DANVERS — The St. John’s Prep football team ran roughshod over Haverhill, 49-6, Friday night at Glatz Field, with the Eagles scoring every time they had the ball in the first half to send the clock into running time for the final two quarters.
The Eagles, the defending Division 1 state champion, rolled to a 3-0 record thus far this season.
The Hillies got a first down on their first possession of the game, but didn’t get another one until the third quarter. The Eagles held them to three-and-outs, and in one case a four-and-out, seven straight times as their stingy defense, which was instrumental in winning last December’s Super Bowl over Springfield Central, showed up again Friday.
Meanwhile, the offense clicked like a finely-tuned engine. After the Hillies failed to move the ball after their opening first down, the Eagles went to work. Taking over on the Haverhill 40, The Prep needed only five plays to make it 7-0 with Dylan Aliberti traveling the final 10 yards. Langdon Laws, who split kicking duties with Jack Hayes, tacked on the extra point.
On the next possession, St. John’s, which took over on the Haverhill 3 after Aliberti ran a punt back, Jimmy Nardone bullied his way over the line for the score that made it 14-0.
Nardone scored his second touchdown of the night on the next Prep possession. The Eagles got the ball at the Haverhill 36 and Nardone, who moved over from quarterback to running back so that Deacon Robillard could take some snaps, swept around the right side for 26 yards and the score.
Robillard hit Merrick Barlow for the next Eagle touchdown on the last play of the first quarter to make the score 28-0.
It was more of the same in the second period. The Prep moved 60 yards on four plays – the biggest one coming on a 43-yard run by Andrew McManmon, to go up 35-0 with Nick Gregory scoring on a 1-yard plunge.
After another four-and-out, St. John’s got the ball back on the Haverhill 25, and it took only one play for Jeff Quigley to blast straight up the middle for the touchdown run that made it 42-0.
The defense got into the scoring column with time having run out in the third quarter, with Bo Minogue taking an interception back to the house from midfield to make it 49-0.
Haverhill finally hit the end zone midway through the fourth quarter when James Farrell found Tucker Grant from the Eagles’ 28-yard line for the score to make it 49-6.
The Prep scored on the last play of the game on a 43-yard run by Evan Morgese.
St. John’s is back in action next Saturday (1:30) at La Salle Academy in Providence, R.I.
