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St. John’s Prep and Xaverian entered the season with question marks at quarterback.

For one night, those questions were answered.

Aidan Driscoll made the most of his first start at St. John’s Prep, throwing for 228 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-14 victory over Marshfield. Less than 20 miles away, Henry Hasselbeck was just impressive, finishing with 226 yards and three scores, while rushing for a fourth TD in a 49-19 win over Everett.

“For the first time under real game conditions, Henry did a great job,” Xaverian coach Al Fornaro said of Hasselbeck, who transferred from Belmont Hill. “He had the big pass early on, struggled for a little bit, but for the most part, he let the game come to him. He’s shown good command of the offense so far.”

Driscoll, who transferred from St. John’s Prep from Austin Prep, earned a great deal of praise from head coach Brian St. Pierre. If anyone in the Bay State qualifies as an authority on QB play, St. Pierre is as good as any given his playing resume (Boston College, seven years in the NFL).

“We have a lot of weapons and Aidan did a good job of spreading the ball around,” St. Pierre said. “He’s done a really good job of picking up the offense as quickly as he has. I tell him that he’s our point guard and it’s his job to get the ball to the other players.”

As coaches in any sport can attest, there is always a concern when a transfer comes and takes a spot away from someone who may have been there for two or three years. That was magnified at Xaverian where the Hasselbeck name carries some serious clout. Hasselbeck’s father (Matt) and uncles (Tim and Nathanael) both starred there and, in the case of Matt and Tim, went on to play in the NFL.

“I think there might be have been more pressure if this was the town of Xaverian as opposed to just Xaverian,” Fornaro said. “The first day Henry came, we had him in the office and I just told him not to be his father, but just be you. Even though we have his dad and grandfather (Don Hasselbeck, who spent nine years in the NFL as a tight end) on the staff, we told him that the best players are going to play and that’s all Henry wanted. He’s a very respectful young man who is well-liked by his teammates.”

Driscoll had a different bit of cache, which St. Pierre feels made the transition a lot easier for all parties. One of the top baseball prospects in the area, Driscoll has already given a verbal commitment to Maryland.

“The kids all knew that he’s a Maryland commit and they did give him some cache, he wasn’t just some kid coming in,” St. Pierre explained. “The kids all really like and respect him and he’s certainly done enough to win the job.”

Arlington Catholic snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 28-21 win over Wilmington as Isaiah Osgood ran for two scores and through for two more. Millis also put an end to its seven-game losing streak as Nick Almeida’s 40-yard TD run in the fourth quarter was the only score in a 6-0 win over Tri-County.

On the coaching front, close friends Al Costabile of Shawsheen and Bob Almeida of Stoneham inched closer to the 200-win mark, each picking up victory number 197 this past weekend.

1. CATHOLIC MEMORIAL (0-0): The Knights open their season out of state as they visit LaSalle of Rhode Island.

2. XAVERIAN (1-0): Any time you go into Everett Memorial Stadium and drop 49 on the Crimson Tide, that’s pretty impressive.

3. ST. JOHN’S PREP (1-0): Eagles are going to score a lot of points this season with their impressive core of skill position players.

4. MANSFIELD (1-0): Hornets sting St. John’s (Shrewsbury) for the second straight season.

5. CENTRAL CATHOLIC (0-1): Raiders won’t have much time to lick their wounds as St. John’s Prep comes to town.

6. MILFORD (1-0): Solid opening triumph against Bridgewater-Raynham.

7. READING (1-0): James Murphy and the Rockets are off and running.

8. ANDOVER (1-0): Having a four-year starter like Scotty Brown is such a luxury for any coach.

9. KING PHILIP (1-0): Warriors open in style, pitching a shutout against BC High.

10. MILTON (1-0): Wildcats prevailed over Scituate in one of the better opening week matchups.

11. METHUEN (1-0): Rangers simply had too many weapons in their arsenal for Lynn English.

12. MARBLEHEAD (1-0): Blackjack for the Magicians as they extend their state-best current win streak to 21.

13. FRANKLIN (1-0): New look Panthers had the same results their fans have become recently accustomed to.

14. DUXBURY (1-0): Solid opening night victory in the Landolfi Bowl.

15. NATICK (1-0): Redhawks open up with a business-like victory over Needham.

16. EVERETT (0-1): Back to the drawing board after a lopsided home loss to Xaverian.

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