By Craig Boland NEFJ Correspondent NEW CANAAN – With 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter and the St. Joseph Cadets leading the New Canaan Rams 21-14 on Friday night, Neel Arora of New Canaan executed a beautiful onside kick to give the Rams a final shot. New Canaan proceeded to drive into the St. Joseph’s red zone with 10 seconds remaining before a Kyle Wicker sack stopped them in their…
MIAA D2 Playoffs: (6) Peabody 21, (11) Lincoln-Sudbury 0 – Tanners head to quarterfinals with stout defense
By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Correspondent PEABODY – Dominik Mercier’s three touchdowns led No. 6 Peabody to a shutout of No. 11 Lincoln Sudbury in an MIAA D2 first round game on Friday night. The inclement weather made it difficult for much passing in the opening round, so the Tanners (7-2) relied on a solid ground game and strong defense. Early on, both teams struggled to generate offense, although the Tanners…
MIAA D1 Playoffs: (3) Central Catholic 41, (14) Everett 20 – Raiders make it look easy against Crimson Tide
By Michael Najarian NEFJ Correspondent LAWRENCE — When Caden Smith gives the ball to Cody Arsenault, good things tend to happen. With four rushing TDs by Arsenault and two passing TDs by Smith, third-seeded Central Catholic rolled to a 41-20 win over No. 14 Everett in the first round of the Division I playoffs. Asked about his four-touchdown day, Arsenault simply said “it feels so good to get it.” In…
MIAA D3 Playoffs: (4) King Philip 35, (13) Reading 12 – Warriors roll with 35 unanswered
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Correspondent WRENTHAM – Fourth-seeded King Philip could not have started much slower Friday night in the opening round of the Division 3 playoffs. The Warriors fell behind 12-0 to 13th-seeded Reading in the first quarter. Starting in the second quarter, King Philip rose to the occasion and the game did a 180 as the Warriors rattled off 35 straight points to send the Rockets home in…
Are the Patriots finally about to get a breakout year from Pop Douglas?
Image courtesy of Athlon Sports FOXBOROUGH – For the last four seasons, many of us have thought Demario ‘Pop’ Douglas would be a major factor in the offense. And for the last four years, it hasn’t really come to fruition, other than a few times here and there in spurts. Through eight games this season, Douglas has 26 catches for 332 yards and four touchdowns. In both 2024 and 2025,…
MIAA Playoff Preview (Part 2) Divisions 1-4
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Correspondent Division 1 The field: 1. St. John’s Prep 2. St. John’s (Shrewsbury) 3. Central Catholic 4. Wachusett 5. Springfield Central 6. Xaverian 7. Leominster 8. Franklin 9. Andover 10. Haverhill 11. Natick 12. New Bedford 13. Shrewsbury 14. Everett 15. Brockton 16. Weymouth The favorites: St. John’s Prep, Springfield Central, St. John’s (Shrewsbury) The sleepers: Xaverian Best first round matchup: Andover at Franklin Players to…
MIAA D1 Playoffs: (9) Andover 56, (8) Franklin 21 – Golden Warriors tame Panthers in 1st round opener
By Michael Najarian NEFJ Correspondent FRANKLIN — Kyle Olson set the tone right away on Thursday night. Then, Marcus DeJesus and ninth-seeded Andover took the momentum and rolled with it all 48 minutes, delivering a dominating 56-21 win over No. 8 Franklin in the first round of the Division I playoffs. Andover, coming off a 5-3 regular season with back-to-back losses before the playoffs, took charge early and often to…
MIAA D6 Playoffs: (11) Joseph Case 42, (6) Fairhaven 37 – Cardinals upset reigning D6 champs
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Correspondent FAIRHAVEN – The No. 11 seed in Division 6 Joseph Case nearly beat Fairhaven three weeks ago. They fought tooth and nail with the reigning Division 6 champions to the very end, before falling 45-37. Despite the loss, the Cardinals emerged from the game with a new found confidence that they could compete with any team in Division 6. On Thursday night, Case got a…
MIAA D5 Playoffs: (7) Foxborough 42, (10) Apponequet 7 – Fast start propels Warriors to 1st round win
FOXBOROUGH- Foxborough Head Coach Jack Martinelli told his team prior to this week’s game that it was important to get off to fast start in their first round match up against Apponequet. The Warriors heeded his advice and did just that, jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead en route to a 42-7 blow win.
MIAA D8 Playoffs: (8) Kipp Academy 34, (9) West Boylston 13 – Panthers roar in 1st round
By Jose Rodriguez NEFJ Correspondent LYNN – Aavian Pena combined for 116 yards and two touchdowns to give No. 8 KIPP Panthers a 34-13 victory over No. 9 West Boylston on Thursday, November 5, at Manning Field in the first round of the Division 8 playoffs. The Panthers improved to 7-2 on the season while the Lions drop to 4-5. “I think what was working well for me tonight was…