By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent BOSTON – A tripleheader of high school Thanksgiving football at Fenway kicked off with one of the oldest rivalries of the day on Wednesday. In what was nearly a home game for both schools, Newton North and Brookline battled for their 131st annual Thanksgiving matchup. The teams traded shutout halves, with the difference being a failed two-point conversion as Newton North came from behind to…

Image courtesy of Wakefield Athletics  By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent BOSTON – High school football returned to Fenway Park on Tuesday for the first of four Thanksgiving rivalries, with Wakefield winning for a fifth straight year over Melrose. “It’s a fantastic environment, it’s just beautiful,” Wakefield coach John Rafferty said. “It’s a great venue, and it’s a great opportunity and I’m glad we made the most of it.” With the…

CIAC Sports By Andy Close and Rob Gullo NEFJ Correspondents The last week of the regular season has finally arrived in Connecticut. Most teams were on a bye last week, as they prepare for Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day games across the state. The quarterfinal round of the CIAC playoffs in all six classifications begins on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Here are this week’s rankings: 1. New Canaan (9-0): New Canaan was ranked…

By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent CRANSTON – Landon Husereau fought through pain and showed why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the state, leading Westerly to its first Division II championship since 2001 on Sunday. “This has been a goal since last year,” Husereau said. “We fought through adversity all year, and we proved it here.” The matchup against reigning champ South Kingstown was as advertised, quickly becoming…

By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent CRANSTON – Classical was not going to be on the losing side of the Division III Super Bowl for a second straight year, stunning Mt. Hope with a 22-point comeback and a 40-28 on Sunday. “They never stressed out, they never faltered, they never freaked out,” Classical coach Kris McCall said. “They came back, it was just one play at a time. I’m elated because…

By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent CRANSTON – Two teams had a chance to compete for a championship on Saturday in what would have otherwise been a lost season. Central faced an uphill climb this year for a variety of reasons, finishing the regular season with just two wins. The Knights showed what they were capable of in one of their best performances, shutting out Cumberland 27-0 for the Division I…

By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent CRANSTON – Not many teams can hold the top seed and still be considered underdogs; Narragansett proved that perception was far from the truth on Saturday. The Mariners found themselves in a familiar spot to last season, in a championship rematch that Davies took a year ago. Coming up short again wasn’t an option. Narragansett took the Division IV title this time around with a…

By Tom O’Brien NEFJ Correspondent MILFORD –  It wasn’t pretty, but Xaverian erased a 14-point deficit to roll Springfield Central 36-22 and return to Gillette Stadium for the D1 Super Bowl for the third straight year on Saturday. “We just wanted to go in and execute,” said Xaverian head coach Al Fornaro. “We had a firm idea of what we wanted to do defensively and they had big plays and…

By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff MILFORD – North Attleborough punched a ticket back to Gillette Stadium Saturday afternoon with a 43-29 victory over Milton in the Division 3 state semifinals. Coming into the 2025 season, the defending champs put forth a roster that compared to recent years, was very young at key spots. That included the offensive line with three sophomores starting. Seniors Frankie Strachan and Dylan Brousseau took the…

By Tim Crowley NEFJ Correspondent BRIDGEWATER – The King Philip Warriors did not let the level change to Division 3 alter their expected course for the program in another strong season. The Warriors took the best punch from No. 12 Malden Catholic on Saturday, clinching another trip to Gillette Stadium with a 21-13 state semifinal victory at Bridgewater-Raynham High School. King Philip heads to the championship game for the fifth…