Post Game Blog: St. John's Makes Short Work of Xaverian

The emergence of sophomore middie Andrew Cox has made St. John's even more dangerous.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Wow.

That's all I can really say after watching a game I thought would be close turn into a laugher, thanks to a dominant performance from the now 11-0 St. John's Pioneers.

Here is your weekly reminder that this blog is simply a collection of my wandering thoughts from the game. If you'd like full recaps, you can head on over to BostonLaxNet or ESPN Boston.

2014 CMass Lax Preview: St. John's Pioneers

Senior Drew Smiley (#4) and the Pioneers celebrated plenty of goals last season, but the prolific attackman will have a largely new supporting cast in 2014.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

After watching rival Algonquin take home the Central Mass crown in 2011 and 2012, regional power St. John's reasserted itself last season, knocking off the Tomahawks in the district semifinals, and winning its third district championship in the last five years.

It turns out the Pioneers may end up being the last Central Mass champions for a while, as they will play in the new Division 2 "Central/West" district. This "super" district comes as a part of the MIAA's tournament realignment and will feature the top teams from both Central and Western Massachusetts, officially ending the Central Mass tournament.

The Top Plays of CMass High School Football 2013

Davon Jones made big plays on both sides of the ball for St. John's this year.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Today we close the book on the 2013 high school football season in Central Massachusetts with my end of the year highlight package.

This video features plays and celebrations from the biggest games across Central Mass, including great moments from Leominster, St. John's, Doherty, Littleton, Shepherd Hill, Leicester, Auburn, St. Peter-Marian, Quabbin and Burncoat.

Postgame Blog: Mansfield Tops St. John's for D2 State Championship

Mansfield celebrates a state championship in Division 2.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

St. John's came into Saturday's Division 2 state championship game against Mansfield as the proverbial "hot team" in the state, but were cooled off by a fast and aggressive Hornets team that bested them 28-14.

It was a rough end for a Pioneer squad that achieved so much this season, including knocking off rival Leominster in the D2 Central final, and scoring a massive win over power Springfield Central in the state semifinal.

Massachusetts Super Bowl Previews: Divisions 1-3

Expect points galore when St. John's and QB Drew Smiley battle high-powered Mansfield.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

A dozen high school teams from Eastern and Central Mass have finished their journeys down the #RoadToGillette, and are now preparing for the first state-wide football championships in Massachusetts history.

As you may or may not know, I've spent the majority of the year covering Central Mass. So, I will briefly touch on the exclusively Eastern Mass title games (Divisions 1 and 3), but give far more in-depth previews of the games that include teams from the heart of the Commonwealth.

So, here it is, Part I of everything you need to know about Super Bowl Saturday at Gillette Stadium this weekend.

Massachusetts Thanksgiving Football Game Notes

Burncoat WR Nathan Dubay (11) grabs teammate Tyrae Sims (34) and helps him fight across the goal line in an eventful Thanksgiving Day game against Doherty.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Thanksgiving Day was interesting for high school football in Massachusetts this year, as the new state-wide playoff format led to 12 teams playing meaningless games a week before their respective Super Bowls. Well, they were meaningless when it came to competing for a state championship, but don't tell those kids or coaches that these games didn't matter.

Playing to Win and Injuries

By in large, teams competing for Super Bowls next week played to win their rivalry games, and thus, put their starters at risk of injury. It didn't work out for some, as D2 East champion Mansfield lost star tight end/wide receiver Brendan Hill in the first half of its game against Foxboro. The athletic 6-foot-6 Hill left the game with a knee injury, and was seen on the sideline with crutches. This would, obviously, be a huge blow if Hill is not able to play December 7th in the D2 Super Bowl against St. John's (Shrewsbury).

Postgame Blog: St. John's Stuns Springfield Central

Drew Smiley hauls in a one-handed interception to clinch the game for St. John's.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Here is your reminder that this blog is simply a collection of my wandering thoughts. For a complete write up, my buddy Brendan Hall has you covered over at ESPN Boston. If you'd like to see my highlights, those are on ESPN Boston as well, and here's a link for you lazy folks out there.

Now, let's get into what was a HUGE win for the St. John's football program.

CMass Playoff Notebook: Champions to be Crowned

QB Drew Smiley and the Pioneers will have revenge on their minds when they face Leominster Friday.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Our first season in the new state-wide football playoff system has been a fun one, but let's not forget you need to win Central Mass before you can prove your worth to the entire Commonwealth.

Taking home a CMass crown is exactly what eight teams have on their minds this weekend, as champions will be crowned across the region's four divisions. So, without further ado, here is everything you need to know about the championship games in Central's D2, 4, 5 and 6.

Division 2: St. John's and Leominster, Friday at 7 pm

Postgame Blog: St. John's Too Much for Marlboro

St. John's QB Drew Smiley (right) and RB Shane Combs (left) form the most feared backfield in Central Mass... But football isn't even the top sport for either of them.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

So much for this being the exciting semifinal in D2 Central.

The Pioneers of St. John's were scary efficient in their 56-20 thrashing of visiting Marlboro, and quarterback Drew Smiley had one of the finer performances of his stellar career, throwing for 3 scores and adding another two on the ground.

On the day, Smiley was 12/14 passing for 205 yards, while rushing four times for 70 yards. Yeah, he was pretty darn good.

CMass HS Football Power Rankings: 9/16/13

Leominster senior Neil O'Connor does it all for the Blue Devils, but is he the top player in CMass?

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

While a few teams across the region got started two weeks ago, high school football really kicked off in Central Mass this past weekend. Leominster defeated St. John's in the region's most anticipated game, and Hudson turned heads across the state, blasting 5-time defending Super Bowl champion Auburn 33-0, ending a 22-game Rocket winning streak.

Doherty and Nashoba held serve, but our preseason power rankings were certainly shaken up by action across Central Mass. Check out our Power Rankings, upcoming Game of the Week, and CMass Player of the Year Watch List below.

CMass HS Football Game of the Week Preview: St. John's at Leominster

St. John's senior QB Andrew Smiley (left) and Leominster senior QB/S Neil O'Connor (right).

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

This week's Central Mass Game of the Week is a bit of a no-brainer, as ESPN Boston has named Leominster's home date with St. John's its game of the week for the entire state.

So, while I'd love to go against the grain and give you all the details on Auburn visiting Hudson, I'm not going to over think this one. I mean, I did rank these two teams No. 1 and 2 in my first CMass Power Rankings, so not picking this game would be silly and a bit of a contradiction.

Anyway, neither of these teams have played a game yet, but each has challenged itself in the preseason, scrimmaging against some of the best teams in Central Mass and beyond. While this game represents a rematch of the last two Central Mass Division 1 Super Bowls, both teams still have questions to answer: Leominster in the trenches and St. John's throughout its defense.