Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central Catholic | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
St. John's | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Saturday, September, 20
By Hector Longo
Staff writer
DANVERS — For nearly all 44 minutes, Central Catholic, missing two of its best in the trenches, proudly slugged it out with St. John's Prep, the fourth-ranked team in Eastern Mass.
You can't hit what you can't catch, though.
Every time, the Prep needed a big play, coach Jim O'Leary employed the services of junior Brendon Felder, and Central simply couldn't answer, tumbling 28-16.
Felder scored on a 73-yard punt return, a 33-yard catch and a 23-yard run.
"They've got a lot of speed, and he's a pain in the neck," said Central coach Chuck Adamopoulos of Felder. "That last touchdown we had guys in position. He just made a couple of real nice cuts."
Ultimately, though, it was North Reading sophomore Tyler Coppola, who landed the knockout blow with a 20-yard dash around right end in the fourth after Central's eight best minutes of football on the day.
"We just didn't play four quarters. In the first half, we couldn't get off the field defensively," said Adamopoulos. "We only had one first down in the first half. Against a team that good you have to play four quarters. You're not going to beat them with one good half. "
Without starters Matt Lafrance and Walter Gillis on the offensive line, Central struggled mightily to move the football. Managing just 53 yards of offense through three quarters, the Raiders trailed 21-3.
Shain Jowett and the Raiders finally got untracked in the fourth, and thanks to a St. John's fumble, had the home sideline, if not panicking, at least a bit anxious.
Jowett hit Jimmy Nguyen (3 catches, 41 yards on a crucial third-down conversion for 18 to set up a first-and-goal. Three plays later, the Central QB dove in to slice the margin to 21-9.
Junior Zac Borrelli delivered a lick to jar the ball loose, and Tommy Lacroix pounced on it at the Prep 15.
Jowett-to-Nguyen clicked for 12 more and Zack Latrell bulled, making it 21-16 with 6:59 left.
Enter Felder, and then Coppola. First, Felder turned an ordinary completion into a 34-yard highlight-reel hookup, refusing to go down to set up the speedy soph's TD scamper.
"Over the years, it's always this kind of game with them," said Prep coach Jim O'Leary. "They just don't give up. They come in, they whack you, and we're sore. They hit us harder than anyone we've seen all year, including our scrimmages. We respect them more than anybody."
Central, outgained on the day 305-158, has one more non-league tuneup before its MVC opener with Dracut.
Second Quarter
SJ — Brendon Felder 73 punt return (Bobby Preston kick) 10:40
CC — Cam Walsh 19 field goal 8:22
SJ - Felder 33 pass from Greg Donahue (Preston kick) 7:10
Third Quarter
SJ — Felder 23 run (Preston kick) 1:12
Fourth Quarter
CC — Shain Jowett 1 run (pass failed) 7:25
CC — Zack Latrell 3 run (Walsh kick) 6:59
SJ — Tyler Coppola 20 run (Preston kick) 3:25
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: CC (23-29) — Shain Jowett 14-28, Andy Scott 3-9, Cam Fisichelli 1-(-2), Tommy Lacroix 1-(-2), Zack Latrell 4-(-4); SJ (38-193) — Tyler Coppola 12-66, Greg Donahue 6-13, George Sessoms 6-23, Andrew McHugh 9-28, Brendon Felder 5-63
PASSING: CC — Jowett 11-21-1, 129; Donahue 8-14-0, 112
RECEIVING: CC — Scott 3-24, Fisichelli 3-43, Jimmy Nguyen 3-41, Zak Adamopoulos 1-11, Tommy Lacroix 1-10; SJ — James Fahey 1-13, Felder 6-101, McHugh 1-(-2)
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http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/football/articles/2008/09/21/felder_powers_prep globe has the right stats
Report! #1 09/21/2008 12:15 PM