Methuen won its D1 first round game this week over Franklin, 35-21. Now, the Rangers have the challenge of facing top-seeded St. John’s Prep. We wanted to talk to Methuen coach Tom Ryan about that challenge and the rest of his team. Here is an edited version of that conversation. Adam Kurkjian: I first want to talk to you about Shane Eason. The guy is an unbelievable running back. What……
BURLINGTON – Wild. Insane. Pulse-pounding. Unbelievable. Just a few words that folks will use to describe the all-timer between 10th-seeded Wayland and seventh-seeded Burlington in the MIAA Division 4 Sweet 16 on Friday night. Wayland came up with a 4th-&-goal stop from the 14 to preserve a 48-44 win in the closing seconds after Burlington had seemingly scored a go ahead touchdown two plays before, but it was negated due…
By Charlie Adams NEFJ Staff WARWICK — Razor-thin finishes are no stranger to Johnston and Pilgrim. Two weeks ago, Pilgrim beat Johnston in a 52-50 double-overtime thriller. This Friday’s rematch in the Division III quarterfinals delivered another exciting back-and-forth, ultimately decided by one point. No. 2 Pilgrim squeaked past No. 7 Johnston in a 28-27 victory. The Panthers finish their season 2-7, while the Patriots (6-3) will face No. 3……
By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff METHUEN — Shane Eason put on another fantastic performance as eighth-seeded Methuen got the best of ninth-seeded Franklin, 35-21 in the opening round of the D1 playoffs on Friday night. This season for Methuen has constantly been called the Shane Eason Show. The senior running back has just been a nightmare for defensive coordinators. Coming into this game, Eason had totaled 1,431 rushing yards and…
By Jared Keene NEFJ Staff ATTLEBORO – Make no mistake about it, Bishop Feehan picked the right time to be playing its best football of the season. Forget for a moment that the Shamrocks have won eight straight after dropping their first game back in week one. Feehan’s last three games – going back to week seven after a bye in week eight – have seen the Shamrocks beat three…
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff SANDWICH – Eighth-seeded Sandwich ran for 342 yards as a team and held off a late St. Mary’s rally to win 20-15 in a Division 6 first round matchup. Sandwich (8-1) advances to play top-seeded Hudson next week. No. 9 St. Mary’s drops to 7-2 on the season after starting 7-0. Clinging to a 20-15 lead, Sandwich had a chance to ice the game with…
By Paul Vozzella NEFJ Staff LAWRENCE – It was a tale of two halves Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. It wasn’t easy at first, but fifth-seeded Central Catholic held serve at home against the 12th-seeded Weymouth Wildcats, winning 35-13 in the first round of the MIAA D1 playoffs. The game got off to a slower start as both teams moved the ball without the successful end result of putting…
By Andrew Guindon NEFJ Staff SPRINGFIELD – Friday night, the Springfield Central offense was too much for Natick to handle as the Golden Eagles defeated the Redhawks in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 playoffs, 34-14. No. 7 Springfield Central improved to 8-1, while No. 10 Natick fell to 7-2. “I feel good, mostly because I get to spend another week with these guys, and we get to…
DARTMOUTH – Going into it’d Division 3 first round matchup against the defending Super Bowl champs on Friday night, Dartmouth had a chip on its shoulder. The Indians wanted to knock out the reigning champs, and did so in dominant fashion with a 32-20 blowout victory over the Wildcats. Dartmouth (7-2) will now face third-seeded Mansfield next Friday in the quarterfinals. Milton fell to 3-6). “All of our guys were…
Image courtesy of MIAA By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff DIVISION 1 Favorites: Springfield Central, St. John’s Prep, Xaverian, Needham Sleepers: Methuen, BC High Best first round match-up: (8) Methuen vs. (9) Franklin D1 Breakdown: Division 1 will once again come down to the big four of St. John’s Prep, Springfield Central, Xaverian and Needham. Teams like Methuen and BC High could play spoiler, especially Methuen who would more than likely…