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,…
UMass Four Down Preview: Ball State (3-5, 2-2) vs. UMass Minutemen (4-4, 1-3)
Image courtesy of ESPN Kickoff: Midweek MACtion arrives at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Wednesday night as the UMass Minutemen host the Ball State Cardinals on ESPNU. UMass enters on a four-game skid after a tough 35-16 loss to UConn, while Ball State comes in riding a two-game winning streak. The Minutemen look to snap their slide and get back above .500 on their home turf. 1st Down: The main…
High School Dudes of the Week- Week 9
Welcome back to another edition of the New England Football Journal High School Dudes of the Week, where we highlight the standout performances, gritty clutch moments, and record-setting nights from fields across New England.
Let’s dive into who balled out this week!
Culture carries the Patriots to much needed road win in Miami
Rich Storry-Imagn Images MIAMI GARDENS, FLA- When the Patriots walked into Hard Rock Stadium, the deck seemed hopelessly stacked against them. Playing a division rival on the road in the pouring rain is never an easy assignment, but the degree of difficulty skyrocketed as a mounting wave of injuries gutted the roster. Operating without star wide receiver A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, starting running back TreVeyon Henderson, key offensive…
New England Top 60 Poll – Week 9
It’s playoff time everywhere except for Connecticut, which means the elite of the elite are set to start competing for championships. Here’s how we see the Top 60 landscape throughout New England heading into the postseason: Connecticut 1. Fairfield Ludlowe (7-0) 2. New Canaan (6-1) 3. Greenwich (6-1) 4. Hand (7-0) 5. St. Joseph (6-0) 6. Masuk (7-0) 7. Southington (7-0) 8. Staples (6-1) 9. Pomperaug (6-1) 10. Cheshire (5-2)…
10 matchups to watch in the opening round of the MIAA playoffs
The MIAA playoffs kick off on Thursday night and there are several matchups we watching. Here are the ten we think have the potential to be the best games.
Connecticut High School Top 25 – Week 8
Image courtesy of CIAC By Rob Gullo and Andy Close NEFJ Correspondents There’s a new number one in Connecticut. Fairfield Ludlowe went on the road and stunned New Canaan, 34-31, snapping the Rams’ 29-game winning streak and replacing them as the No. 1 team in the state in the process. There was some other movement inside the Top 10 and throughout the poll as well, as teams jockey for playoff…
College Journal – Week 9
There’s officially only a few weeks remaining in the regular season and as has been the case for a while now, there’s a few New England teams chasing bowl bids and playoff berths. Here are the Top 5 D1 storylines in the region as we hit November: Which BC team are we getting? Well, this is all very confusing. For the last two weeks, BC found ways to beat Pitt…