WEST ORANGE, NJ — On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Sept. 24, before a homecoming crowd, the Seton Hall Prep football team defeated Irvington, 28-20, at Brendan P. Tevlin Memorial Field in West Orange.
The Pirates fell behind 6-0 when Irvington took the opening kickoff and drove 76 yards in six plays. Senior Adon Shuler scored on a 6-yard run. The extra point went wide left.
Seton Hall took a 7-6 lead with 7:35 left in the second quarter as the Pirates went 39 yards in four plays with junior Liam Londergan hitting senior Andrew Daly in the flat; Daly bulled his way in for a 20-yard touchdown. Junior Jack Catchpole Jr. added the first of his 4 extra points.
Later in the quarter, Londergan hit junior Danny Easter with a 6-yard scoring pass to give the Pirates a 14-6 lead. To close out the quarter, Londergan hit junior Julius Vicari with a 22-yard scoring pass with 1:02 left to extend the Pirate halftime lead to 21-6.
After a scoreless third quarter, Irvington cut the Seton Hall Prep lead to 21-14 when Shuler scored on a 3-yard run and ran the 2-point conversion. The Pirates took the ensuing kickoff and drove 42 yards in 10 plays, and Londergan hit junior John Bancone with a 6-yard scoring pass to extend the Pirate lead to 28-14. On its drive Irvington cut the Pirate lead to 28-20 when junior CJ Pittman hit senior Famah Toure on a 44-yard scoring pass. The extra-point conversion failed. The Pirates ran out the final 5:05 in the game with two first downs.
Following the game Londergan said, “We had a great scheme to attack this week, and it focused on the run game. I think we were able to loosen up the passing game once we started picking up yards on the ground. This was a good game where they may have been faster than us and bigger than us, but we were well coached, and we were ready for the challenge.”
Easter added, “Irvington is a talented team, and we needed to keep our foot on the gas to stay ahead, and we did.”
SHP head coach Bill Fitzgerald commented, “Irvington is a public school, but they have great players and are well coached. I know they had a big winning streak coming into the game, but I sense they will have another one after this one. They are a United Red or White division team in my opinion.”
The Pirates improved to 3-1, while Irvington fell to 4-1.
SHP stats
- Quarterback Londergan: 11-14 passing, 86 yards, 4 TDs.
- Running back Daly: 11 carries for 54 yards.
- Wide receiver Vicari: 4 catches for 31 yards, 1 TD.
- Wide receiver Easter: 3 catches for 29 yards, 1 TD.
- Linebacker Kelvin Williams: 17 tackles, 1 sack.
- Defensive back Elijah Rippey: 11 tackles, 1 interception.
- Linebacker Daniel Carlucci: 10 tackles, 1 interception.
SHP is ranked in the following polls:
- Star-Ledger: No. 10 in New Jersey, No. 1 in Essex County, and No. 6 in Non-Public Schools.
- MaxPreps: No. 6 in New Jersey.
- USA Today Network: No. 4 in New Jersey Top 25.
- Sideline Chatter: No. 1 in Essex County.
Photos Courtesy of Sam Strinkovsky.
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