St. John’s Prep drops Xaverian
DANVERS >> St. John’s Prep kept their impressive season going Monday against a motivated rival.
Senior attackman Jimmy Ayers sniped four goals and dished out two assists, while Harlan Graber added a hat trick himself as SJP pulled away in the second half for a critical 14-8 victory over Catholic Conference foe Xaverian.
“We knew they were going to come out really strong,” said 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 until the waning moments of the second quarter that St. John’s Prep (11-1) was able to kick things into full gear. Shortly after Xaverian standout Henry Hasselbeck evened things up at 4-all by firing home a shot with 6:27 to play in the half, Ayers and Graber responded for St. John’s
Prep by sniping consecutive tallies. Matt Morrow netted a pair of goals in the final two minutes as the Eagles leaped ahead 8-5 at the break.
With 3:13 remaining in the third frame, St. John’s Prep senior Noah Brown drove toward the Xaverian, bowling over a pair of defenders and losing his stick in the process. But the ball skipped right to Ayers, who then fired a rocket into the cage to make it 10-6. The Eagles were able 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 goals to aid St. John’s Prep, while sophomore attackman Cam McCarthy (goal, two assists) provided a boost himself.
Xaverian parted ways with lacrosse coach Daggett Morse this past weekend. Now in his first season with the Hawks, Ryan Quinn will be boss on an interim basis.
“With us, it’s all about being a brother,” said 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 each finished with two goals to power the Hawks.
It was a unique situation for Eagles coach John Pynchon and his staff, but his group was eventually able to knock off its latest opponent. Since faltering to the Brunswick School (Conn.) in an interstate matchup (a 17-10 loss April 15), St. John’s Prep has won its last six games. The latest victory sets up a highly 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.”