BOSTON — Earlier this week at practice, I asked Catholic Memorial Head Coach John Dibiaso, “How are you gonna beat these guys?” His answer? “I’m going to church every day this week and pray. And I’m going to lean on my wife”. Dibiaso was being half funny, but half serious.
St John’s Prep has been dominant this season, and Dibiaso knows why: “They are very well coached and very talented, and both lines are very strong on both sides of the ball”.
St. John’s Prep and Catholic Memorial are perennial powerhouses, and this year, in the Boston Globe High School top 20 they had been ranked #1 (St. John’s) and #2 (CM) coming into last week. (7-0) St. John’s Prep remains #1 after beating Malden Catholic 31-12 in Danvers. However, (6-1) Catholic Memorial lost at St John’s Shrewsbury last week 34-7 and dropped from #2 to #3 in the poll. “We were brought back down to earth”, said DiBiaso.
Despite CM stumbling last week, St John’s Prep head coach Brian St Pierre knows that the Knights are to be feared this week. “They are a typical CM team. Very well coached and they are always the most talented team we play every year”, says St Pierre. “When kids think about coming to St John’s Prep, these are the games they think about playing in. We’ve had great battles with them since I’ve been coaching here, and we had great battles with them when I was a player. This game still means a lot now”
This game also features Chris Vargas at Quarterback for St. John’s Prep. The junior from Lawrence is Massachusetts’ first-ever five-star quarterback and also the highest-ranked recruit to ever come out of this state. This past August, Vargas committed to attend Ohio State after he graduates in 2028. Both head coaches think Vargas has a very good chance to play in the NFL someday. John Dibiaso says, “I compare him to a thoroughbred racehorse. You look at this kid since he was a freshman; he’s just different. He looks the part of an NFL Quarterback. He’s the complete package.”
Brian St. Pierre himself was one of the best high school quarterbacks to ever come out of Massachusetts. Brian played at St. John’s Prep (Class of 1997), then at Boston College (1998-2002), and then had an 8 year NFL career playing for 4 different teams: Steelers, Ravens, Cardinals, and Panthers.
He believes Vargas has all the tools but also the intangibles to be an NFL quarterback. “He’s 6’5,” and he has a howitzer attached to his right shoulder, but I also think it’s his mental toughness, his physical toughness, his mental makeup, his ability to process on the field. All the intangible things that a quarterback needs, Chris has. It’s a pleasure to coach him. He’s only a junior, so he’s got a ways to go, but his thirst for knowledge and desire to grow as a player is definitely a strength of his as well”.
6:00 PM Friday night it’s St John’s Prep at Catholic Memorial for this week’s Boston 25 High School Gameday Game of the Week.
I will be live in West Roxbury starting at 3 PM on Friday, and later that night on the Boston 25 News at 10 and 11, our Lauren Walsh will have highlights and postgame reaction.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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