Knights true believers
John DiBiaso knew he inherited a Catholic Memorial team capable of being a factor in the league race.
He wasn’t so sure his players shared the same sentiment early on.
There’s no questions the Knights have become a believer as the season progressed. They entered the South sectional as a contender and ended up being the last man standing as they knocked off five-time defending champion Xaverian to get to the Super Bowl against league rival St. John’s Prep (8 p.m., Saturday at Gillette Stadium).
“I think the kids might not have been sure they could play with St. John’s Prep, Xaverian and BC High at the beginning of the season,” said DiBiaso, in his first year at CM after a storied career at Everett. “But they are playing very well right now, they have that confidence in themselves.”
The teams met earlier in the season with St. John’s Prep jumping out to a big early lead before hanging on to defeat Catholic Memorial, 27-20. Eagles’ head coach Brian St. Pierre isn’t shocked to see the Knights once again.
“I think they’ve been good all year long,” St. Pierre said. “Early in the season, they were playing young kids that might not have had the experience, but they have the talent.”
Since that loss, Catholic Memorial (9-2) has won six straight and scored at least 25 points in each of those games. Barrett Pratt comes off a strong Thanksgiving Day effort against BC High where he threw for 152 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-15 win. Hunter Tully, Brian Stubbs, Zach Mitchell and Khari Johnson are the top wide receivers, while Lucas Folan is the tight end.
The running game is keyed by Darrius Leclair and Jamall Griffin. The offensive line could be one of the keys to the game as the quintet of Zachary Goodwin, Gerard McDermott, Hunter Salmon, Rory Conneely and Quincy Plumer will go up against a stout St. John’s Prep defensive front.
Massive tackle James Taylor keys a front which includes Charlie Guinta, Collin Taylor and Kevin Dewing. Pat Keefe has been superb at linebacker and he teams up with Colton Tangney and James Hanley. Look for Wes Rockett to anchor the secondary which includes the likes of Antael Rose, Patrick Nistl, Matt Duchemin and Aise Pream, who has been limited in recent weeks because of an ankle injury.
Offensively, St, John’s Prep has been to run and throw the ball effectively. Matt Crowley has been steady at quarterback, while Trent Tully has taken over as the fulltime running back in Pream’s absence and been very good. Rockett, who missed last year with a knee injury, teams up with Max Freedman to give the Eagles a topnotch receiving tandem.
The offensive line is arguably one of the best in the state. Kevin Dewing, Cooper Smith, Will Moulton, Mason Davis and John Murphy along with tight end Anthony Fagan are an imposing unit.
Defensively, the Knights are led by the aggressive linebacking trio of Owen McGowan, William Stockwell and Tully. The secondary is one of the more athletic units around keyed by the likes of Devon Williams, Johnson, Mitchell and Tully. The front wall consists of Dennis Duffy, Matt Wing and Quincy Eutsay.