St. John's Prep, Springfield Central Meet in Massachusetts Football Season Opener

St. John's Prep opens its 2026 football season Friday with a road trip to Springfield Central and a rematch of one of Massachusetts' most dramatic games from last season.

The matchup features Ohio State commit Chris Vargas at quarterback for St. John's Prep and a Springfield Central offense that includes quarterback Jareth Staine and Notre Dame running back commit Isaiah Rogers.

St. John's Prep rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat Springfield Central 36-35 in last year's season opener.

A Tale of Two Quarterbacks

Vargas committed to Ohio State in August after receiving offers from programs including Michigan, Oregon and Alabama. He enters this season the No. 2 quarterback in nationwide in the Class of 2028, according to 247Sports. In his sophomore season for St. John's, Vargas threw for over 2,000 yards with 24 touchdowns before falling short in the state championship.

Senior Jareth Staine returns at quarterback for Springfield Central. Although his junior year stats aren't publicly available, in his sophomore season he threw for over 2,200 yards and 26 touchdowns. The 6-foot-1 quarterback will be ready to go on the season opener.

Playmakers Surround Both Quarterbacks

St. John's Prep also returns junior receiver Riley Selvais, who caught 71 passes for more than 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He has 10 Division I offers and had over 1,200 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns on 71 receptions just last season.

On the other side of the field is Notre Dame commit Isaiah Rogers, a four-star running back entering his senior season for the Golden Eagles. According to 247Sports, Rogers rushed for 986 yards in 10 games on 126 carries for 15 touchdowns. He also caught 37 passes for 401 yards and three touchdowns.

Last Year's Meeting Came Down to the Final Moments

The teams also opened last season against each other, with St. John's Prep rallying for a 36-35 victory.

Last year, to begin the season, these two teams met just like they will this year. Springfield Central had a comfortable 14-point lead late in the game before the momentum shifted. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles of St. John's erased that deficit and won the game. In the end, it was a rushing touchdown followed by a huge two-point conversion to win the game 36-35. But these teams history doesn't stop there.

In the 2025 season, St. John's was preparing for the Division 1 state championship against Xaverian. They were looking to accomplish what they planned on doing all year, but fell short 41-35. Now that they got a sniff of that championship experience, they will enter this season with a chip on their shoulder.

Springfield Central, on the other hand, knows what it's like to capture that trophy. Rewind to 2018, the Golden Eagles captured their first Division 3 state championship, followed by a second in 2019. Just two years later, now playing in Division 1, they captured yet another.

Goals For Each Team

Everybody knows these two teams are among the best in the state. Springfield Central will look to apply pressure to Vargas early and try to make everything uncomfortable. Look for Wake Forest commit McCoy Richardson throughout the game to make some big plays.

For St. John's, everybody knows about Vargas and Selvais' connection. The key for them will be involving running back Maxwell Parent. Parent will have all the touches this year, after going for 1,400 rushing yards last season while splitting carries.

We couldn't have asked for a better matchup to begin the season, and the result will be very telling for each team moving forward.

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