Dartmouth High School has a lot to celebrate lately, chief among them being their football team.

Every team envisions this season to be their season. For head coach Rick White, “it’s hard to predict” from the start of a season where the team will go and how far they will progress. But, even while being pragmatic, White acknowledges that good fortune brought the right team of players together – from the returning talent of the 2015-2016 season to building up new players in the offensive and defensive lines.

Now entering the Division 3 state semifinals, the Dartmouth Indians (8-2) have been breezing through their playoff games. They kicked off playoffs on Oct. 30 against Sharon High School and won 44-7, dominating the entire game. Sharon only managed one touchdown in the final quarter after Dartmouth swapped in their younger players.

Since then, they’ve been sweeping through games and even went unscored on at their most recent game against Dighton-Rehoboth, winning 28-0.

White, head coach since 2004, has seen countless teams and players over his tenure at Dartmouth High School.

“These kids, they just love to play the game,” White said. “The seniors are a good group, friends on and off the field. There’s good chemistry [and] they play hard.”

The Indians’ strength lies in the players’ versatility, a fast group of athletes with a tremendous defense, he said. Offensively, White describes the players as a “run first” team, meeting the opposing team head-on.

“It’s not the differences that have gotten us this far, it’s the same,” White laughed. “We’ve been in the same situation as we were last year… We’ve had a lot of success.”

When it comes down to it, the Indians are a dedicated group of athletes, as practicing for hours in the biting November air will prove.

“They show up every day to practice and they love the game of football,” White said. “They love representing the town.”

He also credits the massive amounts of support they receive from the cheerleaders and the band and color guard, who have all been very successful in their own right, as well as the fans who’ve supported them throughout the season.

“It’s a good time to be a Dartmouth Indian,” White said.

Dartmouth High School will be facing off against the undefeated Milton High School away at Brockton on Friday, Nov. 20. The winner will go onto the state finals at Gillette Stadium.