St. John’s Prep quarterback Christopher Vargas has gained plenty of national attention this season, and it was easy to see why Friday night. His Eagles (3-0) defeated Central Catholic, 47-21, at Glatz Field in Danvers.
In command from beginning to end, the 190-pound, 6-4 gunslinger threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore was 11-for-14 in the first half alone.
Riley Selvais scored a 46-yard touchdown, Maxwell Parent found the promised land, Ethan Stefanovich opened the scoring with a 28-yard catch from Vargas, and Jordan Toribio took one 48 yards to the house.
The Prep’s defense forced three turnovers.
FOOTBALL
Wilmington 27
Saugus 6
Despite a 98-yard scoop-and-score touchdown from Paxton Ferraro in the second half, it wasn’t enough to ignite a Saugus (0-2) comeback.
“They’re Wing-T,” said Saugus coach Steve Cummings of Wilmington. “I don’t think they had a run longer than 6 yards all night. They were just staying on track and in the first half, we just couldn’t seem to find that play. They’re very well-coached.”
Cummings said he’s looking forward to next Saturday’s night game against Lynn Tech at Manning Field.
“Right now, we’re struggling to find a rhythm . . . and not doing ourselves any favors. We’ve got to figure it out, battle, and find that formula.”
Marblehead 35
Shepherd Hill 22
The Rams struck first in this one, but the visiting Magicians (3-0) stayed perfect and had the last laugh. Marblehead’s Finn Gallup found Rylan Golden for a 15-yard touchdown just before halftime for a 7-6 lead. From there, coach Jim Rudloff’s visitors turned up the pressure with 28 second-half points. Gallup and Breydan Callahan (2 TD) reached the promised land before Golden secured the win with another touchdown – this one in the final two minutes.
Manchester-Essex 34
KIPP Academy 12
KIPP (0-3) scored touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters, but the rest was all Manchester-Essex, which took control with a 22-point second quarter at Manning Field. Aavian Pena led the Panthers with 127 yards rushing.
“He played his heart out,” said KIPP coach Jim Rabbitt.
Bishop Fenwick 27
Bishop Stang 6
Talk about a response. After last week’s tight loss against Marblehead, Fenwick (1-1) bounced back with a Catholic Central League win in enemy territory.
FIELD HOCKEY
Swampscott 2
Marblehead 2
This meeting between traditional archrivals couldn’t be settled, but it was back and forth. Lila Giard scored twice for Swampscott, while Sofia Robledo Puch facilitated both. Netminder Lilah Caplan made 13 saves.
“Overall, the team played very well,” said Swampscott coach Lauren Wilkinson. “Special mention to Nola Conley with strong defensive skills and Megan Baran in the midfield for strategic ball movement.”
Peabody 5
Dracut 0
Chris Troncoso (assist) and Elizabeth Moore scored two goals apiece in Peabody’s blanking of Dracut. Karley O’Connor also found the back of the net, while Sophia Kassis (4 saves) recorded her second shutout and Amayah Francher secured another defensive save.
“The captains led the offensive effort in today’s game,” said Peabody coach Jillian Tobin. “Freshman Ashley Demuele earned her first assist and played strong in different positions throughout the game.”
GIRLS SOCCER
Beverly 1
Peabody 0
It’s a game of inches. Peabody had an early goal called back and couldn’t convert a penalty kick in the final two minutes of the game.
“Olivia Ball played well for us in net and made some huge saves. Ava Barresi, Marley Loring, and Cara Corriveau played a great game on defense,” said Peabody coach Andrew Douglass. “Zelie Campbell, Emma Wardle, Brielle Broughton, and Victoria Vaz did great in the midfield and created some great scoring chances for us.”
VOLLEYBALL
Burlington 3
Marblehead 0
In set scores of 20-25, 22-25, and 18-25, visiting Marblehead (5-2) ran out of gas despite strong performances from Mari Modzrynska (8 kills), Lila Moniz (7 kills), Eva Burke (21 assists), and Sydney Faris (9 digs).
Lynn Classical 3
Peabody 0
The Lady Rams upped their record to 7-2 in set scores of 26-24, 25-19, and 25-20. Sejla Iriskic recorded a career-high 17 digs, while Brooke Braswell (18 kills, .548 hitting percentage, 14 digs, 4 blocks, 2 aces) and Emma Chevalier (18 assists, 4 aces, 8 digs, 2 blocks, kill) also took charge.
“This was an excellent road win for us,” said Classical coach Chris LeBlanc. “Any time we step out of the GBL (Greater Boston League) and face a quality team on the road, I’m happy when we come out with the win. We started out strong offensively and were really led by Brooke Braswell, who had a career offensive night. Whenever we needed a ball put down, she was there to do it tonight. Defensively, we were led by Sejla Iriskic and Azriella Jorge.”
