BROCKTON — The St. Mary’s football team trooped down to Brockton on Friday night expecting a battle from Catholic Central League foe Cardinal Spellman. The Cardinals spelled St. Mary’s toughest test thus far this season but the Spartans certainly did their homework, and it showed.
St. Mary’s scored in each quarter and gave Spellman’s defense headaches throughout the night as the Spartans routed the Cardinals, 48-8, at Potvin Field. Senior quarterback Calvin Johnson ran for three touchdowns and passed for another to lead the way.
“This was a big step for us tonight, to find out where we’re at,” St. Mary’s coach Matt Durgin said. “I think the team answered. The backs all ran well. Calvin ran well. That’s a credit to our offensive linemen. They played physical and they executed.”
With the victory, the Spartans remain undefeated on the season at 4-0.
“We knew Cardinal Spellman had size,” Durgin said. “We knew they were a big, physical team. It’s always a battle when we play them.”
The Spartans got off to an ideal start when running back Marlon Scott scored on a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. The ensuing two-point conversion failed but St. Mary’s held an early 6-0 lead.
“We knew we needed to be successful on offense,” Durgin said. “We needed to come out ready to play. It’s very tough to play here.”
With five seconds left in the quarter, Johnson added to St. Mary’s lead with a 45-yard touchdown run. Running back James Brumfield plowed his way into the end zone on the two-point conversion and Spellman trailed 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The St. Mary’s offense continued to move downfield at will in the second quarter. First, Johnson linked up with receiver Lee Pacheco on a 25-yard touchdown pass. Then Johnson found the end zone on another touchdown run, this time from 20 yards out. Add in a two-point conversion from Brumfield after Johnson’s keeper and the Spartans held a hefty 28-0 lead at halftime.
“At halftime we told the team to keep playing hard because it wasn’t over yet,” Durgin said. “Spellman is too talented a team not to come out and fight back.”
Brumfield’s 60-yard touchdown run with seven minutes left in the third quarter (Johnson conversion) upped the lead to 36-0. Spellman finally broke through midway through the third with a 10-yard touchdown run by Justin Olowu but St. Mary’s answered quickly with Johnson’s third trip to the end zone, this time from 58 yards out.
Nino Echevarria closed the game with a 12-yard touchdown scamper in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter for the 48-8 final.
Brumfield, Johnson and Scott each finished with over 100 rushing yards on the night.
“It’s a great balance,” Durgin said of his team’s running attack. “We have great backs but we have to give credit to our guys up front. It took an entire team effort. It’s a team win and that’s the most important thing.”
The Spartans will now turn their attention to gearing up for next Saturday night’s clash against another CCL foe in Arlington Catholic. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Manning Field.
“Arlington Catholic’s having a successful season,” Durgin said. “They just beat Bishop Fenwick on Thursday night. They’ve had some tough years but now they seem to be back and playing well.”
