With Gillette Stadium coming up for St. John’s Prep on Saturday in the Division 1 Super Bowl, head coach Brian St. Pierre said it’s like the scene from “Hoosiers” when the coach measures the length of the court.
Despite the brighter lights and bigger surroundings, football is football. The Prep takes on Springfield Central at 12:30 p.m. where all the marbles come down to who can execute when it matters most.
“Once the game kicks off, the kids will be fine. I think there will be some wide eyes early for the kids who haven’t been there,” St. Pierre “And naturally so, and that’s fine. That’s part of the experience.”
With back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 2018 and 2019, freshmen on the 2019 team are still around. St. Pierre highlighted his team’s veteran leadership, while also praising his young players for times like the Thanksgiving game where he said five sophomores shared the field.
When it comes to Springfield Central, St. Pierre understands “there’s not a lot of weaknesses on this team.”
From a dual-threat quarterback, to a few 6-6, 300 pound lineman, and to a strong defensive line surrounded by athletic tacklers, focusing on themselves instead of the opposition is “always” the approach for the Prep coaching staff.
“We just try and focus on us and what we need to do to be the best version of us,” St. Pierre said. “We try and take that singular approach every week, no matter the opponent, and that hasn’t changed.”
Springfield Central has defeated Shrewsbury, Xaverian Brothers, and Methuen in the postseason thus far, scoring 60, 56, and 54 points in the three games.
“They’re good at running back, they’re good at receiver, and then up front, they’re huge,” St. Pierre said. “A pretty complete offensive unit.”
Despite being cautious of Springfield Central’s explosiveness, St. Pierre said “we’ve earned the right to be here” and that it isn’t new to be going up against a great program.
The Prep has defeated Attleboro, Andover, and Central Catholic, crossing the 45-point threshold in two of the three games. The team has also scored 439 points this year, compared to just the 139 allowed.
“We’re a good team, too,” St. Pierre said.
With senior Carson Browne coming off a 200-yard, two-touchdown performance on Turkey Day, St. Pierre wants him to play his game, and recognizes that Springfield Central will have to watch many Prep weapons – which could help out Browne on the ground.
“If you look at us, we’ve always been a pro-styled, balanced attack, and that hasn’t changed,” St. Pierre said.
“Carson is Carson,” St. Pierre said of his running back’s success. “You love to see young men who work so hard, and are so unselfish, be rewarded.”
St. Pierre believes the biggest part of it all is what his players can take from the game, and he’s proud of his group no matter the outcome on Saturday.
“They give us everything they can to give us what we ask them to do,” St. Pierre said. “It’s a huge commitment here, football at St. John’s [Prep] and there’s a lot of expectation. And they do a great job of managing it, and I just admire them for how hard they work.”
The game between the No. 7 Prep and No. 4 Springfield Central kicks off at 12:30 at Gillette Stadium.
