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As Kevin Deschenes, coach of the Attleboro High School football team, was saying during Super Bowl week in December, "what a year for the area's football teams - I can't remember a year where there have been so many good teams from the area, so many good players!"

And how!

From Mansfield (11 straight wins), Norton (11 wins) and Tri-County (nine wins) advancing to their respective MIAA Division 2, 3 and 4 Super Bowl championship games.

From Bishop Feehan, Attleboro and King Philip High each winning nine games.

From the Rocketeers of North Attleboro, seven wins strong, having merely a margin of 12 points separating them from an unbeaten season. And the defending South Coast Conference champion, MIAA Division 3 2007 playoff Seekonk High Warriors, as graduation and injury-ravaged as they were, still winning six games.

Robb McCoy, in his third season at the helm of the Norton High Lancers and Dan MacLean, in his third year in resurrecting the Tri-County High program, have been selected as the Sun Chronicle Co-Coaches of the Year, highlighting a luminary list of 32 of the area's very best players.

Six members of the Hockomock League championship Mansfield High Hornets, who beat Bishop Feehan in the MIAA Division 2 playoffs, and six members of the Tri-Valley League championship Norton High Lancers, who beat Abington in the MIAA Division 3 playoffs, head the list of players selected to the 2008 Sun Chronicle All-Star Football team.

Four members of the Mayflower League championship Tri-County Regional High Cougars, who not only won the first-ever league title for the school, but a first-ever MIAA playoff game (beating Pope John), advancing to the school's first-ever MIAA Super Bowl game and winning a single-season record of games were honored.

Four members of the Old Colony League runner-up Attleboro High Bombardiers and four members of the Eastern Athletic Conference champion Bishop Feehan High Shamrocks are among the selections to the All-Sun Chronicle Team, while three Rocketeers from North Attleboro and three Warriors from King Philip High were also duly noted.

The Hornets of Mansfield High are represented by Dan Glavin, Jeff Mallett, Matt Schafer, Shawn Collins, Greg DiPietrantonio and Shawn Doherty.

The Lancers of Norton High are represented by Sean Ryan, Josh Archer, Darren Doucette, Ricky Travers, Chris Hamel and Brian Desmond.

The Cougars of Tri-County High are represented on the All Sun Chronicle Team by Lucas Mistler, Shawn Roche, Mitch Dupre and Mike Foster.

From Attleboro High, Tyler McCarthy, Michael Barry, Nick Mazurkiewicz and Matty Campbell were selected.

From Bishop Feehan High, Bryan Webb, Tommy Romero, Tom Effler and Teddy Schwieger received All-Star acclaim. North Attleboro High selections to the team were Mike Mitry, Mike D'Atillio and Kevin Richman.

King Philip High contributed Brandon Howard, Ryan Connolly and Mike Cochrane.

Running back-free safety Mike Delaney of Foxboro High and running back-linebacker Bobby Jeanotte of Seekonk High round out the roster.

"Where this program has come in three years is unbelievable," said McCoy of his 2008 Lancers. The former head coach at Bishop Feehan High won 13 games in his previous two seasons on the sidelines at Adams Field.

"This was a culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication by a lot of people," added McCoy, whose Lancers won their first six games of the season, got stunned at Medfield and then came back two weeks later to sting previously unbeaten Medway to lay claim to the Tri-Valley League championship.

"You can't achieve the ultimate goals if you don't achieve the smaller goals," added McCoy of the Lancers' discipline and intensity, created by the day-to-day grind of practices. "You could tell with these kids by the intensity of the practices - the focus, the effort on achieving different goals each week.

"We had a couple of lulls there during the middle of the season where we didn't play well, but above it all we did a good job of not giving up very many big plays and while offense wins games, defense (107 points allowed through 11 regular season wins, allowing six foes one TD or less) wins championships."

At Tri-County, MacLean (formerly an assistant under Brad Sidwell at Franklin High) the Cougars had won just six games over the past two seasons. "This was something that we've been dreaming about," said MacLean of the unmatched success of the Cougars.

The Cougars scored 166 points in winning eight straight games. And in beating Pope John at Taunton High in the Division 4 semifinal, not only did Tri-County rally for 14 fourth-quarter points to take the lead, they stopped a potential game-tying conversion in the final minute of play.

"You have to remember this was all unchartered territory for us," reminded MacLean. "For me, personally, I couldn't have done it without my staff and we couldn't have done it without the commitment that the kids made from Day 1. The kids were in tremendous shape physically, like I said all along we were a second half team.

"These kids dedicated themselves during the offseason and it paid off. That and our ability to execute, to play disciplined football," added MacLean. "We were able to move the ball, move the (first down) chains. We were very business-like in our approach."