The Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation officially announced the 10 semifinalists for the 2025 award on Thursday, as chosen by the foundation’s committee. This prestigious award is presented annually to the most outstanding NHIAA football player
UMass officially introduces Thorr Bjorn in new role
By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent AMHERST – Thorr Bjorn was reintroduced on Thursday to the University of Massachusetts in a press conference alongside coach Joe Harasymiak and Athletics Director Ryan Bamford. After nearly 18 years as athletics director with the University of Rhode Island, Bjorn is returning to his alma mater and the place where he spent 15 years with the UMass athletics department as senior deputy athletic director and chief…
New England college preview – Week 11
Only three weeks left in the regular season (four for BC, UMass and UConn). Here’s how the Week 11 slate shakes out with all 17 D1 teams playing. The Minutemen kicked things off this past Tuesday night with some Maction: Friday Harvard @ Columbia (7:00) The 12th-ranked, unbeaten Crimson travel to face last place Columbia for some Friday night lights action on ESPN2. Harvard (7-0, 4-0) has the inside track…
Standing Pat; Patriots don’t make any moves at the deadline & that’s ok
FOXBOROUGH – The quiet passing of the NFL trade deadline in Foxborough on Tuesday was not a cause for panic, nor was it a missed opportunity that should leave the New England Patriots faithful tearing their hair out. In fact, for a team that has only recently turned a significant corner, standing pat—or, more accurately, having already executed a pair of forward-thinking trades in the preceding days—was a sign of…
BC fans turn ‘building a monster’ into ‘stop whining & win games’
Bill O’Brien is known for having a legendary temper, thus his nickname “Teapot.” So when he was curt with a Boston College content creator on Tuesday, it got a lot of local and national attention, as well as a harsh response from Boston College Football fans and alumni. The content creator who was scolded by O’Brien is Mike Gualtieri, a 2008 Boston College graduate who was in the process of…
MIAA Playoff Preview
Image courtesy of the MIAA By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff Nine weeks of regular season football games are in the books. It’s time to turn the page to the postseason. The MIAA football playoffs begin Friday night. State champions will be crowned at Gillette Stadium December 4-6. Some divisions are more predictable than others, but we’re in store for another exciting postseason in Massachusetts. Division 1 The field: 1. St. John’s…
Surging Maine has legitimate shot to make a run at CAA title
Don’t look now, but after an 0-4 start, Maine has ripped off five straight wins and has a real shot to threaten for the CAA title this season. With three games to go, the Black Bears (4-1 in the CAA) have stunningly shot up the standings with the winning streak. More importantly, they’ve taken a program that had become a laughing stock in recent years and restored the pride that…
UMass hires URI AD Thorr Bjorn to oversee football program
Image courtesy of UMass Athletics One night after another embarrassing showing for the UMass football program, the Minutemen made a significant addition. On Wednesday afternoon, the school officially announced that former Minuteman player and longtime URI Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn would become the new Senior Deputy Athletic Director. In a statement, the school says Bjorn will serve as the Chief Administrative Officer and oversee the football program. “I am honored…
Everything Joe Harasymiak said after UMass’ 44-10 loss to Akron
Image courtesy of UMass Athletics Another night, another disappointing performance for the Minutemen. UMass had its first true ‘MACtion’ game in the middle of the week on Tuesday night when the Minutemen visited Akron. Unfortunately, the new era in the MAC has led to many of the same results fans have grown far too accustomed to. UMass lost in pretty embarrassing fashion, 44-10, dropping to 0-9 on the year and…
MIAA Top 25 – Final regular season poll
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff It’s officially playoff season in Massachusetts. The final week of the regular season was a memorable one; there were ranked vs. ranked battles, upsets and plenty of changes to the playoff seeding. Abington, Bedford, and Burlington each debut in this week’s Top 25. Andover, Marblehead and Bridgewater-Raynham are out after suffering losses last week. Catholic Memorial and Bishop Feehan have first round bye weeks due to…