By Mukala Kabongo
NEFJ Correspondent

DANVERS – Jack O’Keefe’s field goal lifted St. John’s Prep to 10-7 victory over Buckingham Browne & Nichols in an inter-league scrimmage before the regular season begins.

Here’s some key takeaways for both squads:

Eagles Offense – St. John’s Prep’s passing attack looked very sharp against the Knights. Quarterback Chris Vargas was as expected, completing 9/12 passes including a rushing touchdown on the Eagles’ first offensive possession.

Receiver Riley Selvais looked to be in midseason form catching five passes on the day. Selvais’ reception deep in Knights territory set up the go-ahead field for O’Keefe.

BB&N – The Knights are going to be a tough team to deal with this season once again. Running back Owen De Salvo showed his explosiveness during the scrimmage. De Salvo broke loose for big gains behind the Knights offensive line. Liam Walker will be a key contributor for the Knights this season. Walker scored the Knights’ lone touchdown from 10-yards out on the opening drive of the game.

BB&N’s run defense contained running back Maxwell Parent throughout the day. Parent could not break loose for big gains against the Knights defense. On 4th-&-1 at the goal line, the Knights were able to force a turnover on downs swarming to the ball to keep the Eagles out of the end zone.

Penalties – Heading into their regular season opener against Springfield Central, the Eagles have to clean up on the penalties. The Prep offense hurt itself during this matchup with costly mistakes that derailed promising drives. Each penalty came after a big gain that put the Eagles in Knights territory. Head coach Brian St. Pierre and his staff are sure to address the penalties during this week’s game prep.

Upcoming season – The Eagles will travel to Springfield this Friday for a highly anticipated matchup against Springfield Central, kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

BB&N hs two more scrimmages before its season opener against Trinity Pawling School on September 26.