Central Mass High School Football Road Trip: St. John's (Shrewsbury)

Led by senior linebacker John Fields (49), St. John's looks to be as strong as ever on defense this year.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

St. John's has been known for it's no-huddle "Blur" offense the past few years, run to perfection by multi-year starting quarterbacks Andrew Smiley and Tim Cassidy.

This year, however, the Pioneers replace nine starters on offense, including a new signal caller. That means St. John's could be a (gasp) defensive team in 2016, and that's not by default. Led by a trio of talented senior in the front seven, and a massively talented junior class, the Pioneers are poised to be one of the best defensive teams in Central Mass.

But oh yeah, they also have the pieces to again be explosive on offense.

I caught first-look at St. John's Saturday in their annual scrimmage against Brockton. For a full write-up of that scrimmage, head over to ESPN Boston. For more on what to expect from the Pioneers this year, continue below.

Postgame Blog: St. John's Runs Past Grafton

St. John's attack Jared Ward looks for space against Grafton.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

On a rainy, windy, chilly afternoon in Shrewsbury, host St. John's overcame a sloppy start to route Grafton 10-0 and put the rest of Central Mass lacrosse on notice.

The Pioneers win came in a game that featured the Top-2 teams in our Central Mass Lacrosse Power Rankings, and featured an avalanche of a third quarter that saw St. John's win every face-off of the period and rattle off seven goals.

"Coach (Terry Leary) harps on assisted goals, so we really brought that through in the third quarter and that's what got us through," St. John's senior Jared Ward said. "First quarter, we were doing a lot of one-on-one stuff. We weren't moving the ball, it was really just a stagnant offense. But, once we get one in transition it usually comes. So, when it rains it pours, they say."