Holiday placements mean Mass. high school football teams have bye weeks; coaches appreciative

Early Labor Day plus a late Thanksgiving equals a week off for Massachusetts football teams this fall. Many teams are off the first week (known as Week 1A; the second week is labeled by the MIAA as Week 1) of games, giving them an extra scrimmage and extra time to prepare for the eight-game regular season grind.

But another group is off the week of Friday, Oct. 11 (known as Week 5): Assabet, Framingham, Marlborough, Natick and Wellesley.

Every coach that responded to the bye week question by the Daily News appreciated having an off week, no matter when it falls.

“Most of our numbers are down,” said Natick coach Mark Mortarelli. “Hopefully the bye week gives us a chance to get healthy and work on things for the remainder of the season. It’s a long season. It’s not a bad thing to slow everything down for a week.”

“Love the bye week,” Bellingham coach Dan Haddad said, whose team is off Week 4. “Rest and recovery never hurts!!”

Nipmuc is one of the teams off on Week 1A. The Warriors were originally scheduled to play Littleton, but the Tigers didn’t name a new head coach until early August, meaning the game was moved to Oct. 10. Nipmuc will scrimmage against neighbor Blackstone Valley Tech instead during the first week in September.

“I’d rather (the bye) be in the middle (of the season),” Nipmuc coach James Royster said. “Last year we ran into a lot of injury issues, so I was looking forward to having a good week to heal and to rest and reset our values. With it being at the beginning of the season, it’s just another week of practice without us playing. I’d rather just get right to the games.”

Wayland’s bye is also Week 1A, but coach Scott Parseghian plans to take advantage of an early-week game on Thursday, Oct. 10 (vs. Lincoln-Sudbury) for an extra breather.

“We plan to take Columbus weekend off to give everyone a rest and gear up for the second part of the season,” he said.

Westborough, Millis play twice in five days

The expanded season includes other short weeks. Westborough, which is off Week 1A, hosts Shepherd Hill on Oct. 5 and plays at Nashoba five nights later. The Rangers had a similar experience last season when their first two games were six days apart.

“The staff and players do have an expectation of how to handle it,” said coach Joe Beveridge. “We look forward to the challenge of facing two quality opponents.”

Millis, which is off Week 1A, has a similar scenario. The Mohawks play at David Prouty on Oct. 5 and at Dover-Sherborn on Oct. 10, which will mark five road games in six weeks. Coach Bob Martellio isn’t losing much sleep over the compact contests.

“For us playing on a Saturday night then 5 days later on Thursday night will present a challenge ... but it is what it is,” he said.

Framingham, Ashland coaches enjoy mid-season byes

Teams that are off mid-season appear to be the most appreciative. Framingham is off Week 5, which falls after the second game of a three-game road stretch.

“This will give us time to recover and focus on the final part of the season,” coach David Wright said, “so I think for Framingham it comes in an awesome time.”

“I think it’s great,” said Ashland’s Andrew MacKay, whose Clockers are off Week 4. “We are lucky to go 4 games, a bye, and 4 games. It’s a healthy breakup, meanwhile keeping the same amount of games.”

Hudson has the latest bye – Week 6 – of local teams.

“I like the bye week,” coach Zac Attaway said. “Looking forward to the opportunity to rest, regroup, scout.”

Playoff changes could make bye weeks permanent

Next year’s calendar will also provide a bye week, but the scenario could stick around no matter when the bookending holidays fall. The state’s Football Coaches Association meets on Sept. 18 and will likely discuss changing the way the regular season and playoffs are constructed.

Currently, teams play eight regular season games, and the playoffs begin in early November, which takes away some of the fanfare for Thanksgiving. A new proposal has an 11-game regular season concluding on Thanksgiving before three rounds of playoffs are played during an 11-game span.

Algonquin coach Mark Allen believes that off weeks could become a yearly occurrence. His team is off Week 2 this season, just before the Titans play Grafton, a team that went 9-3 last year.

“I think the bye weeks will be the new norm for football if the new playoff format passes this winter,” he said. “Having that bye to recover a bit before a very good, physical opponent is a great thing for us.”

Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: High school football coaches appreciate bye weeks no matter when the fall