Luigi Pantano, right, celebrates with senior Dylan Kohler, No. 54.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Sept. 3, the Seton Hall Prep football team defeated Pope John XXIII of Sparta, 14-7, at SHI Stadium at Rutgers University in Piscataway at the Rumble on the Raritan.
Junior running back Luigi Pantano scored on a 4-yard touchdown with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter and junior Jack Catchpole Jr. added his second extra point to break a 7-7 tie. The drive went 82 yards in 14 plays and started with 5:19 left.
The Pirates took a 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game, going 80 yards in seven plays, when junior quarterback Liam Londergan threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to junior Danny Easter with 9:01 left in the quarter. Pope John tied the score at 7-7 in the second quarter.
Following the game, Pantano said, “The offensive line did a great job, and our defense gave us three turnovers. It was a close game, but we got it done in the end.”
SHP head coach Bill Fitzgerald added, “We have the best possible record, 2-0. We have a lot of young guys, and in the last two weeks they have been in some difficult situations and won each game in our last drive.”
With this victory, the Pirates take a 4-3 series lead against the Lions, winning their last four in a row. Senior safety Elijah Rippey halted several Pope John drives, recovering a fumble in the end zone that junior linebacker Christian Black caused in the second quarter and intercepting two Lions passes in the third quarter.
Pirates notes: After a bye week, Seton Hall will travel to Oradell to take on Bergen Catholic in a 1 p.m. game on Sept. 17th. Seton Hall leads in the all-time series 19-16-1 but has not defeated the Crusaders since the 2005 state tournament at Bergen Catholic, when it won 42-21.
The Pirates are ranked No. 7 in New Jersey by MaxPreps; No. 12 in New Jersey, No. 2 in Essex County and No. 7 in Non-Public by the Star-Ledger; and No. 5 in New Jersey by the USA Today Network.
SHP stats vs. Pope John:
Passing
- Londergan: 11 of 23 passes, 74 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception.
Rushing
- Pantano: 17 carries for 107 yards, 1 touchdown.
Receiving
- Easter: 2 catches for 33 yards, 1 touchdown.
Defense
- Sophomore safety Lucas Brown: 15 tackles.
- Rippey: 10 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 interceptions
Here is a video link on the SHP vs. Pope John game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j8NL-gKiog
Editor’s note: This article was updated with the poll rankings.
Photos Courtesy of PJ Candido.
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