By Rob Gullo & Andy Close NEFJ Correspondents Week 5 of the high school football season in Connecticut saw a Top 5 team go down in overtime, while some of the other teams high in the poll got to catch their breath with a bye. Separation is starting to take place as teams officially hit the second half of the regular season. Here’s our latest Top 25 heading into Week……
Image courtesy of UConn Athletics The Big East no longer exists in the college football world, but UConn and BC will renew the Northeast rivalry on Saturday. This time though, both programs are in very different positions. Jim Mora’s Huskies come in at 4-2 with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Boston College is reeling, losers of four straight and sitting at 1-5 in what’s quickly turned into a…
Image courtesy of BC Athletics CHESTNUT HILL – For just over 11 minutes on Tuesday, Bill O’Brien stood in front of a camera and six reporters and passionately defended the struggling BC program. At 1-5 and losers of four straight, Boston College has been in a stunning tailspin with seemingly no way out. This weekend, a 4-2 UConn team comes to town with nothing to lose and everything to gain…
Image courtesy of the New England Patriots FOXBOROUGH – If you’ve seen any of the postgame locker room Patriots videos following victories this year, you might have noticed that something is different. For over two decades, the famous ‘How do we feel about a victory? Awww yeahhh!’ chant started by Tedy Bruschi, continued by Matt Slater and then delegated among a few different guys last year (albeit only four times)…
Getty Images FOXBOROUGH – Mike Vrabel easily could have lost his mind on several occasions during Sunday’s win over the Saints. Not because of anything his team did, but because the Patriots were seemingly playing against both New Orleans and an incompetent officiating crew. The Patriots had 113 yards of offense and a touchdown taken off the board due to outrageous offensive pass interference calls. Multiple plays that really shouldn’t…
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff Six weeks of the Massachusetts high school football season are in the books. Last weekend provided us with the most chaos to this point. Major upsets were a common theme. Methuen beat Central Catholic. Previously winless Brockton shocked Weymouth. Quincy remained unbeaten with a thrilling win over Plymouth South. One week after losing to Weymouth, Milton rejoins the top 25 after a thrashing of Wachusett….
Image courtesy of the New England Patriots The ascension and maturity process continues. Mike Vrabel’s Patriots are still learning how to win consistently and took another big step forward on Sunday with a 25-19 victory in the Bayou. “It’s better than an old team getting out of here with a loss, I would say,” Vrabel said when asked specifically about the importance of finding a way to win on the…
With a bunch of double-local matchups and some big home games, we were able to cover nine of the 17 D teams in the region this weekend. Stonehill, UConn and Holy Cross each had a bye week. Those stories are up on the site for your enjoyment, but here’s a summary of the other action you may have missed: Harvard 34, Cornell 10 The 25th-ranked Crimson had to pull away…
CHESTNUT HILL – There’s really not much more to say at this point. You are what your record says you are and right now, Boston College is a lifeless football team. With purple and orange taking over Alumni Stadium on Saturday night – although the BC student section did its part again, showing up in full force – Clemson handed the Eagles a fifth straight loss, 41-10 in a game…
By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff NORTH ANDOVER — After beginning the season 0-4, the Black Bears of Maine have found their groove the last three weeks. Things looked bleak when they fell to Georgia Southern 45-17M but coach Jordan Stevens’ group has found a new focus that has led to the winning streak. Saturday afternoon against Merrimack, the Black Bears found a way to win 20-13 despite offensive struggles from…