Football: Prep set to open Catholic Conference slate against CM

For the St. John’s Prep football team, this season can be divided up into two parts.The first part saw the Eagles start the season 4-0 with wins over Masconomet, Central Catholic, Peabody and top-ranked Everett.Part Two turned into a nightmare for coach Jim O’Leary’s team as the Eagles lost to Brockton, Dracut and St. John’s (Shrewsbury) 13 days ago.So perhaps a bye week came at just the right time for the Prep, which will host Catholic Memorial on Saturday (3) at Cronin Memorial Stadium in the Catholic Conference opener for both teams. The game will also be a chance for Eagle fans to salute the 24 seniors on the Prep’s roster.”We’re looking forward to playing,” O’Leary said. “It’s our last home game of the season and we’ll honor our 24 seniors and their parents. But it’s also the first game in the conference and you want to get off to a good start.”Both teams come in off byes. But you could argue that CM didn’t need one as the Knights have rolled to a 7-0 start this season.”They are a senior-laden team and are really good,” O’Leary said. “But I like this football team and we’re capable of going out and playing really good games. It’s just going to be which team shows up, the one from the first four or the last three.”Turnovers have been the bane of the Prep’s existence in its three losses. Nowhere was that more evident than in the loss to the Pioneers two weeks ago.Shrewsbury gained only 106 yards of offense but took advantage of two interceptions and a fumble to score 13 points, while the Eagles marched up and down the field all day but could manage only one touchdown.”It’s simply turnovers,” O’Leary said. “With the strength of our schedule, you can’t turn the ball over against these good teams. We have to make plays; it’s as simple as that.”Tech at Gr. LawrenceAt Lawrence (10:30), the Tigers (3-4, 1-0 Commonwealth Conference Large) made it two wins in a row after a four-game losing streak thanks to a 24-14 win over Greater Lowell last Friday.Tech got touchdowns from three different players as the offense gained 210 yards on the ground while the defense held the Gryphons to just 191 yards of total offense in the contest.Williams at St. Mary’sAt Manning Field (7), the Spartans (3-4, 0-1 Catholic Central League/Large) ran into a buzz saw last week in a 30-0 loss at Austin Prep. The Cougars held St. Mary’s to 56 yards of total offense and six first downs in the game.Peabody at SalemAt Bertram Field (7), a pair of 3-4 teams will get together in a post-Halloween bash. The Witches (3-4, 0-2 NEC North) will look to break a four-game losing skid after beginning the season 3-0, while Peabody (3-4, 1-1) looks to keep the momentum of a 21-20 win over Classical going.Salem star Malikke Van Alstyne will be a game-time decision after suffering a shoulder injury in the team’s 25-14 loss at Lynn English last Friday. When he left, the senior had rushed for 139 yards in less than a half.The Tanners got a spectacular effort from Nick Hiou in the win over Classical. Hiou rushed for 63 yards and all three Peabody touchdowns, including the winner in the fourth quarter. Mark D’Addario added 97 yards on the ground.Marblehead at BeverlyAt Hurd Stadium (2:30), the surprising Magicians will bring a 4-3 record into the game against the 6-1 Panthers in a battle for prime position in the NEC South race.The Panthers, 2-0 in the South, bested Saugus 35-13 on the road last Saturday thanks to an offense that racked up 163 yards and three touchdowns on just five plays in the third quarter. Senior Rashad Sims had another stellar effort, rushing for 139 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Mark Hannable threw for 184 yards and a touchdown. Hannable also ran for another score.Marblehead (1-0 in South play) was outstanding in all phases during a 28-0 blanking of Danvers last Friday. Quarterback Hayes Richardson had an outstanding game, completing 11 of 19 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 28 yards and the final Magician score.Taari