It’s been taken out of our storage space, dusted off and primed for another season of pigskin prognostications.
For the ninth straight season, Salem News Executive Sports Editor Phil Stacey and Assistant Sports Editor Matt Williams have looked into their trustworthy crystal ball to try and see what the 2026 high school football season holds.
There have been some changes since we last gazed into our orb. For starters, our newspaper has narrowed down the amount of high schools we’re now covering, which means you’ll only see players from Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Salem, Masconomet, Bishop Fenwick and St. John’s Prep mentioned.
Also, the later-than-normal start to the football season meant fewer practices, just two scrimmages, and fewer chances to get a real look at the above-mentioned septet of squads.
But we believe in the power of our crystal ball, as well as our own clairvoyance in forecasting football happenings at the high school level. This will be Phil’s 37th season patrolling the sidelines for The Salem News and Willie’s 21st, so we long ago got a lay of the land locally and a feel for what’s about to happen.
So let’s dive right in and give you some predictions on what we see unfolding over the next three months. And if by chance we’re wrong on any of these prophecies, you can blame the crystal ball.
1). Which players have the best shot to lead our readership area in rushing yards?
PHIL
1. Maxwell Parent, St. John’s Prep. In this offense, he could conceivably finish with 1,500-plus yards on the ground and have another 20-TD campaign.
2. Zach Fultz, Danvers. Chain-moving junior is powerful, speedy, and is as likely to run over would-be tacklers as he is beating them to the outside.
3. Jack Houston, Danvers. Two guys in the same backfield? Yeah. Houston is a beast, meaning the Falcons could conceivably have a pair of 1K runners.
WILLIE
1. Maxwell Parent. A fairly easy choice, considering the damage he did in a timeshare last season. Even if St. John’s Prep keeps him somewhat fresh for November, the workload for a 2,000-yard season might be on the table.
2. Zach Fultz, Danvers. Could Ken St. Pierre’s near half-century-old school record for rushing yardage be in jeopardy? With Danvers’ veteran offensive line, smashmouth play style and Fultz’ home run hitting capability … perhaps.
3. Sean Okhuozagbon, Beverly. The Panthers’ leading rusher a season ago has a tremendous line to run behind. I foresee Beverly leaning on the more traditional Wing-T style than last season’s ‘Sling-T’ passing attack, so Okhuozagbon could benefit greatly from that approach.
2). How many yards and touchdown passes will St. John’s Prep quarterback Chris Vargas finish with?
PHIL
2,512 yards, 29 TDs. The Eagles should again be able to score points in bunches, with Vargas picking apart defenses as his receivers reap the rewards.
WILLIE
2,012 yards, 23 TDs. I did the math. That’s the average of the Eagles passing game over the last five seasons.
3). Other than Vargas, who is your choice for the area’s top passer?
PHIL
Adam Kiricoples, Bishop Fenwick. Strong armed junior is reading defenses and coverages better than he did a year ago and will find the holes he needs to exploit.
WILLIE
Cruz Zizza, Masconomet. I think the Chieftains may need to air it out a bit more this season with Jack Fabiano in the backfield … and Zizza has some pretty good wide receivers to find in open spaces.
4). Name three players you think will be the area’s top three receivers.
PHIL
1. Riley Selvais, St. John’s Prep. Is there another choice? Ultra-gifted wideout won area’s Triple Crown a year ago (71 rec., 1,231 yards, 15 TDs) and is poised for a repeat.
2. Trip Weidman, Masconomet. Looked exceptionally strong in summer 7-on-7s and is ready to carry the offensive load for the Chieftains whenever needed.
3. Mark Mendonca, Peabody. After catching 40-plus passes for more than 600 yards last year, he and new QB Dominik Mercier will do even more damage through the air this time around.
WILLIE
1. Riley Selvais, St. John’s Prep. Has any North Shore wide receiver ever posted back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons? The answer is no and Selvais could be the first with a big 2026.
2. Mark Mendonca, Peabody. An easy choice given his slippery route running, breakaway speed and instant chemistry with Dominik Mercier.
3. Jamie Dube, Bishop Fenwick. The Crusaders like to spread the wealth in terms of catches, but Dube just may emerge at the top target before it’s all said and done.
5). How about three selections for a potential Defensive Player of the Year?
PHIL
1. Connor Quigley, St. John’s Prep. Not the biggest, fastest or strongest … but the Eagles’ middle linebacker does his job to near-perfection. Embodiment of a “follow my lead, boys” type of teammate.
2. Aithan King, Masconomet. Could a defensive tackle win this award? If he’s as accomplished and athletic as the Chieftains’ captain, he sure can.
3. Teddy Fisher, Beverly. Senior linebacker has a motor that never quits and is a natural born leader for the Orange-and-Black. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t end up leading his team in tackles.
WILLIE
1. Teddy Fisher, Beverly. Picked the big fella as a breakout player last season and am not changing my mind this fall. A great tackler with a motor that always runs.
2. Matt Nikiforov, Danvers. The Falcons are ferocious on defense and their front seven features several players who could have been cited here. I’ll go with Nikiforov for his seeming love of contact.
3. Kendal Murga, Salem. Flashed more than once last season with some thunderous tackles-for-loss. In a bigger role this fall, he could be a breakout defender for the Witches.
6). Give us three linemen you really like heading into the 2026 campaign.
PHIL
1. Joao Reis, Beverly. Captain dropped 40 pounds from a year ago and looks more agile and ready for the grind while powering a powerful Panther O-line.
2. Gregory Njiseng, Salem. Even the Witches’ coaching staff speaks reverentially of the disciplined and proficient 315-pound junior captain they call ‘Big Greg’.
3. Dylan Kinney, Danvers. Two-way force is the perfect lineman in that you never notice him on the field … that is, unless he’s dumping another opponent on his back.
WILLIE
1. Matt Dresser, Peabody. A three-year starter who is more-or-less unblockable on defense and is the unquestioned leader of the Tanners’ veteran O-line.
2. Will Seaha, St. John’s Prep. The Eagles task their line with playing a tone-setting, physical style and Seaha more than fits the bill.
3. Gregory Njiseng, Salem. Not only is Njiseng an imposing presence for the Witches (at 315 pounds) but he’s a leader in the huddle. Figure the Witches will rally around him this fall.
7). Name three players who you think are going to ‘pop’ this season.
PHIL
1. Ian Guarino, Bishop Fenwick sophomore running back
2. Ty Lomasney, Peabody Jr. defensive back
3. Stephan Sullivan, Beverly Jr. wingback
WILLIE
1. Jack Smith, Peabody Sr. wide receiver and defensive back
2. Trip Weidman, Masconomet Jr. wide receiver and defensive back
3. Colby Medeiros, Danvers Sr. safety
8). Give us your Northeastern Conference Dunn and Lynch division champions and why.
PHIL
I’ll take Danvers in the NEC Dunn; just feels that with all of their three-year starters, depth and talent that it’s the Falcons’ turn. In the NEC Lynch, make it Swampscott for the threepeat.
WILLIE
I’m sticking with Marblehead; it’s been about a dozen years since the Magicians went back-to-back years without a title. In the Lynch, I don’t see anyone challenging Swampscott (although Gloucester could be tough).
9). What would you put the odds at of St. John’s Prep and Xaverian meeting in the Division 1 Super Bowl for the third time in four years?
PHIL
65 percent. Realistically, there are 3-4 teams that stand above the rest in Division 1, and these two titans of industry are in that category. This assumes they’ll be on opposite sides of the playoff bracket, and someone is going to have to beat Springfield Central in the state semifinals to make this happen.
WILLIE
33 percent. At some point, the Hawks and Eagles are going to play each other in the semifinals. Also, its been 25 years since a Division 1 team made four straight Super Bowls, so the odds are against Xaverian.
10). Lastly, give us one REALLY wild prediction for the 2026 season.
PHIL
Bishop Fenwick will go unbeaten in the regular season … but be on the road to start the playoffs. The Crusaders have the talent to run the table, especially with Bishop Feehan and St. Mary’s Lynn now out of the Catholic Central League. But their strength of schedule could work against them in the Division 6 rankings, meaning they could be a No. 9 seed or lower for the first time since the current playoff format took hold in 2022.
WILLIE
The NEC Dunn has co- (or even tri-) champs. Feels like I say this every other year, but these five teams (Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Masconomet and Peabody) are too evenly matched and too well coached for anybody to run the table.