Melrose football crushes it in Decade Best poll

Tops all Middlesex teams in Max Prep survey

Published May 22, 2020

By JENNIFER GENTILE

MELROSE—Cue the bragging rights!

After winning two Super Bowl titles in three years, and securing four appearances at Gillette Stadium since 2015, the Melrose Red Raider football team has rightly earned their place in a recent Max Prep “Best of Decade” Mass high school football poll, nearing the top 10 by clocking in at #12 for the years covering 2010-20. Max Prep is considered a widely-regarded source for all things high school football nationally. Just this season, Melrose earned a Div. 4 Super Bowl title and finished as the only undefeated team in Massachusetts. Talk about perfection. Coming in behind Melrose for Middlesex League teams was Reading (#15). The methodology includes top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps state computer rankings, top 25 finishes in national computer rankings, state championships (20 points) a state championship game appearances (10 points).

All credit goes to Melrose head coach Tim Morris and his coaching staff, who have helped Melrose restore their glory after a 30-year drought of state titles. The Red Raiders put their stamp in the division in the early 2010s and earned numerous North titles and two Gillette appearances before their first Super Bowl win in 2017. Now, they’re a Middlesex League dynasty, and shouldn’t be seeing a dip in talent anytime soon.

Coach Tim Morris credits the players and his coaching staff for this success. “We’ve had a great run of committed athletes. The formula doesn’t change. It’s a little old school. We encourage multi-sport participation; look at the Mercers, Hickeys, and what Cusolito and Karelas have done. Sean Herbert is leaving Melrose with 4 state titles in different sports. The kids know what we ask of them. Our kids hit the weight room, focus on academics. The proof is in the pudding.”

He adds, “I also think the playoff formats have helped us along the way. We’re playing with equal mid-sized public schools and it’s allowed a great run.” And he’s quick to point out that his coaching staff is head and shoulders above the rest. “We have a great blend of veteran coaches, like Mike Kent, who’s been with me for the duration, and experienced guys like Wayne Pandolph and Trevor Rudolph plus some of my former players like Calpaldo, Sasso and Babula who return to coach. All of these guys could coach anywhere and they commit themselves to this team. We couldn’t do it without them.”

It’s that winning formula that had made Melrose football a feared opponent. So take a bow, Red Raiders, and shine those rings.

The Full Rankings:

1. Everett (311)

State championships: 2010 (E-I), 2011 (E-IA), 2012 (D1A), 2016 (D1), 2017 (D1)

State runner-up: 2014 (D1)

State Top 25: 2010 (1), 2011 (1), 2012 (2), 2013 (8), 2014 (3), 2016 (2), 2017 (1), 2018 (4), 2019 (11)

2. Xaverian Brothers (Westwood) (231)

State championships: 2014 (D1), 2015 (D1)

State runner-up: 2013 (D1), 2016 (D1), 2017 (D1)

State Top 25: 2010 (6), 2011 (17), 2013 (4), 2014 (1), 2015 (1), 2016 (4), 2017 (9), 2018 (5)

3. St. John’s Prep (Danvers) (211)

State championships: 2012 (D1), 2018 (D1), 2019 (D1)

State runner-up: 2010 (E-1)

State Top 25: 2010 (10), 2012 (1), 2014 (4), 2015 (10), 2016 (12), 2018 (1), 2019 (3)

4. Duxbury (195)

State championships: 2010 (E-II A), 2011 (E-II), 2016 (D2)

State runner-up: 2019 (D3)

State Top 25: 2010 (5), 2011 (2), 2012 (20), 2015 (16), 2016 (1), 2017 (20), 2018 (10), 2019 (9)

5. King Philip Regional (Wrentham) (191)

State championships: 2016 (1A), 2017 (D2),

State runner-up: 2018 (D2)

State Top 25: 2010 (21), 2011 (10), 2012 (6), 2013 (14), 2014 (6), 2016 (6), 2017 (4), 2018 (13), 2019 (13)

6. (tie) Mansfield (182)

State championships: 2010 (E-II), 2013 (D2), 2019 (D2)

State runner-up: 2012 (D2)

State Top 25: 2010 (4), 2011 (9), 2012 (18), 2013 (1), 2017 (14), 2018 (22), 2019 (2)

6. (tie) Nashoba Regional (Bolton) (182)

State championships: 2011 (C-II), 2012 (D2 Central), 2015 (D2). 2018 (D4)

State runner-up: 2010 (C-I), 2017 (D4)

State Top 25: 2010 (16), 2011 (8), 2012 (10), 2015 (3), 2018 (11)

8. Central Catholic (Lawrence) (179)

State championships: 2013 (D1)

State runner-up: 2015 (D1), 2016 (D1)

State Top 25: 2011 (20), 2012 (15), 2013 (2), 2014 (15), 2015 (12), 2016 (14), 2017 (6), 2018 (6), 2019 (5)

9. St. John’s (Shrewsbury) (159)

State championships: 2010 (C-I), 2017 (D3)

State runner-up: 2011 (C-1), 2013 (D2)

State Top 25: 2010 (3), 2011 (25), 2013 (10), 2015 (21), 2016 (19), 2017 (2), 2018 (21), 2019 (8)

10. (tie) Central (Springfield) (143)

State championships: 2012 (DI-W), 2018 (D3), 2019 (D3)

State runner-up: 2010 (W-1)

State Top 25: 2012 (16), 2013 (16), 2017 (22), 2018 (2), 2019 (1)

10. (tie) Holliston (143)

State championships: 2010 (E-III A), 2014 (D4), 2015 (D4)

State Top 25: 2010 (14), 2011 (18), 2014 (5), 2015 (5), 2016 (17), 2018 (14)

*12. Melrose (135)*

State championships: 2017 (D4), 2019 (D4)

State runner-up: 2014 (D3), 2015 (D3)

State Top 25: 2013 (18), 2014 (16), 2015 (8), 2017 (7), 2019 (6)

The Rest: 

13. Bridgewater-Raynham (Bridgewater) (116)

14. Tewksbury Memorial (111)

15. Reading Memorial (108)

16. Boston College High (107)

17. (tie) Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury) (104)

17. (tie) Dennis-Yarmouth Regional (South Yarmouth) (104)

17. (tie) North Attleborough (104)

20. Marshfield (91)