VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Shrewsbury edges Doherty in D3 Central Semis

Video by Matt Siegel (@SportVideoMA)

Worcester, Mass. - Saturday night's Division 3 Central semifinal between Shrewsbury and Doherty was not for the faint of heart, but in the end it was the visiting Colonials outlasting Doherty 35-34 at Worcester's Foley Stadium.

Shrewsbury advances to face cross-town rival St. John's (Shrewsbury) in the D3 Central finals next week, with a trip to the state semifinals on the line. But, for now, enjoy our Matt Siegel's video highlights of the Colonials and the Highlanders, available below.

Peter Oliver Returns from Injury for St. John's (Shrewsbury)'s D3 Super Bowl Win

FOXBOROUGH - St. John’s (Shrewsbury) senior running back Peter Oliver expected to watch the MIAA Division 3 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium from the sidelines.

But one day before the Pioneers' state finals date against North Attleborough, Oliver received clearance from doctors after X-rays revealed that his broken fibula, suffered in a Week 3 win over Leominster, had healed.

Oliver, who has received interest from multiple Division 1 schools, compiled 387 yards and four TDs on just 31 carries through two-and-a-half games this season, and the senior gave the Pioneers a jolt in his return.

SuiteSports & MassLive Preview the Central vs West MIAA Football State Semifinals

St. John's super soph Eamonn Dennis has emerged as one of the state's best kick returners, and most explosive receivers.

By SuiteSports Staff

The MIAA football playoffs are, for lack of a better word, weird.

Since no Central or Western Mass teams compete in Divisions 1 or 2, the North and South champs for those divisions already know they're going to Gillette.

But, as a new wrinkle of realignment this year, Western Mass teams only compete in four divisions (D3, D5, D7 and D8), which means that Division 4 Central champion Nashoba and Division 6 Central champion Littleton can also start making travel plans for Foxboro.

This new alignment sets up six different Eastern Mass finals in Divisions 3-8 (we'll preview those soon enough), and four Central vs West state semifinals that are always hard to predict. Why? Well, unlike in Eastern Mass where media outlets cover the North and the South pretty evenly, there really isn't an outlet that covers both Central and Western Mass.

That's why we're thrilled that MassLive, who does a fantastic job covering Western Mass high school sports, reached out to our Editor-in-Chief Joe Parello to get his thoughts on all the Central Mass state semifinalists.

Click here to read a full preview of all four games, including Joe's thoughts on the CMass squads, plus MassLive's Mark Chiarelli's break downs of all sectional champions from Western Mass.

Postgame Blog: St. John's Wins Shrewsbury Bowl, Advances to State Semifinals

By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

SHREWSBURY — The CMass Championship featuring cross-town rivals St. John's (Shrewsbury) and Shrewsbury High School came with some hype, but what started out as a hot contest would soon turned into a landslide as the Pioneers of St. John’s would cruise to a dominant 36-14 victory over the Colonials.

Lincoln-Sudbury Continues Run to D2 Super Bowl

By Brendan C. Hall (@BHallESPN)

SUDBURY – The Lincoln-Sudbury Warriors’ 2017 campaign has been defined by some uncharacteristically lopsided victories in all shapes and sizes.  And yet to put this one in perspective, head coach Tom Lopez couldn’t find a better defensive performance than what took place on the frigid Myers Field turfFriday night. North Andover quarterback Jake McElroy (205 scrimmage yards, TD) made plenty of noise evading the Warriors’ front seven, but the Scarlet Knights also turned the ball over on downs twice in the red zone, while L-S churned out a monster drive late to cap a 27-7 win and capture its first MIAA Division 2 North Final.

Your MIAA Football Sectional Finals Preview: The Central and West

Springfield Central quarterback Aaron Moses-Williams has the Golden Eagle offense humming.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Our Matt Feld got kicked off our sectional championship game coverage earlier today, previewing the North and South sections.

Now I'll take a crack at the smaller regions out in Central and Western Massachusetts, where there are six sectional title games in CMass (Divisions 3-8) and four in WMass (Divisions 3,5,7, and 8).

Let's take a look at the matchups, story lines and players you need to pay attention to this weekend.

St. Peter-Marian Downs Upstart Blackstone-Millville in D6 Central

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

WORCESTER -Three seconds.

That was all it took for St. Peter-Marian to revitalize itself and take control as the Guardians successfully managed to sneak past a very good Blackstone-Millville Regional squad, 28-14, during Saturday's Division 6 Central semifinal.

Down a point in the closing seconds of the first half, the No. 2 Guardians erupted for a pair of touchdowns within that three second frame to snatch a two score lead and, for all intents and purposes, derail the Chargers' first attempt at postseason play.

St. John's (Shrewsbury) Edges Doherty in D3 Central Semifinal

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

Worcester, Mass. - The opportunities were there for Doherty. For an inner-city school destined to prove it belongs in the conversation when talking about the elite programs in Central Mass, the Highlanders were hanging in with the elite of the elite during the first 22 minutes.

But St. John's (Shrewsbury), a team blessed with tremendous depth and talent, took its game to the next level over the course of the second half, able to finally break free for a 32-21 victory in the Division 3 Central semifinal played Friday night at Assumption College.

Postgame Blog: Shrewsbury Rolls Past Shepherd Hill in D2 Central Semis

By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

Shrewsbury, Mass. - CMass playoff football has ARRIVED.

Friday night's match-up featured two strong teams in the Shepherd Hill Rams and the Shrewsbury Colonials, but the result would be lopsided, and the defending champs would prove why they deserve to be back in the championship.

Colonials take it, 33-7.

Let's break it down.

Your Central Mass HS Football Playoff Preview

If you think St. John's (Shrewsbury) is the only CMass team with state title ambitions, you haven't been paying enough attention to the Littleton Tigers.   Photo from Littleton Public School Athletics on Twitter

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

While Eastern Mass' postseason got going last week, this weekend brings the start of the MIAA football playoffs in both Central and Western Massachusetts. We don't have a Western Mass expert on staff quite yet (but we're looking… Holla at me if you're interested at jparello86@gmail.com), I've got (almost) everything you need to know about the six different Central Mass brackets, including which teams have a legit shot at taking home a state championship.

Please note that CMass does not participate in Divisions 1 or 2, only 3-8, an issue that I will discuss in a mailbag blog later in the week.

St. John's (Shrewsbury) Sneaks By Marlboro

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

SHREWSBURY - Say what you want, but this was the type of game St. John's (Shrewsbury) needed to experience before it hit the postseason running.

All throughout the regular season, the Pioneers have barely been tested, averaging just over 50 points per game. For some of them, the basic thinking was that things were coming way too easy. But now, St. John's might alter its attitude some, knowing it cannot simply waltz through the playoffs and expect a free ride to Gillette Stadium for the Division 3 Super Bowl.

Thanks to a solid fight put forth by Marlborough, the Pioneers now realize they can be vulnerable too. The Panthers gave St. John's everything they handle for four quarters, before finally succumbing 24-21 Saturday at Pioneer Field.

Lincoln-Sudbury Delivers Statement in Opening Round Matchup Against Reading

By Brendan C. Hall (@BHallESPN)

SUDBURY – Just how impressive is Lincoln-Sudbury’s run of offensive wizardry this fall?

Head coach Tom Lopez has seen just about everything in his four decades at the helm of the Warriors’ program. Asked for historical perspective on the frequency with which his team has been scoring this season, after the Warriors shut out Reading at Myers Field in an MIAA Division 2 North quarterfinal, he took reporters a long ways down memory lane, all the way back to the days preceding even the Reagan Administration.

“My second year coaching, in 1979, we scored 69 points for the year, OK?” Lopez said with a twang of emphasis. “We have some very talented kids on offense. We have three pretty good running backs and a pretty good offensive line. So I think if we take care of business we can score points. It’s not the coaching. I scored 69 points that year [1979], and we scored 77 last week.”

Shrewsbury Lights Up Nashoba's Renowned Defense in Win

 By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

Final game before the playoffs and two of the toughest teams in CMass to meet? I'm in. On a perfect October football night, the Shrewsbury Colonials came out and dominated at home, securing a win over the Nashoba Chieftans, 35-7. Let's break it down.

Hopkinton Wraps up TVL Title With Win Over Holliston

By Brendan Hall (@BHallESPN)

HOPKINTON – You have to go all the way back to the days before the Barack Obama administration to recall when summiting to Tri-Valley League riches didn’t go through Holliston first. But after nearly a decade of coming up short against the perennial juggernaut, Hopkinton has finally laid that albatross to rest.

The Hillers (7-0) capped a perfect regular season with a 12-8 win over the Panthers (3-3) in a defensive slugfest before a capacity crowd at Dave Hughes Stadium. With its sophisticated blend of speed and athleticism in its 4-3 defensive front, Hopkinton held Holliston to just 134 yards of offense as it claimed the TVL’s Large division outright and notched its first win over the powerhouse program since 2008.

Nashoba Outlasts Wachusett in CMass Slugfest

By John McGuirk (@Patsfan1313)

BOLTON — There is no script or manual that says you have to win every game with ease.

While Nashoba Regional has blown out its fair share of opponents this season, Friday night's encounter versus Wachusett Regional was not one of those.

The Chieftains had their hands full all throughout but still managed to come away with a 9-0 victory.

St. John's (Shrewsbury) Breaks the Scoreboard Against Shepherd Hill

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

SHREWSBURY - Let's put to bed this notion that the top spot in Division 3 Central is up for grabs.

It is time to face facts folks. There is St. John's (Shrewsbury), and then everybody else. Period!

In a season that has been solely dominated by the Pioneers thus far, Shepherd Hill, along with its three-game winning streak, became the latest tragedy in a long line of formidable opponents expected to put up a fight.

Instead, Saturday's contest turned into a laugher early and often. The Pioneers wasted no time building a commanding 42-point in the first half lead, then proceeded to blow the Rams out 64-24 at Pioneer Field.

Postgame Blog: Grafton Controls Own Destiny After Defeating Uxbridge

 By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

GRAFTON - Grafton High School was buzzing with fans on Senior Night for the Indians. The visiting Uxbridge Spartans looked to ruin the party, but would ultimately fall to a revitalized Grafton offense, 33-13.

Let's break down all the action.

Postgame Blog: Shepherd Hill Stops Wachusett at the Goal Line

By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

Tonight we saw a track meet between the hosting Shepherd Hill Rams and the visiting Wachusett Mountaineers. These two teams have legitimate bids for being among the best in CMass football. Tonight these young men put on a spectacular show for everyone at the game. Shepherd Hill would ultimately come from behind to win a nail-biter, 41-40.

Let's break it down.

Postgame Blog: St. John's (S) Pulls Away from Shrewsbury

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

In a game that featured plenty of highlights, the St. John's Pioneers made just enough plays to come away with a road win against cross-town rival Shrewsbury.

The 46-35 St. John's victory makes the Pioneers (5-0) the unquestioned top dog in Central Mass for the moment, and a heavy favorite to make it to Gillette Stadium in Division 3. But, it wasn't all about the Pioneers, as Shrewsbury (4-1) acquitted itself quite well, and showed why it might be the team in D3 Central that can give St. John's the best run in the playoffs.

Here are a few takeaways. Click here for photos and video highlights.

Nipmuc Edges St. Bernard's in Defensive Struggle

By John McGuirk (@Patsfan1313)

FITCHBURG - Averaging 28 points-per-game in its first four contests, Nipmuc has made it look relatively easy during the first half of the regular season. But on Friday evening, that scenario was altered a bit.

Facing a stout St. Bernard's squad, the Warriors needed to scratch and claw their way from beginning to end in order to pull out a 7-0 Dual Valley Conference victory at the Bernardian Bowl.