As Elton John might say: They’re still standing.
The Bishop Fenwick and St. John’s Prep football teams are still alive in their respective playoff brackets. The Eagles are soaring in Division 1, while the Crusaders look to pull off another upset in Division 6.
Both teams might have what it takes to reach Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, but their opponents won’t go down without a fight.
In Division 1, St. John’s Prep’s road to the Final Four included wins against No. 16 Framingham (38-0) and No. 8 Leominster (48-32). Now, the Eagles must get by No. 5 Central Catholic — a familiar opponent.
The teams met Sept. 19 when St. John’s Prep protected home turf with a 47-21 win. Quarterback Chris Vargas shined in that game, throwing for 287 yards and four touchdowns. (The gunslinger was sidelined with an injury against Leominster last week.)
Prep’s defense stepped up as well, forcing three turnovers.
That said, the state tournament is a different game.
Central Catholic has been piling up points in recent weeks. The Raiders closed the regular season with wins of 28-20 and 48-8. In the Round of 16, they beat Saint John’s Shrewsbury 39-7.
The Raiders have shown they can win tight games, too. In the Round of 8 against No. 4 Natick, Central Catholic needed overtime. Natick struck first to go up 17-14, but quarterback Caden Smith scored from 4 yards out to give the Raiders a 20-17 victory.
Containing Smith will be a key focus for the Eagles. He can beat defenses with his arm and legs; he rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns to help Central Catholic reach the semifinals.
Fenwick has proven difficult to put away and shown explosive potential. In the opening round, the Crusaders used their physicality to get past No. 10 Medway. In the next round, Fenwick pulled off a significant upset, defeating No. 2 Abington 24-14 as the No. 7 seed.
Now, the Crusaders are one win away from the state title game. Fenwick will face No. 3 Fairhaven, which beat Swampscott in last year’s semifinal game before falling to Hudson in the state final.
The Crusaders will need to stay sharp, as the Blue Devils run a triple-option offense — a difficult scheme to defend when executed and when the quarterback makes the right reads.
Returning players from last year’s Fairhaven team will want to get back to the title game and be on the right side of the final score. However, this Fenwick team already caused one upset and believes it can do it again.
St. John’s Prep faces Central Catholic Friday at Burlington High with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. Fenwick will travel to Assabet Valley Regional that same night for a 7 p.m. matchup with Fairhaven.
