DANVERS — St. John’s Prep quarterback Matt Crowley had quite a season for himself in 2018. Crowley set a single-season program record for passing yards (1,985), tossed 23 touchdown passes and helped lead the Eagles to a Division 1 state championship.
Now the four-year varsity player and Topsfield native has a different set of tasks ahead of him. It’s a brand new team at St. John’s this year and the 2018 season’s in the rearview mirror.
“Everyone’s excited to start the season,” Crowley, entering his senior season, said. “There’s a lot of energy in the locker room. Everyone’s ready to put some pads on. We know last season’s in the past. We have a new season, a new opportunity. We’re excited to show we’re not the leftovers from last year’s team, we’re the starters from this year’s team. Even though last year’s team was great, that won’t mean this year’s team won’t be as great.”
If there’s one thing that helps St. John’s cause, it’s that the returning Eagles know what it takes to get to Gillette Stadium in December. Having that experience on the roster is always a plus.
“In the past it was kind of a new feeling,” Crowley said. “If we can recreate a season like that, it’ll show in how we prepare. Last year it was something we hadn’t done before. Now we know what we’re doing. A couple of the returners are in leadership roles and that helps now that they have the experience. It makes them that much more reliable.”
Crowley’s one of those returners who steps into a leadership role this season. He was voted as a team captain over the offseason, along with receiver/cornerback Matt Duchemin, tight end/defensive end Anthony Fagan and lineman Cooper Smith.
“It’s a role that I embrace,” Crowley said. “It’s an honor and a privilege. It’s a huge responsibility to lead the team as a captain with Matt, Anthony and Cooper. We’re really the ones that our team’s going to rally around, we’re the ones that our teammates can look up to and come to when they don’t know what to do. It’s a big responsibility and I’m honored to have it.”
Eagles coach Brian St. Pierre has nothing but confidence in Crowley’s leadership abilities.
“Matt has earned everyone’s respect because he’s a great kid,” St. Pierre said. “He’s well liked by his peers and he’s been a great player. You put those two together and it’s an obvious pick that he’s our captain. I’m not surprised at all that his peers picked him to be a captain.
“Matt brings a tremendous amount of experience and leadership at a position where you really need it. That’s a huge benefit for us. He’s a three-year starter, he’s physically gifted, he has a really good arm and great command of the offense. He has all the intangibles you need to be successful.”
A former St. John’s quarterback himself, St. Pierre went on to play at Division I Boston College and held an eight-season career in the NFL. Crowley knows there’s plenty for him to learn from his head coach and he doesn’t hesitate in doing so.
“It’s a huge help,” Crowley said. “He’s a really good coach. He knows the position in and out. He provides a perspective from a high level. Whether it’s reading the defenses, reading the game plan, knowing the passing concepts. He definitely provides a very advanced perspective in game planning. It’s really helpful for me as a quarterback.”
The Eagles opened preseason practices in mid-August. Crowley’s optimistic about what he’s seen thus far.
“I’m excited,” Crowley said. “It’s a young team but there’s a lot of talent. It’s a very fast team. Guys are moving quick. The team has shown a lot of potential.
“My goal this year is to bring this team together and show that it doesn’t matter that we’re inexperienced. I want us to show that we know we can play. I want to set this program up to achieve success for a long time.”
St. John’s kicks off the season Saturday (noon) when the Eagles welcome Bridgewater-Raynham to Fred Glatz Field.
