SuiteSports' MIAA Football Player of the Year Watch List: 10/19

Arguably the best two-way player in the state, King Philip's Shane Frommer has the Warriors in prime position to defend their state title.

By SuiteSports Staff

Last season, SuiteSports bestowed its first ever MIAA Football Player of the Year award upon Duxbury quarterback Bobby Maimaron. One year later, SuiteSports is excited to continue its now annual tradition of honoring the top football player in Massachusetts.

While a number of players have certainly made their case with standout performances, only a select few have exhibited the consistent excellence it takes to be named the top player in Massachusetts.

Beginning this week, SuiteSports is proud to unveil its candidates for the 2017 MIAA Football Player of the Year Award. The list will be updated weekly through state championship Saturday on December 2nd.

The winner will be announced alongside SuiteSports’ All-State Team in the second week of December.

Here are our current candidates for the 2017 MIAA Football SuiteSports Player of the Year Award. Players can make their way onto this list as the final weeks of the regular season and playoffs unfold.

If MIAA Stars Entered the NFL Draft…

Where does Duxbury quarterback Bobby Maimaron project in our fictional draft?

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Ok, let's get something out of the way: This is silly.

Obviously, these are high school kids, and they're not going to the NFL next year, and only a few of them are even playing Division I college football, blah, blah blah.

The entire concept of this post is silly. I don't care.

With the ESPN layoffs yesterday, the outlook for sports journalism has never been so bleak, so I'm gonna have some fun.

So, without further ado, here is what tonight's NFL Draft First Round would look like, if NFL teams were drafting Massachusetts high school football players.

Also note that, unlike in the NFL, only MIAA seniors were made eligible for our draft. That includes seniors who have reclassified and will play at prep schools next year, since this was their final season in the MIAA.

2017 Massachusetts Football Recruiting Database

It should be a very busy National Signing Day for Dartmouth OL commit Jake Guidone and the rest of his Xaverian teammates.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

SuiteSports is proud to unveil its 2017 Massachusetts Football Recruiting Database, and we aim to cover every player in the Commonwealth who is going on to play college football at every level.

As you might imagine, that's quite a task, which is why our list will be constantly updated, even beyond National Signing Day on Wednesday, to reflect any new commitments brought to our attention, or any changes of heart.

As always, if we missed anybody, got anything wrong, or don't have the most up to date info on a recruit, Tweet me, or shoot me an email to jparello86@gmail.com.

Here we go!

10 Takeaways from Week 3 of Massachusetts HS Football

Star running back Danny Abraham and his BC High teammates have impressed thus far.

By John Sarianides (@xnojoe)

Ed. Note- Another week, and another set of takeaways from our Massachusetts football guru John Sarianides. Here are John's 10 biggest stories from the weekend that was.

1. St. John’s Prep lost to Everett 35-14, but you have to figure that the Eagles will be a better football team down the road because of the tough schedule they have played to open the season.

2. Mansfield looked dominant in their 38-7 win over Attleboro on Friday. It looks like the Hornets are back. Just in time for their Friday night showdown at home with King Philip, who also rolled on Friday night, beating Oliver Ames 42-6.


Should be a great battle at the top of the Hockomock Kelley-Rex Division.

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

A now veteran Everett squad will look to take advantage of St. John's Prep's youth. Photo courtesy of ESPN Boston.

By John Sarianides (@xnojoe)

Ed. Note- Our Massachusetts football guru John Sarianides is back with five games to watch during Week 3 of MA high school football. Here are the biggest games of the week.

Marshfield at Falmouth

I think it is safe to say that people in the state of Massachusetts overlooked the Rams after graduating one of the best classes in program history. That appears to have been a mistake, because Marshfield beat Cranston West (R.I) 47-7 to start the season, and last week they beat a good Stoughton team.

There is no question that will be a tough task for the Rams, as Falmouth is undefeated and talented, but if the Rams execute their Spread Wing-T offense and slow down Falmouth’s rushing attack, they can win this game. Either way you look at it, whichever team controls the line of scrimmage will win this game.

Leominster at BC High

On paper, BC High is the better team and they should win this game, right? The Eagles have had two weeks to prepare and are still riding high after Junior running back Danny Abraham’s performance in week one’s win over Andover.

All of that is true, but don’t discount the Blue Devils in this game.

Postgame Blog: St. John's Prep Too Much for Mansfield

Seniors Oliver Eberth (QB) and Jay Carnevale (C) were St. John's Prep's only two returning offensive starters, but the Eagles offense didn't miss a beat Friday night in Mansfield.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It's a new season, and I will try to provide postgame blogs for every game I cover for ESPN Boston this year.

Friday the high school football season began, and I had the pleasure of producing video for ESPN Boston's Game of the Week, featuring the host Hornets of Mansfield and visiting Eagles of St. John's Prep.

Here is your reminder that this blog is not a complete recap of the game. If you would like a full story, and highlights/post game interviews, head over to ESPN Boston High Schools where we've got you covered.

As for this blog, we're moving forward.

Postgame Blog: Abington Dominates D5 Title Game

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

For the second consecutive year, things unraveled quickly for Northbridge.

The Rams couldn't get going offensively in 2013 against Bishop Fenwick, and this year the Abington Green Wave used a similar formula to defeat Northbridge 36-6.

That formula included forcing three turnovers, and riding running back Shawn Donovan, who carried 13 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns.

Postgame Blog: Holliston Cruises to D4 Title

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Holliston's Zach Elkinson has a knack for racking up odd stats.

At one point during Holliston's 43-0 demolition of Wahconah, Elkinson had rushed for 107 yards on just three carries… And one of those carries went for negative three yards.

He would finish the day rushing for 212 yards and an MIAA Super Bowl record-tying five touchdowns… On just nine carries.

Postgame Blog: Marshfield Runs Away With D2 Championship

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

The Marshfield Rams left no doubt Saturday, smashing Longmeadow 45-6 to capture the MIAA Division 2 state football championship.

A powerful ground game set the tone for Marshfield, which rushed for six touchdowns, including two by senior quarterback Jack Masterson. He led the Rams with 103 yards on 10 carries.

Senior running back Jacob Maher also had a pair of scores to go with 69 yards on just 7 carries. It didn't seem to matter who was running the ball for Marshfield, as the Rams averaged an absurd 9.1 yards per rush attempt, constantly pushing the Lancer defensive line back and making defenders miss at the second level.

Postgame Blog: Cohasset Gets Revenge and MIAA D6 Title

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

After running into a buzz saw against Littleton in last year's MIAA Division 6 football championship, Cohasset turned the tables on the Tigers Saturday.

Behind a big day from senior running back/defensive back Cole Kissick (No. 27 pictured above), the Skippers avenged last season's defeat with a 35-22 win on a dreary morning at Gillette Stadium.

The Building of a Football Power at… MIT?

MIT running back Justin Wallace. Photo by David Silverman.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Ed. Note- Pardon me as dig back into my personal archives. While a graduate student at Boston University I did some side work as a play-by-play announcer for the MIT Engineer football team. I used that access to write my final piece in SB Nation NBA guru Paul Flannery's class about MIT's brave new vision for building a Division III football power.

Well, that vision finally became a reality last Saturday as MIT defeated Maine Maritime to capture its first ever New England Football Conference championship, as well as the first playoff berth in school history.

Here is my original story (which earned me an A-, if I'm not mistaken), and I think it offers some unique insight into how this season's undefeated MIT squad came to be. In the piece I focus on a serious freshman named Justin Wallace, who this past weekend set the school record for rushing yards and remains the driving force behind the Engineers' amazing turnaround.

Clearly, coach Chad Martinovich's recruiting strategy is working quite well.

MIT still has one more regular season game, this Saturday against U.S. Coast Guard Academy, before the Engineers make history in the first round of the NCAA tournament the following weekend.


It’s All Relative for MIT Football

By Joe Parello

Thanks to harsh conditions brought on by a late October snowstorm, Steinbrenner stadium, home of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers, was hammered with a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain so thick that you couldn’t see their opponents from Nichols College on the opposite sideline. The Engineers rode the future of their program, freshman running back Justin Wallace, for 41 carries, resulting in 190 yards and three touchdowns in a 23-0 victory, their only conference win of the year. The effort earned Wallace New England Football Conference (NEFC) Freshman of the Week honors.