Talking Massachusetts Statewide High School Football Playoffs on Thursday Night

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Join me Thursday night on High School Football America when I talk with former Fitchburg head football coach Ray Consenza about a proposal for a statewide playoff system in Massachusetts.

Consenza, who also served as the president of the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association, will discuss the plan that will be put to a vote of the entire Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association membership.

Two years ago, the membership voted 190-114 against a proposal that would have changed the current league structures, plus taken away Thanksgiving Day games, in order to create a statewide playoff system.  The new system will maintain the league structure and not touch the Turkey Day games.

Cosenza, who is Fitchburg's athletic director, retired at the end of the 2011 season with a lifetime record of 194-116-1 with three Super Bowl victories.

Click here to read the proposal on the MHSFCA's website.

Click here to listen to High School Football America live tomorrow night starting at 7 P.M. Eastern Time.

Shiners All-Star High School Football Game Played Friday

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

The 34th annual Shiners Football Classic will be played Friday night at Gillette Stadium.

The game features 100 of the top high school football players from Eastern Massachusetts divided into North and South teams.  The North squad is coach by Austin Prep's Bill Maradel, who is the winningest Catholic high school football coach in state history.  The South is led by Jon Bartlett of Boston College High School.

The game benefits the Shriners Hospitals for Children, an international pediatric specialty health care system.

MIAA Membership to Vote on Statewide High School Football Playoff System

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

A proposal to create a statewide high school football playoff system will probably be voted upon by the entire membership of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association in October.

Thursday, the MIAA's Board of Directors voted 11-2 to place the plan before all of the schools during a late October meeting.

A date for that meeting will be announced in the near future.

Massachusetts Moving Closer...Again...to Statewide Football Playoffs

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

March 12th will be a big day in Massachusetts high school football history.

That's the day that the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Football Committee will vote again on a new proposal that would create a statewide playoff system.  Two years ago, another statewide proposal was voted down 190-114 by the MIAA's member schools.

On Thursday, the MIAA Football Committee voted in favor of scheduling a meeting on March 12th at which time it will vote on whether to forward a new playoff proposal to the MIAA's Tournament Management Committee that has the power to implement.

The latest proposal that has been constructed by the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association preserves the current league structure, which would have been scrapped under the 2010 plan, plus Thanksgiving Day games will not be touched.

Massachusetts and New Jersey are the only two states that don't conduct statewide football playoffs.

Massachusetts High School Football Pre-Season Practice Begins August 23rd

by Jeff Fisher

Massachusetts High School Football Huddle

Welcome to our new look for the 2010 Massachusetts high school football season!

With the first day of practice beginning August 23rd, I wanted to take the time to thank all of my readers, who have made this blog successful over the past three years.  I have bigger-and-better things planned this year with more original content.

Also, don't forget to check-out High School Football America for great high school football stories from around the country.  If you have story ideas that I should know about, please feel free to email me.

Here's a look at important dates for the 2010 season...

First Practice - August 23rd

Regular Season Begins - September 10th

Championships - December 4th

Jeff Fisher is Founder/Editor-in-Chief of High School Football America