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Does St. John's Prep have enough to be considered a serious threat in Division 1?

Tuesday, May, 20 By Matt Jenkins
Staff writer

Some were disappointed with the Prep's 11-10 overtime loss to Billerica in the East quarterfinals last year. But remember, the Eagles were just a 10-seed after battling through a difficult schedule in the Catholic Conference, and Billerica nearly pulled off an upset of Duxbury, the eventual state champs, in the semis.

St. John's returned virtually everybody from that team and they currently stand at 15-2 with one game remaining. They're almost guaranteed to be a No. 3-seed or better, which would have huge long-term ramifications. A No. 2 or 3 seed means St. John's will not see Duxbury (which the Prep lost to, 7-5, earlier this spring) until the finals.

That may be getting a little ahead of the game, but St. John's has as good a chance to run through a talented bracket as anyone does.

The big issue for the Eagles will be possession. When St. John's lost to Billerica last year, it was 100 percent because the Eagles couldn't keep up in faceoffs. Winning draws, ground balls and making good decisions once they have the ball will be key.

Talent is clearly not an issue with scorers like Mark Scalise, Garrett Campbell and John Jennings and defenders Brogan O'Connor, John Whitney, Connor Baldwin and Santo Dettore. The Prep also has two capable goalies in Nick Valenti and Tyler Cash.