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…
MIAA D2 Sweet 16: (4) Bishop Feehan 17, (13) North Andover 0 – Shamrocks get defensive vs. Scarlet Knights
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…
MIAA D6 Sweet 16: (8) Sandwich 20, (9) St. Mary’s 15 – Blue Knights run wild then hold on late
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…
MIAA D1 Sweet 16: (5) Central Catholic 35, (12) Weymouth 13 – Raiders roll over Wildcats
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…
MIAA D1 Sweet 16: (7) Springfield Central 34, (10) Natick 14 – Golden Eagles soar past Redhawks
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…
MIAA D3 Sweet 16: (6) Dartmouth 32, (11) Milton 20 – Indians roll into Elite 8
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…
New England college preview – Week 11
And down the stretch they come. There is just three weeks left in the FCS regular season and four for UMass, UConn and BC. This week will go a long way in determining the postseason fate of a handful of the local teams, while some are simply playing out the string already. UMass and Merrimack are off this weekend, which means 14 of the 16 New England D1 teams are…
MIAA postseason preview
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…
Lowe looking forward to having one special guest in attendance on Sunday
Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images FOXBOROUGH – When the Patriots take on the Bears inside historic Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon, Vederian Lowe won’t have a ton of family and friends there despite growing up in Rockford, Illinois. In fact, there’s only one person that’ll be there cheering him on. His grandfather Jerry Lowe will see him play in the NFL for the first time. Since being drafted by…
Maye admits there’s ‘a little extra’ this weekend vs. Williams
Let’s be honest, there’s not much for Patriots fans to get excited about on game day. But, this weekend, maybe those apple picks and trips to the mall (do people still go to the mall anymore? I feel wicked old for saying this). This weekend, the Pats-Bears game is certainly worth your attention for a few hours. Sure, the records of both teams indicate this is a game between two…