By Tim Crowley NEFJ Correspondent BROOKLINE – Fans and followers of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) got an October thriller on Saturday between two top teams and two top quarterbacks that more than lived up to expectations. Avon Old Farms stayed undefeated with a phenomenal effort from junior quarterback Matthew Baer to barely beat out sophomore Rory Funke and Dexter Southfield in a 29-28 road victory. The…

Image courtesy of Dan Heary  By Rob Gullo NEFJ Correspondent TRUMBULL —  Two top 10 Connecticut high school football teams squared off Saturday afternoon in Trumbull as the No. 9 St. Joseph Hogs picked up a 24-8 win over the No. 10 visiting Darien Blue Wave. “Anytime you can beat a team like Darien, it’s a great win,” said St. Joseph head coach Joe DellaVecchia. “They’ve had our number for…

By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent PROVIDENCE – For a second straight week, La Salle Academy ended an undefeated season, taking down Barnstable in a 42-36 overtime thriller. “It was a great game, back-and forth,” La Salle coach Dan Koppen said. “That’s a hell of a team, very physical. They ran the ball really well. I think our guys stepped up there and made plays when we had to.” La Salle…

By Tom O’Brien NEFJ Correspondent NORTH ATTLEBORO – Last year Mansfield and North Attleboro met at Gillette for a state title game where North Attleboro prevailed. The Hornets returned the favor on Friday, taking down North Attleboro 24-14 in an instant classic. “This is such a great rivalry. Two of the best programs in the state side by side. The kids kinda don’t like each other but at the end…

By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff LAWRENCE – Central Catholic quarterback Caden Smith totaled five touchdowns to help lead Central Catholic to 38-20 victory over Andover in a Merrimack Valley Conference showdown on Friday. Central Catholic (4-3) came into this game looking to get back on the winning side of things after falling to Methuen before their bye week, Andover on the other hand, looked to keep the momentum going after…

By Jared Keene NEFJ Correspondent HUDSON – Hudson didn’t need much motivation heading into Friday night’s contest with defending Division 8 champion West Boylston-Tahanto. The defending Division 6 champs had it provided for them by a couple of former Patriots players. David Andrews and Brian Hoyer were there as part of the Hawks hosting the New England Patriots Nike Rivalries game, with the two serving as honorary captains. At one…

By Oliver Fox NEFJ Correspondent BOXFORD – In a Northeastern Conference shootout on Friday night, the Masconomet outlasted the Marblehead to clinch their first league title with a 45-42 win in perhaps the game of the year. The Chieftains found themselves down three scores (42-25) with five minutes remaining and took its first lead of the night with just 18 seconds left in the game. With Marblehead winning 10 of…