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| Though widely known for its offense, look for St. John's to be greatly improved on defense, led by senior middle linebacker Sam Norton (66). |
St. John's has long been one of, if not the, best high school football programs in Central Mass, but the Pioneers had a monkey they just couldn't get off their back: Rival Leominster.
St. John's came into 2013 having lost four straight to the Blue Devils, including a pair of Division I Central Super Bowls. When Leominster took down the Pioneers 33-22 to start the year, it seemed like another CMass season would belong to their nemesis from the north.
Things got even worse in the coming weeks, as St. John's needed a miracle kickoff return from Michael McGillicuddy to survive Fitchburg, and dropped its second in a row to crosstown rival Shrewsbury. The Pioneers then fell into a 20-7 hole against Marlborough.
But then things began to click.
