WEST ORANGE, NJ — On a picture-perfect day the Seton Hall Prep football team defeated Don Bosco Prep 20-7 at Brendan P. Tevlin Memorial Field on Sept. 11..
The victory was the Pirates’ sixth in a row dating back to last season. This victory also marked the first time the Pirates defeated the Ironmen since Oct. 31, 1976 when they won 15-14 at Owen T. Carroll Field on the campus of Seton Hall University in South Orange.
On their first drive of the game, the Pirates drove 71 yards in eight plays and senior Nick Conforti connected on a 27-yard field goal with 5:54 left in the first quarter.
Don Bosco scored a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead on its next drive with 2:34 remaining in the first quarter. In the second quarter, senior linebacker Jackson Dowd intercepted a Don Bosco pass and the Pirates drove 76 yards in eight plays, capped by senior quarterback Jaden Craig’s 25-yard TD pass to senior Nick Dunneman with :34 left to give them a 10-7 halftime lead.
Seton Hall extended its lead on the first drive of the third quarter to take a 17-7 lead when senior Myles Thomason broke several tackles on his way to a 25-yard touchdown run with 7:29 left.
Later in the quarter, Dowd intercepted his second pass on the afternoon and the Pirates drove 17 yards as Conforti connected on a 21-yard field goal with :20 left making the score 20-7.
The Harvard-bound Craig completed 18 of 36 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown as he demonstrated both his grit and his trust in the toughness of his offensive linemen by sitting patiently in the pocket all afternoon. “Jaden is very cool back there,” said senior wide receiver Dunneman, who caught seven passes for 147 yards and one touchdown. “Whenever there is pressure, I know he is going to be calm and try to find a receiver that is open.” Thomason, bouncing off tacklers all afternoon, finished with 25 carries for 131 yards and said after the game, “I just wanted to do my job and contribute to the team.” When asked about the Dowd interceptions, Craig said, “That won the game for us. Without those interceptions their drives stay alive. You never know what happens without those turnovers.”
Head Coach Bill Fitzgerald added, “We did not play our best game.The defense was tremendous. We were able to limit their run game. Our front four played a very physical game and the rest of the guys also helped make the key stops. We made mistakes, but we overcame them. That is a sign of a good team; when you don’t play your best, you find a way to win.” Senior defensive tackle Jackson Collins, junior linebacker Kelvin Williams and junior defensive back Darren Burton II all had eight tackles. Collins and senior James Palaia each had a sack while senior defensive back Kevin Agnew recovered a fumble.
To commemorate 9/11, there were signs made for both Seton Hall Prep and Don Bosco Prep that listed the names of those from each school that lost their lives on that fateful day 20 years ago.
The Pirates, who improved to 3-0 on the season, will visit St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City on Sept. 18 at 1 p.m.
SHP in polls: Star-Ledger – #6 in New Jersey. MaxPreps – #4 in New Jersey. High School Football America – #7 in New Jersey.
Photos Courtesy of Rich Morris/SHP
Seton Hall Prep vs. Don Bosco Prep
Seton Hall Prep football team defeats Don Bosco Prep for first time since 1976 added by Jeff Goldberg on
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