MIAA call: let's play two
Charlie Stevenson isn't picky when it comes to what field he'll be playing on Tuesday in the Division 1 semifinals against Everett.
''I'd be happy to play the game in New Jersey," said Stevenson, Xaverian's football coach and athletic director. ''We were on life support two weeks ago. I'm just happy to be playing the game."
The original, yet unofficial, site was Brockton. But during the Brockton-Waltham Thanksgiving game an unknown official came into the press box and told the media that the Xaverian-Everett game had been moved to Malden Catholic. Moments later the same announcement was made over the loudspeaker to the crowd at Marciano Stadium. The media was told concerns expressed by Everett school officials and fans were behind the move to MC.
Both Boston papers said yesterday the Xaverian-Everett game was going to be held at Malden Catholic. But then the official word came down from the football committee: Brockton at 4:45, followed by Brockton-Marshfield at 7:15. The MIAA said all along nothing would be official until they made it so yesterday morning. So it's Brockton, not Malden, and definitely not New Jersey.
Turnaround efforts
Now that the regular season is in the books, it's time to highlight the better turnarounds in EMass. Durfee won only twice last season but ended the 2005 campaign at 7-3. In the Greater Boston League, Malden bounced back from a 5-6 record last year to 9-2 this season. Plymouth South and Belmont both went winless last season but improved greatly to records of 7-3. Westford, which ended Acton-Boxboro's 59-game Dual-County winning streak on Thanksgiving, rebounded from 5-6 to 8-3. In addition, Dracut (4-7 to 8-3), Wareham (3-8 to 11-0), Pembroke (1-9 to 7-4), Hopkinton (4-7 to 10-1), Middleboro (2-9 to 9-2), and Trinity Catholic (2-9 to 8-3) all progressed nicely . . . Two semifinal games that might not get as much press but merit attention feature the only two matchups between undefeated squads in the playoffs. In Division 2A, Duxbury (11-0) faces North Andover (11-0) and the Division 3A playoffs feature defending champion East Boston (10-0) against South Shore (10-0).Canney passes Espo
Narragansett senior running back David Canney entered Thanksgiving with 452 career points, including 216 this fall. And with his three touchdowns and two conversion runs in a 36-12 win over Murdock, Canney finishes the regular season with 474 career points, good enough for fourth on the all-time list, just ahead of Wilmington's Mike Esposito (471). His 238 points is the fourth highest single-season total. Narragansett (11-0) and Auburn (10-0) were the only two unbeaten teams in CMass this fall . . . Marblehead renamed its football field the Christopher N. Piper Field in honor of the Army Staff Sargent and Marblehead grad who was killed while serving in Afghanistan this past June. Piper graduated from Marblehead in 1980 where he was captain of the football team and played baseball . . . Clinton coach Archie Cataldi retired yesterday after his team beat Maynard, 24-8. The win was the 239th of Cataldi's career, good for 14th place on the all-time list. Globe Correspondent Steve Sears contributed to this report.
