloting a balanced attack and the defense excelling during the six-game winning streak.
While Pierre is not looking past a talented AB Colonials contingent, some Everett fans are ardently pointing toward a possible rematch against top-seeded Central Catholic in the semifinals. Central ousted Everett from the playoffs a year ago, with Nick Mazzie, the son of Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie, kicking the winning field in the final minute of a 23-20 upset of the Tide. Should Everett and Central Catholic prevail this week, the two teams would meet in the semifinals. Central (6-1) hosts No. 8 Lexington (2-5) in the quarterfinals. No. 2 St. John’s Prep (6-1) hosts No. 7 Lowell (3-4) while No. 3 Andover (5-2) hosts No. 6 Methuen (4-3) in the other quarterfinal round games.