As with most everything new, the MIAA high school Super Bowls at Gillette Stadium were a work in progress Saturday.

The games went by relatively quickly - 10-minute quarters helped that, and run-dominant offenses for many of the competing teams also helped. In fact, the biggest delays in the schedule were not caused by the plays on the field, but in the number of times the home viewers on Comcast SportsNet or Channel 38 had to be told that Rachael Ray drinks Dunkin' Donuts coffee ("Dee-lish!"), that Bob's Stores are the official apparel store of the New England Patriots, or that Tiger Woods and two other jocks use Gillette razors.

The commercials didn't stop there, either. Even public-address announcer George Usevich, the former voice of Foxboro Stadium back when the old stadium housed both the Patriots and the high school playoffs, had to drop in a few plugs for Bob Kraft's Patriot Place shopping mall every now and then.

Hey, what the heck. After all, it cost the Krafts quite a few dollars to stage the Super Bowls without cost to the MIAA. One report said it cost $60,000 alone just to put the games on live television through the facilities of Kraft Sports Productions, so they can't be faulted for trying to make a few of those bucks back.

When I asked him early Saturday evening, Patriots' spokesman Stacey James didn't have a bottom-line figure for what the Super Bowls cost the Krafts. I didn't really expect him to, either, because I'm sure his boss didn't want it to look as if he was courting "attaboys" or pats on the back from the region's sporting public for his generosity. This is one time when I can say without fear of contradiction that Robert Kraft did something with very little consideration for the bottom line. In this instance, the "bottom line" was to create something very positive for the high school football athletes of eastern Massachusetts.

For the most part, I believe he and the MIAA succeeded - although, as with any first-time event, there will be improvements suggested and a lot of study done to see how the experience can be improved.

There certainly isn't much that can be done to improve the venue. Gillette Stadium is the best place in the state for these games to be competed, bar none - although as some feared, the place looked empty for the lower division games with smaller attendance. Even as people began filing into the stadium for the Division 1 game between Everett and Dartmouth, the crowd still looked far more Revolution in nature than Patriot.

Part of the reason may have been the cold temperatures - in the 30s for most of the day games with a stiff breeze adding to the discomfort, then plunging into the low 20s by the time Marshfield and Chelmsford had reached halftime around 5 p.m. By kickoff of the Dartmouth-Everett game, temperatures were perilously close to the teens.

In a season in which people were still wearing polo shirts on Thanksgiving, it's fair to say we all aren't as acclimated to cold weather as we should be at this time of year.

Another contributing factor may have been the live television coverage - three games on a channel available in most basic cable package, three on a channel available over the air as well as cable. Given the choice between sitting in the cold and sitting in the broken-in BarcaLounger, most people would probably choose the latter.

As the Krafts and the MIAA have a three-year agreement in place, low attendance this year will not force the removal of the games next year. But it may prove a consideration for the future. It takes time to build a following, and these games have that time.

There is also the issue of schools being left out of the Gillette experience.

This year's Division 4 game was played at Stonehill College earlier Saturday; next year, a different division will be sent to Easton, although it's highly unlikely that any of the top four divisions will be asked to travel to the smaller venue.

In a way, it's the sign of the times that the smaller divisions aren't willing to accept exclusion without a fight. About 20 years ago, Norton played Dorchester in its first (and to date, only) Super Bowl at Boston University's Nickerson Field, not Foxboro Stadium. No one was upset over the site selection, Norton defeated Dorchester and everyone wearing purple went home happy. But at least Nickerson was available. It isn't any more. Neither is Boston College's Alumni Stadium, Northeastern's Parsons Field or Harvard Stadium (although, reportedly, the latter might have been available at some cost to the MIAA). There aren't enough alternatives to keep everyone happy.

What's more, there have been some rumblings from coaches or administrators in the West and Central sections of the state, expressing disappointment over their exclusion from Gillette despite the distance involved for the participating teams.

Others have criticized the Kraft organization for not offering free use of the stadium for more than one day. They forget that the Krafts are running a private business, and that unlike other states in which the high school games are played in pro or major college stadiums, Gillette Stadium is not a municipally- or state-owned facility where use can be dictated by the whims of the electorate.

No, we're pretty lucky to have Gillette Stadium at all - and how long the high schools have it, or how much the availability will be adjusted, may be dictated by how well these games are received.

Fear not, however. By all accounts, it's the intention of the Kraft family to make sure that its association with the MIAA football playoffs is a long and happy one.

No doubt, that relationship got off to an encouraging start on Saturday.

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com