Fitchburg Breaks Through Against Leominster on Thanksgiving

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

Fitchburg, Mass. - As the brisk, chilly morning descended into its waning hours, two teams with enough history between them to fill 100 playbooks were making one final, desperate attempt to salvage lost seasons.

It is often said that whatever Leominster or Fitchburg does prior to Thanksgiving is insignificant when these two teams meet annually in late November. That theory holds true, especially in these parts, where this game has become folklore.

A victory over the other is enough to make even the worst of seasons more bearable. In the case of this year's contest, the road to the postseason for both the Blue Devils and Red Raiders ended weeks ago. The last salvageable grace remaining for both came down to Thursday's 136th meeting, between these old rivals, the 111th on Thanksgiving Day.

In one of the nation's longest and most-storied rivalries, Fitchburg grabbed a two touchdown lead in the fourth quarter and made it stand, coming away victorious, 34-21, at historic Crocker Field. It marked the first time since 2008 that the Red Raiders (6-5) have defeated their border adversary on Thanksgiving, though Fitchburg did defeat Leominster in the Central Mass playoffs in 2014.

Leominster now holds a slim 66-60-10 all-time lead in the series which began in 1894.

St. John's (Shrewsbury) Baseball Pulls Away from Leominster

By John McGuirk (@Patsfan1313)

LEOMINSTER - For all that went right for Leominster through much of the regular season, things have turned drastically wrong in just one week's time. The Blue Devils will scrounge up all the walking canes they can get their hands on as they limp towards the postseason in a fashion nobody here wants to see.

Following Saturday's 9-2 defeat against St. John's (Shrewsbury) at Doyle Field in Leominster, the Blue Devils are now losers of four of their last five, and drop to 13-6. Prior to this recent tailspin, Leominster had rolled off seven straight victories. Leominster has one regular season contest remaining before the start of next week's Division 1 Central Mass. tournament in the hopes of righting the ship. The Blue Devils host powerful St. Peter-Marian on Monday.

RADIO: Shrewsbury Lacrosse, Leominster Baseball and More

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

This week on "The Local Sports Luncbox" on WPKZ, I chatted with The Telegram & Gazette's Chris Kyne about local baseball and lacrosse, with a focus on the surging Leominster Blue Devils baseball team. Then, we were joined by Matty Ward and Chris Campbell, stars of the Shrewsbury lacrosse team, to tell us how they've been able to turn their season around.

Listen in below for all that, and more, on this week's show.

RADIO: The High School Sports Lunchbox, Recapping National Signing Day in CMass

Leominster's Noah Gray was one of many athletes around the region who signed National Letters of Intent yesterday.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

On this week's episode of the Local Sports Lunchbox on WPKZ, we recapped all the biggest happenings from National Signing Day.

With players signing to play for schools at every level, there was a ton to cover, and we had Leominster star, and Duke signee, Noah Gray call in, then chatted with Carl Setterlund of the Telegram & Gazette.

It was a full show highlighting the top prospects from across the region, so listen in for more below.

Still a Blue Devil: Leominster's Noah Gray Signs With Duke

Leominster's Noah Gray surrounded by family, coaches and educators.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

At a ceremony in the Leominster High School library, Noah Gray celebrated making his long-standing commitment to Duke University official. The Gray family sent in Noah's National Letter of Intent earlier Wednesday morning, but the emotions were still flowing when Noah addressed the Leominster community around noon.

"My parents have been an inspiration to me, I look up to them every single day," Gray said, while choking up a bit. "I'm grateful for them, and my brother and my sister, they've been a blessing to me. I've just been blessed with amazing people around me."

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Shrewsbury Tops Leominster for Playoff Spot

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

SHREWSBURY, Mass. - Shrewsbury punched its ticket to the state tournament Friday night, with a dramatic home victory against Leominster.

This one came down to the final play, so continue below for a complete video recap of all the action.

St. John's Sends a Message Against Leominster

St. John's coach John Andreoli addresses his team after the Pioneers' big win over rival Leominster.

By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

SHREWSBURY, Mass. - Saturday’s contest between perennial Central Mass powerhouses and longtime rivals St. John’s (Shrewsbury) and Leominster ended in an unexpected landslide of points, all on the Pioneers’ side. When the clock finally hit zero, SJ had blanked the Blue Devils 35-0 on a rainy day in Shrewsbury.

Leominster Rallies to Top Shepherd Hill in OT

By Nate Weitzer (@nweitzer7)

LEOMINSTER, Mass. – The friendly confines of Doyle Field have seen many, many great games over the years, but this result might have been the sweetest for supporters of the home Blue Devils. 

Visiting Shepherd Hill (2-4) had Leominster (4-2) and Duke-bound wide receiver Noah Gray pinned down through three quarters. The Rams built a 13-0 lead on the strength of their ground game, and looked poised to seal the game with a “four-minute drill.” But, uncharacteristically, Shepherd Hill fumbled to give the Blue Devils a chance.

That’s all Noah Gray (6 receptions, 92 yards, TD) and sophomore quarterback Pat Gallagher (16-of-25, 281 passing yards, 2 TDs, rushing TD) needed.

Postgame Blog: Wachusett Sends a Message Against Leominster

By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

We had a wet one at Doyle field for the Leominster home opener, but it was visiting Wachusett who would come away with the win, 27-10.

Though the first half stayed tight, the Mountaineers broke it open after an extended intermission.

Physicality

As you may have guessed, two powerhouse teams with strong offensive and defense lines playing one another in the rain, this was going to be a smash mouth running game. Despite a few nice connections between Noah Gray and Allen Link of Leominster, neither team got the passing game going. In fact, neither team tried particularly hard to throw at all when it wasn’t necessary.

Trench Warfare

The result in this one came down to who won the battle up front. Tonight, some of the warriors included Pat Walsh, Zach Nadeau, Harry McDade, Anthony Lombardi, Will Wiegand and the rest of the Wachusset offensive line. They were absolutely dominant against a talented Leominster front seven.

Friday Five-Pack: 5 HS Football Games to Watch in MA

The inside track to the Mid-Wach A title and a playoff spot will be on the line when Leominster hosts undefeated Wachusett in its home opener.

By John Sarianides (@xnojoe)

Ed. Note- Our Massachusetts football guru John Sarianides is back with five games to watch during Week 4 of MA high school football. Here are the biggest games of the week.

King Philip at Mansfield

The Kelley-Rex Division of the Hockomock League is up for grabs on Friday night as the King Philip Warriors (3-0) visit the Mansfield Hornets (2-1).

Mansfield has turned things around after a 44-3 loss at Calvert Hall to start the season. The Hornets beat Braintree 34-10 in Week 2, then beat Attleboro 38-7 last week. Mansfield coach Mike Redding is back to running his familiar two-back Wing-T offense, after opening the season in the spread.

For the Warriors, it’s all about their stellar defense and running game. If KP can force some three-and-outs early and establish their ground game, they should be in good shape.

Weather will be a factor in this one and, with both teams being physical, expect a low scoring game. 

Leominster Suffers First Loss of the Season Against Powerful BC High

It was a long day for Noah Gray against BC High's talented defensive front.

By Jason Siegel

The Leominster Blue Devils were shut out 36-0 at Boston College High School in an out of region contest with the Eagles Friday night.

Despite the loss, Leominster (2-1, 2-1 Mid-Wach A) head coach Dave Palazzi said that playing against a team like BC High (2-0, 0-0 Catholic Conference) was a valuable learning experience for the Blue Devils.

“We wanted to come out here and play teams like BC High, and these other Eastern Mass teams that are very strong and very good. I think it’s a good test for us, and we just need to build off of it,” said Palazzi.

Continue reading below for the full recap, and video highlights.

Talking CMass Football With ESPN Boston High Schools Editor Brendan Hall

On this week's episode of "The High School Football Lunch Box" on WPKZ, editor Joe Parello and the legendary Dick Tucker welcomed ESPN Boston High Schools editor Brendan Hall.

Along with Howie Kahn, the guys discussed Leominster's scare against Oakmont, and what both teams can expect going forward, as the Blue Devils head east to play BC High, and Oakmont faces a huge match up with Grafton.

All that, plus picks and analysis for the all the big games in the region.

Listen below.

Friday Five-Pack: 5 HS Football Games to Watch in MA

Holliston quarterback Jack Barrett has the Panthers poised for another state title run.

By John Sarianides (@xnojoe)

Ed. Note- SuiteSports is thrilled to welcome John Sarianides to the team. John also contributes to ESPN Boston and Boston Herald Radio, and has an extensive teaching and coaching record in Massachusetts. Each Friday, John will give us his games to watch, then each Monday he'll give us his biggest takeaways from the week that was.

Welcome aboard, John!

Billerica at Andover

This will be a great game coached by two of the best spread coaches in the state. Both teams run the spread offense, but the two offenses are philosophically different. Billerica runs a physical version of the spread. Indians coach Duane Sigsbury loves to pound the ball and control the clock.

Conversely, Andover likes to play fast and throw it all over the yard with quarterback E.J. Perry and wide receiver Dan Gemmell.

As we saw last week against BC High, however, playing fast can be a problem if you're not converting third downs and scoring points. Andover had issues with BC High's physicality last week, and I think they'll have a tough time with Billerica up front. If the Warriors don't score first and get Billerica out of their comfort zone, they could be in for a long night.

Talking Week 2 of Central Mass Football on WPKZ

SuiteSports editor Joe Parello joined the voice of Doyle Field, Dick Tucker, and Howie Kahn to recap the wild opening weekend that was in Central Mass high school football, and look forward to Week 2.

The guys discussed all the happenings on the field, plus the controversies off the field involving Shepherd Hill's Kevin Mensah and Doherty's Mike Oppong.

The Sentinel & Enterprise's Sean Sweeney called in as well, so listen in for everything you need to know about high school football in the Heart of the Commonwealth.

Central Mass Football Week 1 Wrap: Action On and Off the Field

Doherty junior Mike Oppong is facing a one-game suspension after kneeling during the national anthem on Friday night.
UPDATE: The suspension has been overturned.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Ed. Note- Doherty's Mike Oppong has announced on Twitter that he is no longer suspended. We have left the full, original text of our blog post below.

I don't think I can remember a more eventful opening week, on and off the field, for Central Mass high school football.

Not only did we get thrilling shootouts, upsets and statement wins, the region also saw controversy emerge at a pair of schools over issues bigger than football.

Let's take a look back at the weekend that was.

Algonquin, Shrewsbury and Wachusett Shake Up D2 Central

We knew that Leominster, St. John's and Shepherd Hill would contend in D2 Central, but how deep would the division be?

Turns out, pretty darn deep.

With Algonquin gutting out a win over reigning Division 2 state champion Nashoba, Shrewsbury edging Shepherd Hill and Wachusett blowing out a good Tantasqua team, there isn't an easy win to be found in Central MA's largest division.

Leominster Tops Doherty in a Battle of Big Plays

 By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

The Leominster Blue Devils bested the Doherty Highlanders 28-20 Friday night in an exciting battle that featured its fair share of big plays. Although Leominster never relinquished the lead, it was a hard fought, back-and-forth struggle that took place inside Worcester's Foley Stadium.

Of the seven touchdowns scored in the game, three of them were from 45 or more yards out.

Tajon Vasser of Doherty had a 76-yard kick return for a touchdown in the first quarter. Then, in the third quarter, Highlander Quarterback Chris Schoen connected with teammate J.J. Early, who turned on the jets for a 50-yard score.

SuiteSports Game of the Week: Leominster at Doherty

Leominster quarterback Noah Gray and coach Dave Palazzi open their season against a young Doherty squad.

By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

Welcome back to the high school football season, everyone! It’s time for some fun under the Friday night lights. To start our season here at SuiteSports, we have our first Game of the Week. Leominster makes the trip to Worcester Friday night at 7 pm for what could end up being a fairly defense-heavy game.

The game will be played at Foley Stadium, and here's what you can expect from the Highlanders and Blue Devils.

Two Different Worlds

Despite both Leominster and Doherty seeing success over the last few seasons, capped by disappointing playoff losses last year, their current situations are quite different. Leominster enters Friday’s game with a plethora of returning players, many of whom are seniors. The Blue Devils, of course, have a stellar quarterback in Noah Grey. Although losing some major play makers at wide receiver, the backfield is still loaded behind a real tough offensive line.

Central Mass High School Football Road Trip: Leominster

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

This is the second in our series of camp previews around CMass high school football. For our preview of Shepherd Hill, click here.

Expectations are always high for the football team in Leominster, and this year is no different, with the Blue Devils returning stars at each level of their defense, and Duke commit quarterback Noah Gray on offense.

This team, however, will be looking to change Leominster's hard luck in big games the past few years.

Since coach Dave Palazzi led the Blue Devils to back-to-back Division 1 Central Super Bowl wins over rival St. John's in his first two seasons at the helm, fortune has not been on the Blue Devils' side in the postseason.

In 2013, the first year of the MIAA's new state-wide playoff format, Leominster came into the D2 Central title game widely considered to be one of the best teams in the state. Boasting a 9-0 record, nobody had even played within single-digits of Leominster. But, the Blue Devils fell victim to St. John's quarterback Andrew Smiley's finest high school game, falling 51-42 as Smiley rushed for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns, and passed for 250 yards and another three scores.

The following year, Leominster fell victim to Fitchburg's magical run to a D2 Central title, falling 7-0 in one of Central MA's most emotional games in recent memory. Then, last season, the Blue Devils lost a 35-30 thriller to St. John's in the district semifinals.

This year the MIAA has realigned football once again, and Leominster finds itself among familiar foes in Division 2 Central. Hard luck aside, the Blue Devils have the talent, and experience, to make it to Gillette Stadium for the D2 state championship game this year.

Here's what you need to know about Leominster.

From Leominster to Duke: Noah Gray Remains a Blue Devil

Leominster quarterback Noah Gray and coach Dave Palazzi talk strategy against Nashoba last season.

By Jason Siegel

Leominster starting quarterback Noah Gray will be taking his talents to Durham, North Carolina and Duke University in the fall of 2017.

The rising high school senior chose the Blue Devils over offers from Temple, Toledo, University of Delaware, University of New Hampshire, and Appalachian State.

Postgame Blog and Highlights: Littleton Runs Past Leominster

Littleton's Griffin Shoemaker

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)


Led by junior attackman Griffin Shoemaker's six goals, Littleton exploded for an eight-goal midgame run to top Leominster 12-4, and clinch a tournament berth at Doyle Field Thursday.

The Tigers (10-1) got running in transition in the second quarter, and the Blue Devils (6-6) struggled to keep up on a cold, wet day in Leominster. Seven consecutive Tiger goals made it 8-1 at the half, and Littleton also opened scoring in the second half with a Shoemaker goal. Adam Canfield and Anthony Rausa each finished with a pair of goals, and helped Littleton dominate ground balls on the day.

Here are a few takeaways, along with video highlights of today's action.