By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff DANVERS  —  When the MIAA playoff brackets came out, the potential matchup between No.1 St. John’s Prep and No.8 Leominster had fans from both schools excited with the potential quarterback matchup. Coastal Carolina commit and five-star recruit Chris Vargas is a dream matchup for football lovers. Unfortunately, that matchup did not occur due to Vargas being sidelined with an injury. Despite the star quarterback’s absence,……

By Tom O’Brien NEFJ Correspondant CANTON-  It wasn’t pretty, but with a berth in the MIAA Division 4 Final Four on the line, Canton outlasted Marblehead 27-22 on Friday night. “We had a tough week because we just lost our quarterback. We were going to pick each other up,” said Canton interim head coach Jeff Eckler. Canton (8-2) advances to face Tewksbury in the state semis at a neutral site…

By Oliver Fox NEFJ Correspondent MILTON – Riding a five game win streak, Masconomet crossed the imagery North shore/South shore line on Friday to take on Milton in the MIAA D3 state semifinals. The Wildcats entered the game on its own five game win streak, looking to keep its title hopes alive. In the end, the hosts used an explosive pass game to pull away for a 41-27 victory. Milton…

By Dante Iafrate NEFJ Correspondent SPRINGFIELD — For a quarter, it looked like Springfield Central and Lowell were feeling each other out, trading short drives and defensive stops in their MIAA Division 1 quarterfinal matchup on Friday night. But, once the Golden Eagles settled in, they showed why they’ve been one of the state’s most dangerous teams all season and for the last decade. Central pulled away behind a strong…