By Dante Iafrate NEFJ Staff HUDSON – Owen Nanartowich’s hands never trembled. Not when a dropped pass by a teammate set the tone for a shaky Hudson start, and not when a fourth-and-five conversion hung in the balance midway through the third quarter. It was Nanartowich’s sure-handedness, along with the composure of quarterback Jake Attaway, that helped the top-seeded Hudson Hawks survive a serious upset bid from the eighth-seeded Sandwich……

By Craig Boland NEFJ Staff MONROE – Brookfield quarterback Thad Balzi punched in a goal line run, followed by a successful extra point from Ethan Chaber to put away a 28-14 win over Masuk on Friday night. Brookfield started that final drive at Masuk’s 10 due to a Balzi sack, followed by a Balzi pressure that forced an intentional grounding safety, which was declined by Brookfield in order to take…

By Charlie Adams NEFJ Staff WARWICK – Poorly timed penalties sunk Cumberland’s playoff hopes on Friday as Bishop Hendricken advanced to its 16th straight state championship game. No. 1 Hendricken relied on its versatile run game to bring down No. 4 Cumberland in the state semifinals, 35-22. The Clippers conclude its season with a 4-5 record, while the Hawks (6-2) will advance to take on La Salle in the state…

By Paul Vozzella NEFJ Staff DORCHESTER – The second-seeded Boston College Eagles led right from the get go against seventh-seeded Springfield Central in a Division 1 quarterfinal matchup on Friday night after wide receiver Adam Ayyub took the opening kickoff to the house for a touchdown. BC High never looked back, but did have to hold on down the stretch for a 41-36 victory. BC High moves onto the Final…

By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Correspondent FAIRHAVEN – Justin Marques added another thrilling chapter to his storybook high school career Friday night. The senior scored four touchdowns – breaking the state career record – in third-seeded Fairhaven’s 36-34 overtime win over No. 6 Lynnfield in a Division 6 quarterfinal matchup. Facing a fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line on the first series of overtime, Fairhaven head coach Derek Almeida gave the ball…

By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff DANVERS — St. John’s Prep’s stifling defense bottled up Shane Eason and the high-powered Methuen offense for a 44-7 win in an MIAA D1 quarterfinal on Friday night. The top-seeded Eagles (9-1) will face fourth-seeded Needham next weekend (Day/Time/Location TBD) with a trip to the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on the line. Methuen falls to 8-2 with Thanksgiving Day still remaining. St. John’s Prep’s…

Andrew Guindon NEFJ Staff GRAFTON – Grafton running back and senior captain Finn Gilmore led the No. 3 Gators to a 35-0 victory over No. 6 Marblehead in the MIAA D4 Elite Eight on Friday night, rushing for three touchdowns. “Finn has been doing this all year,” said Grafton head coach Chris McMahon. “All of a sudden he’s picking up a few yards, then he breaks one; he’s pretty patient,…