'Hard to hear in the huddle on the first play': Shrewsbury, St. John's amp up rivalry in Hometeam Game of the Week
SHREWSBURY — A thunderous throng of about 3,500 townspeople and football fans filled the stands and crowded behind the end-zone fences at Shrewsbury High’s David J. Adams Memorial Field last year for the Colonials’ annual clash with neighboring St. John’s.
“It was so loud,” Shrewsbury senior captain Cooper Ackerman said at the end of Tuesday’s practice. “It was honestly hard to hear in the huddle on the first play. It was electric, crazy. I love it like that.”
On that wild night, Shrewsbury won a thriller, 18-15, to snap a seven-game losing streak against St. John’s, and give the Pioneers all the motivation they need coming into this year’s fray.
The teams meet at 7 p.m. Friday at Pioneer Field in the Hometeam Game of the Week.
“We have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” St. John’s senior captain Logan Mercer said after the Pioneers’ Tuesday practice. “You can’t lose to SHS. It’s kind of like a whole bragging rights thing, especially your senior year. You can’t go out on a loss.”
St. John’s leads the all-time series, 45-14-3.
“There’s nothing like a Friday night playing against those boys and just competing,” St. John’s senior captain Luke Lengel said. “It’s just awesome. Two years ago here, it was wild. Last year over there was maybe even crazier. We’re expecting the same type of energy this week.”
In recent seasons, the high school football landscape has changed, with St. John’s joining the Eastern Mass. Catholic Conference and the introduction of the statewide tournament, but the intense rivalry between the Pioneers and Colonials, Division 1 foes, remains.
More: Hometeam Central Mass. high school football standings, leaders
“It’s as strong as ever,” Shrewsbury coach John Aloisi, in his 10th season leading the Colonials, said. “They are right down the street and in the same division. We’re competing for the same playoff spots, and we have the potential to play each other in the playoffs. Having that commonality continues the rivalry, and makes it as heated as ever.”
First-year St. John’s coach John Vassar was part of the Pioneers-Colonials rivalry as a player, and as a Pioneers assistant last season.
“I’ve been receiving emails and calls from alumni talking about what this week means,” said Vassar, who succeed longtime St. John’s coach John Andreoli. “It’s a big tradition, and the whole town will be here. There will be more eyes on this game in Central Mass. than most others. It’s a big one for us. I told the kids my senior year (2010) we ended on a high note against Shrewsbury with a big win, and we want to replicate that this year and keep the winning tradition going.”
St. John’s, the top-ranked team in the T&G Super Seven large schools poll, is 2-0 for the first time since 2017.
The Pioneers opened with a 30-18 win at Leominster and beat La Salle (Rhode Island), 20-14, last week.
“We have to keep the energy and intensity rolling and execute,” said Lengel, who had a team-high 10 tackles against La Salle.
Junior quarterback Dylan DiPietro has completed 24 of 39 pass attempts for 394 yards and three touchdowns (two to senior Antonio Wiafe, one to junior Liam Mall). Mercer has carried 23 times for 136 yards and a pair of TDs.
“We have a lot of skill that I think we’ve displayed,” Vassar said. “I’m excited to show a little bit more of that.”
In last year’s game, former Shrewsbury quarterback T.J. Welch scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than 2 minutes left, and the Colonials recovered a fumble to secure the victory.
“It’s probably one of the most physical games we have,” said St. John’s senior captain Ron Burton III, who leads the team with 15 tackles. “We have to match their physicality and energy.”
Welch rushed for 199 yards in the 2022 game.
“They beat us on the run last year,” Vassar said, “and if you can beat a team running the ball, that means you have a really good DNA across the board. They are tough up front, but I’m excited to see how our guys stack up.”
Shrewsbury (1-1) fell to Andover, 40-7, in its 2023 opener, and bounced back, with just three days in between due to weather, to beat Acton-Boxborough, 49-14.
“That was a very big boost,” Shrewsbury senior captain Felix Pittorino said. “The quick turnaround didn’t bother us. We didn’t like that (opening) loss, and we wanted to come back out and win.”
Against Acton-Boxborough, senior running back Josiah Spiegel rushed for 151 yards and the first three touchdowns of his career. Sophomore quarterback Andrew Vincequere ran for a TD and passed for another in the second half.
The UConn-bound Ackerman had a touchdown reception, sack and fumble recovery.
“After the first week, we realized we had to come together and work as a unit,” Shrewsbury senior captain Jett Ellis said, “and we did that, which was great. We were firing on all cylinders, and everyone took it upon themselves to have a great week, and it showed.”
The Colonials last won back-to-back games over the Pioneers in 2012 and 2013.
“They look like a typical St. John’s team, very athletic, confident and with a lot of depth,” Aloisi said. “We are going to have to be on our ‘A’ game.”
Shrewsbury is St. John’s final Central Mass. opponent of the regular season. In addition to their Mid-Wach A opponents, the Colonials face Walpole and Bridgewater-Raynham in the coming weeks.
“We want to keep those longstanding traditions for our kids to have the opportunity to continue to play the Shrewsburys and the Leominsters,” Vassar said. “It’s a really good thing for our area.”
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Shrewsbury, St. John's amp up in-town rivalry in Hometeam Game of the Week
