Abington Rolls Seekonk in First Round Matchup

By Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports)

ABINGTON -- The Abington High football team shut down their opponent’s heavy passing game and established their own running game out of the Wing-T.

That was enough for the No. 3 Green Wave to roll over the No. 6 Seekonk Warriors in a 43-14 win at home in the Division 7 South Quarterfinal.

"It was truly a tremendous job by our guys," Green Wave head coach Jim Kelliher said. "We prepped all week, but that was our second group against our first group. I thought our coaches did a great job preparing them. That might have been the best pass defense we've had since I've been here. It was awesome."

Cohasset Lacrosse Rolls Past Abington

By Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports)

COHASSET - At halftime, much of the hometown crowd walked to their cars, drove away and didn't come back. They didn't need to see the rest.

In the second half, the PA system went silent, the starters sat and the No. 3 Cohasset High boys' lacrosse team (16-6) counted down the minutes until they had officially advanced in their playoff bracket following their 19-3 win over Abington (14-5) in the MIAA Division 3 South Quarterfinals on Monday night. It was a strong performance that was in no way derailed by the wet field conditions.

“Abington likes the bad weather,” Skippers head coach James Beaudoin said. “They play well in it. We knew we had to be ready and not let that bother us. Luckily, it was just a light mist in our small fishing village. It was perfect for us.”

MIAA State Championship Wrap: A Historic Day for Running Backs at Gillette

Xaverian running back Noah Sorrento celebrating one of his four touchdowns with teammate Joe Gaziano. The Hawks held on to defeat Everett 38-29 and win the Division 1 state championship at Gillette Stadium Saturday.  
Photo Credit: Brendan C. Hall/ESPN Boston

 By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It was a day of domination at Gillette Stadium Saturday, as only two of the six Massachusetts state championship games were ever in question after halftime.

Cohasset started the day of lopsided scores, avenging a loss to Littleton last season by defeating the Tigers 35-22, in a game they led 35-8 in the second half. Marshfield then upped the ante on blowouts in the second game, routing Longmeadow 45-6 in the D2 final.

Things turned slightly more competitive in the afternoon game, as Xaverian knocked off Everett for the D1 title 38-29 in a heavyweight bout, then took a championship selfie. D4 brought a return to blowouts as Holliston ran past Wahconah 43-0 in the day's fourth game, but Gillette's most competitive game would follow.

A late interception sealed a 14-7 victory for Dartmouth over Melrose, giving the Indians the Division 3 state championship. The day would end with Abington blowing out Northbridge 36-6 for the D5 crown, marking the second consecutive disappointing trip to Gillette for the Rams.

Another constant theme for the day was the outstanding play of several stellar running backs. As rain poured down in Foxborough, teams turned to their bell cow backs to deliver a championship, and nearly all of them delivered, making any attempt at picking an MVP for the day quite a challenge.

Here are your contenders for Gillette's Player of the Day.

Postgame Blog: Abington Dominates D5 Title Game

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

For the second consecutive year, things unraveled quickly for Northbridge.

The Rams couldn't get going offensively in 2013 against Bishop Fenwick, and this year the Abington Green Wave used a similar formula to defeat Northbridge 36-6.

That formula included forcing three turnovers, and riding running back Shawn Donovan, who carried 13 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns.

Massachusetts HS Football State Championship Preview: Divisions 4-6

Northbridge quarterback Koby Schofer will look to lead the Rams to a state title on their return trip to Gillette.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

A dozen Massachusetts high school football teams have finished their journeys down the #RoadToGillette and are preparing to play for state championships.

Year Two of the MIAA's new statewide football playoff system has produced another slew of intriguing matchups, so let's take a look at everything you need to know about Saturday's games in the smaller divisions.

*All game times listed below are approximate. Each game will begin 15 minutes after the previous one ends.