FOXBORO — At one point this season, Dave Chiavegato could only watch his team winning games from the sideline. As he nursed a back injury, his senior year was passing by quickly.
The UMass commit made his return in the playoffs and saved his best game for last. The senior finished with a game to remember (five catches, 142 yards receiving), tying a state record for touchdown receptions (three) in an MIAA Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, Will Wood (345 yards passing) fired five touchdowns as No. 3 Xaverian (11-2) won its third consecutive Div. 1 championship with a memorable 41-35 victory Saturday over top-ranked St. John’s Prep.
“Nobody’s disrespected us,” Xaverian head coach Al Fornaro said of his team. “They wanted to prove that the things that happened in the past few weeks were not flukes. That it was for real. They practiced hard, and they played hard.”
It was a rematch of the 2023 Div. 1 title bout, which Xaverian won in a 31-25 classic. The Catholic Conference rivals had recently met on Thanksgiving, with the Hawks winning a 21-18 nail-biter.
Rumors were swirling that St. John’s Prep (11-2) star Chris Vargas (leg injury) was returning for the state final, and they were confirmed as the five-star recruit jogged out to the turf in pads. However, things did not start off well for the sophomore quarterback, as he was picked off on his first pass attempt of the game by Xaverian’s Jonathan Etienne. The Hawks capitalized on the turnover moments later, as Wood connected with Christian McIntyre for a 65-yard touchdown strike, providing Xaverian a 7-0 lead with 8:20 to play in the first quarter.
St. John’s Prep responded in short order as Vargas atoned for his miscue. The sophomore fired a dart to Riley Selvais, who scampered loose for a 48-yard touchdown reception to even the score at 7-7 just 2:45 later.
The chess match continued in the opening frame, as Wood took another Hail Mary shot for McIntyre. As he has done so often this fall, the senior hauled in the pass for a 62-yard touchdown reception, as Xaverian snatched the lead right back at 14-7 with 3:15 left in the first.
Momentum carried into the second quarter for Xaverian, as Wood fired a bullet over the middle. The junior connected with Chiavegato for a 14-yard touchdown pass, as the Hawks extended their lead to 21-7 with 10:52 remaining in the half.
Later on in the frame, the Hawks continued to roll as Rocco Sestito capped a 68-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown rush. By intermission, Xaverian had constructed a stunning 27-7 advantage.
St. John’s Prep appeared to be gaining some traction in the third, as Selvais took the opening kickoff back to the house for an 80-yard touchdown return to make it a 27-14 contest. Then Vargas was intercepted shortly thereafter by Xaverian’s Ryan Dickhaut, who returned the pick to the Eagles’ 30. One play later, Wood connected with Chiavegato for a 30-yard touchdown pass, pushing the lead back to 34-14.
Jordan Toribio closed the quarter with a one-yard touchdown rush for St. John’s Prep, as the Eagles cut it to a 34-21 lead entering the final stanza.
Looking to seal the deal early in the fourth quarter, Wood connected with Chiavegato for a 40-yard touchdown pass, pushing things back to a three-score game at 41-21.
“There’s really no words for it,” Chiavegato said. “I was watching on the sidelines for the majority of the season, just itching to be out there. On the big stage, I’m just happy that I got it done.”
While St. John’s Prep made a late push, drawing as close as 41-35 with 4:54 remaining, Xaverian was able to bleed out the clock with a methodical drive. Facing 4th-and-2 with two minutes to play, Wood scrambled for a first down, icing the victory.
It’s the third time in MIAA history that a school has completed a three-peat. Fornaro has led two of them with Xaverian, once between 1994-96, and now 2023-25.
“It means everything,” Wood said. “I think a lot of it has to do with our culture coach Fornaro sets. He has a motto, and it’s: ‘We’ll play anyone, anywhere.’ We’re never scared, we keep swinging. No matter what the situation brings, we just keep going. I think that’s why we were able to pull it out at the end when it got close.”
