Pope Francis Prep built the toughest schedule in Division 3 on purpose. Now it wants another Final Four.

Pope Francis started 10-0, went to New Jersey to play two national powers, and is No. 2 in Division 3. Coach Brent Dillard says the lesson is the same every time: "details matter."

Mass Pitch Staff · 2026-10-20

Pope Francis Prep (No. 2, Division 3) has played the hardest schedule in its division this season. In the MIAA's Oct. 16 power rankings, its opponents' average rating is the highest of the 74 teams in Division 3. Dillard built it that way. Over Columbus Day weekend, the Springfield school drove to New Jersey to play two of the best programs in the country.

"The trip is a great opportunity for players to bond together off the field and play some of the best teams in the country each year," coach Brent Dillard told The Mass Pitch.

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Pope Francis won 5-1 at Northampton. Northampton (No. 10, Division 2) is 11-2-1, and Pope Francis is 11-4-1.

A young team that learned the hard way

Last fall, Pope Francis went 12-4-7 and reached the Division 3 state semifinals for the first time in school history. Dillard said that team leaned on young players who were "learning while playing on the field."

"We had 5 underclassmen that played more than 1200 minutes," he said. "We knew that last year we would make more mistakes than we would like to during games, but we had enough leadership from our upperclassman that we were able to persevere through all the hard parts of the game and come away with a point."

Pope Francis won its first 10 games, and several were tight: 3-2 twice over Belchertown and 1-0 at Longmeadow. It also beat Douglas (No. 1, Division 4) 5-0 and Minnechaug (No. 5, Division 2) 3-0.

"This year, the players understand the importance of putting ourselves in the best position to win games from the start," Dillard said.

"Details matter"

Dillard said his team tries to "keep the ball on the ground and find space so players can make good decisions with the ball." It also changes shape often. "We change formations frequently based off the type of field we are playing, player personal, and level of the team we are playing," he said. "The players have been receptive to these changes, and they understand that details matter."

The first loss came on Oct. 8, 1-0 at Minnechaug. Dillard said it was a reminder. "Thursday's game reinforced that we must pay attention to the details and follow our game plan regardless of how the other team plays the game," he said. "We needed to do a better job with our spacing and connecting balls through the middle of the field and then combining with our forwards. If we continue to focus on what we do and do it better next time, we will be fine."

Pope Francis then lost 1-0 at South Hadley (No. 5, Division 4) on Oct. 13 and tied Westfield 1-1 on Oct. 15. Pope Francis has scored once in its last three games. Northampton lost for the first time on Sunday, Oct. 18, 1-0 at home to West Springfield.

New Jersey, on purpose

Pope Francis has made the New Jersey trip for the last few years. In 2024 it played DePaul Catholic. In 2025, a weather emergency in New Jersey canceled its game against Pennington. This fall it played Ramsey and Immaculate Heart Academy, which Dillard called "another perennial powerhouse in Northern New Jersey." The team also went to Mass together on Sunday morning. "We are a catholic college prep school," Dillard said.

Ramsey won 4-1 on Saturday after scoring twice in the first 10 minutes. Mila Dillard scored before halftime on an assist from Rylan Waskiewicz. On Sunday, Immaculate Heart won 1-0. "IHA took advantage of a mistake in the first half and capitalized with a goal," Dillard said. "We had some great opportunities to tie the game but unfortunately, we couldn't find the back of the net."

He said the results weren't the point. "We left NJ feeling good about our experience and what we learned as a coaching staff and we saw growth in all our players," he said. "The coaching staff and players have gained a lot from these trips, that we feel it prepares us for a deep run into the D3 state tournament."

The players driving it

Mila Dillard, a senior midfielder, is committed to the University of Kentucky. Coach Dillard said she is a three-time All-State player and a two-time All-New England player who recorded her 100th career point earlier this season. Dillard said she had 15 goals and 5 assists this fall as of Oct. 13. "Mila can create space for herself and find teammates that are making runs into attacking spaces," he said. She plays club soccer for Oakwood SC.

Waskiewicz, a forward, had 12 goals and 8 assists last season. "Rylan can run behind defenders and lengthen the field for us," Dillard said. "She is dangerous shooting from anywhere on the field." Dillard said she had 15 goals and 4 assists as of Oct. 13. She plays club soccer for FC Stars.

The goalkeeper, senior Hannah Johnson, played in the field for her first three years behind a four-year starter in goal. Dillard said she plays goalkeeper for her club team and had 89 saves as of Oct. 13. "Hannah ... has provided us with the comfort of knowing that we have a solid goalkeeper that players know can stop shots," he said.

The goal

"We want to build on the success from last year and getting back to the D3 Final 4 and challlenge to win the State title," Dillard said.

If the tournament started today, Pope Francis would be the No. 2 seed in Division 3, according to The Mass Pitch's projected brackets, which are built from the MIAA's official power rankings. That is not the official bracket. Follow Pope Francis on its team page and the Pioneer Valley standings.

Quotes are from Coach Brent Dillard's emailed answers to The Mass Pitch on Oct. 13, 2026. Rankings: MIAA Division 3 power rankings, Oct. 16. The Mass Pitch is AI-assisted editorial with humans in the loop. Corrections: editorial@themasspitch.com.