St. John’s rolls past Peabody in season’s opener for both teams

PEABODY ? Don’t tell St. John’s Prep football coach Jim O’Leary that the annual opener against Peabody isn’t worth playing anymore.”The kids love this game,” said O’Leary, responding to a published report that suggested the series is no longer competitive. “We should keep playing (Peabody). It’s a good rivalry.”Nevertheless, George Sessoms and Chris Coady each ran for two touchdowns and more than 100 yards as the St. John’s Prep rolled to a 32-7 win over Peabody, Friday night, at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Sessoms finished 129 yards rushing on a mere nine carries, and blocked a punt on special teams that set up another score.Coady gained 117 yards on 14 rushes, and completed 2-of-3 passes, both to Tyler Coppola, for 66 yards.The Eagles (1-0) piled up 270 yards of offense in the first half and limited the Tanners to just 24 yards in the first two periods. St. John’s led, 25-7, at halftime, yielding only an 81-yard touchdown on a kickoff return by Peabody’s Jamal Abu-Hijleh.On the first play from scrimmage, Coady found Coppola for a 44-yard gain that set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Sessoms just 1:04 into the game. Later in the first quarter, Coady ran 55 yards for a score on an option play to the right, and with 1:52 left in the second quarter, Sessoms ran around right end for an 89-yard score”We had moments where we played well, but what I’m upset about is we gave up the big play,” Peabody coach Scott Wlasuk said. “We call it field discipline. I don’t want to take anything away from St. John’s Prep because they have some great players, but we can’t give up a long pass like that on the first play of the game.”Peabody’s best chance to stay in the game came when it trailed by two touchdowns but drove to the Prep’s 14-yard-line late in the second quarter. An illegal procedure penalty, a personal foul and then a sack of Peabody quarterback Mike O’Brien by James Fahey eventually forced the Tanners to punt. On the first play of the Eagles’ ensuing drive, Sessoms ripped off his 89-yard run.”We’re driving and then we commit two penalties that make it what, third-and-35?” Wlasuk said. “Then we pin them in their own territory, and (Sessoms) breaks off that big run.”Sessoms blocked set up St. John’s third touchdown of the game. Coady carried the ball on four of five plays that covered 41 yards. The scoring play was a 9-yard run, on a run up the middle.The Eagles scored on four of their first five drives. The only possession that didn’t result in points ended on a fumbled exchange from center, at Peabody’s 40-yard line.”We made some mistakes,” O’Leary said. We turned the ball over that one time and we committed some penalties (four for 45 yards, including a face mask and a personal foul), and those are some thing we’re going to have to work on.”While the first half featured numerous stoppages, the second half was almost played at running time. Behind the running of Mark D’Addario (95 yards-22 carries), the Tanners opened the third quarter by driving to the Eagles’ 20-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.St. John’s then embarked on a 75-yard, 14-play drive that consumed 8:26. The key play was a 22-yard pass from Coady to Coppola (who was given the game ball, presumably to present to his brother, Jared, who was hurt last week in a scrimmage with Lynn English). That set up a 9-yard run around right tackle to make the score 32-7.With the second-teamers mostly playing on both sides, Peabody made its deepest offensive penetration of the game, to the Prep’s 12-yard line, when the game clock expired.