Top 10 MIAA Games Of The Decade

Catholic Memorial senior Jarrett Martin's 45-yard Hail Mary reception to lift the Knights past BC High back in 2017 is one of the more memorable MIAA moments of the decade (Photo from Catholic Memorial, and taken by Marcus Miller).

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Throughout the 2010s, there were hundreds of MIAA High School sporting events filled with excitement, energy, and intensity. Thousands of fans were treated to record-setting performances, game-winning goals, and eyebrow raising finishes.

Over the course of the last 10 years I have been fortunate to witness, report on, and enjoy a number of these games. While there are plenty that come to mind when it comes to thinking back on the top showdowns that I had the pleasure of taking in, these 10 classics standout amongst the rest.

With 2020 right around the corner, here are my top 10 MIAA high school sporting events I had the opportunity to witness.

10. MIAA Football: Central Catholic 49, Andover 41 (2015)

Hajjar Makes it Four MVC Titles in a Row with Two-Hit Shutout

By Matt Feld (@Mattyfeld612)

Andover, Mass. – Steve Hajjar has Central Catholic once again on top of the Merrimack Valley Conference.

On Saturday afternoon, Hajjar fired a complete game shutout, scattering just a pair of hits while walking no one and striking out 12 as Central Catholic defeated Andover, 4-0, to claim the Merrimack Valley Conference Large championship at Andover High School.

It is the fourth straight season the Raiders (15-5) have claimed the MVC large title and in all four years, Hajjar has been the winning pitcher.

Central Catholic Baseball Opens Season with Route of St. Peter-Marian

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

Haverhill, Mass. - With a majority of the local pundits already enthroning Central Catholic as a team of destiny this season, it is certainly hard to argue with that prognostication at the moment.

Backed by solid pitching, and showing tremendous patients at the plate, the Raiders, ranked the No. 1 team in Eastern Mass and a clear-cut favorite to win a Super 8 championship, opened their season in fine fashion Sunday, with a convincing 13-0 rout of St. Peter-Marian at chilly Trinity Stadium.  

PHOTO GALLERY: Braintree Girls' Hoops Headed Back to Title Game After Beating Central Catholic

Photos by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

BOSTON - Braintree's recent run of dominance on the hardwood continues, as the Wamps pulled away from a game Central Catholic squad at the TD Garden. Braintree will now face Springfield Central on Saturday in Springfield for the MIAA Division 1 girls' basketball state championship, a rematch of last year's title game, won by Central.

But, before we get that epic rematch, check out these sweet shots from our Eamon Convey of Braintree and Central Catholic on the Celtics' home floor. Note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Pope Francis Eliminates Top-Seeded Central Catholic from Super 8

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

North Chelmsford, Mass. - The game plan carried out by Pope Francis was set on stopping Central Catholic in its tracks. Twice during the regular season the Cardinals lacked strong defensive play, resulting in a pair of losses against the Raiders.

With an opportunity to redeem itself, Pope Francis did just that on a much bigger stage. Placing strong attention to detail inside the defensive and neutral zones, the Cardinals, playing on a smaller ice surface, were able to limit the top-seeded Raiders' scoring opportunities throughout the evening.

That, in turn, allowed Pope Francis to generate enough offense to take a 4-1 victory in a Super 8 elimination contest played Saturday night inside Chelmsford Forum.

In a true case of turnabout is fair play, this time it was the Cardinals sending Central Catholic home for the season after suffering a similar fate last year against the Raiders in this tournament.

PHOTO GALLERY: Hingham vs Central Catholic and BC High vs St. John's Prep in the Super 8

Photos by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

It was a night of upsets in Lowell Monday, as a pair of Super 8 underdogs came away with big wins. First, Hingham stunned Central Catholic 1-0, then in the night cap, BC High nipped rival St. John's Prep, also by a 1-0 score.

Both the Harbormen and the Eagles advances to the semifinals of the two-loss elimination tournament, while CC and SJP now head to the loser's bracket, where the margin for error is zero.

Now, continue below for photos of both of last night's games, courtesy of our Eamon Convey. Note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Hingham Stuns Central Catholic in Super 8 Winner's Bracket

Photo by Eamon Convey

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

Lowell, Mass. - For a team that has had a difficult time putting pucks into the back of the net, Hingham has relied heavily on a systematic defensive approach in which it limits opponents from finding easy paths into the offensive zone. It is that style which has gotten the Harbormen a chance to win their second Super 8 title. With their forwards continuously skating back to assist the defensemen, Hingham, which won a Super 8 crown in 2010, has seen that formula work quite effectively all throughout this season.

Monday was no different.

Staking claim to an early lead, the Harbormen spent the rest of the evening frustrating Central Catholic with a solid mix of forechecking and backchecking. Refusing to allow the Raiders to gain any steam, Hingham made its one goal lead stand up and went on to blank Central Catholic, 1-0, inside the Tsongas Center in a winner's bracket showdown.

PHOTO GALLERY: Central Catholic vs St. John's (Shrewsbury) in Super 8 Action

Photos by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

Our Mike Abelson already has a full recap of Central Catholic's big win over St. John's Thursday night, and you can check that out here.

But now, continue below for photos from the big game, snapped by our Eamon Convey. Note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Central Catholic blanks St. John's (Shrewsbury) in Super 8

Photo by Eamon Convey

By Mike Abelson (@ABELS0N)

Lowell, Mass. - A year after watching a state title disappear in overtime of the championship game, the Central Catholic Raiders stepped back into the Super 8 tournament and put the rest of the bracket on notice.

Central went wire-to-wire against an overmatched Saint John’s (Shrewsbury) team, and rolled to a 5-0 win at Tsongas Center.

Central Catholic Holds off Pope Francis in Opening Round of Cardinal Classic; Malden Catholic Bests St. Mary's (Lynn) in other Semifinal

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

West Springfield, Mass. - The odds of scoring more than one goal against Matt Pasquale have been paper thin this season.

So after Central Catholic spotted its outstanding goaltender a two-goal lead, it appeared pretty safe that it would hold up. Despite some feverish third period play by Pope Francis, the Cardinals only managed to get one shot past the junior as the Raiders prevailed 3-1 Wednesday night in the opening round of the Cardinal Classic played at the Olympia Ice Center.

Central Catholic (20-1) will face Malden Catholic (8-8-3) in the championship tilt here on Thursday beginning at 4 p.m. The Lancers edged St. Mary's of Lynn in evening's other preliminary contest. Pope Francis will take on the Spartans in the consolation game at 2 p.m.

PHOTO GALLERY: Central Catholic Hockey tops Catholic Memorial

Photos by Eamon Convey (@ConveyWEEI)

Central Catholic boosted its resume with an overwhelming 4-1 victory over Catholic Memorial Wednesday night.

Continue below to check out some sweet (suite?) images from the game, courtesy of our Eamon Convey.

Note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Central Catholic Hockey Overwhelms Waltham

By John Mcguirk (@patsfan1313)

SALEM, NH - Throughout much of the first half of the season, Central Catholic has had a knack of lullabying its opponents to sleep during the first period, before turning on the switch and leaving teams in its wake.

That script proved to be no different Wednesday evening as the Raiders, nursing a one goal lead after the opening 15 minutes, shifted their offense into another gear in the second by netting three goals, enroute to a 5-2 victory over Waltham in a Merrimack Valley/Dual County League matchup played at the Icenter.

Central Catholic Hockey Blanks Austin Prep

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

Salem, NH - Only seven games into this season, and Bill Pappas has joined a long list of hockey coaches who have reached that proverbial fork in the road.

The first year Austin Prep skipper has already been fitted for his hard hat as he tries to repair what currently ails his Cougars. Austin Prep has now lost two of its last three games, including Wednesday night’s 3-0 shutout at the hands of Central Catholic inside the Icenter.

“Talk is cheap right now,” said Pappas. “We have a good group and kids that work very hard. But I think it is time to take some responsibility from everybody, and for them to start looking at themselves. The season is moving very quickly and I think they need to make some better decisions. We know it is a process but we don’t want to start that process too late.”

MIAA Basketball Top 25: Week 2

Mansfield's student section had plenty to cheer about in a huge win over Newton North.

 Our rankings of the best teams in the state, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 12/25)

1. Needham (4-0; Last Week - 1) Rockets remain undefeated after earning a tough win over upset-minded Natick. 

2. St. John's Prep (1-1; Last Week - 2) A pre-Christmas showdown with Andover will have to wait until Wednesday, Dec. 27 as the Eagles look to move above .500 early in the season.  

3. Central Catholic (1-0; Last Week - 6) The Raiders finally opened with a 63-36 win over Haverhill last Thursday. They’ll take on Bishop Guertin (NH) in the Commonwealth Motors Classic Tournament at Methuen High on Dec. 27.

Everett Starts Fast and Hangs On to Down Central Catholic in D1 North Final

From Left: Jacob Miller, Helber, Dwayne Binns, Anthony Norcia, Jason Maitre, Jaden Mahabir pose with the MIAA Division 1 North championship trophy.

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

Some say that repeating as a state champion is the hardest feat to accomplish in high school sports. So far to date, that has not been the case for Everett.

On a frigid night at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the Crimson Tide offense fired on all cylinders as quarterback Jake Willcox threw four first half touchdown passes to lead No. 3 Everett to a 37-29 win over No.1 Central Catholic in the Division 1 North Sectional Final.

The Crimson Tide will now look to defend their Division 1 crown when they take on Xaverian in a rematch of last years Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on December 2nd.

Willcox (17-for-26, 308 yards, 4 TDs) played behind Jordan McAfee a season ago and noted how special it is to be the focal point this time around.

MIAA Football Top 25: Week 3

Lincoln-Sudbury tight end Harrison Gross celebrates a touchdown catch in the Warriors' statement win over Holliston.

Our preseason rankings of the best teams in the state, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 9/18)

1. Everett (2-0; Last Week – 1 ) No issues for the Crimson Tide this week, as they rolled Leominster 33-7 to extend their winning streak.

2. BC High (2-0; Last Week – 2 ) Eagles survived their first big test of the season, edging Marshfield, 19-7, at home behind a potent ground attack led by quarterback Will Bowen and running back Danny Abraham.

Central Catholic Clamps Down on St. John's Prep

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

LAWRENCE - In a contest between two of the best that Division 1 has to offer, Central Catholic’s defense stole the spotlight.

Behind a stalwart defensive effort, and a diversified offensive attack, the No. 3 Raiders shut out No. 4 St. John’s Prep, 21-0, on a foggy Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The game was a makeup of Friday night’s contest, which was postponed due to flooding.

All evening long, St. John’s Prep struggled to get into any sort of rhythm against the Raiders defensive unit. The Eagles totaled just 106 yards through the first three and a half quarters, and crossed midfield only once the entire game.

The Raiders front seven, highlighted by linebackers Ryan Burns and Ty Donatio, contained the Eagles' normally potent running game, and applied consistent pressure to star quarterback Mike Yarin.

Mathias Villafane (INT) and Joseph Howshan proved to be ball hawks in the secondary.

Braintree Holds Off Central Catholic to Keep Super 8 Title Defense Alive

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

BROCKTON - In the blink of the eye, the two time-defending champions have put themselves back in the conversation for a three-peat.

One day after pulling off a miraculous comeback to remain alive, John Tellier kept Braintree’s season going, throwing a complete game as the No. 5 Wamps defeated No. 3 Central Catholic, 5-2, in a Division 1A Super Eight elimination game on Thursday afternoon at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton.

The win advances Braintree (16-7) to the Super Eight quarterfinals against the winner of BC High and Xaverian. Central Catholic (18-5) is eliminated from the tournament.

Super 8 Selection Recap and Analysis

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

FRANKLIN, Mass. — Every year Super Eight selection Monday comes and goes and with it remains a bevy of teams in awe that they managed to slip into the field while others are left in shock that they missed out.

In less than hour, this year’s committee nominated 11 teams for the eight spots, with Lynn Classical being the only one of the 11 voted down right away. Three teams, St. John’s Shrewsbury, St. John’s Prep and Central Catholic, were unanimous votes meaning they automatically were entered as part of the Division 1A tournament. Seven others, meanwhile, received at least five of the nine votes – BC High, Braintree, Andover, Methuen, Xaverian, Newton North, and Belmont - which meant they were to be reconsidered for the final five spots.

When all was said and done, here is how the Super Eight field shook out:

1. St. John’s Shrewsbury

2. St. John’s Prep

3.    Central Catholic

4. BC High

5. Braintree

6. Xaverian

7. Newton North

8. Belmont

Central Catholic Baseball Rolls Past Methuen

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612)

METHUEN - Central Catholic may have missed out on the first three years of the Division 1A “Super Eight” tournament, but if Tuesday night is any indication, the Raiders have the makeup to go on a deep run.

All season long the Raiders stronghold has been their starting staff and that was no different on Tuesday night as behind a complete game from Sam Lara, Central Catholic defeated Merrimack Valley Conference Rival Methuen, 6-2, in front a packed house at Methuen High School.

Lara threw 102 pitches in the complete game effort giving up two earned runs on eight hits while walking two and fanning seven.