D3 seeds to be decided by coin; Flip for playoff positions today.

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The Central Mass. playoff matchups became official with yesterday's Thanksgiving games with the exception of Division 3.

Narragansett and Worcester Tech are tied for the fifth spot with 166 power-rating points - determined by wins and strength of schedule - with the seeds to be determined by a coin flip today.

The team that wins the coin flip will be the No. 5 seed and face No. 4 Groton-Dunstable on Tuesday, while the team that loses the coin flip will be the No. 6 seed and face No. 3 Littleton.

There were no other power-rating ties, with Auburn edging David Prouty for the top spot in Division 2 and Clinton edging Oakmont for the top spot in Division 3.

Watching from sideline

Oakmont senior Seth Sheridan is arguably the most dynamic player in Central Mass., having rushed for 630 yards and 12 touchdowns on only 40 carries.

But Sheridan has been sidelined since tearing the ACL in his right knee on the final play of the game in a 35-13 win over Hudson on Oct. 23.

"It's been very emotional," Sheridan said yesterday. "It's the worst thing can happen, but I've tried to look at the bright side, and maybe it was meant to be."

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Sheridan, who won the 200-meter dash at the Central Mass. track championships as a junior, was drawing interest from Boston College, New Hampshire and UMass before the injury. At the advice of those schools, the plan is to prep for a year, possibly at Cushing or Bridgton Academy.

LaRoche's future unclear

Oakmont coach Dave LaRoche dispelled the rumor he's retiring after this season. Sort of.

"I'm undecided," said LaRoche, who in two separate stints has coached the Spartans for a total of 25 seasons.

LaRoche plans to coach football next year, it just may not be at Oakmont. The Hall of Famer remains loyal to Oakmont, he's just looking for the same commitment from the school.

Oakmont didn't field a freshman football team this year and only has three freshmen in the program.

Highlanders get Cup

Even though the Inter-High has been disbanded in football, the Owen Ryder Cup is still awarded to the Worcester public school with the best record against the others.

Doherty received the Ryder Cup after beating Burncoat, 28-16, yesterday at Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium. Doherty also beat North and South to finish 3-0 against the city's other public schools.

Curtis Hickson won the Ralph Raymond Award as Doherty's MVP. Jonathan Winbush won the Brian Dougal Award as Burncoat's MVP after running...

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