By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Correspondent Division 1 The field: 1. St. John’s Prep 2. St. John’s (Shrewsbury) 3. Central Catholic 4. Wachusett 5. Springfield Central 6. Xaverian 7. Leominster 8. Franklin 9. Andover 10. Haverhill 11. Natick 12. New Bedford 13. Shrewsbury 14. Everett 15. Brockton 16. Weymouth The favorites: St. John’s Prep, Springfield Central, St. John’s (Shrewsbury) The sleepers: Xaverian Best first round matchup: Andover at Franklin Players to……
MIAA D1 Playoffs: (9) Andover 56, (8) Franklin 21 – Golden Warriors tame Panthers in 1st round opener
By Michael Najarian NEFJ Correspondent FRANKLIN — Kyle Olson set the tone right away on Thursday night. Then, Marcus DeJesus and ninth-seeded Andover took the momentum and rolled with it all 48 minutes, delivering a dominating 56-21 win over No. 8 Franklin in the first round of the Division I playoffs. Andover, coming off a 5-3 regular season with back-to-back losses before the playoffs, took charge early and often to…
MIAA D6 Playoffs: (11) Joseph Case 42, (6) Fairhaven 37 – Cardinals upset reigning D6 champs
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Correspondent FAIRHAVEN – The No. 11 seed in Division 6 Joseph Case nearly beat Fairhaven three weeks ago. They fought tooth and nail with the reigning Division 6 champions to the very end, before falling 45-37. Despite the loss, the Cardinals emerged from the game with a new found confidence that they could compete with any team in Division 6. On Thursday night, Case got a…
MIAA D5 Playoffs: (7) Foxborough 42, (10) Apponequet 7 – Fast start propels Warriors to 1st round win
FOXBOROUGH- Foxborough Head Coach Jack Martinelli told his team prior to this week’s game that it was important to get off to fast start in their first round match up against Apponequet. The Warriors heeded his advice and did just that, jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead en route to a 42-7 blow win.
MIAA D8 Playoffs: (8) Kipp Academy 34, (9) West Boylston 13 – Panthers roar in 1st round
By Jose Rodriguez NEFJ Correspondent LYNN – Aavian Pena combined for 116 yards and two touchdowns to give No. 8 KIPP Panthers a 34-13 victory over No. 9 West Boylston on Thursday, November 5, at Manning Field in the first round of the Division 8 playoffs. The Panthers improved to 7-2 on the season while the Lions drop to 4-5. “I think what was working well for me tonight was…
MIAA D1 Playoffs: (6) Xaverian 49, (11) Natick 0 – Hawks roll in playoff opener
By Colby Shannon NEFJ Correspondent WESTWOOD — Seven first-half touchdowns powered the three-time defending state champions Xaverian past Natick High School 49-0 in an MIAA D1 first round matchup on Thursday night. Specifically, the sixth-seeded Hawks (5-4) were aided by a three-touchdown performance from Boston College commit Will Wood, catapulting the fourth-ranked Hawks into the second round of the MIAA Division 1 tournament. After the game, head coach Al Fornaro,…
New England Big Game Predictions – Week 10
The high school playoffs are here and college football is coming down the stretch. We are into November and the stakes are getting higher. So many big games to chose from. Here are the ones I am picking. High School #9 Andover at #8 Franklin: One of the best playoff match ups in the region. Should be a fun game a potential shootout. I’m leaning Andover. John Stadler and company…
UMass 31, Ball State 30 (OT) – Minutemen creep closer to bowl eligibility with overtime win
By Ryan Barry NEFJ Correspondent AMHERST – An almost all too familiar feeling nearly engulfed UMass fans everywhere on Wednesday evening at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. With the game tied at 24-24 heading into overtime, Ball State needed only five plays to set up a sophomore Jalen Bonds (17 carries, 132-yards, 2 TDs) goal line touchdown run to put the Cardinals up 30-24. Then as it’d turn out, the usual tragic…
New England CFB preview – Week 10
Image courtesy of Sophie Weller/Patriots Wire Wednesday 11/4 Ball State @ UMass (7:00) The Minutemen get it all started locally on Wednesday night in Amherst. MACtion returns and UMass (4-4, 1-3 MAC) is still two wins away from being bowl eligible for the first time ever, but time is running out. The Minutemen need to win at least two, but probably three of their last fire to assure a bowl…
MIAA Playoff Preview (Part 1) – Divisions 5-8
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Correspondent Division 5 The field: 1. Shawsheen Valley 2. Gloucester 3. Watertown 4. Swampscott 5. Northeast Metro 6. Norton 7. Foxborough 8. St. Mary’s 9. Greater Lawrence 10. Apponequet 11. Medfield 12. Hanover 13. Auburn 14. North Reading 15. Blackstone Valley 16. Oakmont The favorites: Shawsheen Valley, Watertown The sleepers: Foxborough, Greater Lawrence Best first round matchup: Medfield at Norton Players to watch: Quinn Carbone, DB,…