One last week for Central and Western Mass., State Vocational race continues

Now that the calendar has turned to November, the MIAA football playoffs begin this weekend with quarterfinal round games in Eastern Mass.

But there still is one more week left in the playoff races in Central and Western Mass., which will seed their brackets Sunday before kicking off the four-team fields next week in the quest to get to Gillette Stadium the first weekend in December.

The Eastern Mass. playoff scores can be found on the daily tournament post, but as always we will be tracking the playoff ratings in Central and West.

Can Wachusett win a key showdown with St. John’s and hold off Doherty for the top spot in Div. 3 Central? It looks like four 5-2 teams will make it in D4 Central, but how does the order shake out among Fitchburg, Tantasqua, Nashoba and Groton-Dunstable?

Can Oakmont beat Tyngsboro to keep the top spot in Div. 5, or will it be Worcester South, which is idle after Keefe Tech made the Eastern Mass. playoffs? And keep an eye on the big Auburn-Northbridge showdown, which could decide a spot.

As for Tyngsboro, can the Tigers surge ahead of Millbury in Div. 6? Do Blackstone-Millville or Holy Name have enough to catch Littleton or Uxbridge?

The Div. 7 Central field looks set, but Assabet Valley and Blackstone Valley meet as they look to break their current third-place deadlock and move into the top two.

The Div. 8 quartet of St. Bernard’s, Bartlett, Monty Tech and Narragansett are in a tight pack, and they face key challenges from Lunenburg and Murdock on the outside.

Out West, can Springfield Central win its final game and use its strong schedule to move ahead of Minnechaug in Div. 3? Can either Belchertown or Longmeadow catch Easthampton for a Div. 5 spot?

Four 5-2 teams are battling it out in Div. 7, so how will South Hadley, Frontier, Chicopee and Wahconah line up when it’s all over?

Can Drury or McCann Tech win and threaten either Lee or Mahar for a berth in Div. 8?

Finally, the State Vocational race continues this weekend. Some teams are in the Eastern Mass. playoffs and will remain there as long as they keep winning, but the Vocational Bowls still are an option for any remaining teams. Our VOKE ratings page has been revamped, with all of the qualified game scores and standings in one place.

Follow along throughout this final weekend.