Do or die. Crunch time. The big stage.
The last two months have been action-packed — three, if you count those hot summer days of camp — but this week, single-elimination state tournament football begins for Marblehead High and St. John’s Prep.
Marblehead (6-2) was upset by Danvers (6-2) Friday night, but that doesn’t mean the Magicians won’t be favorites in their postseason opener. They received the No. 6 seed in Division 4 and will host No. 11 Shepherd Hill Regional Friday at 7 p.m.
The good news for Shepherd Hill: It went 7-1 during the regular season.
The bad news: Its one loss was at home against Marblehead (35-22 final).
Now at Piper Field, the Magicians look to double up. They’ll be led by dual-threat quarterback Finn Gallup and running back Breydan Callahan.
Back to Friday night. Marblehead fell short against Danvers, 21-7, in a meeting of Division 4 contenders at Piper Field. Callahan scored a rushing touchdown to tie the game during the first quarter. Danvers held a 14-7 lead after three quarters before scoring again in the fourth.
St. John’s Prep (8-0) dominated during its regular season, which included crucial wins against Springfield Central and Catholic Memorial this past Saturday.
Sunday afternoon at approximately 1 p.m., the Eagles were rewarded with the No. 1 seed in Division 1.
Led by sophomore standout Chris Vargas at quarterback, St. John’s Prep welcomes No. 16 Framingham (4-3) Friday at 6 p.m. Before last Friday’s loss against Needham, the Flyers were red-hot with four consecutive wins.
Despite a high-powered offense that scored 29 or more points four times this season, Framingham will run into a different kind of beast at Glatz Field. St. John’s Prep shut out BC High and allowed just eight points against Marshfield.
The Prep is coming off Saturday’s pivotal, highly-intense home win against fellow powerhouse Catholic Memorial. In a 43-28 win, the Eagles trailed, 8-0, before flipping the switch as coach Brian St. Pierre collected his 100th career win. Vargas completed 20 passes and tossed four touchdowns.
