NATICK – Needham’s program is now at the point where wins aren’t enough anymore. There’s a standard that’s expected to be reached each time out. Friday night, the standard wasn’t reached, but good teams find ways to win when not at their best and that’s what the Rockets did. Stephen Rocamboli had two first half touchdowns – one on offense and one on defense, just the second and third of…

By Jared Keene NEFJ Staff MILFORD – Osiris Lopez knows he didn’t have his best game by any means. But, the Leominster junior captain certainly made big plays when he needed to the most. Lopez threw two touchdowns, converted the go-ahead two-point conversion himself, and came up with the game-sealing interception over the final 5:41 to help the Blue Devils come away with a wild 36-35 victory to spoil former…

By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff MARSHFIELD – With a tick under eight minutes left in the game, Marshfield senior Jake Brilliant completed the second half hat trick on a 36-yard catch and run from quarterback Tor Maas. Brilliant’s go-ahead score gave Marshfield its first and only lead of the game, as the Rams outlasted Methuen 31-23 in a wild comeback effort. Brilliant was the key cog in the Rams high-octane…

By Charlie Adams NEFJ Staff CUMBERLAND, RI – For Barrington and Cumberland, it was a championship rematch to kick off the 2024 season. Last year’s Division II championship game saw the Eagles take down the Clippers in a close victory. Despite the history, Cumberland’s head coach Josh Lima wasn’t worrying about the past as his team prepared to start their season. “For us, it wasn’t really a revenge game or…

By Dante Iafrate NEFJ Staff MINNECHAUG – The West Springfield Terriers overpowered the Minnechaug Falcons on Friday night, thanks to a mix of offensive firepower, defensive stands, and standout performances from key players like Jonny Gingeruha and Nate Stone. The 34-15 victory marked a statement win for the Terriers, who hadn’t beaten Minnechaug in three years, and showed they are ready to make a deep postseason run. Neither team got…