By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent PROVIDENCE – New head coach, same result. Dan Koppen’s top-seeded La Salle is returning to the state championship for the fifth time in six seasons after a 28-14 win over No. 4 seed Cranston West. “We’re going to enjoy this one tonight,” Koppen said. “Cranston West played a great game; that’s a tough football team.” West won the coin toss and wanted the first possession….
MIAA D3 Playoffs: North Attleborough 42, Barnstable 21 – Defending D3 champs keep it rolling
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff HYANNIS – Seventh-seeded North Attleborough entered Friday night’s MIAA D3 quarterfinal game against second-seeded Barnstable with a clear plan in mind. The Red Rocketeers wanted to establish the run and control both lines of scrimmage. They were able to do so from the start, racking up 413 yards on 66 plays in a 42-21 demolition of the Redhawks. The win sends the reigning Division 3…
MIAA D3 Playoffs: King Philip 42, Mansfield 12 – Warriors rumble back into state semifinal with dominant rushing attack
By Jared Keene NEFJ Correspondent WRENTHAM – By now, it’s certainly no secret what King Philip wants to do on offense – pound the football and gas out opposing defenses in the process. Warriors coach Brian Lee knows that teams are going to try and contain their ground game, yet to this point, nobody has been successful. The latest example came Friday night, when top-seeded KP took on eighth-seeded and…
MIAA D1 Playoffs: St. John’s Prep 48, Leominster 32 – Eagles fly back into state semifinals on back of Parent
By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Staff DANVERS — When the MIAA playoff brackets came out, the potential matchup between No.1 St. John’s Prep and No.8 Leominster had fans from both schools excited with the potential quarterback matchup. Coastal Carolina commit and five-star recruit Chris Vargas is a dream matchup for football lovers. Unfortunately, that matchup did not occur due to Vargas being sidelined with an injury. Despite the star quarterback’s absence,…
MIAA D4 Playoffs: Canton 27, Marblehead 22 – Bulldogs get it done late to reach state semifinal
By Tom O’Brien NEFJ Correspondant CANTON- It wasn’t pretty, but with a berth in the MIAA Division 4 Final Four on the line, Canton outlasted Marblehead 27-22 on Friday night. “We had a tough week because we just lost our quarterback. We were going to pick each other up,” said Canton interim head coach Jeff Eckler. Canton (8-2) advances to face Tewksbury in the state semis at a neutral site…
MIAA D3 Playoffs: Milton 41, Masconomet 27 – Wildcats reach semifinals thanks to explosive passing game
By Oliver Fox NEFJ Correspondent MILTON – Riding a five game win streak, Masconomet crossed the imagery North shore/South shore line on Friday to take on Milton in the MIAA D3 state semifinals. The Wildcats entered the game on its own five game win streak, looking to keep its title hopes alive. In the end, the hosts used an explosive pass game to pull away for a 41-27 victory. Milton…
MIAA D1 Playoffs: Springfield Central 49, Lowell 14 – Golden Eagles soar back into state semifinals
By Dante Iafrate NEFJ Correspondent SPRINGFIELD — For a quarter, it looked like Springfield Central and Lowell were feeling each other out, trading short drives and defensive stops in their MIAA Division 1 quarterfinal matchup on Friday night. But, once the Golden Eagles settled in, they showed why they’ve been one of the state’s most dangerous teams all season and for the last decade. Central pulled away behind a strong…
New England college preview – Week 12
Now it gets really, really fun. With two weeks left in the FCS season and three left for the FBS squads, some are continuing to play out the string while others are fighting for their playoff lives. UMass got it all started again with MACtion on Wednesday night. New Haven finished its first D1 season last weekend, so here’s how the rest of the weekend shapes up for the other…
Jennings’ impact play was a long time coming
FOXBOROUGH – With 7:29 remaining in the game against the Jets on Thursday night, Anfernee Jennings came up with one of the bigger plays of the night. Jennings was in the right place at the right time to recover a fumble from Justin Fields at the New York 11-yard line. Four plays later, an Andy Borregales 26-yard field goal made it 27-14, the same score the Patriots won by. Jennings…
7 points on the Patriots 24-14 win over the Jets
Charles Krupa/AP Photo FOXBOROUGH- The Patriots took care of business against the rival Jets, 27-14 on Thursday Night Football. It wasn’t the prettiest win they have had this season as they faced some early adversity but overcame it and pulled away in the second half. Perhaps the biggest story to follow after this game is the status of defensive tackle Milton Williams who left the game early with ankle injury….