St. John’s Prep head coach Brian St. Pierre does not often mince words. That is true when it comes to his admiration of senior captain Mason McSweeney.

McSweeney, the Eagles’ star defensive end who impacts the game in all three phases, is the heart and soul of an undefeated St. John’s Prep team pursuing its fourth Division 1 state title since 2018.

“Mason is the ultimate football player,” St. Pierre said. “We started him as a sophomore and he was already incredibly mature. He’s played so much football now that he is always ready to go regardless of the moment or game.”

McSweeney is far from the lone athletic star in the family. Both his parents were athletes in high school and his mother, Melissa, was an all-American field hockey player at Drew University. Mason’s older sister, Caroline, plays field hockey at Assumption. Already dabbling in the waters of ice hockey and baseball, McSweeney’s family pushed him to try out the gridiron as he entered sixth grade. He never left.

“The people around me pushed me into football more and more as I got older,” McSweeney said. “Playing the game repeatedly made me fall in love with it and play it as much as possible.”

For the past three years, McSweeney has been an integral part of St. John’s Prep’s success. The Topsfield resident started every game as a sophomore. St. Pierre was blown away by his ability to pop out on film. Then, as a junior, McSweeney wreaked havoc on opponents with his physicality, motor, agility and quickness, especially along the defensive line. He routinely found himself in the backfield, jumping short yardage pass attempts, and wearing down offensive lines.

That was never more prevalent than in last year’s Division 1 Super Bowl when McSweeney led a defensive effort that shut out a Springfield Central offense that averaged over 30 points per game.

“Some kids shy away from those types of moments but not Mason,” St. Pierre said. “He is a kid that is a Division 1 talent. He went against two Division 1 tackles that day against Springfield but for him that is the good stuff. He was as good a player as anyone on the field that day.”

McSweeney’s defensive prowess has only grown this year. A year after totaling 7.5 sacks, he already has nine during the 2023 campaign. He had a double-digit tackle performance in a win over BC High to close out the regular season. Yet his influence is not just limited to his play up front.

The 6-foot-2, 232-pound star is a go-to playmaker in the passing game for St. Pierre’s offense as evidenced by a key insurance touchdown he had in week one versus Marshfield. On special teams he has amassed four blocked punts for his career and two blocked PAT’s.

Perhaps most notably, McSweeney is known as a leader not via his words but rather his relentless style of play. He is soft spoken. The noise he emits comes from his pads, not his voice.

“You can go the whole day and not hear the man’s voice,” St. Pierre said. “He’s not a vocal guy. He’s our ‘lead by example’ captain. You will hear his pads, though. I can promise you that.”

For McSweeney, this year is about showcasing that even when a program brings home a championship, the standards continue to get higher.

“We have a standard as a school and team to always be better than last year,” McSweeney said. “The bonds and lessons that you are taught throughout football really made me love it.”

NAME: Mason Alexander McSweeney

SCHOOL: St. John’s Prep

AGE: 18

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’2/232

POSITION: DE/OLB/TE

NICKNAME: None

FAMILY: Father (Kevin McSweeney), mother (Melissa DellaRusso McSweeney), two sisters (Gabriella, Caroline McSweeney)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 2022 D1 state champion, football sophomore leader, football coaches award sophomore year, MHSFCA honorable mention 2022, Catholic Conference All-Star 2022, National Honor Society

FAVORITE PERSONAL MOMENT IN SPORTS: winning the 2022 D1 state championship

FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: Economics

LEAST FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: Sciences

FAVORITE PIGOUT FOOD: Kipos, roast beef

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Ted Lasso

FAVORITE MOVIE: Whiplash

FAVORITE MUSICIAN: Travis Scott

FAVORITE VIDEO GAME: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

FAVORITE SMARTPHONE APP: Instagram

FAVORITE TWITTER ACCOUNT TO FOLLOW: Footballism

FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Liverpool Football Club

FAVORITE ATHLETE: Cristiano Ronaldo/Maxx Crosby

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A GAME: Get locked with my teammates

IF YOU COULD BE SOMEONE ELSE FOR A DAY, WHO WOULD IT BE: Cristiano Ronaldo

CAREER AMBITIONS: Take football as far as I can and use it to set myself up. Also to obtain wealth in every aspect of my life.

St. John’s Prep senior captain Mason McSweeney is all business when he hits the football field. The 6-foot-2, 232-pound Topsfield resident impacts games in all three phases. (Chris Christo/Boston Herald)