Xaverian hands Stevenson 100th win
SHREWSBURY -- If there was any lingering frustration from last week's loss to Marshfield, the Xaverian football squad took it out on St. John's of Shrewsbury.
Duke-bound quarterback Zack Asack threw a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes yesterday, helping the Hawks pile up 470 yards of total offense and roll to a 35-12 victory over host St. John's in a nonleague matchup.
Xaverian improved to 7-1 and coach Charlie Stevenson earned the 100th victory of his career. "The only win that is important is the next one," said Stevenson. "That's always been the way we've looked at it here. I've been fortunate to coach a lot of great kids and this is really a reflection of all their hard work and that of my assistant coaches."
Asack shined in the first quarter. The 6-foot-4-inch, 190-pound senior completed 6 of 6 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the first frame, while St. John's had 24 yards overall in the first 11 minutes.
Xaverian couldn't even stop itself in the first quarter. A holding penalty, coupled with a slip by Asack on a pass attempt, forced the Hawks into a third-and-25 situation from the St. John's 33, but Asack calmly lofted a 28-yard pass to junior wide receiver Christopher Fox for a first down. On the next play, Asack flipped a 5-yard touchdown pass to Michael Flanagan for a 7-0 advantage.
On the ensuing drive, Xaverian defensive back Francis Gorman wrestled a pass from St. John's wide receiver Ben Roopenian as the Hawks regained possession. Asack went to work, completing three passes for 77 yards on a four-play drive that culminated with a 43-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Sean Fitzpatrick.
"You just have to come out and be ready to play," said Asack. "I tried to get into a flow and keep that going."
In the second quarter, the Hawks turned to their ground attack. Senior tailback Bradley Ricketson burst through a gaping hole on the right side and raced 55 yards down the sideline before he was shoved out of bounds at the 1. The Hawks went back to Ricketson, who plunged into the end zone for a 21-0 lead.
The Hawks added to their lead by covering 84 yards in 10 plays on their first possession of the second half. Asack contributed a pair of long third-down passes to keep the chains moving and then called his own number on an 8-yard touchdown run.
Unable to exploit Xaverian's defense, St. John's (6-2) turned to its special teams. Junior Matt Logan returned the kickoff 72 yards to the Xaverian 8 before he was chased down. Pioneers senior quarterback Eric Dickson scrambled in and cut the lead to 28-6 with 6:06 remaining in the third quarter.
Dickson used a pair of long scrambles to move the Pioneers down the field but he was intercepted by Gorman in the end zone with 6:35 remaining.
Xaverian drove 91 yards on five plays, Brian McDonough exploding up the middle on a 33-yard touchdown run for a 35-6 lead with 4:05 remaining.
"It's a nice win, but now we have to focus on next week," said Stevenson. "It's always a big game when we play BC High and both teams are going to be sky high for the matchup."
