ESPN

Top 25
No. 3 Mansfield 21, Milton 0
No. 7 Natick 35, Weymouth 14
Hudson 33, No. 16 Auburn 0

Abington 33, Canton 14
Acton-Boxborough 34, Cambridge 18
BC High 16, Andover 10 (OT)
Braintree 17, Quincy 16
Concord-Carlisle 33, Wellesley 29
Hopkinton 17, Wayland 0
Lynn English 29, Peabody 15
Medfield 26, Dedham 6
Melrose 28, Masconomet 14
Nashoba 42, Westborough 21
Newton North 12, Waltham 7
Oliver Ames 26, Hingham 8
St. Mary's (Lynn) 64, Swampscott 39
Shrewsbury 20, Algonquin 0 (Suspended, 3rd quarter)
Stoughton 34, Pembroke 6
Stoneham 28, Belmont 0
Wakefield 46, Lexington 25
Watertown 34, Medway 14
Winchester 7, Wilmington 6

WEDNESDAY
Franklin 40, Framingham 0

Our Game of the Week tour makes a stop at Doyle Field in Leominster this Friday (7 p.m.) for the No. 8 Blue Devils' grudge match with No. 12 St. John's (Shrewsbury).

Scott Barboza and Brendan Hall visited Leominster's camp for our weekly preview segment, brought to you by Sports Authority and the Bay State Games:

Franklin holds strong as the No. 1 side in our statewide ESPN Boston MIAA girls' soccer Top 20 poll, but there was movement to the back side after the first week of the season.

Oliver Ames slid into the rankings this week, while Acton-Boxborough made its introduction, after taking down a Top 20 opponent in No. 19 Peabody.

For this week's full poll, CLICK HERE.

In This Week: No. 16 Oliver Ames (1-0), No. 17 Acton-Boxborough (1-0)

Out This Week: No. 11 East Longmeadow (0-3), No. 19 North Andover (1-1)

No. 7 NATICK (0-0) at WEYMOUTH (0-0), Thursday, 4 p.m.

Scott Barboza: For all the offensive questions on either side, I’m taking a look at the Redhawks defense in this one and linebacker Gus Black. Natick, 31-24.
Brendan Hall: Wondering where Dave Harrison lines up tonight for Weymouth given the recent injury trouble. The Wildcats are at their best when funneling their offense through a dual-threat quarterback, and if Harrison's not a go they could be in trouble. For Natick, look for Troy Flutie to spread the ball around a little more now that Brian Dunlap is on the shelf. Natick, 27-17.

BC HIGH (0-1) at ANDOVER (0-1), Thursday, 7 p.m.

Barboza: With a game under their collective belts, Eagles quarterback Sean Holleran and Co. will have a better outing in Week 2. BC High, 20-14.
Hall: Eagles badly needed that win over North Attleborough last weekend, and if they don't score a victory here, I don't know what direction this team goes in. BC High, 13-7.

ACTON-BOXBOROUGH (0-0) at CAMBRIDGE (1-0), Thursday, 7 p.m.

Barboza: Falcons keep the Week 1 momentum rolling. Cambridge, 26-21.
Hall: A-B is going to provide a stiffer test than Greater Lawrence last week. Still, this one should have some fireworks to it. A-B, 35-31.

No. 19 TEWKSBURY (1-0) at LINCOLN-SUDBURY (1-0), Friday, 6 p.m.

Barboza: Doesn’t matter if it’s James Sullivan or Eddie Matovu, the Redmen are getting it done on the ground. Tewksbury, 21-14.
Hall: This is a tough rushing attack to scout, and while L-S will provide a stiff challenge like they always too, the Redmen are on a mission this season. Tewksbury, 20-10.

ATTLEBORO (0-0) at No. 24 BISHOP FEEHAN (0-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Barboza: Blue Bombardiers will start a new era with a bang against their cross-town rival. Attleboro, 20-14.
Hall: With the full undivided attention on Isaiah Douglas, one of the few holdovers from last year's Super Bowl champs, the senior two-way star shines. Feehan, 17-10.

No. 14 XAVERIAN (0-0) at No. 1 EVERETT (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Barboza: Crimson Tide showed they’re vulnerable last week; the new-look Hawks’ defense is opportunistic. Xaverian, 17-10.
Hall: That was a sloppy win by Everett, but the question at Xaverian remains: where will the points come from? Everett, 13-6.

WESTWOOD (1-0) at No. 22 KING PHILIP (1-0), Saturday, Noon

Barboza: The Wolverines may have had the upset of Week 1, but Joe Johnston and Christian Flaherty looked pretty locked in last week. King Philip, 27-21.
Westwood: You hear those footsteps? That's Bo Berluti coming around the corner. Wolverines make it 2-for-2 over ranked opponents in as many weeks. Westwood, 26-16.

No. 9 BROCKTON (0-0) at No. 5 ST. JOHN’S PREP (0-1), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Barboza: Both teams looking for win No. 1. It has slugfest written all over it. Prep, 10-7.
Hall: This one's going to be a grinder, but in the end Brockton's three-headed monster in the backfield outduels Prep's Loch Ness Monster at tailback. Brockton, 16-13.

No. 25 MILLIS/HOPEDALE (1-0) at EAST BRIDGEWATER (0-0), Saturday, 2 p.m.

Barboza: Look for another big week from the Mohawks’ Chris Ahl. M/H, 20-7.
Hall: This one's going down to the wire -- EB is no slouch -- but in the end the Mohawks' front four will hold on just enough to escape with victory. M/H, 24-20

No. 15 CENTRAL CATHOLIC (1-0) at No. 23 HAVERHILL (1-0), Saturday, 3 p.m.

Barboza: Week 1 was proof positive that Haverhill is for real, I just like the Raiders a little more in this one. Central, 31-27.
Hall: Last week's win over Lawrence was an uncharacteristic one -- how often do the Raiders get into shootouts? -- but Central cleans it up this week and does just enough to hold off Haverhill's star in the making, Ian Kessel. Central, 20-17.

No. 4 BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM (1-0) at No. 13 DUXBURY (1-0), Saturday, 7 p.m.

Barboza: Duxbury has been an Achilles’ heel for the Trojans in recent years. That trend changes this week. B-R, 23-21.
Hall: The Dragons of Duxbury have had B-R's number for I don't know how many years now, through the good and bad. Something tells me it's going to be different this year, the Trojans just have that edge to them. B-R, 21-13.

GAME OF THE WEEK – No. 12 ST. JOHN’S of SHREWSBURY (0-0) at No. 8 LEOMINSTER (0-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Barboza: Make it five in-a-row for the Blue Devils. Leominster, 27-20.
Hall: This past summer, I predicted St. John's would win this season-opening matchup and get this albatross off its back. After watching both of these squads tune up in the preseason, I'm switching my pick. You know the Pioneers are going to deploy something we haven't seen before, but I like Neil O'Connor's unpredictability just a little bit more. Leominster, 28-21.

Last Week’s Records:

Barboza – 5-6
Hall - 7-4

ESPN Boston High Schools editor Brendan Hall joined Charter TV3 Sports Anchor Kevin Shea on the Worcester-based station's weekly "Friday Night Football Frenzy" program, to talk the new state playoff system as well as teams and players to watch in Central Mass.

No. 1 Somerville boys' soccer opened the season with a 3-1 win over Brockton and stays atop the ESPN Boston MIAA Top 20 poll for the second week in a row.

New Bedford is close behind after a perfect 3-0 start. This week also featured the first Top 10 match-up as Masconomet and St. John's Prep drew, 1-1, in Danvers. Max Craig had the equalizer for Masco; he is a former Prep player, who transferred back for his junior year.

There were a few upsets of note in the opening week as No. 7 Concord-Carlisle drops six places after a loss to Cambridge and Nauset drops out of the Top 20 after defeats to Martha's Vineyard and No. 2 New Bedford. Dartmouth also suffered a tough loss to unranked Brockton in a rivalry game, but rebounded with a big victory over Falmouth.

Belchertown, which moved to Division 1 in the West sectional this year, beat No. 5 Amherst in the season opener and moves into the top 20 for the first time in the history of the poll. The win over the Hurricanes was the marquee victory that the Orioles needed to show that they are ready to make the jump from D3 to D1. Belchertown joins the Hurricanes and perennial power Ludlow to make it three teams from the West in our top 12.

There is a lot of parity around the state and many teams have only played one or two games, so there will most likely be a lot of movement in the rankings as teams manage difficult league campaigns. As the first week has shown, this is going to be a very interesting season.

In This Week: No. 12 Belchertown (3-0), first time in the rankings.

Out This Week: No. 14 Nauset (1-2), in Last 10 Out.

The Needham Channel's Mike Dermody passes along these highlights from Saturday night's non-league battle between Westwood and Needham. The Wolverines knocked off previously-ranked Needham, 36-26.

(Video courtesy of The Needham Channel)

Here is the first "Mr. Football Watch" of the 2013 season. Statistics can be sent to editors Brendan Hall (bhall@espnboston.com) and Scott Barboza (sbarboza@espnboston.com)


THE CONTENDERS*

Jon Baker, Sr. OL/DL, Millis/Hopedale
With the Boston College-bound Baker leading the way in the trenches, running backs Josh Pierre-Charles (140 yards) and Chris Ahl (128) combined for over 260 rushing yards and four scores in a 33-6 win over Greater New Bedford.

D’Andre Drummond-Mayrie, Sr. RB, Central Catholic
Carried 11 times for 101 yards and two scores in the Raiders’ 39-27 win over Lawrence.

Lubern Figaro, Sr. DB, Everett
Had one of the most highlight-reel defensive plays of the early season in the Tide’s 31-23 win over Springfield Central, chasing down receiver Ju’uan Williams from behind from 40 yards downfield to prevent a touchdown just short of the goal line.

Brandon Gallagher, Jr. RB, Bridgewater-Raynham
Carried 27 times for 113 yards and a touchdown in the Trojans’ 20-14 upset of St. John’s Prep.

Jack Galvin, Sr. WR, Lowell
Caught five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown in the Red Raiders’ 21-0 shutout of Westford.

Brendan Hill, Jr. TE, Mansfield
In the Hornets’ 29-26 thriller over three-time defending Maryland state champ Dunbar, Hill was the leading receiver, hauling in eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Johnathan Thomas, Sr. RB, St. John’s Prep
In the Eagles’ loss to Bridgewater-Raynham, Thomas carried 24 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns. One-hundred and one of those rushing yards, and both scores, came in the second half.

Cody Williams, Sr. QB, Springfield Central
In the Golden Eagles’ 31-23 loss to Everett, Williams was 21-of-33 passing for 304 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also was the team’s leading rusher, carrying 12 times for 72 yards.

Kyle Wisnieski, Sr. QB, Mansfield
In the Hornets’ game-winning drive over Dunbar (Md.), Wisnieski was brilliant, going 4-for-5 with the winning 40-yard strike to Michael Hershman. On the night, he was 20-of-32 passing with 255 yards and two scores, and added 40 yards and two more scores on the ground.

TOP STATISTICAL LEADERS IN MASSACHUSETTS

Rushing
Christian Perez, Sr., Northeast – 240 yards, 2 TD
Robert Harnais, Sr., BC High – 217 yards, 2 TD
DeShaun Dias, Soph., Mashpee – 192 yards, 3 TD
Mark Wright, Sr., Auburn – 189 yards, 3 TD
Ben Geschwind, Sr., Westfield – 183 yards, 3 TD

Passing
Jordan Balarinho, Sr., Billerica – 342 yards, 3 TD
Cody Williams, Sr., Springfield Central – 304 yards, 3 TD
Kyle Wisnieski, Sr., Mansfield – 255 yards, 2 TD
Ben Knopf, Sr., Brookline – 247 yards, 2 TD
Dean Prouty, Sr., Hanover – 241 yards, 3 TD

Receiving
Jeff Trainor, Soph., Billerica – 174 yards, 2 TD
Matt Hines, Sr., Norton – 156 yards, 3 TD
Justin Rivera, Jr., Lawrence – 125 yards, 2 TD
Brady Jones, Sr., Pope John Paul II – 120 yards, TD
Jeremy Gillis, Sr., Marblehead – 112 yards, TD

Dual Threat QB**
Cody Williams, Sr., Springfield Central – 304 passing yards, 3 TD; 72 rushing yards
Spencer Tyler, Sr., Dennis-Yarmouth – 180 passing yards, 2 TD; 139 rushing yards, TD
Cameron McMillian, Sr., Cambridge – 152 passing yards, 2 TD; 158 rushing yards, 2 TD
Kyle Wisnieski, Sr., Mansfield – 255 passing yards, 2 TD; 40 rushing yards, TD
Kyle Dance, Sr., Latin Academy – 103 passing yards, TD; 107 rushing yards, TD

*Not including teams who were idle last weekend.
**To qualify, quarterbacks must have rushing yards account for at least 15 percent of their total offensive production.

St. John's (Shrewsbury) announced it has hired former Pioneers hockey assistant Mike Mead as head coach, taking over for Brian Murphy who retired from coaching earlier this year.

Mead served as an assistant under Murphy with Pioneers for 16 seasons, from 1991-2007, but recently had stepped away from the position to spend more time devoted to coaching his kids. He's also a math instructor at the school in his 24th year and is a graduate of Assumption College.

A native of Arlington, Mass., Mead's younger brother, Jeff, is the girls' varsity hockey head coach at Arlington High.

“Brian [Murphy] was an execellent coach, and a good friend," Mead said. "He broke me in, taught me the ropes, how to deal with players and parents. He was great leader: calm collective, always thought things through. He was a coach you could look up to.”

While the Pioneers failed to qualify for the Division 1 tournament last season, Mead inherits a strong nucleus in the defensive zone, including senior goaltender Mario Pizzeri and ESPN Boston All-State defenseman Bryan Nelson.

"I'm going to rely on them a lot this year," Mead said. "They're strong players and great leaders, who've helped bring me up to speed with this group that we have coming back."

After getting walloped by Cape rival Barnstable a year ago, Dennis-Yarmouth returned the favor Friday.

Senior quarterback Spencer Tyler led the Dolphins to a 37-9 win over the Red Raiders and, for his efforts, is our ESPN Boston Player of the Week for Week 1.

Tyler threw for two touchdowns, while completing 9 of 15 pass attempts for 180 yards. He also ran for another score on a 100-yard rushing performance, with 139 yards on 14 carries.

On Monday, Brendan Hall caught up with Tyler at Dolphins' practice to talk about his stellar performance:



Along with Tyler, here's our Top 5 performances for Week 1:

• Spencer Tyler, Sr. QB, Dennis-Yarmouth: 9 of 15, 180 yards, 2 TD, INT; 14 carries, 139 yards, TD vs. Barnstable.
• Cameron McMillian, Sr. QB, Cambridge: 5 0f 9, 152 yards, 2 TD; 5 carries, 158 yards, TD vs. Greater Lawrence.
• Christian Perez, Sr. FB, Northeast Metro Tech: 15 carries, 240 yards, 3 TD vs. Manchester-Essex.
• Shane Farley, Sr. QB, Burlington: 14 completions, 225 yards, 5 TD vs. Billerica.
• Jeff Trainor, Soph. WR, Billerica: 12 receptions, 174 yards, 2 TD vs. Burlington.

Some notes and observations from a wild first weekend of MIAA football:

Bombers Go Big
There were plenty of big statements made all weekend, from Agawam’s upset of Longmeadow to Bridgewater-Raynham’s surgical defeat of preseason No. 1 St. John’s Prep. But for pure offense, is there any team that made as big a statement as No. 21 Westfield?

The Bombers avenged last year’s blowout 46-14 loss to Amherst in convincing fashion, throttling the Hurricanes to the tune of 375 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, for a 60-14 win. It marks the most points they’ve scored in a single game in over a decade and a half, dating back to the late 1990’s.

Sure, Amherst’s lightning-quick receiver, Taj-Amir Torres, did not play. But this is still considered one of the top squads in Western Mass. Division 4, and coach David Thompson has the program on the up and up.

Asked about what kind of statement this makes for the Bombers out West, head coach Bill Moore was dismissive.

“We’re not interested in making statements. We want to get a win under our belt, that’s the first step for us,” he said. “We’ve gotta get ready for the next one. I don’t think anybody thinks of it like that.”

Still, it’s hard to overlook that big 6-0, especially when senior running back Ben Geschwind is operating the way he did on Friday night. A three-year starter and the all-important fullback in Moore’s triple option scheme, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Geschwind is an upright runner who can create running lanes, set the edge, and maintain balance driving through arm tackles. On this night, he led the way with 183 yards and three touchdowns.

“We’re looking for big things this year from him,” Moore sadi. “He’s a horse at fullback… He’s physical, tough, he can make some moves. Just a good, hard runner, who has the ability to make people miss.”

‘Second Nature’ for Spencer
Since Paul Funk first installed the no-huddle read option nearly a decade ago at Dennis-Yarmouth, offense at the high school level has gotten quite sophisticated. Within their own league, the Dolphins see a garden variety of offensive schemes, ranging from the Pistol (Plymouth South) to the Single Wing (Nauset) to the Wing-T (Marshfield) and beyond.

But over in South Yarmouth, it’s been a seamless transition from quarterback to quarterback, from Nick Montalto to Bryan Burch to Nick’s younger brother, former ESPN Boston All-Stater Matt, to current starter Spencer Tyler. When it comes their turn, it seems, the new kid under center always appears ready.

Years in the making, if you will.

“We have a system in place that is installed in our youth system at age nine,” Funk said. “They believe in it, they coach it, we use the same terminology down there as we do up here, so I think that has a lot to do with it.”

With the 6-foot-2 Tyler, a senior, Funk says “It’s really second nature” at this point. Like the Montalto brothers of years past, Tyler is an extension of the coach on the field at this point. And like those Montaltos, perhaps to a lesser degree, Tyler can make defenders miss, extending the pocket to the sidelines and churning upfield with his deceivingly-quick, long strides.

“He’s really smart, his grade point average is really high, it’s in the mid 3.5’s, he’s really intelligent,” Funk said. “And he’s a quiet leader. He’s cool and calm under pressure.”

All of it came to a head in the season opener on Friday night, against rival Barnstable, for a margin of victory that almost never happens. Prior to last year’s 55-14 Barnstable blowout, the previous three meetings between the Cape’s two premier programs had been decided by a grand total of five points. This year’s 37-9 win might come as a surprise, as Tyler danced around the field to the tune of 320 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, working with a deep arsenal of receivers that includes Jacob Pawlina, Michael Dunn, Liam Matheson, L.K. Matz, Andrew Jamiel, Mike Anderson and Cory DeSimone.

At their apex, the Dolphins run their offense at a frenetic pace, and when they’re playing fast, they can put up points in a hurry. With 16 returning starters from a team that peaked towards the end of 2012, when they were out of ACL title contention, this should give the Dolphins a good momentum boost as they get set to open league play this week and compete for a Division 4 state title.

“It’s a nice win for the school and for the kids,” Funk said. “Any time we move up to their level, it’s a good win for our program. We expect to play at that level and that’s something we’ve established the last 5-7 years, and the execution was there Friday night.”

Some Parting Parallels
Following their loss to Bridgewater-Raynham last weekend, St. John’s Prep coach Jim O’Leary made an interesting comparison, chalking it up to his own squad a season ago.

The parallel, for the unfamiliar, was that both of these teams have come out hungry after disappointing finishes the year prior. In 2011, the Eagles skated to a 4-6 finish, losing three of their last four. Last season, the Eagles exploded for their first MIAA Division 1 Super Bowl Championship in 15 seasons, tallying over 3,000 yards on the ground behind the state’s best running back tandem of Alex Moore and Johnathan Thomas. Both Moore and Thomas were named finalists for ESPN Boston’s Mr. Football Award, with Moore taking the honors as well as the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

This year, the Trojans have come out of the gates firing on all cylinders behind a nasty offensive line and a stingy linebacking corps. Following Saturday’s win over Prep, the unanimous preseason No. 1 team in the land, Trojans head coach Dan Buron went as far as to call it “one of the best non-conference wins we’ve had.”

The tailback tandem of senior Arcel Armstead and junior Brandon Gallagher (a preseason ESPN Boston All-State selection) could make B-R one of the top rushing attacks across Massachusetts. Junior Matt Clement dazzled in his first start at quarterback, making plays on the run and hitting receivers downfield in stride on Buron’s trademark “waggle” play.

Could the Trojans be in for similar success in 2013?

“They looked like us two years ago coming into last year,” O’Leary said. “Same kind of team. They had a tough season, they lost a lot of tough games the year before. Our young secondary got burned a couple times on play action, because they’re running the ball so well. That’s a tough combination."

Extra points
Early leader for the state’s sharpest turnaround has to go to Agawam. Two years ago, the Brownies slouched to an 0-11 campaign getting outscored 364-106, including a 66-0 rout by Putnam in which All-State running back Melquawn Pinkney broke the Western Mass single-game rushing record. Friday night, the Brownies took down Longmeadow in convincing fashion, 35-12, their first win over the Lancers since 2004. ... Among the popular names in the discussion for state’s best defense, Lowell is not frequently found. But consider the Red Raiders’ 21-0 shutout of Westford, their first shutout since a 21-0 decision two years ago over Lawrence, a sign of good things to come. ... Last spring, new Cambridge coach Ryan Saulnier hinted that the quarterback position may be deeper than perceived following David Maaghul’s transfer to prep school. Perhaps Cameron McMillian is a sign of good things to come, then. In his first varsity start for the Falcons, the dual-threat gunslinger was 5-of-9 passing for 152 yards and two touchdowns (including a spectacular 70-yard TD throw to running back Shaq Anderson), and added 158 yards and two scores on the ground on just five carries. This week’s battle with Acton-Boxborough should serve as a quality litmus test.

We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 football poll this morning. To view it, CLICK HERE.

A few notes and observations about this week's poll:

Everett back at No. 1
The Everett Crimson Tide's reign outside of the top spot in the state was very short-lived. After finishing No. 1 in the state the last three seasons, the Tide came into 2013 in the No. 2 spot. But by virtue of St. John's Prep's upset at the hands of Bridgewater-Raynham on Saturday, Everett takes back the top spot in the land.

But it wasn't exactly peaches and cream for the Tide, either. In their season-opener against No. 6 Springfield Central on Friday, they had to rally in the second half to escape with victory, thanks to a nifty touchdown catch from Mike Lopes. It was a rusty start, and the road won't get any easier this week for the Tide, who host No. 15 Xaverian on Friday.

Upsets Galore
A number of preseason Top 25 selections fell victim to upsets last weekend. Preseason No. 12 selection Barnstable took the biggest drop, falling all the way out of the Top 25 after getting scorched 37-9 by previously-unranked Dennis-Yarmouth, which comes in at No. 17 this week. Meanwhile Longmeadow (Preseason No. 17), BC High (19) and Needham (21) all fell out of the poll following losses to Agawam, North Attleborough and Westwood, respectively.

Big, Bold Statements
On a national level, No. 3 Mansfield made one of the biggest statements for the Bay State in years, taking down three-time defending Maryland state champs Dunbar, 29-26, on their own turf in Baltimore. On a state level, Bridgewater-Raynham made quite the statement in knocking off previous No. 1 St. John's Prep, going up 20-0 at the half and holding on for the win. With the win, B-R moves up six spots to No. 4 while Prep falls four spots to No. 5.

Elsewhere, was there any team in Western Mass. making a bigger statement than Westfield? The Bombers thrashed Amherst 60-14 -- the most points they've scored since putting up 64 on Thanksgiving in the late 1990's -- behind 183 yards and three touchdowns from fullback Ben Geschwind. For their efforts, Westfield debuts this week at No. 21.

MVC Makes It Four
Tewksbury (19) and Haverhill (23) make their debuts in the poll this week, making it a record four teams represented from the Merrimack Valley Conference, joining Lowell (10) and Central Catholic (15). Tewksbury, an MVC Small favorite, makes its debut following a convincing 27-6 win over Chelmsford led by running backs James Sullivan and Eddie Matovu. Haverhill makes a first-ever appearance following a thrilling 21-19 win over Beverly, paced by sophomore Ian Kessel's 140 yards and three TDs on 33 carries.

Here's how the poll breaks down this week by division:

Div. 1 - 7
Div. 2 - 11
Div. 3 - 4
Div. 4 - 2
Div. 5 - 1
Div. 6 - 1

Week 1 of the high school football season is in the books, which means it's time for our Top 25 Sunday night football chat, which kicks off at 8 p.m.

Join ESPNBoston.com high schools co-editor Scott Barboza for a look back at the games, the formulation this week’s statewide poll and talk about this week’s upcoming games.

If you’re unable to join us, you can always Tweet your questions to @espnbostonhs and we’ll get you in the queue.

Acton-Boxborough girls' soccer opened its season Saturday and earned a 1-0 win over No. 18 Peabody.

Not only did the Colonials earn a Top 20-quality win, they did it in style.

Check out the game-winning goal by Kaylee Sye during the second half in this clip submitted by parent Mike Ford. After a nice build-up, Alex Spangler plays a perfect ball into the box and Sye delivers with a perfectly directed header into the goal.

ROXBURY, Mass. -– Jared Terrell and Abdul-Malik Abu reached across each other at the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday to pick the hat of the school they would be committing to. As they each picked up their respective hat, a short-lived look of confusion spread through the room.

Abu picked up an Oklahoma State hat from Terrell’s side of the table, while Terrell picked up a North Carolina State hat from Abu’s side. To much amusement for the 200 or so supporters in attendance, the two quickly exchanged their hats back and announced their official college plans: Abu to N.C. State and Terrell to Oklahoma State.

The duo had planned the prank in advance to lighten the mood in the room.

“We only get to do this once so we wanted to have some fun with it," Abu said. "unless we get into the green room some day, that’s our dream."

The Kimball Union Academy (N.H.) power forward chose North Carolina State over Florida, Providence, and Connecticut. The Huskies were considered by most to be the outliers of the group, while Florida and Providence were both legitimate options for Abu, as he visited Billy Donovan and staff in Gainesville this past week. Providence coach Ed Cooley has been recruiting Abu and Terrell since he was hired in March 2011.

In the end though, the Wolfpack won out for Abu, the No. 44 player in the 2014 ESPN 100. Naturally though, he had one last prank to play.

“I first told NC State I was going in another direction and they were like ‘oh my gosh,’ and then I was like ‘nah I’m kidding, I’m coming,’” he said with a laugh. “They were happy, that makes me feel good that they really wanted me that bad.”

Expressions coach Ty Boswell, who has been integral in the development of the dynamic duo, said that Terell’s decision came down to the Cowboys and Rhode Island -- who made quite a push for Terrell, a Brewster Academy (N.H.) guard who is No. 76 player in the ESPN 100, behind new head coach Danny Hurley.

“He had a great visit, Dan Hurley does a terrific job. But with him it was a sense of he wanted to play at the highest level and ‘hey, at least I tried,” Boswell said.

Terrell added, on his visit to Oklahoma State: “They players were really nice, I got along with the coaches really well. It’s a higher level of basketball, and that’s where I wanted to be. I didn’t want to sell myself short of anything.”

Current Oklahoma State stars Marcus Smart and Le’Bryan Nash are both expected picks in next year’s NBA draft, with most scouts pegging Smart as a top-five pick. That being said, Terrell will have an opportunity to go to Oklahoma State and get minutes right away. Having not seen the campus until recently, he was impressed by what the Cowboys had to offer.

“I didn’t even think about Oklahoma State before I went out there, cause when you think of Oklahoma you just think about farmland, it being real flat, and that there’s just nothing out there," Terrell said. "But when I went out there they just blew me away, it’s an amazing place."

Close friends on an off the court, they joked about the potential of one day playing against each other on a college court.

“I would foul him and then just look at him,” Abu said with a laugh.

He continued, on a more serious note, “He was there when I was nothing and I was there when he was nothing…it means the world to make my decision alongside my brother.”

Boswell has seen the development of Abu and Terrell up close, and expressed how proud he was of his two star players following the press conference.

“I’m just happy that it’s over," he said. "It’s a long grueling process, and it’s a lot. They felt like they picked the best situation that was for them... But I’m happy for them, they’re the two highest character, two best kids I’ve met.”