By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent PROVIDENCE – New head coach, same result. Dan Koppen’s top-seeded La Salle is returning to the state championship for the fifth time in six seasons after a 28-14 win over No. 4 seed Cranston West. “We’re going to enjoy this one tonight,” Koppen said. “Cranston West played a great game; that’s a tough football team.” West won the coin toss and wanted the first possession…….

By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff HYANNIS – Seventh-seeded North Attleborough entered Friday night’s MIAA D3 quarterfinal game against second-seeded Barnstable with a clear plan in mind. The Red Rocketeers wanted to establish the run and control both lines of scrimmage. They were able to do so from the start, racking up 413 yards on 66 plays in a 42-21 demolition of the Redhawks. The win sends the reigning Division 3…

By Jared Keene NEFJ Correspondent WRENTHAM – By now, it’s certainly no secret what King Philip wants to do on offense – pound the football and gas out opposing defenses in the process. Warriors coach Brian Lee knows that teams are going to try and contain their ground game, yet to this point, nobody has been successful. The latest example came Friday night, when top-seeded KP took on eighth-seeded and…

By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff DANVERS  —  When the MIAA playoff brackets came out, the potential matchup between No.1 St. John’s Prep and No.8 Leominster had fans from both schools excited with the potential quarterback matchup. Coastal Carolina commit and five-star recruit Chris Vargas is a dream matchup for football lovers. Unfortunately, that matchup did not occur due to Vargas being sidelined with an injury. Despite the star quarterback’s absence,…

By Tom O’Brien NEFJ Correspondant CANTON-  It wasn’t pretty, but with a berth in the MIAA Division 4 Final Four on the line, Canton outlasted Marblehead 27-22 on Friday night. “We had a tough week because we just lost our quarterback. We were going to pick each other up,” said Canton interim head coach Jeff Eckler. Canton (8-2) advances to face Tewksbury in the state semis at a neutral site…

By Oliver Fox NEFJ Correspondent MILTON – Riding a five game win streak, Masconomet crossed the imagery North shore/South shore line on Friday to take on Milton in the MIAA D3 state semifinals. The Wildcats entered the game on its own five game win streak, looking to keep its title hopes alive. In the end, the hosts used an explosive pass game to pull away for a 41-27 victory. Milton…

By Dante Iafrate NEFJ Correspondent SPRINGFIELD — For a quarter, it looked like Springfield Central and Lowell were feeling each other out, trading short drives and defensive stops in their MIAA Division 1 quarterfinal matchup on Friday night. But, once the Golden Eagles settled in, they showed why they’ve been one of the state’s most dangerous teams all season and for the last decade. Central pulled away behind a strong…

It is bowl week in the NEPSAC, one of the best times of the year. With the regular season over, we now focus on the upcoming bowl games this weekend. Eight bowl games will be played to determine the best teams in the NEPSAC.

By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff Home teams mostly held serve during the opening round of the playoffs. Three exceptions were Marshfield, Methuen, and Bedford who all dropped out of this week’s top 25 after losses to Malden Catholic, Lowell, and Walpole, respectively. Those three teams are replaced by Lowell – who is making its season debut – and Bridgewater-Raynham and Andover – two teams who have volleyed in and out…