By Michael Hoffer NEFJ Correspondent PORTLAND- The dream has become delicious reality. The Westbrook Blue Blazes are, at last, a championship program. Saturday afternoon at Fitzpatrick Stadium, the Blue Blazes completed the finest season in program history by rising from the depths of a two-win campaign in 2024 to a Gold Ball with a 40-20 victory over previously undefeated and favored Cony in the Class B state final. “The kids…
Maine Class A State Championship: Thornton Academy 28, Portland 0 – Ayoob leads Golden Trojans to championship
By Michael Hoffer NEFJ Correspondent PORTLAND -A year ago, Thornton Academy’s Connor Ayoob ran the ball just twice in a state championship game loss to the Portland Bulldogs. Saturday, the teams met again in the Class A state final and this time, Ayoob carried it 32 times and the Golden Trojans produced a much happier ending. Ayoob turned his opportunities into 233 yards and four touchdowns and after a year…
MIAA D1 state semifinals: St. John’s Prep 48, Central Catholic 7 – Eagles flying back to Gillette after dominant performance
BURLINGTON – “More! I want more!” St. John’s Prep head coach Brian St. Pierre screamed that towards his offense as he high-fived them running off the field on Friday night in front of a packed crowd at Burlington High School. Backup QB John Budrow and the rest of the unit had just taken a 24-point lead early in the second quarter in its Division 1 state semifinal against Central Catholic….
Rhode Island State Championship: Bishop Hendricken 13, La Salle 3 – Hawks complete three-peat
By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent CRANSTON – Bishop Hendricken lost a lot of talent after last season, but for the third straight year, the result did not change. The Hawks completed the state championship three-peat on Friday, playing their brand of football with strong running and stellar defense leading the way to a 13-3 win over La Salle. “There’s a lot of adversity with this team that they had to…
MIAA D2 state semifinals: Bishop Feehan 31, Bridgewater-Raynham 27 – Shamrocks make own luck for Super Bowl berth
By Jared Keene NEFJ Correspondent MANSFIELD – As it turns out, Bishop Feehan has a bit of a flair for the dramatic this season. Prior to Friday, the Shamrocks already had four come-from-behind wins, all of which came on the road. Now, that number has increased to five, and this one just so happened to be the most important to date. Second-seeded Feehan came back from 13 down and showed…
MIAA D4 state semifinals: Scituate 34, Duxbury 21 – Sailors outlast Dragons for spot in title game
By Tom O’Brien NEFJ Correspondent HINGHAM – With a spot in the Division 4 Super Bowl on the line, Scituate hung on to beat rival Duxbury 34-21 on Friday night in another epic clash between the two, punching its ticket back to Gillette Stadium. “It was an absolute battle. Duxbury played great tonight. They played physical and made plays,” said Scituate head coach Herb Devine. Scituate junior running back Greyson…
MIAA D5 state semifinals: Shawsheen Valley Tech 22, North Reading 14 (OT) – Banda sends Rams back to Super Bowl
Tim Crowley NEFJ Correspondent DANVERS – The Shawsheen Rams found a home at Gillette Stadium in early December in recent years. The 2025 run back ‘home’ might be the most special one yet. The top-seeded Rams emerged victorious over No. 5 North Reading in a 22-14 overtime thriller on the turf at Danvers High School in the state semifinals. North Reading quarterback Jason Berry put up quite a battle with…
MIAA D2 state semifinals: Catholic Memorial 49, Winchester 0 – Knights waltz back into state title game
By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff MEDFORD – Catholic Memorial advanced to a second straight Division 2 state championship game Friday night, shutting out Winchester 49-0 in a semifinal matchup at Hormel Stadium. Entering Friday’s game against the defending champs, Winchester came in with an offense that averaged 38.7 points per game. The Sachems’ lowest scoring outing of the season came against Arlington when they scored a season low 35 points….
MIAA D4 state semifinals: Tewksbury 35, Canton 6 – Redmen roll to Gillette with blowout win
Oliver Fox NEFJ Correspondent LYNN – For the third straight year, head coach Brian Aylward and his Tewksbury Redmen found themselves in the Division 4 state semifinals on Friday night. This time, they finally got over the hump with a convincing 35-6 win over the Canton Bulldogs. “It’s tremendous, these kids have worked so hard. It’s a tremendous experience with great kids and great families that want to do the…
Harvard & Yale set for biggest ‘The Game’ in history
Harvard Athletics For the 141st time, Harvard and Yale will play football on Saturday afternoon down in the Yale Bowl. There’s an argument to be made that it’s the most important meeting in the history of ‘The Game’ rivalry. Or, at least in the last 116 years. Only in 1890 and 1909 were the stakes higher than they are this weekend. A quick Google search shows that in 1890, Harvard…