BURLINGTON — One of the best rivalries in recent years has been between BC High and St. John’s Prep in boys lacrosse, and the latest chapter delivered everything and more.

Princeton commit Jake Vana finished with a hat trick, scoring the game-clinching tally with 1:07 left in regulation, as top-ranked St. John’s Prep punched its ticket to the Div. 1 title game with a thrilling 6-4 victory over No. 4 BC High.

“I think maybe the last thousand times I’ve played them the last four years, there have only been a couple of games where it hasn’t been that close,” said Vana. “But that’s what you expect. A lot of seniors going into the game, we knew it was going to be scrappy. Their goalie Charlie McCullough might have played his best game, maybe of his career … it was a great game. That’s exactly what we want. That’s what the playoffs are all about.”

In each of the prior three seasons, these two Catholic Conference heavyweights saved their theatrics for the Div. 1 state championship. This spring, they met in the Final Four. But like most of their previous matchups, the first half turned out to be a duel. Junior midfielder Madden McGowan and Vana struck for consecutive goals in a 37-second span, as St. John’s Prep (20-2) seized a 2-0 lead out of the gate with 8:46 left in the opening quarter.

However, BC High (14-8) had a response, as Marshall Rice netted a goal, before Nick Emsing found the cage to even things at 2-all with 3:46 to play in the frame.

Then, as the second quarter rolled along, St. John’s Prep regained control, as Brendan Powers sniped a highlight-reel goal. Vana notched his second 15 seconds later and the Eagles had a 4-2 lead at intermission.

After Powers registered his second goal to give St. John’s Prep a 5-2 lead with 8:48 left in the third, BC High began to chip away. Sophomore Tripp Schuwerk netted a goal to close the frame, before Emsing buried his second tally with 11:08 left in regulation. Suddenly, it was a 5-4 nail-biter.

After forcing a crucial turnover with about two minutes remaining, St. John’s Prep attempted to bleed out the clock. McCullough left the net to try and challenge on a double team for BC High defensively, and Vana was able to slip free. The senior uncorked a shot which whistled into the open cage with just over a minute to play, sealing things for his team.

McCullough finished with 16 saves to keep BC High in contention.

St. John’s Prep will now attempt to win its fourth straight Div. 1 crown later this week.

“It’s the championship,” Vana said. “This is the last one for me in my career. Just empty the tank, have fun, just stick to what we do. I think one key in the championship is to stick with what you’ve been practicing with. Follow to the level of your training, because championships are like Game 7s. It’s kind of chaotic, and anything can happen. So we’ve just got to practice, enjoy these last couple of days with each other. Then, when it comes to Friday, leave it all out on the field. There’s really nothing left to do, so I’m excited.”