Seton Hall Prep football team falls to St. Peter’s Prep in playoffs

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall Prep football team concluded its season with a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City) in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group 4, playoffs at Bill Cochrane Stadium at Caven Point in Jersey City on Friday night, Nov. 12. 

The Pirates’ final record was 7-4. 

St. Peter’s scored two touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game to take a 14-0 lead. Late in the third quarter, senior defensive end Ryan Bodnar recovered a St. Peter’s fumble on the Seton Hall 23-yard line. The Pirates drove 77 yards in nine plays as senior running back Myles Thomason ran it in from the 6-yard line with 11:52 left in the game and senior Nick Conforti added the extra point to cut the St. Peter’s lead to 14-7. The big play of the drive was a 48-yard run by senior quarterback Jaden Craig down the left sideline. 

St. Peter’s scored a touchdown on its next possession to increase its lead to 21-7 with 8:41 left. The Pirates took the ensuing kickoff and drove 64 yards in eight plays with Craig hitting junior Brody Davis on a 28-yard scoring pass and with Conforti’s extra point cut the St. Peter’s lead to 21-14 with 6:02 remaining in the game. After a St. Peter’s punt on their next drive, Seton Hall drove 56 yards in three plays, with Thomason going around the edge and hitting the pylon, scoring again from the 5-yard line to make the score 21-20. The big play during that drive was a 36-yard pass from Craig to senior wideout Mac McAteer. The conversion pass failed and the score remained 21-20 with 2:56 left. St. Peter’s got a key first down on its next possession to end the game. 

Following the game, when asked if he would make the same decision regarding the extra point, SHP head coach Bill Fitzgerald said, “Absolutely. We had the momentum and wanted to take a shot.”

SHP games stats: 

• Passing — Craig, 13 of 26 attempts, 176 yds., 1 TD. 
• Rushing — Craig, 10 carries, 73 yds.; Thomason, 17 carries, 66 yds., 1 TD. 
• Receiving — Sr. WR Nick Dunneman, 6 catches, 71 yds.
• Defense — Sr. LB Jackson Dowd, 15 tackles, 5 were solo; sr. DB Matthew Monteleone, 14 tackles; sr. LB James Palaia, 11 tackles, 1 interception; sr. DL Jackson Collins, 10 tackles.

  Seton Hall Prep football