St. John’s Prep 38, Franklin 0: Junior running back Maxwell Parent had scoring runs of 20 and 4 yards while also rushing for a trio of 2-point conversion as the top seeded Eagles (now 9-0) rolled in their Division 1 playoff opener at Glatz Field.
Jordan Toribio, another junior tailback, added a 42-yard scoring run and a game-high 110 yards rushing for the Eagles. Tight end Brody Gillingham caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Chris Vargas, and backup John Budrow came in and found Riley Selvais for a 24-yard touchdown for St. John’s Prep, which will next host Leominster in the state quarterfinals Friday at 6 p.m.
Masconomet 35, Melrose 14: Senior captain Jack Fabiano continued his season for the ages, rushing for 322 yards and all five of his team’s touchdowns, allowing the Chieftains (8-1) to take down the Raiders at Bunker Stadium in a Friday night Division 3 playoff contest. Fabiano scored from 69 yards out on the game’s second play from scrimmage, added a 4-yard run in the second quarter, took one in from 16 yards out in the third, and added 19- and 35-yard TD runs in the fourth. Masconomet advanced to meet third seeded Milton Friday in the quarterfinals.
Marblehead 42, Shepherd Hill 14: Senior running back Breydan Callahan ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries and caught a 58-yard score as well to help the Magicians (7-2) roll over Shepherd Hill for the second time this season, thus advancing to the Division 4 quarterfinals this Friday in Canton. Sophomore wide receiver Landon Dosch had a breakout game with his first two varsity touchdown receptions, coming from 36 and 75 yards out, and finishing with four catches and 145 yards. Quarterback Finn Gallup was 7-for-8 through the air for 208 yards and three TDs for Marblehead.
Bishop Fenwick 27, Medway 14: Senior captain Dylan Patturelli ran for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 1-yard plunge late in the contest, to seal the deal for the Crusaders in a Division 6 playoff opener. Making his first varsity start, sophomore QB Andrew Kiricoples threw for 209 yards and a pair of scores, finding tight end Odin Garron on a 81-yard touchdown on his team’s first offensive play and later hooking up with captain Jesse Timson on a 39-yard trip to the end zone. Fenwick will play at Abington Friday (7 p.m.) in the quarterfinals.
Ashland 36, Danvers 20: The Falcons (6-3) fought furiously on the road in an attempt to come back from a 22-point halftime deficit, but weren’t able to do so in a Division 4 playoff setback. Sophomore Zach Fultz ran for 119 yards and a touchdown, with quarterback Nate Wise and wideout Matt Nikiforov (11 yards) also finding the end zone. Defensive lineman Logan Travers also had a big impact for the Blue-and-White, particularly in the second half.
Shawsheen 55, Salem 14: Facing the unbeaten Super Bowl champions, Salem (3-6) couldn’t slow down the juggernaut Rams in a Division 5 first round setback. Alvin Laurent got Salem on the board in the first half with a 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and captain Elvis Espinal (73 yards on 14 carries) added a fourth quarter score on a 2-yard run and ensuing 2-point rush.
Archbishop Williams 14, Swampscott 7: Facing the unbeaten Bishops on the road in their Division 5 playoff opener, the Big Blue (6-3) saw captain Will Bush haul in a 55-yard touchdown pass from junior John von Barta (179 yards passing) to take a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. But Archies responded with a score of their own and 2-point conversion before the half, then got an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter to knock off the Northeastern Conference Lynch champions.
Ipswich 42, Brighton 20: Ethan Boleski finished with 216 yards rushing and was one of six Tigers who scored a touchdown to help his team end a seven-game losing streak with a decisive victory. Cullen Courville, Luke Wile and Will Gromko all ran for scores while Sawyer Gromko and Zach Isaac caught TD passes from quarterback Vin Winter for Ipswich (2-7).