LYNN— The St. Mary’s football team rolled through its regular season schedule en route to an undefeated record at 7-0. If Friday night’s Division 7 North quarterfinal playoff game between the No. 1 Spartans and No. 8 Manchester Essex is any indication of how St. Mary’s will fare in the postseason, coach Matt Durgin and his players are in for another deep run.
Quarterback Calvin Johnson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead St. Mary’s to a 44-0 win over the Hornets at Manning Field.
The Spartans will host No. 5 Greater Lawrence, which topped No. 4 Georgetown 49-21, next Friday in the semifinals.
Johnson ran for 145 yards on six carries and completed 2-of-4 pass attempts for 80 yards.
“It was a very good win,” Durgin said. “I thought the kids played hard. I thought Manchester Essex played very hard too but we got a good start and our defense played well too. We recognized some things on defense and our kids played well.”
On St. Mary’s second play from scrimmage, Johnson linked up with Marlon Scott for a 30-yard touchdown pass (conversion failed). Three minutes later, James Brumfield returned an interception 54 yards into the end zone. Add in Scott’s two-yard run on the ensuing conversion attempt and St. Mary’s led 14-0 after one quarter.
Johnson took the game over in the second quarter. The senior rushed for touchdowns of 75 and 46 yards to boost St. Mary’s lead to 30-0 at halftime. Scott, on a run, and Lee Pacheco, on a pass from Johnson, were good on the two-point conversions.
“Calvin can have a big game any night,” Durgin said. “He’s a talented kid and he’s a great leader. It’s a whole team-effort. As fast as he is, somebody has to open those running lanes for him. We did a good job tonight.”
The Hornets offense struggled to move the ball in the first quarter. When it found its rhythm in the second quarter, it was to no avail.
“We knew Manchester Essex was a good team,” Durgin said. “They played Hamilton-Wenham tough. We played a good game and were fortunate to come away with the win.”
Manchester Essex threatened twice in the half, with drives to St. Mary’s 10 and 1-yard lines. The first ended in a turnover on downs and the latter was squashed thanks to a Scott interception at St. Mary’s one-yard line.
“It was a great effort from our defense,” Durgin said. “We were fortunate. They drove the ball down there but our defense stepped up. They did a nice job.”
George Freeman joined in on the fun with a three-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half (conversion failed). Brumfield found the end zone again, on a 29-yard carry, to make it a hefty 44-0 Spartans lead (Freeman conversion).
That was more than enough scoring for St. Mary’s (8-0) to cement a spot in the second-round.
“It was a good team effort all-around,” Durgin said. “Our defense gave us opportunities with the football. It was a good win all-around.”
