Spartans wear down Austin Prep, 22-8

READING – It may not have been their most aesthetically pleasing performance of the season, but St. Mary’s stayed on schedule to claim the Catholic Central Large championship Friday afternoon with a 22-8 decision of a scrappy Austin Prep squad at Father Seymour Field.The Spartans (4-0, 8-1) can clinch a league title and their first post-season berth since 2005 with a win against Archbishop Williams next Saturday afternoon (Manning Field, 4).”We knew this would be hard coming here. I have so much respect for Austin Prep – they are as well-coached as any team around and they made us earn it. Both teams faced some adversity with the odd starting time and the rain but it was a well-played and very physical game,” said St. Mary’s coach Matt Durgin.”We know what’s ahead of us. We’ll enjoy this one and we’ll be focused and ready to go next week,” he said.In a game naturally shortened by both teams’ preference to run, productive possessions were at a premium and the Spartans scored on their first two of the first half. The first, an 11-play, 71-yard march, came after St. Mary’s defense halted Austin on downs at the St. Mary’s 29. The second, an 11-play, 57-yard advance, was set up by Jordan Manthorne’s 27-yard interception return. Both were finished off by Jordan Collier (14 carries, 96 yards) touchdown runs of eight and 30 yards, the latter making it 14-0 with 2:40 left in the half.Austin worked the two-minute drill effectively behind the running of Peabody’s Nick Vitale (19 carries, 96 yards) and moved into position for a field goal but Damian Dell’Anno’s 27-yard attempt drifted wide to the right with four second left in the half.The Cougars had a good-looking drive to start the second half as well but it ended when Collier recovered Vitale’s fumble at the SM 35.St. Mary’s countered with the put away march, jump-started by quarterback Jake Cassidy’s 41-yard strike to Manthorne on his only pass of the day. Following a procedure penalty, sophomore fullback John Gaeta (15 carries, 82 yards) banged out eight yards on two carries sandwiched around Collier’s two-yard pick-up. Cassidy rolled right on 4th-and-5 from the 20, pump-faked an AP defender off his feet and went the distance with 9:14 to play. Manthorne’s conversion made it 22-0.”I thought Gaeta ran very well today and our offensive line was very consistent,” Durgin noted.Austin avoided the shutout on Stephan Rickley’s six-yard run and Dan Arena’s two-point conversion with 3:56 to play.