St. John’s handed BC High its first loss, 28-0 – Boston Herald

DANVERS — Less than a week after a crushing loss, St. John’s Prep enters the state tournament on a high note.

Chris Vargas threw for a pair of touchdowns and the Eagles rushed for 223 yards as St. John’s Prep knocked off previously undefeated Catholic Conference rival BC High with a 28-0 victory Friday night at Cronin Stadium.

A week ago, Prep (7-1) lost to Catholic Memorial 34-0. This time, Prep controlled the line of scrimmage, preventing BC High (6-1) from gaining momentum on the ground. Prep’s defense held BC High star quarterback Carter Carroll to 138 yards.

“I thought scrimmage control was the story of the game,” St. John’s coach Brian St. Pierre said. “We take pride in that and we didn’t play at our level last week.”

After BC High turned the ball over on downs inside the home team’s 30-yard line, Deacon Robillard put Prep on top with a one-yard quarterback sneak.

Prep appeared to have a slight 7-0 halftime lead, but built some key leads before the half. Running back Jordan Toribio took the pitch, bounced left and sailed down the near sideline for a 46-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0.

The run was set up by a stunning catch by Navy receiver Merrick Barlow, who won the drill on his back and made a 40-yard catch.

“The reaction of our guys lived up to all our expectations,” St. Pierre said. “I’m very proud of them.”

Vargas took over in the second half. The freshman passed Pearson Skala for a 43-yard touchdown for a 21-0 lead.

BC High missed its second opportunity to get on the board late in the third quarter when it turned it over on downs at the Prep 18-yard line. The stoppage allowed Prep to close the deal. On the offside, Vargas rolled to his right and hit Josh Haarmann for a five-yard score and an insurmountable 28-0 lead.