Last season, St. John's Prep and Catholic Memorial were the two best teams on the boys MIAA circuit. No one looked close to their caliber. They were on a collision course for the final in TD Garden.
Neither team made it.
CM was upset by Xaverian in the Elite 8. Pope Francis edged out St. John's Prep in the semifinals. So goes the magic of the MIAA tournament.
Instead, the final was a battle between Pope Francis and Xaverian, with the Cardinals earning the championship victory in the dying moments.
This season, there are four teams better than everybody else. As for the other six, it's a battle to see who is best positioned to knock off one of those top four squads.
Let's dive into our preseason boys MIAA rankings.
1. Pope Francis
Head coach: Brian Foley
2022-23 record: 16-2-4, won Division 1 championship over XaverianÂ
The reigning champs are our No. 1 team entering this winter and it's not just because the Cardinals are reigning champs. Foley's team lost a fair amount of scoring in Josh Iby, CJ Watroba and Ryan O'Leary, but they return their leading scorer in Mossy Kearney. On defense, Jake Jarrell and Zach Buffone, two of the best defenders in the MIAA, will lead the way. Nick Ritchie is back in net and looks poised to be one of the high-end netminders on the circuit.
2. St. John's Prep
Head coach: Kristian Hanson
2022-23 record: 17-2-1, lost in Division 1 semifinal to Pope FrancisÂ
St. John's Prep has a legitimate case for No. 1, but I have them at No. 2 to begin the season. Despite losing players at all key positions, Hanson's team still returns forwards Jake Vana, who's committed to Princeton for lacrosse, and Christian Rosa — two of the top forwards in the MIAA. Cam Umlah and Johnny Tighe are also back; both will provide much-needed scoring. Jack Doherty and Nick Brandano will hold things down on defense. SJP is always in the mix for the championship. That's the case once again.
3. Xaverian
Head coach: Dave Spinale
2022-23 record: 12-8-0, lost in Division 1 championship to Pope FrancisÂ
The biggest reason Xaverian is this high is goalie Cole Pouliot-Porter, who is the best in the state this winter. However, it's not the only reason. Despite losing stalwarts like Joe DiMartino and Gavin Moynihan, Spinale's team boasts young forwards like Jack Fitzpatrick and Colvin Callahan, who look poised to take big next steps. They will fit well alongside forwards like Jesse Peck and Jack O'Neill — two seniors.
4. Catholic Memorial
Head coach: Larry Rooney
2022-23 record: 17-2-1, lost in Division 1 Elite 8 to XaverianÂ
Like SJP for the No. 1 spot, Catholic Memorial has a legitimate case for No. 3. But the Knights had two early departures that will set them back — Joe Marchi (Foxboro, Mass.) and Tyler Hamilton (Framingham, Mass.). Both left for Dexter Southfield. Even just one of them coming back would've put CM in the top three. Nevertheless, Connor Fryberger and Nick D'Olympio return up front and will have big impacts. Owen Watson is a stable netminder and will keep CM in every game.
5. Hingham
Head coach: Tony Messina
2022-23 record: 14-3-5, lost in Division 1 Sweet 16 to ReadingÂ
Hingham is consistently one of the best public schools in the state, which is why they are the highest ranking one prior to the season. The Harbormen lost a bunch of scoring in forwards Aiden Brazal, Andrew Concannon and Bill Jacobus, as well as defenseman Chase McKenna. But they return a strong group of forwards in Travis Rugg, Brady Gannon, Michael Garrity and Paul Dzavik, as well as defenseman Jack Rakauskas. The big question mark is in net, as Luke McLellan graduated.
6. Marshfield
Head coach: Dan Connolly
2022-23 record: 18-3-2, lost in Division 1 Elite 8 to Pope FrancisÂ
Marshfield is fortunate to return its top three producers off last year's team: Tommy Carroll, Ryland McGlame and Cam McGettrick. So, why aren't they in our top five? Star goalie Brady Quackenbush graduated, leaving a hole in net. Still, Marshfield will be in the mix like always — especially after a strong run in the tournament last spring.
7. Reading
Head coach: Mark Doherty
2022-23 record: 11-7-4, lost in Division 1 semifinal to XaverianÂ
It didn't matter that Reading was the No. 14 seed in the tournament last spring — Doherty's team went on an incredible run to the semifinals and came oh-so-close to punching a ticket to TD Garden. Laz Giardina, a big part of last year's team, left for Lawrence Academy. Fellow forwards Evan Pennucci and Mark Boyle graduated. Fortunately for Reading, it returns forward Cam Fahey and goalie Chris Hanifan — two of the best players in the MIAA. Reading will go as far as Hanifan takes it.
8. BC High
Head coach: John Flaherty
2022-23 record: 10-9-1, lost in Division 1 Round of 32 to Arlington CatholicÂ
BC High comes off of a disappointing season in which it fell in the Round of 32 despite a talented roster. It lost some of last year's stronger young players like Michael Federico and Joe Feinberg to prep school, but that's often the name of the game for BC High. Flaherty is back as head coach, which will provide stability and a strong group of seniors should keep BC High in contention all season.
9. Arlington
Head coach: John Messuri
2022-23 record: 14-5-2, lost in Division 1 Sweet 16 to BraintreeÂ
Arlington will be extremely young this season, but Messuri always has the Spy Ponders as one of the most competitive teams every winter. Losing forwards Liam Gore and Jake Russell along with goalie Jake Davies won't make things easy. One prospect to keep an eye on is defenseman Evan Jones. He stood out a lot as a freshman last year. His poise and puck-moving abilities should help Arlington out against tough opponents this winter.
10. St. John's Shrewsbury
Head coach: Michael Mead
2022-23 record: 9-10-1, lost in Division 1 Elite 8 to St. John's Prep
The record isn't gaudy, but St. John's Shrewsbury plays a rough schedule, which is why it was the No. 9 seed in the tournament last year and went on quite the run, making it all the way to the Elite 8. Mead's team has a lot of high-end, offensive talent returning in Dominic Reidy, Luke Gerardi, Daniel Menyalkin and Brady Hoar. The big question mark is what will happen in net? SJS lost goalie Ryan Melanson to graduation. If things work themselves out in net, Mead's team will make noise.Â
