The 2024 high school football season is officially underway. As always, the campaign begins not with games, but practices. Camps opened for high school programs across the state on Friday.
The real fun begins in a couple weeks when the contests begin. But for now, teams are focused on taking stock of what they have and eyeing lofty expectations for the fall. Here are a few of the things I’m looking for when things really get rolling early next month.
Almost always a talented program, Leominster High’s schedule features few easy games, if any, this fall. With the regular season starting at St. John’s of Shrewsbury on Sept.
6 and ending at Algonquin Regional on Nov. 1, the Blue Devils will be tested week in and week out. Of course, that’s by design.
The tougher the schedule, the more battle-tested Leominster will be come playoff time. And head coach Devin Gates has a talented group to work with, led by dynamic quarterback Osiris Lopez, a junior who has several Division 1 offers on the table already. The Blue Devils play their first two games on the road before returning to the confines of Doyle Field for four straight.
Barring a spot in the Division 1 title game, Leominster’s schedule closes at home on Thanksgiving morning with archrival Fitchburg High coming to town. Monty Tech’s home slate is about as good as it gets for a sportswriter, with each game being played at Bulldog Field this fall set to start at 6 p.m.
With deadlines seeming to get earlier every year, the extra hour of time to work is fantastic. The Bulldogs also play a pair of games on Saturdays this fall, including a beautiful 3 p.m.
kickoff at Worcester Tech on Oct. 26. With new artificial turf installed at Crocker Field, there’s plenty of excitement to see Fitchburg’s newly-polished gem shine under Friday night lights.
The gridiron celebration will have to wait, though. The new turf will have been through several field hockey and boys and girls soccer contests before the Red Raider football team has a chance to play an official game on it. Fitchburg High plays at North Middlesex Regional on Sept.
6 and travels to West Boylston a week later before having a bye week on Sept. 20. The Red Raider football team will finally have a chance to play beneath the new lights and on the new turf on Sept.
27 when Shepherd Hill Regional rolls into Fitchburg. The aforementioned home game stretch for Leominster isn’t the lone instance of such contests among local teams this season. After playing two games on the road to start, Fitchburg has four straight games at Crocker Field.
The same goes for Lunenburg High, which gets a month-plus of consecutive home games after a pair on the road. Nashoba Regional has four straight in Bolton after opening at Algonquin and St. Bernard’s kicks off the season with four consecutive contests at the Bernardian Bowl.
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