MIAA Basketball Top 25: Week 4

So, Cambridge is still pretty good, huh?

Our rankings of the best teams in the state, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 1/9)

1. Needham (6-0; Last Week - 1) A 24-point performance versus Milton has Rockets’ star Thomas Shaughnessy on the verge of 1,000 for his career.

2. St. John's Prep (5-1; Last Week - 2) The Eagles get wins over a tough Winchester team and Division 2 contender Arlington to grab the label of Catholic Conference favorite.

3. Lowell (7-0; Last Week - 3) Alex Rivera simply cannot be stopped.

MIAA Basketball Top 25: Week 3

Our rankings of the best teams in the state, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 1/1)

1. Needham (5-0; Last Week - 1) The Rockets handled Xaverian, 65-41, on Dec. 30 to remain undefeated heading into the New Year.

2. St. John's Prep (4-1; Last Week - 2) Huge wins for Prep over Lawrence (97-92 in OT) and Central Catholic (80-68) to take the Commonwealth Motors Classic at Methuen High over the weekend.

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.

MIAA Basketball Top 25: Week 2

Senior Jorge Torres has Western Mass power Springfield Central flying high in the season's early goings.

Our rankings of the best teams in the state, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 12/18)

1. Needham (2-0; Last Week - 3) In a tough opener on the road, Thomas Shaughnessy and the experienced Rockets looked every bit a championship contender, running past St. John’s Prep, 72-62.

2. St. John's Prep (1-1; Last Week - 1) Dropping the opener to a Needham team that brings back several key pieces after a state semifinals appearance last year is nothing of which to be ashamed. 

3. Franklin (1-0; Last Week - 5) The Panthers continued to dominate Hockomock League competition with a 55-36 win over Milford, led by a career-high 28 points from sophomore guard Chris Edgehill.

MIAA Basketball Top 25: Preseason Poll

Newton North's Ethan Wright (left) and Needham's Thomas Shaughnessy will again look to lead their teams deep into MassMadness.

 Our (sorta) preseason rankings of the best teams in the state, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 12/11)

1. St. John's Prep (Last Season: 16-6) With a 6-foot-8 center in Tommy O’Neil and an elite wing in 6-foot-3 Nate Hobbs, the Eagles have the weaponry necessary to make a run at a Catholic Conference title and potentially a state championship.  

2. Newton North (Record Last Season: 17-7) Prized prospect Ethan Wright decided to stay at Newton North and he’ll have a lot more help this year, with young talents Noah Neville and Aaron Cooley ready to step up in supporting roles.   

3. Needham (Last Season: 20-5) Thomas Shaughnessy returns after putting on a show in the state tournament last winter, leading the Rockets to their first sectional title and competing valiantly against eventual champion Cambridge in the state semifinals.

North Attleboro Throttles Duxbury in D3 South Final

By Jake Levin (@JakeLevin477)

NORTH ATTLEBORO — Back-to-back years of playoff frustration at the hands of Duxbury melted away for the North Attleboro Red Rocketeers on Friday night, as they romped the third-seeded Dragons, 35-0, in the Division 3 South title game.

More aptly, North Attleboro (9-1) put a deep freeze on Duxbury (8-2) – temperatures were in the 20s at kickoff – thanks to a prolific running attack and timely passing game.

MIAA Football Top 25: Week 8

 Our rankings at the end of the regular season of the best teams in the state, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 10/23)

1. Everett (6-0; Last Week – 1 ) Despite finishing the regular season undefeated as the consensus top team in the state, the defending champs earn the No. 3 seed in Division 1 North and will host St. John’s Prep to begin the postseason. 

2. BC High (7-0; Last Week – 2 ) It looked like another low-scoring loss to Xaverian, but the Eagles rallied in the second half and rode Danny Abraham to their first win over the Hawks in 10 tries. 

Your Massachusetts HS Football Weekend Primer: Week 7

 Marblehead made it to Gillette Stadium last year, and may be even scarier on defense this season. The Magicians battle rival Danvers Friday night.

 By SuiteSports Staff

It's the final week of the MIAA football regular season in Eastern Mass, with just two weeks left in West and Central Mass, so that means tons of conference titles will be on the line this Friday and Saturday.

There are also big playoff seeding implications in all divisions and sections. Despite dominating the competition early on, Everett is in danger of falling to the third spot in Division 1 North with Central Catholic poised to snare the top seed, and Lexington could move into the second spot with a win over Woburn.

BC High has wrapped up Division 1 South and a Catholic Conference title, but will look to defeat Xaverian this Friday for the first time in 10 tries.

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.

MIAA Football Top 25: The Start of 2017

There's no question, in our minds, about who should open then year at No. 1.

By SuiteSports Staff

Our preseason rankings of the best MIAA football teams in the state, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 9/5)

1. Everett (Record Last Season: 13-2): The defending D1 state champions lost UConn-bound quarterback Jordan McAfee, but retain a host of elite receivers, including Anthony Norcia and Jason Maitre, who will also lock down the back end of a loaded defense next to national recruit Lewis Cine. 

VIDEO: Everett Rolls Past Andover, 62-33, Advances to D1 Super Bowl

By Nate Weitzer (@nweitzer7)

EVERETT, Mass. – One of the most storied programs in MIAA history began the season on a low note.

The Crimson Tide dropped highly touted tilts against Xaverian and Billerica by a total of six points to go 2-2 in September, and that’s when head coach John DiBiaso decided it was time to try a different motivational strategy.

“We had to gain some confidence,” DiBiaso recalled. “We weren’t a very good team last year. We were 5-5 and that wasn't reflective of where we wanted to be. After we lost two close games early in the season I pulled everyone together and said ‘Look, you’re a reflection of your record and you’re 7-7 over the last year and a half. Do you want to be remembered as a .500 team or do you want to accept the challenge and bounce back?’”

After skating past Andover, 62-33, for their third consecutive blowout win on the way to a Division 1 North title and a guaranteed rematch with Xaverian in the Super Bowl next month, Everett’s players have done more than just bounce back.

Beverly Uses Huge Second Half to Stun Billerica, 19-18, Advance to D2 Semifinal

Beverly stunned Billerica in the second half for a 19-18 victory to advance to the D2 State Semifinal

By Mike Abelson (@ABELS0N)

BILLERICA -- Sam Abate did it all, and a little bit more for Beverly in the second half last night against Billerica.

Abate’s three second-half touchdowns powered Beverly to 19 straight points in  and an improbable 19-18 come-from-behind victory over Billerica to win the Division 2 North title.

After not getting a single offensive touch in the first half, Abate took over in the final 22 minutes. He rushed the ball 10 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns and caught an 80-yard touchdown pass.

Top 25 MIAA Football Rankings: Week 6

St. John's (Shrewsbury) quarterback Steve Bucciaglia and the Pioneers edged crosstown rival Shrewsbury Friday night.

Ed. Note- Each week SuiteSports will unveil our list of the Top 25 teams in the state, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. List compiled by former ESPN Boston Assistant Editor Nate Weitzer. (Updated 10/10)

1. Duxbury (5-0; Last Week  –  1) Regional rival Silver Lake gave Duxbury a fight during the first half of their Week 5 tilt, but the Dragons offense exploded once again on their way to a 55-14 victory.

2. Xaverian (4-1; Last Week  –  2) With a 28-7 win at Brockton last Friday, the Hawks have now bested the Boxers in 10 of the last 11 meetings between these historic rivals. This victory came with a little extra significance, as it was the 200th win of head coach Charlie Stevenson’s career.

3. Billerica (5-0; Last Week  –  3) No let down for the Indians after their emotional comeback win over Everett in Week 4. Billerica bested North Andover, 35-8, to remain undefeated.