St. Peter had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They came out on top against the St. John the Baptist Cougars by a score of 49-36 on Saturday. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 27th, while the Cougars are ranked 96th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Peter's had a senior duo take command as Marco Aruta rushed for 176 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 10.4 yards per carry and Jeremiah Williams gained 257 total yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave Aruta a new career-high in rushing yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: St. Peter's was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 321 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in six consecutive matchups.
Despite the loss, St. John the Baptist still got an impressive performance from Maxwell Bowers, who threw for 209 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown.
St. Peter's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 37.7 points per game. As for St. John the Baptist, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-8.
St. Peter's didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next match, a 42-28 win against Moore Catholic on the 16th. St. John the Baptist does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
