#2 St. John's Shrewsbury Breakdown

Once.  That's how many times St. John's Shrewsbury has been held under 35 points this season.  In three of those games, they put up 40 or more.  Their defense has allowed double digits only three times, with 13 being the high.  You'd be hard pressed to find another team that scores with the ease the Pioneers do.  You'd also be hard pressed to find a defense that has the ability to put the clamps on their opponent with such efficiency.  Here are some things to note about our #2 ranked team in the state.

• This team is well tested.  Don't make the mistake of thinking SJS has padded their record with a bunch of flakes.  They've beaten three historically strong Western Mass programs (Fitchburg, Leominster and Longmeadow), and took down Catholic Conference power St. John's Prep.  Beyond that, Holy Name, whom they shut out 40-0 in week one, lost in the State Championship last year and has strung off six straight wins since the two met. 
• They have some pretty good weapons outside of their quarterback and wide receiver.  In case you haven't heard, Richard Rodgers is good.  He's hauled in at least one touchdown in every game, and is heading to Cal next year.  But the Pioneers have other weapons that are capable of doing just as much damage.  Christian Dulmaine has eight grabs for 130 yards and two touchdowns in his last three games.  John Vassar has rolled off six scores in the last four.  If you hope to knock this team off, you'll need an outstanding effort from all 11 players on your defense. 
• They could easily have pitched three shut-outs.  Of the three games in which they yielded one score, only Shrewsbury was able to earn their points against the Pioneers' starters.  Despite playing sparingly in the second half of their games, this is a well conditioned unit.  Many times they have been forced to get right back on the field after a quick strike by their offense.  The one time they faced a challenge from beginning to end, they pitched a second half shut-out.   

St. John's Shrewsbury by the Numbers

- Points Scored: 287 (41 ppg)

- Points Allowed: 59 (8.4 ppg)

- Margin of Victories: 228 (287-59) 

- Passing Touchdown Leader: Dan Light (14)

- Rushing Touchdown Leader: Dan Light (10)

- Receiving Touchdown Leader: Richard Rodgers (9)

- Total Touchdown Leader: Dan Light (24)

- Longest Win Streak: 7

- Longest Losing Streak: N/A