By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent WARWICK – No. 3 Bishop Hendricken secured a shutout 23-0 win in the RIIL State Championship quarterfinals on Friday over No. 6 St. Raphael. “A lot of improvement over the last few weeks,” Hendricken coach Keith Croft said. “I see little things happening in the game, and that’s what we have to be doing at this time of year, we have to put it together.”……

By Tim Crowley NEFJ Correspondent BOXFORD, Mass. – Masconomet now has a postseason win in the 2020s. In Division 3, the fifth-seeded Chieftains knocked off 11th-seeded Melrose, 35-14 victory Friday night. It’s the program’s first playoff win since 2019. The Chieftains (8-1) are on to the quarterfinals. Masco running back Jack Fabiano stole the show with a five-touchdown performance on the ground to power the offense. “We’ve seen it three…

By Jared Keene NEFJ Correspondent MANSFIELD – Mansfield coach Mike Redding has seen it all during his time at the helm of the Hornets. And he’s well aware that come playoff time, it’s not really about how you win, it’s just about making sure you come out with the win. He also knows that the key to a win can be anything from an individual play to the play of…

By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff LYNN  — Michael Sherman set the tone early with a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as No.8 St. Mary’s thumped No.9 Greater Lawrence 48-13 in the opening round of the D5 playoffs on Friday night. When the brackets came out on Sunday, a potential rematch between St. Mary’s and the top seed in D5 Shawsheen Tech was a real possibility and now it’s come…

By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff BRAINTREE – Archbishop Williams has rolled all season long. The Bishops entered Friday night’s contest 8-0 and averaging a shade under 35 points per game. Only once in the regular season did the Bishops win a game by fewer than two scores. In the first round of the Division 5 state tournament, Archbishop Williams showed its grit and ability to win a different way. After…

Image courtesy of the MIAA By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff Nine weeks of regular season football games are in the books. It’s time to turn the page to the postseason. The MIAA football playoffs begin Friday night. State champions will be crowned at Gillette Stadium December 4-6. Some divisions are more predictable than others, but we’re in store for another exciting postseason in Massachusetts. Division 1 The field: 1. St. John’s…