South holds off North in defensive slugfest at 48th Shriners All Star Classic

June 13, 2026

By Tom O’Brien NEFJ Correspondent WESTWOOD – The 48th annual Shriners North/South All Star Classic took place on Friday night at Xaverian Brothers in Westwood and it was a defensive struggle throughout. The Shriners All Star Classic is an Eastern Mass senior All Star game put on by the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association and sponsored by the Aleppo Shriners Organization, with all proceeds going to the Shriners Hospital……

Read More >>

Fitchburg & Leominster capture girls flag football state titles

June 12, 2026

By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Correspondent NORTH ANDOVER –  Fitchburg upset Peabody 15-14 in the Division 2 girls flag football state championship on Thursday night behind Bianelis Pena’s two touchdown passes. “I’m proud of my girls, they battled through adversity and got it done,” said head coach Anthony Oquendo Trailing 14-7 in the second half, Fitchburg’s defense forced a safety off an errant snap to make it 14-9. Needing a stop…

Read More >>

New Patriots facility increasing efficiency

June 11, 2026

FOXBOROUGH – While you can make the argument that the Patriots simply caught up to many NFL teams and most Division 1 programs with the New Balance Athletics Center, it’s better late than never. And the building is paying off. With new technology, indoor field spaces, various extra meeting rooms and basically everything anyone needs as a professional football player, it’s allowing the coaching staff and players to be more…

Read More >>

DePalma finally settling in as his third season begins

June 11, 2026

FOXBOROUGH – Former Boston College linebacker Vinny DePalma had a pretty brutal first season as a coach in the NFL. While the opportunity was obviously a dream come true, being part of that forgettable Jerod Mayo year wasn’t easy for anyone. Fast forward to the hiring of Mike Vrabel and the uncertainty that came with not knowing if he’d have a job or not. He did, excelled at it, received…

Read More >>

Patriots ramp up intensity & dodge a bullet on final day of minicamp

June 11, 2026

FOXBOROUGH – Trash talking, big plays and a brief scare for like, 30 seconds. By design, the final day of minicamp in June isn’t supposed to be as exciting and entertaining as it was in Foxborough on Thursday. In fact, more often than not over the last 25 years, the organization frequently cancels the final day. Instead, the Patriots used it as an opportunity to ramp up the competition and…

Read More >>

Where are the Pats at heading into the final day of minicamp?

June 10, 2026

FOXBOROUGH – If it weren’t for the breeze down in Foxborough on Wednesday, it would have felt like training camp heat had already arrived. On the field, it certainly didn’t look like training camp, though. After a pretty uptempo, intense mandatory minicamp practice on Tuesday (by June standards with no pads of course), Wednesday was a walkthrough day. The most competitive and entertaining thing – aside from Maye-to-Brown during early…

Read More >>

NEFJ Point Of View: Covering your first Patriots minicamp practice

June 9, 2026

By Ava Fernandez NEFJ Correspondent FOXBOROUGH – Just a few weeks after graduating college, I found myself standing on the sidelines at Patriots minicamp on Tuesday, roster and notes in hand, covering an NFL team for the first time as I begin my post-graduate career in sports media. It’s been just 23 days since earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, with a sports concentration, from UMass Amherst. From selling my…

Read More >>

BC staff’s passion on full display during first camp of summer

June 4, 2026

CHESTNUT HILL – On Tuesday night, over 200 high school players from all over the country descended on Fish Field House and the practice fields across from The Res for the first of several BC football camps this summer. The ‘Under The Lights’ Camp ran by the Boston College staff was a unique opportunity for kids – some heavily recruited or some just starting their recruiting journey – to get…

Read More >>

Recapping AJ Brown’s first day in New England

June 2, 2026

FOXBOROUGH – To say there was a game day-like buzz in Foxborough on Tuesday would be a massive understatement. What was originally just a typical OTA practice open to the media quickly turned into a frenzy with the AJ Brown trade happening on Monday and his subsequent arrival on Tuesday. Here’s a step-by-step account of how the first day as a Patriot went for the team’s newest WR1: -At about…

Read More >>

AJ Brown officially a Patriot

June 1, 2026

The most anticlimactic deal in the history of the NFL is complete. Wide receiver AJ Brown is a New England Patriot. Multiple sources reported the deal at about 4:20 on Monday. New England is sending a 2028 first round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick to Philadelphia in exchange for Brown. There are no changes to the contract, which means Brown is due $32 million dollars in each of…

Read More >>