St. John’s Prep draws even with win over Somerville

DANVERS – In their final test before playing a tough slate of Catholic Conference opponents, St. John’s took to the field at Cronin Memorial Stadium and handily defeated Somerville Saturday, 21-6.The Eagles (3-3) showed good balance on both sides of the ball, stringing together opportunistic offensive plays and stout defense.St. John’s jumped out to a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game. The 55-yard drive, culminating in a Johnathan Thomas four-yard touchdown run, was highlighted by Jack Sharrio finding Lucas Bavaro on a screen play for 36 yards.Later in the half, Bavaro’s ever increasing presence in the offense was again on display when, on a broken pass play, a scrambling Sharrio found him for 36 yards and a touchdown. The score came with just 56 seconds remaining in the half and gave the Eagles a 14-0 lead heading into the half.In the second half, the more familiar Prep running game took over. Sophomore Thomas, who was the primary ball carrier in the first half, scored his second touchdown when an off tackle run turned into a 19-yard jaunt. The score gave the Eagles a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter.Later in the half, as St. John’s was trying to eat up clock, Thomas came up with a brilliant run on third-and-nine. As Thomas rumbled the second level of the defense, he showed great field vision in using a block to cut back across the field, dodge two Somerville linebackers, and up the seam for 37 yards. Thomas finished the game with 124 yards rushing.”(Thomas) is turning into a better back every week,” said St. John’s coach Jim O’Leary. “He is learning the offense and he is starting to use his blockers better. He’s getting better at running the ball than just pushing through the line.”The defense of the Prep played stout, benefiting from the return of Tucker Mathers from injury. Mathers was a key cog for the defense, recording six tackles. Captain Owen Lynch and Bavaro also played well along the line of scrimmage, snuffing out Highlander runs and forcing Somerville into bad passing plays. Lynch finished with four tackles, while Bavaro recorded eight including a bit hit early in the third quarter. Overall, the Prep defense forced Somerville into a three-and-out on six of their 11 possessions.”Our defense continues to improve,” said O’Leary. “They didn’t attempt to run the ball too much, but we took that away from them and made them one dimensional. With their passing we were able to prevent them from hitting on any home run plays.”Gerald Kahari continues to prove his worth on both sides of the ball for St. John’s. Kahari came up with 53 yards receiving on four catches while making two interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. Kahari’s second interception came with a minute remaining in the game to seal the win for the Prep.From hereon out, all St. John’s games are against league opponents. Next week, the Eagles are at Catholic Memorial, followed by games with Malden Catholic and BC High, concluding with Xaverian.