Image courtesy of Connor Caldon It may sound like sour grapes, but the University of Rhode Island should be preparing for an FCS quarterfinal against North Dakota State right now. Instead, the Rams’ last road trip of the season was a crushing flight home from Macon, Georgia after URI lost 17-10 to Mercer in the second round of the playoffs on Saturday. Shawn Harris Jr. had two first half touchdowns…
2024 New England Gatorade Players of the Year announced
The 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year were announced on Friday. Here is who represented New England for this past season. Connecticut- Blake Herbert,QB, Brunswick School: Hebert led the Bruins to a bowl game in his final season. He threw for 1,589 yards and 16 touchdown passes. He rushed for 625 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Suffield Coach Chris Setien had this to say about Hebert: “Hebert is unbelievable. He’s…
Q&A with Catholic Memorial coach John DiBiaso
What a season for the Catholic Memorial Knights. They beat King Philip, 39-21, in the D2 state title game on Thursday night, and went unbeaten against Massachusetts competition. Their only loss was the Cardinal Hayes of New York in the first game of the season. We wanted to get coach John DiBiaso on the phone and talk about his season, and we did that Saturday afternoon. Here is an edited……
CIAC playoff preview – Class S & Class SS
By Craig Boland NEFJ Staff On Sunday, December 8, at 12:30 PM, 24 teams across six divisions will play across the state to determine the state championship matchups to be played the following weekend at Rentschler Field (UConn) or Arute Stadium (CCSU). Below are previews for the state’s two small school divisions. Class SS (332-418 boys) Waterford (9-2) at Killingly (11-0) Killingly won their quarterfinal game 75-14. They have also…
CIAC playoff preview – Class M & Class MM
By Craig Boland NEFJ Staff On Sunday, December 8, at 12:30 PM, 24 teams across six divisions will play across the state to determine the state championship matchups to be played the following weekend at Rentschler Field (UConn) or Arute Stadium (CCSU). Below are previews for the state’s two medium-sized divisions. Class MM (507-604 boys): Newington (10-1) at Windsor (11-0), Windsor High School Newington rolls into the semifinals after a…
CIAC playoff preview – Class L & Class LL
By Craig Boland NEFJ Staff On Sunday, December 8, at 12:30 PM, 24 teams across six divisions will play across the state to determine the state championship matchups to be played the following weekend at Rentschler Field (UConn) or Arute Stadium (CCSU). Below are previews for the two large school divisions in the state. Class LL (765+ boys): West Haven (9-2) at Fairfield Prep (10-1), Rafferty Stadium This will be…
MIAA Division 3 Super Bowl: (4) North Attleborough 35, (3) Mansfield 0 – Red Rocketeers win first title since 2002
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff FOXBOROUGH – Fourth-seeded North Attleborough completed a dominant run through the Division 3 playoffs with a 35-0 rout of Hockomock league rival Mansfield on Friday night to claim the program’s first Super Bowl title since 2002. North Attleborough was the more physical team throughout the night, dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Red Rocketeers outgained Mansfield 317-155 in total…
MIAA Division 5 Super Bowl: (1) Shawsheen Valley 14, (3) Foxboro 0 – Rams finish perfect & win first title since 2010
FOXBOROUGH – Shawsheen Valley Tech and defending champion Foxborough played an instant classic for the Division 5 Super Bowl on Friday night, but not the kind you’d expect. This was not an offensive clinic, but rather a defensive slugfest that saw the teams combined for just 200 yards of total offense and 13 punts. In the end, the Rams held the Warriors to just 58 yards, did just enough on…
MIAA Division 8 Super Bowl: (2) West Boylston 22, (1) Randolph 16 — Lions roar to three-peat
By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff FOXBOROUGH — West Boylston held off a late Randolph rally to escape with the 22-16 victory for their third straight state title. The number one and two teams in Division 8 put on quite the show for fans at Gillette Stadium. No.1 Randolph came into this game looking to win its second state title in the last four years, while No.2 West Boylston came to……
UMass officially introduces Harasymiak as another new era begins
Image courtesy of UMass Athletics By Andrew Guindon NEFJ Staff AMHERST – Recently hired University of Massachusetts Amherst football head coach Joe Harasymiak was officially introduced at a news conference Friday morning. One aspect of the football program was continuously visited throughout the press conference: the beginning of a new era for football in Amherst. UMass Athletics Director Ryan Bamford was adamant that the athletic department is “very serious” about…