Doherty Football Alums Prepare for College Debuts Against Each Other

Isaac Yiadom (left) and Alfred Adarkwah (right) helped lead Doherty to a state championship in 2013.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Doherty's historic run to a Massachusetts Division 4 state football championship last season was due, in no small part, to a pair of extremely talented receivers/defensive backs.

After playing next to each other for a championship on the Highlander offense and defense last December at Gillette Stadium, Boston College's Isaac Yiadom and UMass' Alfred Adarkwah will find themselves back in Foxboro, but on opposite sidelines during today's Battle of the Bay State.

CMass National Signing Day Report

Leicester's Tom Rodrick officially signed with UConn today.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Football season officially ended Sunday night (sigh), but today thousands of kids made their dreams of playing college football a reality, sending in their National Letters of Intent to the programs they will represent on Saturdays over the next 3-5 seasons.

A few of those lucky dudes reside in Central Massachusetts, so here's a quick look at each CMass player set to play college football next season.

Also note that these are only the players that have sent in their paperwork and made it official. More players could be added as the day progresses, so check back later.

The Top Plays of CMass High School Football 2013

Davon Jones made big plays on both sides of the ball for St. John's this year.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Today we close the book on the 2013 high school football season in Central Massachusetts with my end of the year highlight package.

This video features plays and celebrations from the biggest games across Central Mass, including great moments from Leominster, St. John's, Doherty, Littleton, Shepherd Hill, Leicester, Auburn, St. Peter-Marian, Quabbin and Burncoat.

Postgame Blog: Doherty Completes Journey, Wins D4 Crown

Doherty celebrates with the Division 4 championship trophy.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

The 2013 Doherty Highlanders are a greedy bunch.

Capturing the school's first Central Mass title in 33 years simply wasn't good enough for them, so they won the inaugural Division 4 state championship in the second game at Gillette Stadium Saturday.

The Highlanders had the feel of a "team of destiny" all year long, and that destiny was realized in a 28-26 thriller of a win over D4 East champion Dennis-Yarmouth.

Massachusetts Super Bowl Previews: Divisions 4-6

Doherty's Isaac Yiadom has left defenders in the dust all year.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

We've already gone through the necessary introductions in Part I of my Super Bowl previews (Which you can see here), so let's get right to it. Here is what to watch for in the Super Bowls for Division 4, 5 and 6 this Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

Postgame Blog and Video: Doherty Edges Burncoat on Thanksgiving

Doherty QB Luke Brennan won the game's MVP after a pair of touchdown runs.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Doherty rolled out to an 18-0 lead, but Burncoat made things interesting, and forced the Highlanders to reinsert their starters in a unique Thanksgiving Day match up.

What made things unique for both squads was the fact that this game, ultimately, meant nothing to Doherty. The Highlanders won Division 4 Central, then defeated Western Mass champion Wahconah last week to earn a spot in the Division 4 Super Bowl on December 7th. Doherty will face Eastern Mass champion Dennis-Yarmouth at 11 am at Gillette Stadium that day.

Postgame Blog: Doherty's Historic Championship

Doherty WR/S Isaac Yiadom (1) and QB Luke Brennan (18) holding the CMass D4 trophy.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Look, my story on Doherty's thrilling, come-from-behind, last-minute touchdown pass off a broken play, breaking a 33-year championship drought, story is already up on ESPN Boston. I'd suggest giving that a read, but if you want some more of my thoughts, and some pretty amazing highlights, keep reading after the jump.

CMass Playoff Notebook: Champions to be Crowned

QB Drew Smiley and the Pioneers will have revenge on their minds when they face Leominster Friday.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Our first season in the new state-wide football playoff system has been a fun one, but let's not forget you need to win Central Mass before you can prove your worth to the entire Commonwealth.

Taking home a CMass crown is exactly what eight teams have on their minds this weekend, as champions will be crowned across the region's four divisions. So, without further ado, here is everything you need to know about the championship games in Central's D2, 4, 5 and 6.

Division 2: St. John's and Leominster, Friday at 7 pm

CMass HS Football Power Rankings: Playoff Preview

Division 4 is loaded this year, as SPM and Tyis Boykin (pictured) attempt to knock off favorites Doherty and Shepherd Hill.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

This week's edition of our Power Rankings is extra special because we get to break down the playoff brackets for each CMass division. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves, here are our final Power Rankings of the regular season. Playoff previews for all four CMass brackets after the jump.

Power Rankings

1. Leominster: 7-0, Division 2
2. Doherty: 6-1, Division 4
3. Hudson: 7-0, Division 4
4. St. John's: 5-2, Division 2
5. Shepherd Hill: 6-1, Division 4

In the Hunt: Littleton (7-0), Blackstone Valley Tech (7-0), Marlborough (6-1), West Boylston (6-1), St. Peter-Marian (5-2), Leicester (6-1), Auburn (5-2)

Playoff Preview

Postgame Blog: Doherty Survives St. Peter-Marian

It was "Show Time" for BC commit Isaac Yiadom and the Doherty offense Saturday.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Another week and another heart-breaking loss for St. Peter-Marian at the hands of a D4 Central favorite.

A week after a late touchdown and two-point conversion sunk the Guardians against Shepherd Hill 14-13, the failure to convert a pair of extra points led to a 20-19 defeat at the hands of Inter-High power Doherty.

Here is my reminder that this blog is just my random thoughts on the game. If you want my full recap, along with some highlights, head over to ESPN Boston and check those out. More on the fallout from Doherty and SPM after the jump.

CMass HS Football Power Rankings: 10/14/13

James Gurley helped Leominster defeat Doherty in the region's biggest game Friday night.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Unfortunately, I was out of town last weekend due to a family emergency, so I missed what turned out to be a crazy weekend of Central Mass football, full of upsets and close games.

This weekend, I'm dragging myself to my own wedding (ugh), so it looks like I'm going to go back-to-back weekends without any CMass pigskin. Crazy, I know. But, rest assured I have read through every game recap and box score I can, and reached out to several area coaches to get their opinions on what is now a jumbled mess of a Top-5.

CMass HS Football Power Rankings: 10/7/13

Shane Padeni and Leicester enter our Power Rankings after a signature win over Auburn Saturday night.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

A pair of high profile games shook up our Power Rankings and Player of the Year Watch List, as St. John's halted Nashoba's 29-game winning streak and Leicester rode UConn commit Tom Rodrick to a victory over rival Auburn.

But those weren't the only big performances of the weekend. One of the region's premier gun slingers put up numbers unprecedented in the annals of Central Mass football, while St. Peter-Marian continued its magical run against a familiar foe.

Keep reading after the jump for our complete Power Rankings, Player of the Year Watch List, and for a preview of next week's Game of the Week.

CMass HS Football Power Rankings: 9/16/13

Leominster senior Neil O'Connor does it all for the Blue Devils, but is he the top player in CMass?

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

While a few teams across the region got started two weeks ago, high school football really kicked off in Central Mass this past weekend. Leominster defeated St. John's in the region's most anticipated game, and Hudson turned heads across the state, blasting 5-time defending Super Bowl champion Auburn 33-0, ending a 22-game Rocket winning streak.

Doherty and Nashoba held serve, but our preseason power rankings were certainly shaken up by action across Central Mass. Check out our Power Rankings, upcoming Game of the Week, and CMass Player of the Year Watch List below.