Corner Kicks boys soccer column: Deep and talented Eagles flying high to start the season
Sep. 28—It's no secret that St. John's Prep has had some über talented teams over the past decade. But this year's driven group is right up there with the best of them.
Boasting a deep and versatile roster, the Eagles are off to a sizzling 6-0-1 start. They're outscoring opponents by a substantial 20-3 margin, including four shutouts. Most recently, veteran head coach Dave Crowell's squad topped previously unbeaten Masconomet with a convincing 4-0 home decision.
St. John's made an appearance in the Division 1 Elite 8 last fall, and this year's squad appears better equipped to advance even further.
"I love our team," said Eagles' junior Jake Vana, who has won state titles with the Eagles in both hockey and lacrosse. "The best part about our team is how tight we are. A lot of guys come from the same club program or played against each other, so we all have that camaraderie and chemistry.
"But I think we're really talented and if we put it together you never know what can happen. So we're excited."
"The end goal is a state championship," added leading scorer Callum Rigby. "But we have to take each game as they come."
Part of what makes St. John's so special this season is their balance on each side of the ball.
Offensively, they've had nine different players score at least one goal, with Rigby leading the charge with four markers and four assists. Alex Borkland, Aithan Bezanson, Graham Kramer and transfer Chance Prouty (formerly of Danvers High) each have three, while fellow transfer Ross O'Brien (formerly with Masconomet) has scored twice.
Rigby in particular has shown the ability to score from anywhere on the pitch. His technical skills combined with speed and height make him a matchup nightmare for any defender. The senior captain had a ridiculous goal off a direct kick against Masco, bending it in far post, top shelf to finalize the scoring in Monday's big win.
"He does it all the time; Callum's amazing," said Vana, who has served as an irreplaceable asset in the middle by utilizing his size and strength to win 50-50 balls both on the ground and in the air with regularity.
"Seeing (Rigby) do it in practice, it's like routine at this point," Vana said of the free kick earlier this week. "He's unbelievable."
The junior Bezanson, who scored two goals in Monday's victory, has also earned praise from his team. Like Vana, Bezanson is excellent at gaining possession for his team in the midfield and has helped buoy the Eagles' attack consistently.
"He's a monster in the midfield; he wins everything with his head and he's not that big," said Crowell. "He's not a small kid either, but he's got great ups and is our ball winner in the middle of the field, which changes everything. Every time teams try to get going or get some momentum through the middle, he's just there to snuff it out."
Not to be left out, Tyler Schwalm and Michael Bertinato are two others who have regularly contributed on the attack.
On the other side of the pitch, St. John's has implemented a three-back defensive formation that's been near impossible to break. Those three backs — O'Brien, Will Minor and Jeffrey Lopez — all take pride in what they do, and they've helped make life easier for capable keeper Yianni Andrikopoulos.
"Going with three backs is risky but with the three guys we have, we just trust them big time," said Vana. "We put them in tough spots, but we know they can handle it. They've been the backbone of our team for sure."
Crowell echoed that statement; he hasn't had any regrets in going with the three-back set.
"They've been so big in the back," he noted. "The luxury to be able to play with three and play at the level that we're playing at makes all the difference."
With 11 games remaining on its regular season slate, St. John's is just getting started. The Eagles will look to keep their unbeaten record intact when they head to Longmeadow Friday afternoon.
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Former St. Mary's Lynn standout Jospeh Thongsythavong of Salem is enjoying a stellar senior campaign for Norwich College. The Salem native was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Year while earning GNAC First Team All-Conference and United Soccer All-Region Second Team honors a year ago.
This fall he's started all eight games for the Cadets, scoring six goals with five assists to lead his team in total points. Norwich sits at 5-2-1 on the season (4-1 in conference play) after beating Dean College on Wednesday for their fourth straight win.
If you know of a former local high school player who is currently playing in college and would like to see him highlighted in this column, please email me at NGiannino@Salemnews.com.
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Quick look at the current standings in the Cape Ann League prior to Wednesday's games...
In the Kinney Division, Newburyport (8-0 overall, 7-0 CAL) has proven to be the team to beat; the Clippers hold a 4-point advantage over second-place Lynnfield (5-1-2 overall, 4-1-1 CAL). In the Baker Division, both Hamilton-Wenham (2nd place at 3-1-1 overall and in conference) and Ipswich (4th place, 3-4-1 overall, 2-4-1 CAL) are chasing Rockport (5-2-1 overall, 4-2-1 CAL) at the top of the standings. Manchester Essex (3-1-1 overall and in conference) sits in between those two squads in third place.
After garnering a tournament berth with a late regular season push last fall, Ipswich is looking to stay at or above that .500 mark to make it back in the dance. Ned Buletza leads the way with four goals while Brian Milano has three goals and three assists.
For H-W, Will Gern has a team-best five goals (not including Wednesday's game).
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If you haven't heard of John Arruda yet, you will soon. The Peabody senior striker has been a scoring machine this fall, dropping in 11 goals to go with seven assists for the 5-1-2 Tanners.
Arruda boasts both size and skill up top, possessing terrific foot work and a knack for finding the back of the net. He's got speed too, and is able to turn on the jets while dribbling without missing a beat. Arruda, Bruno Correia (4 goals, 8 assists) and Victor Maciel (5 goals, 2 assists) have displayed great chemistry all season, with a number of other capable talents adding to what's been a potent offensive attack for head coach Stan McKeen.
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Masconomet bounced back beautifully on Wednesday after suffering its first loss to St. John's Prep two days prior. The Chieftains topped a young, feisty Marblehead team, 3-0, to improve to 8-1 on the year.
Head coach Jared Scarpaci's group is getting done by playing unselfish soccer, as 10 different players have scored at least once this season while nine players have tallied at least one assist. Keeper Marco Russo has more than done his part in net, making some brilliant saves and securing six shutouts already.
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As is the case each fall, Pingree got off to a later start than our other local boys soccer squads. Following a 2-2 draw against Dexter Southfield on Wednesday, the Highlanders sit at 3-1-1, with all three victories coming in shutout fashion.
Riley McClure leads the way in the scoring department with four markers in those five games, while Danny Alepa has popped in three. Charlie Lynch has been terrific in net with the three shutouts.
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The MIAA announced this week that their first tournament power rankings for all sports will be released on Friday. According to the MIAA website, beginning in October "the intention is to have updated power ratings on the MIAA website every Tuesday and Friday throughout the remainder of the fall 2022 regular season."
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Games to watch over the next week:
Thursday — Hamilton-Wenham at North Reading (4:45)
Friday — Masconomet at Beverly (4); Bancroft at Pingree (4:30); St. John's Prep at Longmeadow (5); Peabody at Danvers (6:30)
Saturday — Manchester Essex at Essex Tech (11 a.m.); Peabody at Billerica (5:30)
Monday, Oct. 3 — Hamilton-Wenham at Georgetown (3:45); Malden Catholic at St. John's Prep (4); Salem at Marblehead (4:30); Pentucket at Danvers (6:30); Haverhill at Peabody (7)
Tuesday, Oct. 4 — Ipswich at Amesbury (4); Nashoba at Essex Tech (4)
Wednesday, Oct. 5 — Salem Academy at Salem (4); Gloucester at Masconomet (4); Bishop Feehan at Bishop Fenwick (6:30).
Corner Kicks is a high school boys soccer column that appears each Thursday in The Salem News during the fall season. Contact staff writer Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com and follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.
Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.
