For the first time since 2007, the High School Football Super Bowls will not take place at Gillette Stadium.
This change is devastating to thousands of football players, staffs, and fans throughout the state who have long anticipated the prestige of the epic venue.
The bad news was broken on November 2nd, with a digital release by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), which thanked the Patriots organization and the Kraft family for nearly two decades of hospitality.
A Gillette spokesperson later elaborated that scheduling logistics with the Revolution’s playoffs and the Patriots home game had made hosting the state championships an impossibility.
On December 2nd and 5th, the Revs potentially play at home, requiring on-field practice the days prior, while on the 6th the Patriots host the Bills, and on the 10th, the Vikings.
Finally, factoring that the MIAA is required to hold all high school football games within the first week of December, the scheduling conflict becomes understandable.
This has not stopped the criticism of disgruntled football fans however,
Senior Captain Will Shelsy said, “It was definitely a disappointment, getting our playoff brackets and knowing the build-up wasn’t to Gillette anymore.”
With Harbormen Football having lost to Milton in the first round on November 6th, it is worth noting that local sports are not directly implicated.
Moving past the controversy, the question now is: where will the Super Bowls be held?
In the nine days of notice, the MIAA has not yet elaborated on its promise “to secure host sites that provide the best possible championship experience,” though pre-Gillete, venues of colleges or large high schools were used, with Doyle Field in Leominster being a leading example.
Hingham fans can relate to Harbormen Soccer’s 2024 run as a template for fall playoffs, with Doyle Field being used as a semi-final neutral site, and Worcester State University for the final.
Though no field can top Gillette, senior Brett Larson reflected positively on the MIAA’s time at the finals location. “It was a good pitch. We packed the stands with a loud crowd and the game had a great atmosphere.”
Hingham High School students can rest assured that wherever the MIAA designates their finals to be held, the venues will accommodate epic matchups. Students will have plenty to look forward to after girls soccer, field hockey, and volleyball mount exciting starts to their playoffs.
