MANSFIELD — Superintendent Teresa Murphy is pleased to share that Mansfield High School Football has earned a spot on the list of MaxPreps’ Top 20 Most Dominant Massachusetts High School Football Programs of Last Decade.
Mansfield tied for the sixth place ranking with Nashoba Regional. The rankings are determined by MaxPreps, a platform for nationwide high school sports news and rankings.
Football programs across the state were ranked based on:
- Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps state computer rankings (25 points awarded to the No. 1 team, 24 for No. 2, and so on).
- Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps national computer rankings (50 points for No. 1, 49 for No. 2, and so on).
- State championships (20 points)
- State championship game appearances (10 points)
Based on this point system, Mansfield Football scored 182 points. In the past decade, Mansfield has won three state championships, in 2010 (E-II), 2013 (D2) and 2019 (D2); was state runner-up in 2012 (D2); and finished in the state’s top 25 as fourth in 2010, ninth in 2011, 18th in 2012, first in 2013, 14th in 2017, 22nd in 2018 and second in 2019.
Mansfield Football is coached by Mike Redding, who has been the team’s head coach since 1988. The team has won eight state championships during his tenure, including three in the past decade. The team has also won six league championships and traveled to play teams in New York, Maryland and Ohio.
During the decade, the team has played many memorable games, including the 2010 Division II East State Championship win over Reading at Gillette Stadium where Mansfield overcame a 19-point deficit in the second half by scoring 22 unanswered points for a 29-26 win. The 2018 season also had a come-from-behind win over Attleboro to win the Hockomock League Championship. Mansfield ended Duxbury’s 41-game winning streak in the 2012 state semifinals, and concluded the 2013 season with a 13-0 record and the top ranking in the state after a victory over St. John’s of Shrewsbury in the 2013 Division II State Championship.
The decade’s memorable games also include victories over out-of-state opponents, including a 2011 win over Christian Brothers Academy in New York, which was top-ranked in the Syracuse area, and a one-point victory in 2013 over Maryland’s Dunbar High School, which was the three-time defending Maryland State Champion.
Most recently, Mansfield won the 2019 Division II State Championship 41-0 over Lincoln-Sudbury.
“Congratulations to Coach Redding and all of our Mansfield Football players of the past 10 years,” Superintendent Murphy said. “It’s great to see the coaching staff and all the players over the past 10 years recognized for their hard work and achievements.”
Many Mansfield Football players have continued their career at Division I, II and III college programs. These schools include the University of New Hampshire, Bentley University, Stonehill College, Westfield State University, Worcester State University, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, United States Naval Academy and many more.
The complete MaxPreps top 20 ranking for Massachusetts can be found here.
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