DANVERS — The expectation coming into Friday evening’s Division 1 quarterfinal between St. John’s Prep and Leominster was showdown between two of the state’s premier quarterbacks in Osiris Lopez and Chris Vargas.
Vargas, nevertheless, was out after being injured final week towards Framingham. Fortuitously, St. John’s Prep nonetheless had Maxwell Dad or mum to hitch its wagon to.
Dad or mum broke Derek Coppola’s faculty report with 355 yards and 5 touchdowns. He added six two-point conversions because the Eagles pulled away late to a 48-32 win over the Blue Devils.
“Tonight was Maxwell’s time. He was making the hay,” head coach Brian St. Pierre mentioned. “And credit score goes to the road. He had some big holes to run by way of.”
Lopez additionally held up his finish of the showcase because the Coastal Carolina sure senior threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns whereas additionally speeding for 186 yards and one other rating for Leominster, all whereas eluding a boatload of defenders on practically each play.
Afterward, St. Pierre harkened again to his days at Boston School to discover a efficiency he’d seen that was pretty much as good.
“I’ve solely seen one man try this on a soccer subject and his title was Michael Vick once I was at BC,” St. Pierre mentioned. “There was instances the place we had been taking part in good protection and he was only a higher athlete than anybody and simply made performs.”
For all of the yardage and factors being put up on each side, it was a defensive stand that proved to be the important thing level of the evening.
The Eagles led 32-26 late within the third as Leominster drove into the purple zone. However a 3rd down sack on the primary play of the fourth quarter was adopted by a Lopez incompletion.
From there, Dad or mum delivered the sledgehammer.
He carried 5 of the following seven performs on a 72-yard drive that culminated in his fourth rating of the sport and a 40-26 lead with 8:06 left.
A fumble on the following kick was recovered by the Eagles. 4 Dad or mum runs later, it was 48-26 with 5:25 left.
“We received the one cease we would have liked after which that particular groups turnover was big and form of a nail,” St. Pierre mentioned.
Leominster broke out to a 6-0 lead on a Lopez to Elijah Rivera toss for a 35-yard landing. The lead lasted all of 44 seconds as Dad or mum ripped off a 54-yard run and adopted with a nine-yard landing for an 8-6 lead.
The hole grew to become 16-6 within the second on a Jordan Toribio one-yard plunge earlier than the Blue Devils stormed again. Lopez scored on a five-yard keeper earlier than his two-yard cross to Zack Oliver late within the half made it 20-16 Leominster on the break.
Dad or mum’s third rating of the evening to start the third kicked off a wild second half. Lopez responded with one other TD run earlier than the Eagles put collectively their run of 24 unanswered factors.
