DANVERS — Following a solid season that came to a disappointing end in the Division 1 North playoffs, the St. John’s Prep Eagles are faced with the tall task of rebuilding nearly the entire roster after a mass exodus of graduating seniors this past summer.
The Eagles lost nearly their entire starting roster on both sides of the ball, something that hasn’t happened in quite some time.
“We haven’t been this young all around in a long time,” said Prep coach Brian St. Pierre, now in his fourth season as head coach. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that are going to be starting, and they’ll be put to the test right away.”
Some of the big losses the Eagles suffered include four of their five starting offensive lineman, tight end Declan Burt, dynamic two-way player Hayden Rockett, senior running backs Tristan Wallace and Alex Rodolosi and many others.
“We certainly have a lot of holes to fill this year,” St. Pierre said.
But there are some familiar faces returning to the field for the Eagles this season, including senior quarterback Mike Yarin. Coming off a very good junior season, St. Pierre is looking for more of the same from Yarin.
“We’ll be leaning on his senior leadership for sure, but also on his play,” St. Pierre said. “He had a great season for us last year, he’s worked hard this offseason and we expect a lot from him in his senior year.”
Also looking to make an impact for St. John’s this year will be running back/cornerback Aise Pream and tight end Michael Slattery.
Pream, entering his junior year, saw some spot starts at running back last season and impressed enough to earn a significant role this year. Slattery, a hulking 6’3, 230-pound tight end with catching and blocking abilities, is looking to repeat his Catholic Conference All-Star performance from last year.
Unfortunately, the Eagles won’t be at full strength when they take the field for their opener this weekend. Wes Rockett, brother of Hayden and one of the best two-way players on the team according to St. Pierre, has been lost for the season with a knee injury.
But still, the work continues. St. Pierre says it’s been a grind throughout training camp getting all the younger players acclimated, but things are going well.
“At times it’s been a ‘one good day, two bad days’ type of camp, but we’re making progress,” St. Pierre said. “All the guys are working hard and you can see the talent out there, it’s just all about execution with the young guys.”
Those young guys are going to play a large role in the fortunes of the Eagles this year simply because of the sheer number of underclassmen on the roster, and St. Pierre doesn’t expect anyone to feel sorry for him.
“We still have to go out there and play, no matter who we have,” he said.
“Our schedule this year is no joke, and expectations are always high with this team.”
The Eagles will open up the season on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Trinity Stadium for a road game against Haverhill at 2 p.m.
