MassVarsity

Even though Mashpee is a Division 7 school, the Falcons are ranked in just about every poll you can find, and are hoping to win their fourth straight state title. For the fourth straight time, the Falcons are hitting the road this season, as they will travel to fellow unbeaten and consistently tough program Abington Friday night. This comes off the heels of trips to Nantucket, South Hadley, and Coyle-Cassidy. We spoke to Mashpee coach Matt Triveri Wednesday night and spoke about his team, the matchup with the Green Wave, and the state of Division 7 football. Here is an edited version of that conversation. MassVarsity: What's that been like to travel on each game so far? I know that, at this level, obviously, I mean, you go to Western Mass. for South Hadley, you take a ferry ride for Nantucket, a little bit of everything for you guys. What's that experience been like for the kids. It seems like you've got some experienced guys on your roster, but still it's got

One of the new hires over the offseason that we knew would pay big dividends was that of Dominique Williams at Southeastern Regional in South Easton. Williams, a former safety who played his high school ball at Brockton High and continued his career at Boston College, acting as a captain at both programs, put together a young, energetic staff at Southeastern that has lit a spark into a team that enters a bye week with a 2-1 record. We spoke to Williams briefly Wednesday about his team and what he sees going forward for the Hawks. This is an edited version of that conversation. MassVarsity: First off, I want to ask you about the team in general. What's it like coaching this team, and how has it been so far meeting your expectations and all that? DW: This team has been phenomenal. The way they've been able to just adapt to our coaching style has been awesome. They've been really open, and they've bought in to everything that the coaches are saying, all the way

Right now, we have St. John Paul II of Hyannis ranked as our No. 2 team in the state for Division 8. The Lions have been one of the favorites to make a deep postseason run since the preseason, and at 3-0, they are looking as good as everyone expected. We spoke to St. John Paul II coach Matt Marshall about his team, his players, and what lies ahead. Here is an edited transcript of that conversation. MassVarsity: First of all, down the Cape, there's some really good football right now. You know, you've got Dennis-Yarmouth, Barnstable, Falmouth, Mashpee, you guys, and really everybody. What's it like competing down there, and what's the type of player you get down on Cape Cod? MM: You get a lot of athletic kids. On my team, I know there are some big linemen around. Mostly, I get fast, athletic kids who are very smart. That's a big piece. Their football IQ is very good. So I can almost run a college system with these kids. MV: Speaking of that, what is your

By Zander Manning   @ ZMSportsReport   When UMass steps onto the turf at Warren M.  McGuirk  Alumni Stadium Saturday to face Charlotte, it will be searching for not only  its second win  of the season, but its best record through the first five games since it joined the Football Bowl Subdivision.   No UMass team has played Charlotte since the softball team faced off against the 49ers in a tournament there that opened the 2016 spring season. Before that, you look back to 1998 when the Minutemen basketball team took on Charlotte in Providence, R.I., and won in overtime, 68- 62.   Going into Saturday’s matchup with Charlotte (2-1, 1-0 Conference-USA), UMass (1-3) is looking for one of its most  manageable  games of the season since its season-opening matchup vs. Duquesne that saw the Minutemen come out on top, 63-15.   The Catch — Offense   While this is one of the most manageable matchups of the season for UMass, the Minutemen are banged up on offens