DANVERS — The No. 1 St. John’s Prep lacrosse team started the postseason on the right note Friday with a convincing 17-3 win over No. 9 Peabody in the Division 1 North quarterfinal at Fred Glatz Field.
“It was an all around really good job,” Eagles coach John Pynchon said. “Leo (Shidler) does a really good job in year one over (at Peabody). They’ve been really reviving a strong tradition. I know a lot of their younger guys from coaching in the summer and they have a lot of talent coming back. They got a lot coming back.
“But I think that’s the difference,” Pynchon said. “We have been here before. So the nerves that everyone felt (Friday), the pressure, we felt comfortable with that because we’ve been in it a little bit.”
St. John’s offense had no problem waiting for its chances and moving the ball around with 13 goal scorers. Depth has played a key factor for St. John’s all season.
“It’s a huge boost to the program,” Pynchon said. “Part of what we’re trying to build here is that depth. Being sustainable and not just having just one or two players. We got guys that you don’t even see practicing against the starters. It’s been a great year on the field but we’re more excited about what we’re doing in the locker room and at practice.”
Wes Rockett led the way with two goals and two assists while Dan DeLaus, Patrick Keefe and Jake Surette each scored a pair of goals. Michael Ott had one goal and four assists and Craig Yannone, who set the tone in the faceoff circle, scored one goal with one assist.
Pat Nistl, Lucas Brennan, Michael Kelly, Josiah Brown, Tucker Smith, Graham Tyson and Brian Souza each had one goal. Goalkeeper Alex Kreher had six saves.
The Tanners faced an uphill battle trying to gain possession, starting with Pat Russo in the faceoff circle against Yannone.
“The first quarter we were there,” Peabody coach Leo Shidler said. “We executed to a certain extent. We had a certain gameplan coming in obviously to possess the ball. Their faceoff player (Yannone) is ridiculous. It’s tough when you don’t win a draw to possess. And Pat (Russo) is very good too, but Yannone’s hands are super quick. He battles and never quits.”
Jack Houlden, Colby Therrien and Connor McCarron each had one goal for Peabody. Austin Leggett had seven saves.
It didn’t take long for the Eagles to get ahead with Ott swinging a nice pass to Rockett out front who scored to give St. John’s a 1-0 lead.
The Prep added two more goals before Peabody had a possession. DeLaus made a nice move to the net to score and Keefe ripped a shot to stretch the Eagles lead to 3-0.
The Tanners saw a few scoring chances next with a pair of lengthy possessions but Kreher came through with a pair of saves. Peabody finally cashed in with a goal from Houlden to cut the Eagles lead to 3-1 late in the first quarter.
But the Eagles quickly took but the momentum with Ott assisting a goal from Nistl to put St. John’s ahead 4-1 before the end of the first.
The second quarter was all St. John’s. Keefe started things off with an early goal and Surette and Brennan each added a tally next to give the Eagles a 7-1 lead. Late in the second quarter, Rockett followed up a St. John’s timeout with an unassisted goal and Yannone turned a faceoff win into another goal to stretch the lead to 9-1.
Surette and Ott added two goals in the final minute of the half to give St. John’s a 11-1 lead heading into the break.
The second half was more of the same. Kelly, Brown and DeLaus each added a goal in a two minute span in the third quarter to give the Eagles a 14-1 lead. Peabody got back on the board next with a goal from Therrien to cut the lead to 14-2.
With running time in the fourth quarter, St. John’s added a quick goal from Smith to go ahead 15-2. McCarron capped off the Tanners scoring with a goal midway through the fourth and Tyson and Souza each added a tally to seal the 17-3 win.
The Tanners’ (12-7) season may be coming to a close but the future is bright after making the playoffs for the first time in four years.
“Our guys came to play but talent on talent it just wasn’t there,” Shidler said. “We have a lot of work to do, but we’ll be back. The future is definitely bright with some of the players we got here. To be able to come in here and play a team that I think is winning the whole thing is an experience you can’t get elsewhere. Hopefully we learn from it.”
The Eagles host No. 4 Central Catholic Monday (7) in the Division 1 North semifinal. St. John’s defeated Central 9-8 during the regular season.
“Every game left is going to be a battle,” Pynchon said. “There aren’t any easy games left.”