Prep’s Coppola put it all together

DANVERS – St. John’s Prep halfback Derek Coppola knew he wasn’t going to fool anyone this year. Coming off a 2006 season in which he gained 1,500 yards, he knew the Eagles’ opponents would make it their first priority to try to shut him down.Consequently, Coppola’s rushing numbers were down, but he proved he’s still one of the more formidable backs in Eastern Mass. football on Thursday by running for 209 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns, including the winner in the Prep’s come-from-behind 21-17 victory over rival Xaverian, at Cronin Stadium.”He’s the guy who everybody knows is going to get the ball,” St. John’s coach Jim O’Leary said. “He probably went over 1,000 yards (for the season) today, which is incredible since every defense we’ve played this year has been designed to stop him.”A senior who is still undecided about his college choice, Coppola is listed at 5-8, 180, but he’s probably a couple inches shorter and a few pounds lighter than that. While his best strategy is usually to run by opposing tacklers rather than over, them, there’s a point for any back in St. John’s Prep’s bruising offense when he just has to lower his shoulder and hit the hole.There were times on Thursday when the Eagles weren’t able to do much against Xaverian’s defense, so Coppola had to settle for a lot of three and four-yard runs. But there was also the 56-yard touchdown run he had in the first quarter, the serpentine 40-yard run that opened the Eagles’ winning drive in the fourth quarter and the 15-yard sprint on a pitchout from Scott Darby that capped it off.”He’s a pretty special player,” Xaverian coach Charlie Stevenson said. “They have players over there who make big plays, and he’s the player who always seems to make the biggest ones for them.”Coppola gave a lot of the credit to his offensive line. After the Hawks scored to take a 17-14 lead with 2:28 left in the game, the Eagles knew their ensuing march down the field would be as much about mentally dominating Xaverian as it was physical.”We started the game with so much emotion, and then we had that lull when we lost our intensity a little bit,” Coppola said. “But once we got the ball back (for that final drive), we knew we had to make things happen again.”The play on which Coppola scored the winning touchdown with 1:08 left was an option by Darby on third-and-one from the Hawks’ 20. Darby had already picked up the first down when he flipped the ball to Coppola, who had a lane down the right sideline.”It’s called a belly play and Scott has the option to pitch to me,” Coppola said. “When I saw (the defense) closing in on Scott, I knew I was going to get the ball, and once he got it to me, there was no one out there.”uBehind Coppola, the Eagles enjoyed a huge edge in rushing yardage, out-gaining the Hawks, 308-24, on the ground. Not surprisingly, St. John’s dominance on the ground led to a huge discrepancy in time of possession, as well. The Eagles held the ball for 27:59 of a 44-minute game, including 15:17 in the first half ? Officially, Darby attempted only two passes during the entire game, but he could have just as easily ended up with none . A throw to Brendon Felder was so close to being a lateral that the statisticians in the press box had to discuss it for a few seconds before finally ruling it was a pass, which Felder took 35 yards for St. John’s second touchdown. For statistical purposes, a lateral is counted as rushing yardage. Darby’s other official pass came when the ball slipped out of his hands on the final play of the first half. Since time expired, it didn’t matter whether it was ruled a fumble or an incomplete pass. Darby attempted two other throws in the second quarter, but both were wiped out due to penalties ? Just before the pre-game coin toss, St. John’s honored Tom Jackson for his 20 years of service in the concession stand at Cronin Stadium. Jackson received a rocking chair.