By Mukala Kabongo
NEFJ Correspondent

LAWRENCE –  St. John’s Prep  earned its sixth straight victory over Central Catholic on Friday, winning 21-17 at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium.

The last meeting between these two teams in the state semifinal game in Burlington did not go too well for the Raiders, with their season ending on a 48-7 loss. Friday evening, Central Catholic kept it close but the Eagles defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage.

Leading 21-17 in the fourth quarter with the Raiders threatening to score, St. John’s Prep’s (2-0) defense came up with a sack for a five-yard loss to force a punt. Central Catholic did not see the ball again

“I thought we showed a lot of football character especially in that fourth quarter getting that huge stop,” said head coach Brian St. Pierre.

The Eagles defense on the opening drive did not look great as the Raiders (1-1) marched down the field with a four-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a 35-yard touchdown run by Armari Mills.

From there on, the Eagles’ defense buckled down, sacking Smith four times with numerous quarterback pressures.

“He was a focal point, he’s such a good player,” said St. Pierre. “I thought our defensive line did a really good job.”

While the defense gave them a boost all night, the Eagles offense came into form after a few miscues early on.

Quarterback Chris Vargas (14-of-20 passing, 166 yards, TD, INT) bounced back after throwing a 52-yard pick six to Cody Arsenault in the second quarter, going 4-of-4 on the next drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to his top target, Riley Selvas (nine receptions, 96 yards, TD).

“Things weren’t going our way early, it was an emotional game,” St. Pierre said.

Coming out of the half, things once again weren’t going St John Prep’s way after the Eagles fumbled the opening kickoff of the half. Defensive linemen Jay Arnett, who missed last season with a UCL injury, sacked Smith on third down to force a field goal.

“We were hungry,” said Arnett,

The Eagles on the ensuing possession chewed up much of the game clock with an 80-yard drive, with Maxwell Parent rushing in for a 25-yard touchdown run. It was his second of the game, giving the Eagles a 21-17 lead that they never relinquished.

“We had to come out and play our brand of football,” said Parent.

With the win, the Eagles scored back-to-back road victories over two of the top teams that they may face again during in the postseason. Next week St. John’s Prep finishes its road trip with a visit to Needham while Central Catholic travels to Rhode Island to take on Bishop Hendricken.