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| Egan Bachtell (11) and Jake Fire (29) celebrate Nashoba's D2 state semifinal win over Springfield Central. |
By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)
Ed. Note- This is the first in our series of MIAA state championship game previews, focusing on the three squads from Central Mass to qualify for Gillette. We begin today with Nashoba's date in the D2 final with Reading, but will feature previews of both Northbridge and St. Bernard's in the next week.
After a wild weekend of state semifinals, three CMass squads have punched their tickets to Gillette Stadium for the state championship games on December 5th.
Central Massachusetts went 3-1 against its rivals from Western Mass this past Saturday, as St. Bernard's defeated Lee in Division 6, Northbridge topped Hoosac Valley in Division 5 and Nashoba bested Springfield Central in a classic Division 2 semi.
Division 4 is the only district Central Mass competes in that won't see a CMass team at Gillette, as Grafton's comeback bid came up short against Chicopee Comprehensive.
Any way you slice it, Saturday was a success for the region, as both Northbridge and St. B's won convincingly, while Nashoba continued to come up big when it mattered most, stopping Springfield Central on fourth and goal twice in the game's final minute.
