Defending Division 4 champion Scituate is 4-0 and rolling

Last December, Scituate won the MIAA Division 4 title by one point. This fall, the Sailors haven't needed to be that close.

Scituate is 4-0 after a 49-12 win over Plymouth South, according to High School On SI. SI ranks the Sailors No. 6 in its New England Top 25 as of Oct. 5, up from No. 8 the week before. On3's Massachusetts Top 25, which ranks public and prep schools together, has Scituate at No. 11.

Next up: at Quincy

The Sailors travel to Quincy on Friday for a late-afternoon kickoff, per High School On SI.

A title defense that began with a one-point final

Scituate entered last year's Division 4 tournament as the top seed and beat Duxbury 34-21 in the semifinals, per High School On SI. In the final, the Sailors edged Tewksbury Memorial 42-41, handing the Redmen their first loss of the season.

The Super 8 question

Scituate is also part of the debate over the MIAA's new playoff format. When the MIAA's Tournament Management Committee took up the Super 8 in June, the Boston Globe reported that Scituate athletic director Scott Paine had indicated his team might have wanted a shot at a Super 8 last fall instead of the Division 4 tournament.

Under the format the MIAA Board of Directors approved in August, which begins in 2027, only the top eight teams from Divisions 1 and 2 will play in the Super 8. The MIAA is also rebalancing football divisions for the next alignment cycle, and the Globe reported that larger schools with stronger programs could move from Division 3 to Division 2. Scituate's 2027 division has not been announced.

This season, the current format still applies. The regular-season cutoff is Oct. 31, and brackets come out Nov. 1. For more on what changes next year, read our Super 8 explainer.

Boston Sports News did not attend these games. Results and rankings come from the sources listed below.