It’s the most wonderful time of the year: no, not the holidays — high school sports playoffs. Propelled by their regular season performances, many of Dartmouth and Bishop Stang’s fall sports teams head into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s tournaments, with their eyes on the state championship title. 

Update 11/1: Girls and boys soccer tournament brackets have been released. 

Football

Dartmouth High School football ended its season undefeated with a hard-fought 28-18 victory over New Bedford High School. 

The team’s record earned it a sixth seed ranking in Division 3. Dartmouth begins its playoff run with a game against Doherty Memorial High School from Worcester, at Dartmouth’s home Memorial Stadium, on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.

Bishop Stang High School, in Division 5, earned itself a ninth seed spot with its rockier 3-5 record. The Spartans face off against Norton High School on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m., but at Norton’s home field.

Volleyball 

Dartmouth High School’s volleyball team won nearly every game in its league, finishing with an 16-4 record. Aside from one game against Duxbury, every single win was a shutout. 

Last year, the volleyball team at Dartmouth High School advanced to the final four of the competitive division II tournament for the first time in the program’s history. 

Dartmouth had a bye in the first round, but the team will host Hingham High School on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.

Despite a fairly even record of 8-10, Bishop Stang High School ranked 39th among Division 3 teams, and will not be heading into the postseason. 

Field Hockey

Yet another undefeated Dartmouth High School team. Led by Head Coach Beth Arguin, the field hockey team smashed every single opponent it found itself up against. Not only did Dartmouth shut out most games, but the team never allowed any opponent to score more than one point. 

Dartmouth ranked sixth out of 52 teams in MIAA’s Division 2 power rankings.

Bishop Stang field hockey will also be headed to the playoffs, with a rank of 27 in Division 2. The top 32 teams make the tournament. Stang’s team, led by head coach Kara Canon, saw more difficulties this season, finishing with a 5-10-2 record. 

Dartmouth and Bishop Stang will face off Thursday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. for the first game of the tournament, at Dartmouth High School. 

Boys Soccer

Dartmouth High School’s boys soccer team is in “a tough conference,” said coach Josh Silva, but they’ve still managed to get to an even record of 7-6-2. After a bye in the first round, Dartmouth plays a home game against Westborough High School on Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. 

Bishop Stang’s record of 6-10-1 was not enough to crack through the playoffs in the challenging Division 3. This was head coach Ricardo Aguiar’s first season with the team, after taking over for Nate Greene, the school’s new athletic director.

Girls Soccer

A record of 10-5-1 puts Dartmouth girls soccer in position for the postseason, netting them a rank of 18 among 64 teams in Division 2. Head coach Scot Boudria hopes the team’s deep bench and experienced defense will allows them to hold out among tough playoff matches. In the past two years, Masconomet Regional High School shut out Dartmouth 4-0, twice. With Masconomet undefeated this year, the team once again poses a strong threat. 

Dartmouth plays a home game against Whitman-Hanson on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.

Bishop Stang will be duking it out in the same tournament with Dartmouth. Their 8-6-3 record landed the team at rank 26.

The Spartans play an away game against Minnechuag Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.