The latest MIAA football power rankings do more than sort out a few numbers. They sharpen the picture of where the local teams stand as the fall season winds down, and the headline is clear: Shawsheen Tech sits No. 1 in Division 5, while Tewksbury is No. 2 in Division 4.
The rankings were released at 4 a.m. Tuesday with schedules and scores included through that point, giving teams one more snapshot before the cut-off period tightens the race for tournament positioning. For area football, the update is significant not just because of the top spots, but because it confirms how crowded the local picture remains across the divisions.
The source says seven area football teams are in the top six of their division, and 41 local teams are inside the top 30. That is the kind of depth that matters in a rankings system built to reward results while still leaving room for context. A strong record alone is helpful, but the rankings show that several local programs have backed it up with enough production to stay well positioned as the state tournament approaches.
Shawsheen Tech at No. 1 is the clearest statement at the top of the board, and Tewksbury at No. 2 gives the area another elite marker. But the broader takeaway is that the local field is not defined by one or two teams. It stretches across divisions, with programs from Division 1 through Division 8 still in the mix for favorable placement.
Among the other area names in the rankings, Chelmsford, Lowell, Littleton, Billerica, Westford Academy, Greater Lowell Tech, Dracut, Groton-Dunstable, Wilmington, Tyngsboro, Lowell Catholic, Nashoba Tech, Ayer Shirley, Collegiate Charter School of Lowell, North Middlesex, Westford and the Academy of Notre Dame all remain part of the conversation as the numbers continue to settle.
There is still one more round of updates before the cut-off dates. Updated power rankings for field hockey, volleyball and football will be published one final time on the MIAA website on Friday before the cut-off dates, while boys and girls soccer will get an updated release on Tuesday, Nov. 3. That means the current football board is important, but not final.
Still, this release offers a useful checkpoint. The strongest local teams have separated themselves, and the rankings suggest that the region enters the closing stretch with more than a few programs capable of making noise when the tournaments begin.
