Mount St. Joseph traveled to Danvers, Mass. on Saturday to face St. John’s Prep in what proved to be a wild, high scoring offensive football game, won by the hosts, 42-35.
St. Joe raced out to a 21-0 lead behind the play of quarterback Luke Casey, who tossed a pair of touchdown passes in a game where he completed 23-of-34 attempts for 337-yards.
St. John’s countered with the running of Tyler Coppola, who rushed for a school record 346 yards and five touchdowns. He also added an additional 135 yards in receiving and kick returns to finish the day with a whopping 486 yards of total offense.
Coppola almost had a sixth touchdown when he returned a kickoff 96 yards following St. Joe’s third score. Prep quarterback Tommy Gaudet capitalized on that effort with a one-yard TD sneak and Coppola added the second Eagle touchdown, less than a minute later, with a 57-yard run.
St. Joe (3-3) continued to lead into the second half, but Coppola tied the game with a 76-yard touchdown run and put the Eagles on top with a 48-yard scamper. Before the third quarter ended, he scored again on a 61-yard run.
Shell-shocked the Gaels pulled back within 35-28 when Casey scored on a one-yard sneak, but Coppola exploded for a 42-yard touchdown run, on Prep’s next possession.
St. Joe returns to MIAA A Conference next Saturday when it visits McDonogh.
