The Franklin Panthers are no joke – a team with an explosive offense and high-level talent. But on Saturday morning, they were no match for the St. John’s Prep lacrosse team, which won 16-8.
Prep raced out to a 9-4 halftime lead before withstanding a third quarter comeback bid from the Panthers. Offensively, the Eagles were led by Jimmy Ayers (4 goals, 2 assists), Matt Morrow (3 goals), and Jake Vana (2 goals, 3 assists) making his return from an injury.
Lucas Verrier (2 goals), Nick Schibli, Luke Kelly, Harlan Graber, Will Sawyer, and Cam McCarthy all scored. Chris Esposito won half of his faceoffs (13 for 26) while Gavin Kornitsky made 12 saves on 20 shots.
Sam Wilmot, Jack Weissenburger, and Ryan DeLuica all performed well on the defensive end.
The Eagles return to action Tuesday in a home matchup against Malden Catholic at 4 p.m.
BOYS LACROSSE
Beverly 10
Peabody 3
Peabody led 3-1 in this one, then, the Panthers pounced. The Tanners have now lost four in a row since starting the season 4-0.
After scoring 38 goals in its first four games, Peabody has netted just 22 in its last four. That said, good teams respond, and the Tanners look to do that Monday at Danvers (4:30 p.m.).
Manchester 16
St. Mary’s 1
St. Mary’s, a very young team that lost 21 players from last year’s group, was bested 16-1 against Manchester at Manning FIeld.
With the onslaught of shots, Steven Lake and Jacob Gil played well in goal, while young Spartans Chris Grossman, Sal Brogna, and Ryan Gil stepped into the starting lineup with strong showings.
St. Mary’s travels to Lynnfield at 4 p.m. on Monday.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Peabody 17
Beverly 5
There was a heavy box score after this one. The Peabody girls lacrosse team tamed the Beverly Panthers on Saturday with 17 goals and strong defensive pressure.
Ally Bettencourt led the way with five goals, followed by Brooke Lomasney who netted four – they’re both sophomores, by the way. Siobhan Smith, Madi Barrett, and Angela Fabbo each scored twice.
With the offensive explosion in mind, alongside Caitlin Snow’s seven saves – what a game that all makes. The win marks the fourth of the week for Peabody, which looks to make it five at Winthrop on Thursday (4 p.m.).
BASEBALL
Salem Academy 4
KIPP 1
In a low-scoring affair featuring just six hits, KIPP fell short against Salem Academy at home.
Salem Academy, actually, committed three errors to KIPP’s zero, while Chanel Gutierrez and Rocco Campos registered KIPP’s two hits.
But in the end, KIPP struck out 13 times and allowed four hits, which was good enough for a Salem Academy victory.
On the mound, Jendol Diaz retired nine across six innings while allowing just four hits – another strong performance from the freshman.
The Panthers look for a win this Thursday when they travel to face Mystic Valley at 4:30 p.m.
