Newton North earned 11 points in MassLive's Week 4 statewide Top 25 high school football media poll, published Wednesday, Sept. 30, placing the Tigers among "other teams receiving votes."

The listing puts Newton North in a statewide conversation the program hasn't been part of in years. The Tigers are 3-0 for the first time since 2014, according to MassLive.

Nine sportswriters from outlets across the state compile the poll, including reporters from MassLive, the Boston Herald, the Boston Globe, the Cape Cod Times and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Each voter ranks 25 teams, awarding 25 points for a first-place vote down to 1 point for 25th. St. John's Prep topped the poll at 224 points with eight first-place votes.

Newton North's 11 points mean at least one voter placed the Tigers on a ballot.

Head coach Nick Capodilupo's squad opened with a 28-14 win over Waltham on Sept. 10, then took the Garden City Bowl trophy for the second straight year with a 20-14 victory over Newton South on Sept. 18 at Dickinson Stadium. The signature win came Sept. 25 at Weymouth, where the Tigers trailed 6-0 at halftime before Capodilupo called a surprise onside kick to open the third quarter. Newton North recovered, and quarterback Connor Swanson scored both touchdowns on sneaks to fuel a 14-12 comeback. Running back Domenic Busa rushed for 112 yards.

The upset was big. It was Newton North's first win over Weymouth in eight years, according to MassLive's Coach of the Week feature. That performance earned Capodilupo the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week award. NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett visited Newton North on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and presented a $1,000 donation from the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.

"To get to where we want to be, it starts with being able to beat teams like that," Capodilupo told MassLive after the Sept. 25 Weymouth game.

Newton North wasn't the only Bay State Conference team to receive votes. Weymouth earned 14 points, and Watertown picked up 4. Walpole, also in the conference, ranked No. 18 with 53 points.

The Tigers host Framingham on Friday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. A matchup at Natick follows on Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. MassLive identified the Natick game as a key early-season test for the program.