Eberth shines as Prep prevails

DANVERS – Sometimes the wisest thing a football coach can do is take the good with the bad and move on; a mindset St. John?s Prep?s Brian St. Pierre chose to adopt following a 58-31 victory over Catholic Memorial on Saturday afternoon at Cronin Memorial Stadium.?We did a lot of good things offensively but we absolutely have to get better across the board,” explained St. Pierre who is hoping for a better defensive effort in next week?s ?Homecoming Game? with BC High.?We have a great rivalry with them within the Catholic Conference and they?re bringing a very good team here next week. I?m still trying to digest today but we?ve positioned ourselves well for a huge, huge game.”Eagles quarterback Oliver Eberth (315 yards) and counterpart Matt Marcantano (434) combined for 10 touchdown passes, pacing their respective offenses who together amassed over 1,000 yards.?Oliver played out of his mind,” lauded St. Pierre of his junior signal-caller who finished 19-24 on the day. “He did a great job spreading the ball and the guys made the plays. As a team, we have a lot of confidence in him.”It wasn?t until a shoe-string reception from Boston College-bound tight end Jake Burt resulted in a touchdown (Eberth?s fifth of six) at the 2:24 mark of the third quarter that the hosts gained the upper hand, leading 37-31.Following an interception from cornerback Nathaniel Vance on the ensuing drive, Burt (5 catches, 74 yards) hauled in a five-yard scoring pass on a perfectly-run play-action pass on the first play of the final period.After an 11-yard run to pay dirt from teammate Cody Harwood (132 yards on 21 carries) at 6:11, Burt would cap the scoring with a 97-yard return touchdown on the second of three interceptions from Marcantano, who finished 26 of 42. “He?s going to BC for a reason,” said St. Pierre of the dual threat with a smile, having starred at The Heights in his own day (Class of 2002).?He?s a very good player and he had a big day along with all of our receivers and our offensive line as well, which provided Oliver with all the time he needed.”The Prep (5-1) broke the ice at 5:49 of the opening period on Eberth?s 2-yard hookup with Cam Weaver.Marcantano needed just two plays to produce a response, first hitting Aaron Clancy for a 32-yard gain before finding Curt Bletzer (6 catches, 122 yards) down the middle for a 62-yard score.Then came a wild second quarter that saw Eberth (7 yards to Burt) and Marcantano (66 yards to Gavin Ajoku) swap touchdown passes on consecutive plays from scrimmage, the latter at 8:43.One minute later, Eberth and Michael Calascibetta (2 catches, 74 yards) connected for a 59-yard score, leading to the ever-imminent encore from Ajoku (6 catches, 166 yards), on a 54-yard touchdown at 6:25.Catholic Memorial (2-3) kicker Matt Twerago (40 yards) and counterpart Justin Foley (28) exchanged final-minute field goals, the latter set up by consecutive keepers from Eberth for 58 yards.An exchange of opening-drive scores in the second half featured a 39-yard touchdown reception from the Eagles? Owen Rockett (7 catches, 87 yards) and a 27-yard follow-up toss from a scrambling Marcantano to Bletzer.