While no Greater Fall River team made it to this year's Massachusetts high school super bowls, the Spindle City will be well represented on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
Seniors Hunter Salmon and Devon Williams, former Durfee High players, play key roles offensively and defensively, respectively, for the Knights (9-2) who face St. John's Prep (9-2) in the Division 1 Super Bowl at 8 p.m. in Foxborough.
A team captain, Salmon is in his second year at Catholic Memorial, located in West Roxbury. The 6-foot-4, 325 pounder plays left tackle, the crucial blindside position in a passing game with a righthanded quarterback. He is considered a Division 1 college prospect. His older brother, Nick Salmon, is a wide receiver on a football scholarship at Division 2 Merrimack College, which is jumping to NCAA Division 1 next year. And Hunter's father, Nick Salmon, was a standout lineman at Durfee and then at UMass Amherst.
Hunter Salmon played two years of varsity at Durfee before transferring.
Williams played varsity football sophomore and junior years at Durfee before transferring to Catholic Memorial for this year. The 6-0, 185-pounder plays outside linebacker and safety and has been an impact player. He had two interceptions in a regular-season 27-20 home loss to now Super Bowl foe St. John's Prep.
Williams lives with the Salmons in Fall River. During the week, Salmon and Williams live with a CM family in Canton.
In winning the Division 1 South championship, the Knights have already avenged one of their two losses. They did so by battling past Xaverian Brothers 25-14 in the South final. Xaverian had defeated CM 25-17 in West Roxbury on September 28, one week before CM's loss to St. John's Prep.
In the D1 South playoffs, third-seeded Catholic Memorial defeated No. 6 Attleboro 42-19 and No. 2 Needham 35-32 before taking down top-seeded Xaverian in the final.
St. John's Prep, of Danvers, has lost to Everett (26-14) and to Xaverian (14-12 on Thanksgiving). St. John's Prep defeated Central Catholic 21-0 in the North final after Central Catholic had upset top-seeded and previously undefeated Everett 23-20 in the semifinals.
Email Greg Sullivan at gsullivan@heraldnews.com. Follow him @GregSullivanHN.