Robillard comes off bench to help St. John’s past pesky La Salle Academy

DANVERS — On Senior Day at St. John’s Prep, it was fittingly Deacon Robillard who stepped up to propel the Eagles on Saturday at Cronin Memorial Stadium.

Robillard lost his starting job to freshman Chris Vargas, but on Saturday, he stepped back into the spotlight and rushed for two touchdowns and hit 4-of-4 passes for 54 yards in the second half to lead the Eagles to a 28-0 win over the Rams.

“That was a senior making huge plays on senior day,” Eagles coach Brian St. Pierre said of Robillard. “He’s just a high-character kid. He understands the situation that went against him but he’s a competitor and a great teammate.”

The Eagles (4-0) needed that lift because La Salle (2-2) was making life difficult for them for most of the day.

Rams quarterback Sam Perry threw for 144 yards but his team was unable to finish off drives in the first half thanks to the Prep defense.

An interception early in the first quarter led to a 78-yard touchdown drive that Robillard capped with a one-yard sneak. The Rams promptly marched into the red zone on the next series but fumbled at the St. John’s 13 and the Eagles recovered.

Feeding off that momentum and the hard running of Jeff Quigley (16-113), SJP doubled its lead late in the half when Vargas hit fullback Gael Garcia for a 44-yard screen pass touchdown on fourth and four.

The teams traded punts for most of the third quarter. That’s when Robillard stepped under center and made a huge play.

On third and six at the 24, he found Pierson Scala for a 59-yard gain. Three plays later, Robillard had his second TD of the game to make it 21-0.

Any hopes of a La Salle comeback ended on the next series when Lucas Pelletier took a tipped pass and returned it for a touchdown.

“I liked how we came out of the room to begin the second half (defensively),” St. Pierre said. “They had a sense of purpose.”

The Eagles now get a bye week before opening Catholic Conference in two weeks against Malden Catholic.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/xcS7MyD