Playoffs have arrived for the Fall sports season, with this being the 2nd year of the MIAA’s new playoff seeding system. The seeding system takes in multiple factors including wins, margins of victory, and strength of schedule. The seeding system has placed all of Franklin’s fall teams as top 10 in division one, including FHS Football taking the #1 seed in their bracket. Franklin’s athletic facilities will be very busy: all five of Franklin’s fall varsity teams will be hosting home games this week, with hopes of advancing to host another home game. Listed below are previews for each team’s first-round playoff game:

FHS VOLLEYBALL: #4 Seed, beat #29 Beverly 3-0 on Wednesday night in D1 1st Round

This one is actually a recap. The FHS volleyball team lead off the playoffs for the 2022 fall season with a commanding victory over #29 seeded Beverly in straight sets on Wednesday night. The win proved Franklin should still be feared as a powerhouse in division one. Franklin will look to make the Final 4 this year after reaching the round last season before falling to eventual champion Needham. This Panthers squad is incredibly balanced for head coach Samantha Redmond: Franklin has a good mix of offensive firepower and defensive returns. Franklin awaits their opponent for the round of 16, either facing Acton-Boxborough or Wachusett at home. The date and time will be announced once the winner of Acton Boxborough vs. Wachusett is determined (they play on November 3rd).

FHS FOOTBALL: #1 seed, hosting #16 Weymouth tomorrow (Friday), 6:00 P.M.

Franklin football, the #1 seed in division one this year, comes into the playoffs with hopes of chasing a state title. The Panthers will look to build off last year’s Final Four appearance where they lost to eventual champions, Springfield Central. Franklin faces #16 Weymouth in their first game of the playoffs and will look to take that first step by beating the Wildcats this Friday. Expect the Panthers and head coach Eian Bain to rely heavily on their aggressive passing attack, featuring WRs Luke Davis (Sr.) and Derek Dubriske (Jr.). Meanwhile, Franklin’s defense will look to contain the offensive attack of the 4-4 Warriors. A run to the state championship will likely have to include a matchup with Springfield Central (#4 seed, 7-1) in the Final Four. Although this matchup is still hypothetical, the potential game would be Franklin’s chance at revenge if both teams can make it that far.

FHS FIELD HOCKEY: #5 seed, hosting #28 Barnstable on Friday, 3:00 P.M.

After making the program’s first appearance in the Final 4 last year, Franklin field hockey returns to the tournament this year retaining most of its firepower on both offense and defense. Franklin has scored 129 goals on the season while only allowing 15… that’s a +114 goal differential! This Panthers team doesn’t just beat most of their opponents, they’ve dominated many of them (12 shutouts on the year). The offensive attack for head coach Michelle Hess is led by the Carney Sisters (Katilyn Carney and Emily Carney). There’s a long road ahead for the Panthers, but this squad, like all other Franklin fall varsity teams, has its eyes set on a state title. Franklin will hope to defeat the 8-7-3 Red Hawks to start their playoff journey and continue their “Revenge Tour“. 

FHS GIRLS SOCCER: #8 seed, hosting winner of #40 Brockton/#25 Belmont on Monday, 4:00 P.M. 

Franklin girls soccer will kick off the doubleheader Monday night, looking to find the win column in their first playoff game as they play the predecessor to FHS boys soccer. The only question now is… who will they play?! The girls await the winner of #40 Brocton vs #25 Belmont (this game will be played on 11/4) to see who advances to ply at Franklin. Franklin junior Anya Zub will lead the team into the playoffs as the teams leading scorer, having notched 13 goals throughout the season. On the other side of the ball, Zub’s classmate, Rachel Welch, has been the top goalkeeper in the Hockomock league this year for head coach Tom Geysen. Welch has the lowest goals allowed per game average in the league, allowing on average less than a goal every two games with a .44 GAA. These two will look to translate the offensive and defensive efforts of the Panthers into a deep run in the state tournament. 

FHS BOYS SOCCER: #10 seed, hosting #23 Belmont on Monday, 6:00 P.M.

Another top-10 team in division one, FHS boys soccer team comes off a Kelly-Rex crown into the state playoffs as a much-improved squad from last year. A season ago, it was these Panthers who were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, losing 2-1 at #7 Framingham as the tournament’s #26 seed. Franklin will look to avoid that fate once more as they host Belmont in Game #2 of the double-header Monday night. As for the game plan by Franklin head coach Fran Bositis, the Panthers like to spread the wealth with their goal-scoring, forcing other teams to defend against all of Franklin’s attack. 

These FHS teams want to see YOUR support this playoff season. Be sure to cheer on the Panthers, starting with FHS field hockey tomorrow at 3 PM from the Beaver Street Turf. Stick around at 6 PM when FHS Football hosts their first playoff game at Pisini Field; the Rattle City theme is “Neon”. Good luck, Panthers!