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Central Catholic defense overwhelms Prep in convincing victory

Saturday, September, 16 By David Willis
Staff writer

LAWRENCE — After all of the hype, the state championship chatter, and an extra day of waiting thanks to a flood, it was time for Central Catholic to prove itself against another Massachusetts football power.

And boy did the Raiders deliver.

Central allowed St. John’s Prep just 98 yards of total offense, and let the Eagles cross the 50-yard line just once all night on the way to a convincing 21-0 victory on Saturday night in front of an estimated crowd of 3,000 fans.
“This is a huge win,” said running back/linebacker Max Faro. “We came in ready to go, and I think we made a statement across the league and state. We were playing hard, we were hitting, and we couldn’t ask for a better effort. We were focused and played as well as we could.”
It was the second straight victory for Central over its non-conference rival. The Raiders snapped a four-game losing streak to the Eagles last fall, with a 21-14 win.
Central Catholic entered Friday ranked No. 2 in the Boston Globe Top-20, while the Prep was close behind, ranked No. 4. The game was scheduled for Friday, but had to be moved back one night due to major flooding on the Lawrence Veterans Memorial Stadium turf.
“We all knew how big a game this was,” said reigning Eagle-Tribune All-Star linebacker Ty Donatio. “We hadn’t beaten them twice in a row since the 90’s. We knew they would be tough, and we proved to ourselves that we could do it tonight.”
After Central’s first drive of the game stalled at the Prep 6-yard line, the Raiders grabbed a lead they would not surrender one possession later.
University of New Hampshire-bound Central QB Bret Edwards hit Jake Delaney on a 44-yard pass, setting up an Edwards 4-yard plunge into the end zone with 2:57 to go in the first.
The Raiders added to the advantage one drive later. Max Faro finished off a methodical 12-play drive with a 5-yard score, stretching the ball over the goal line to make it 14-0.
Meanwhile, the Central defense was dominating.
The Raiders held the Prep to two first downs and just 52 yards in the first half, never allowing them to cross the 50. When the Prep did seem to be starting a drive, Raider Samir Perez burst through the line and sacked Prep QB Mike Yarin.
It was more of the same in the second half. Central senior Mathias Villafane picked off a pass to end the Prep’s first drive of the third. Then Anthony Mendonca and Kalvin Guillermo each made stops behind the line of scrimmage to derail the next possession.
When the Prep did finally advance pass midfield — thanks to a penalty — Ty Donatio burst in to drop the ball carrier for a 5-yard loss and a turnover on downs on the second play of the fourth quarter.
“Our guys up front were making plays, and I don’t think our defensive backs gave up a big play all night,” said Donatio, who made a team-high 12 tackles. “Everyone was flying to the ball. Everyone was hitting. We played tough all night.”
Faro and Central would strike one more time. The senior halfback turned the corner and tip-toed inside the marker for a 6-yard TD with 5:37 left in regulation.
The Rangers now set their eyes on another rivalry matchup, welcoming Methuen on Saturday for a rare 2 p.m. start.
“I think this win is a message to the state,” said Donatio. “We are definitely pumped about the win. But right now we are all about Methuen.”