Duxbury football opens '24 season vs. new-look Abington (minus coach Jim Kelliher)

The Duxbury High football team will begin defense of its Division 4 state championship in the fall with an historic matchup.

The Dragons will host Abington on Friday, Sept. 6, in what will be the Green Wave's first game of the Post-Jim Kelliher Era. Kelliher retired in November after 50 seasons in charge of the program.

Longtime Abington assistant Ed Reilly was elevated to head coach in December. His debut will be Abington's first game since 1973 without Kelliher roaming the sidelines.

Top-seeded Duxbury claimed the 2023 state crown with a wild 62-33 win over Scituate in the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium as senior running back Alex Barlow ran for 275 yards and 5 touchdowns.

It was the Dragons' fourth straight trip to the final and their second straight title; they beat Grafton, 42-7, in the 2022 Super Bowl.

Abington finished 8-3 last season, beating Whitman-Hanson, 46-6, on Thanksgiving in Kelliher's farewell. As a No. 2 seed, the Green Wave was upset by No. 15 Stoneham in the first round of last year's Div. 6 playoffs.

Due to a quirk in the calendar -- Labor Day is early (Sept. 2) and Thanksgiving is late (Nov. 28) this year -- there is an extra week available for MIAA football teams to schedule games. The extra week is designated Week 1A. Schools can schedule a maximum of eight games in the nine-week period between Labor Day and the cutoff date of Sunday, Nov. 3.

Duxbury High football 2024 schedule

Friday, Sept. 6 -- vs. Abington, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 13 -- vs. Mansfield, 7

Friday, Sept. 20 -- at Franklin, 7

Friday, Sept. 27 -- at Hanover, 7

Friday, Oct. 4 -- BYE

Friday, Oct. 11 -- at Plymouth North, 7

Friday, Oct. 18 -- vs. Silver Lake, 7

Friday, Oct. 25 -- at Whitman-Hanson, 7

Friday, Nov. 1 -- vs. Hingham, 7

Thursday, Nov. 28 -- at Marshfield, 10 a.m.