DANVERS — St. John’s Prep stored their spectacular season going Monday in opposition to a motivated rival.
Senior attackman Jimmy Ayers sniped 4 targets and dished out two assists, whereas Harlan Graber added a hat trick himself as SJP pulled away within the second half for a essential 14-8 victory over Catholic Conference foe Xaverian.
“We knew they were going to come out really strong,” stated Ayers. “They’re always tough competition for us. They’re well-coached. I think we started off a little fast, then they caught up really quick. Gavin (Kornitsky) made some key saves. (Christopher Esposito) was doing well in the face-offs, and I think that’s what kind of settled us in, got us a comfortable lead. Then, we were able to rely on our team and my teammates to get the job done.”
It wasn’t till the waning moments of the second quarter that St. John’s Prep (11-1) was in a position to kick issues into full gear. Shortly after Xaverian standout Henry Hasselbeck evened issues up at 4-all by firing house a shot with 6:27 to play within the half, Ayers and Graber responded for St. John’s Prep by sniping consecutive tallies. Matt Morrow netted a pair of targets within the last two minutes because the Eagles leaped forward 8-5 on the break.
With 3:13 remaining within the third body, St. John’s Prep senior Noah Brown drove towards the Xaverian, bowling over a pair of defenders and shedding his stick within the course of. But the ball skipped proper to Ayers, who then fired a rocket into the cage to make it 10-6. The Eagles have been in a position to cruise from there.
“I saw Noah,” laughed Ayers. “He’s a big lefty coming downhill. So, I knew he was going to lower his shoulder, and fortunately, the ball came right to me. I’ll give him the assist on that…it was a great pass. Luckily, I was able to bury.”
Senior midfielder Lucas Verrier recorded two targets to assist St. John’s Prep, whereas sophomore attackman Cam McCarthy (objective, two assists) offered a lift himself.
Xaverian parted methods with lacrosse coach Daggett Morse this previous weekend. Now in his first season with the Hawks, Ryan Quinn will likely be boss on an interim foundation.
“With us, it’s all about being a brother,” stated Quinn. “Xaverian Brothers High School, Brothers is in our name. One of our key tenants for this program is being a family, and families have to work hard to make sure things go right. When things go wrong, we have to act even more like family to accentuate those points. I thought they did a really good job today. Obviously, the outcome’s what we wanted, but (it’s) a great team we played against today, and I thought we gave a pretty good effort.”
Hasselbeck, Dylan Benoit and Charles Brennan every completed with two targets to energy the Hawks.
It was a singular state of affairs for Eagles coach John Pynchon and his workers, however his group was finally in a position to knock off its newest opponent. Since faltering to the Brunswick School (Conn.) in an interstate matchup (a 17-10 loss April 15), St. John’s Prep has received its final six video games. The newest victory units up a extremely anticipated showdown with BC High this upcoming week.
“That was an interesting dynamic there,” St. John’s Prep lacrosse coach John Pynchon. “We had no idea what to expect. I think (Xaverian) came out and played great, goalie made a bunch of good saves. In the end, it’s a Conference win, which is always huge for us. So, we’ve got to get better, and be ready for BC High on Thursday.”
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