(1) West Warwick 21, (2) Lincoln 20 — Wizards pull late-game magic to beat Lions

November 11, 2023

By Harry Pray NEFJ Correspondent WEST WARWICK — After both teams earned the right to play another week, West Warwick brawled it out with Lincoln in the Division 3 Rhode Island semifinal and came away victorious, 21-20. “What I love the most about our team was we never (quit), the tenacity, the willingness to continue to play, even when we were down,” said West Warwick coach Wesley Pennington. “When things……

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(1) Milford 24, (9) North Attleboro 17 — Scarlet Hawks sweep Red Rocketeers with D3 quarterfinal win

November 10, 2023

By Siddharth Chandra NEFJ Correspondent MILFORD — In Friday night’s D3 quarterfinal, there was a rematch of two Hockomock League rivals, No. 9 North Attleboro and No. 1 Milford. Despite a 33-13 victory in October for Milford, the Scarlet Hawks knew that this game was going to be a dogfight. “Hock’s physical football. It’s probably the most physical football in the state,” Milford coach Dale Olson said. In the end,……

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(4) Walpole 39, (5) Mansfield 31 – Timberwolves come from behind to win a D3 classic

November 10, 2023

WALPOLE- Walpole junior quarterback Noah McKenzie is a man of a few words. Off the field that is. On the field, he lets his play do the talking and McKenzie spoke loud and clear in the Timberwolves thrilling 39-31 win over Mansfield. McKenzie took the game over in the second half, helping Walpole advance to a date with Milford next week in the state semi-finals.  For McKenzie, the win was……

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(6) Grafton 17, (14) Marblehead 6 — Defense powers Gators’ win in D4 quarterfinal

November 10, 2023

By Tony Catalina NEFJ CorrespondentGRAFTON — In a playoff matchup featuring two D4 powers with a Final Four appearance on the line, Grafton’s defense came to play en route to a 17-6 win. In what was a defensive struggle for most of the night, No. 6 Grafton was able to flex its defensive muscle on its way to a sound victory over No. 14 Marblehead. Grafton took the lead late……

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(2) Xaverian 21, (7) Springfield Central 20 — Defense sends Hawks to D1 Final Four

November 10, 2023

WESTWOOD — The last three times Xaverian played Springfield Central, each game followed a familiar script. For a little while, Xaverian would hang close with Central, but then the same thing happened. The Golden Eagles hit big play after big play, and either ran away with a dominant win, or held on as Xaverian was forced out of its game plan. Then, finally, on Friday night in a D1 quarterfinal,……

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(3) Needham 42, (6) Methuen 24 — Ground game powers Rockets

November 9, 2023

NEEDHAM — The Methuen offense is aesthetically pleasing, and downright entertaining. In Thursday night’s D1 quarterfinal at Needham, the Rangers threw out a bevy of laterals, screens, double passes, and an assortment of plays to keep their opponent on its heels. But host Needham answered with what can be best described as a masterclass in power football. It was the latter that won out. The third-seeded Rockets dominated on the……

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