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“I’m blessed to have this chance,” said Parent, who has rushed for 594 yards and 10 touchdowns in tandem with fellow junior Jordan Toribio (93 carries, 788 yards, 10 TDs). “You can’t be nervous. You have to go out there and win your matchup, do your job. I’ve known for a long time that I could play at this level and now I have to hold up my end of the bargain. The last thing I want to do is hang up my cleats after high school.” Parent and Toribio have put up huge numbers behind a new offensive line, with Gio Correa, Will Figulski, Luke Mailhot, and Will Seaha taking their first varsity reps alongside Joe Irzyk, who saw action in a few games last season. Their protection has allowed five-star sophomore quarterback Chris Vargas (105-of-146 passing, 1,565 yards, 16 TDs, 1 INT) to have a sensational season along with his top target Riley Selvais (45 receptions, 789 yards, 8 TDs). “Vargas is one of the best players in the state, there’s no doubt about it,” said CM coach John DiBiaso, who has led the Knights to at least a share of the Catholic Conference title in seven straight seasons. “[The Eagles] offense is very difficult to defend. They’ve improved a lot since last year and they’re more explosive, so it’s going to be a big challenge and we’ll see which defense can slow the other offense down.” Last fall, CM rolled to a 34-0 home win over Prep behind a dominant defensive effort. The Knights are elite on that side of the ball again with Boston College-bound senior Mac Fitzgerald and FBS prospect Liam Conlon (the No. 11 linebacker nationwide for the Class of 2028 per 247 sports) leading the front. They have combined for 71 tackles and 11 sacks this season. Catholic Memorial’s offense is equally dangerous with Harvard-bound senior Kise Flannery (54-of-78 passing, 1,054 yards, 19 TDs) targeting elite receivers Caleb Garrity (316 yards, 6 TDs), Isaiah Simmons (284 yards, 5 TDs), Ramar Thomas (259 yards, 4 TDs), and Jordan Barros (123 yards, 3 TDs), plus Christian Simmons (290 rushing yards, 11 total TDs) out of the backfield. “I don’t know when [the Knights] walk into a game and don’t have the best athletes,” said Prep coach Brian St. Pierre. “They have our full respect. We didn’t play well in this game last year and we have to do something about it. This is one of those games our kids look forward to as a measuring stick.” Along with a new line, the Eagles have climbed back atop the MIAA Division 1 power rankings while integrating a largely new linebacking corps. Sam Hill, Bo Minogue, and Connor Quigley have stepped up in that area of the field with Alex Turrisi maintaining his presence as an excellent edge defender. Playing anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of defensive snaps at safety, Parent has been a major contributor on offense. The coaching staff gives him and Toribio the freedom to decide when they should rotate at tailback, creating a healthy dynamic that has been unstoppable in short-yardage situations. When teams stack the box, Vargas and Selvais show what they can do. The sophomores first played together on a 10U travel flag football team before arriving together at Prep in seventh grade. Since the school has a policy restricting middle schoolers from playing varsity, they ran with the scout team as eighth graders, but were clearly ready for Friday night lights when they got their shot. “It definitely got me ready to step into my role by freshman year,” Selvais said. “Now it’s all started to click at the varsity level. It kind of feels natural, coming out of the huddle. I trust [Vargas], and he trusts in me, so we just go out and do our job.” With a win, Prep would likely play Xaverian (5-2, 3-0) for the Catholic Conference crown on Thanksgiving. The rivals also met in the Division 1 Super Bowl in 2023, so there is plenty of high-level football left to be played regardless of Saturday’s result. “We’re still building, but this is a great time to play this game,” St. Pierre said. “We’ve played the toughest schedule in the state and this is the next step. How does it get tougher? You play CM. We’re not playing our best yet and we hope our best is yet to come.”
