Felder, Prep cruise past Masco in opener

DANVERS – On a steamy Saturday at Cronin Memorial Stadium, St. John’s Prep running back Brendon Felder was about as hot as the weather.The junior from Lynn scored twice on runs, caught a third touchdown, and also threw a 2-point conversion pass as the Eagles used a 14-point first quarter to jump on top and roll to a 36-19 win over Masconomet.”That’s why we put Brendon in there,” Prep coach Jim O’Leary said. “He can do a lot of things that the opponents have to deal with.”The Eagles got a chance to break in a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball, and some new uniforms, as they racked up 233 yards on the ground and held the explosive Masco offense in check until the game was well decided.”We have a lot of inexperience at running back, and they all came in and got the job done,” O’Leary said. “The funny thing was that I didn’t recognize the team with the new uniforms.”Masco, meanwhile, was a victim of untimely errors and several critical penalties, nine in all, for 59 yards.”We have a long way to go,” Masco coach Jim Pugh said. “We made some mistakes early, but what really hurt us was not tackling well.”The Chieftains got the ball to start the game and immediately went in reverse as a clipping penalty and a false start led to a third-and-26 situation from the 10. Quarterback Chris Splinter attempted to throw a screen pass to Evan Bunker, but Prep linebacker James Fahey stepped in front and returned the throw 10 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead just 1:15 in.”That turnover at the beginning was definitely huge,” Pugh said. “You can’t do that, especially against a team like that.”Masco came right back and drove into Prep territory thanks to a 34-yard run from Bunker (12 carries, 80 yards), but Splinter was sacked for a 15-yard loss on third-and-7 at the 31.The Prep offense finally hit the field with 5:58 left in the opening quarter and wasted little time hitting its stride.George Sessoms, Felder and Tyler Coppola all took turns gashing the Masco defense. A 28-yard Felder jaunt put the ball at the Chieftain 27. Fullback Andrew McHugh then rumbled 11 yards to the 14 two plays later.Felder capped the drive with 2:19 left in the quarter when he scored from the one to make it 14-0 after Bobby Preston’s extra point.The Chieftains responded by digging deep in the playbook. Offensive coordinator Dave Bunker put his running back behind center in the shotgun and split Splinter out wide as a pass target.Evan Bunker hit Splinter for a 34-yard gain to the Eagles’ 42 late in the first. Then, on the first play of the second quarter, Splinter returned to his normal spot and threw a strike to senior Kevin Anderson (who had a nine-catch, 132-yard day), on a slant for a 36-yard touchdown that trimmed the lead to 14-7.The Prep followed with a lengthy drive into Masco territory, but saw the march thwarted when it was called for offensive pass interference on a completion to Felder.A punt pinned Masco at its 17, but Splinter and the Chieftains’ spread offense didn’t stay there long. A 10-yard hitch to Braden Kowalski on third-and-six was followed by a 27-yard Splinter (16-of-31, 203 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) strike to Anderson that put the ball at the 46.Bunker followed with a 30-yard dash to the Prep 24. But an ill-timed illegal substitution penalty was followed by an Andrew McHugh sack of Splinter and a fumble. Alex Durocher recovered for the Eagles at the 41 with 1:45 left in the half.The Eagles needed just over a minute and six plays to extend their lead at the half. A Felder 11-yard run at midfield was followed by a Greg Donahue-to-McHugh screen pass that gained 30.Two plays later, Felder punched it in from the one and then threw a conversion pass to Fahey following a penalty for a 22-7 lead at the half.The Prep got the ball to start the second half and Coppola returned it 59 yards to the Masco 35. A face mask penalty tacked on 15 more, but the Eagles couldn’t capitalize as Felder was stopped on fourth-and-two at the 12.Masco, bolstered by the st