Gillette's School Super Bowl Schedule Expanded To Two Days

For the first time in the 11 years Gillette Stadium has hosted the Massachusetts high school super bowls, the Foxboro home of the New England Patriots has opened its doors for two days worth of championship football.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) announced Thursday that all eight MIAA Football State Championship Games will be played at Gillette Stadium on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2. Prior to the announcement, Divisions 2 and 7 were slated to be played elsewhere because Gillette could only handle six games in one day.

That's good news for Division 2 schools Lincoln-Sudbury, North Andover, King Philip, and Bridgewater-Raynham, and Division 7 schools St. Mary's, Brighton, Mashpee, Abington, Leicester, Blackstone Valley, Wahconah, and Frontier. All have sectional final games this weekend, meaning all have a shot at playing at Gillette.

This unprecedented, two-day event featuring eight championship games will provide student-athletes from 16 MIAA schools and their respective communities with a tournament experience of a lifetime. During the first 10 years of the MIAA championships at Gillette Stadium, six games were hosted on Saturday. This year two additional games will be played on Friday night, Dec. 1. The specific game schedule will be released after the MIAA state semifinal games are played the weekend of November 17-19.

“We love hosting the high school championship games here at Gillette Stadium and are excited to be able to accommodate all eight games this year,” said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. “While the all-day event on Saturday has become an annual tradition, we are proud to host a Friday Night Lights edition for the remaining two championship games at Gillette Stadium. We are sure that experience will provide the teams’ coaches, players and respective communities memories that will last a lifetime.”

“This opportunity presents a tremendous platform to showcase all eight state championship contests,” said Richard Pearson, MIAA Associate Director. “The experience at Gillette Stadium, the ultimate in professional sporting venues, is unparalleled and will certainly create a memorable experience for all MIAA participating schools and their student-athletes.”

Adding to the excitement will be thousands of cheering fans, cheerleaders and school bands. State championship participants and their fans will be treated to an NFL-caliber game presentation with music and replays on the stadium’s high-definition video boards.

“The MIAA is indebted to the Kraft family for their magnanimous support of MIAA student-athletes and I extend appreciation on behalf of our 374 member schools,” said MIAA Executive Director Bill Gaine.

Tickets for the Gillette Stadium/MIAA Tournament experience go on sale Tuesday, Nov. 21, via Ticketmaster, and will be available on game day at the Gillette Stadium Ticket Office, located outside the Patriot Place Gate, beginning at 8 a.m.