The high school football preseason kicks off Friday. Here are 8 early storylines to follow. - The Boston Globe (2024)

▪ Coaches on the move: The transactions started in April, when Eian Bain, in his eighth season of a successful run at Franklin, was hired at Bridgewater-Raynham. A month later, Todd Kiley stepped down after 21 years at Division 4 power Holliston to take the Franklin job. Holliston then hired former Bishop Feehan star Mike Yurof in June.

At BC High, alum Paul Zukauskas (’97) returns to his alma mater with an impressive pedigree: a four-year starting lineman at Boston College, five years in the NFL, and more importantly, a 44-13 record from 2011-17 at the helm of Lawrence Academy.

At Abington, Ed Reilly is filling the big shoes of Jim Kelleher, who retired in November after 50 seasons and 313 wins. The 1990 Green Wave grad had worked on Kelleher’s staff since 1997, most recently as associate head coach.

Ben Shuffrain is taking his high-powered offense from Carver to Sharon, his alma mater, after leading the Crusaders to the Division 8 Super Bowl last fall.

Brockton promoted offensive line/junior varsity coach Jailson Silva to head coach following the one-year stint of former Patriot Jermaine Wiggins.

▪ EJ Perry is back ... in Andover: While a number of coaches are starting at new programs, EJ Perry is back on very familiar turf in Andover. He had announced his retirement as a coach (as well as a teacher in the district) in May, but in late July, after an inquiry from athletic director Wayne Puglisi, Perry enthusiastically agreed to make a return to the Warrior sideline.

Seven Friday night games will allow Perry to see his son, Will, a freshman QB at UMass, on Saturdays, and out of the classroom allows for more family time with grandson Irijah in particular. Andover is 20-3 the past two seasons, with back-to-back Merrimack Valley Conference titles, and a trip to the Division 1 semifinals last November.

▪ The fight for Division 2: King Philip capped a 13-0 season with a 42-14 thrashing of Marshfield at Gillette Stadium. The Warriors return back Drew LaPlante, linebacker/back Aiden Astorino, versatile Tallan King, and wide receiver/safety Tommy Kilroy.

After an injury-plagued 8-3 season, Catholic Memorial is back as a major contender. The Knights added BC-bound lineman Mac Fitzgerald, a transfer from Bergen Catholic in New Jersey; his father, Craig, is on Bill O’Brien’s new staff. He will join Marcelino Antunes up front. John DiBiaso’s squad is also filled with playmakers: tailback Mekhi Dodd (BC) and tight end Michael Hegarty (Penn), while JD Rayner (James Madison) will anchor the defense. The biggest question is at quarterback after Peter Bourque transferred to Tabor Academy.

CM beat KP in the 2021 and 2022 Super Bowls. Round 3 could be in store this December.

▪ On the recruiting trail: Defending Division 1 champion Xaverian is bolstered on the defensive line by senior Micah Amedee, a three-star prospect from Brockton who committed to Boston College after a dominant junior campaign. He’ll be joined by St. Sebastian’s transfer Dominic Funke, a Class of 2026 prospect who has offers from BC, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers among others.

St. John’s Prep tight end Merrick Barlow (Navy) will be a weapon for coach Brian St. Pierre. Needham senior running back/linebacker Aidan Williams is headed to Lehigh and offensive lineman Charlie Simeone is bound for Holy Cross. Springfield Central has massive offensive lineman Dominic Rijos (Coastal Carolina) leading the way. Arlington junior lineman Brady Bekkenhuis continued the trend of local players staying home, committing to play for O’Brien at Boston College in late July.

▪ Playoff structure: Could this be the final season of eight regular-season games and 128 teams qualifying for the postseason in eight divisions? With Milton coach Steve Dembowski at the point, the state football coaches association has proposed an 11-game regular season, concluding on Thanksgiving Day, with eight tournament qualifiers per division. The state quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals would be completed in an 11-day period.

There has been much back-and-forth discussion with the football committee, requests for tweaks, the creation of a subcommittee, and dialogue with tournament management. Is there traction to take the next step? The football committee is scheduled to meet Sept. 18.

▪ Taking a bye this fall: With Labor Day early (Sept. 2), and Thanksgiving late (Nov. 28), and the MIAA regular-season cutoff Nov. 3, teams have nine weeks to play eight regular-season games. A number of schools have chosen to schedule another scrimmage the first weekend in September, while others will slot in a bye to re-fuel and get healthy. The same schedule will apply in 2025.

▪ Determined at Dracut: Trevor Knight was a standout quarterback at New Hampshire, ranking fifth in program history in completions and sixth in passing yards before continuing his career in the Canadian Football League. The Nashua South grad is in charge of rebuilding a Dracut program that finished 2-10 last season during a co-op with Innovation Academy.

The deadline for filing for a 2024-25 football co-op with the MIAA is Sept. 3.

▪ September showdowns: The state’s top teams are not wasting time testing themselves as the season’s first month features several intriguing matchups. Defending D1 semifinalist Needham opens Sept. 6 with a Bay State Conference showdown against Milton, the only team to top the Rockets during last year’s regular season. Left out of the playoffs last year despite going 7-1, Everett is not taking chances this season, scheduling Mansfield (Sept. 6), Xaverian (Sept. 20), and BC High (Sept. 27) on its non conference slate. Xaverian plays at Springfield Central Sept. 27, a rematch of their 21-20 Division 1 semifinal victory last November in Westwood, while King Philip begins its title defense on Sept. 6 with a tilt at Walpole and prolific quarterback Noah Mackenzie.

Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.