Optimism remains high in St. John's High football program despite 1-5 start
The football season to this point has certainly not gone the way the student-athletes and coaches from St. John’s High had hoped in terms of wins and losses, but the presence of pride is still evident through the ranks of one of the area’s most storied programs.
The Pioneers have flipped their usual season schedule, no longer facing many regional rivals and playing the vast majority of their games in the Catholic Conference, the school’s new league. You may get a smattering of rebuttals from a minority of high school football fans, but the Catholic Conference is largely viewed as the state’s toughest, top to bottom, year over year.
St. John’s is 1-5 but has a chance to boost its stock in the league by finishing strong against conference opponents Xaverian, St. John’s Prep and Malden Catholic, the Pioneers’ Thanksgiving opponent.
“We’ve had a tough start, no doubt,” longtime Pioneers coach John Andreoli said. “However, we’ve played very well at times in most every game we’ve played. We’ve made mistakes (turnovers and penalties) at inopportune times that have been difficult to overcome against a tough schedule.”
There is no shortage of talent and dedication on the St. John’s roster, so Andreoli and his staff have remained optimistic.
The coach praised the leadership of his senior captains Garrett Ranieri, Ryan Miller, Pat Borawski and Ben Wing. Another captain, Matt Marchese, was lost before the season’s first game due to injury, but has still been able to contribute as a leader.
Andreoli knows that his younger players are watching and learning from the seniors, so he’s thankful they have role models like Vasily Rogaev and Ben Thompson — two-way mainstays on the line — and Rafferty Bosompem.
“There are no challenges in keeping our kids motivated,” Andreoli said. “Collectively we’re focused on winning one day at a time, whether it be in practice, film, or in the weight room. We’ll approach every day with that in mind.”
Wolves howl back into playoff picture
Despite being one of the most consistently successful programs in Central Mass. for the last several years, there wasn't a whole lot of preseason buzz about Nashoba Regional.
After the Wolves began the season 1-2, it looked as if the program may be on its way to a rare season in which a postseason run wasn't in the cards.
Nashoba's student-athletes and coaching staff had other ideas, and following last weekend's upset win over rival Marlborough, the region has no choice but to again label the Wolves as a contender.
The 15-13 overtime win over the Panthers extended the Wolves’ winning streak to three games, and with a 4-2 record, Nashoba has a chance to make a final push for one of the 16 spots in the Division 4 state tournament. The Wolves are currently ranked No. 16, meaning if the playoffs started this weekend, they would be in.
“We had a great win last week,” Nashoba coach Andrew LeBlanc said. “One key is that our guys just don't quit, especially late in the game as seen in our two OT wins against Malden Catholic and Marlborough.”
Even during its slow start, Nashoba’s defense was solid, according to LeBlanc, and now the Wolves’ offense is rounding into form.
Senior cornerback Jax Christman has four interceptions, linebacker Giorgio DiDomenico and safety Cam Hill have been impressive run and pass defenders, and junior defensive end Nolan Losty has been a passing-game disrupter with his uncanny ability to swat away passes at the line of scrimmage.
Offensively, the success begins with the play of a strong, senior-led line that includes Brody Flannery, Liam Kelly, Aiden Carey and Ciaran Murphy.
Ben Silvester has been the team’s leading rusher and had a breakthrough game in a win against Malden Catholic with two touchdowns, including the winner in overtime.
Quarterback Mike Guthrie and receiver Thomas Kuefler have established a solid working relationship. Kuefler, one of the area’s top all-around athletes, contributes in other ways. He blocked a last-second field goal attempt to force overtime in the Malden Catholic win.
Nashoba likely needs wins in its final two games and will hope the math shakes out favorably to punch its postseason ticket.
“We lost to Leominster and Grafton earlier in the season, but played them tough,” LeBlanc said. “Those games made us stronger, and we are hoping to win our next two to get us to 6-2. Fingers crossed we get into the playoffs.”
Nashoba hosts Fitchburg Friday night, then travels to Tantasqua the following week.
—Contact Tom Flanagan at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Optimism remains high with St. John's High football
