Seton Hall Prep football team defeats Pope John in playoff opener

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Last Saturday, Nov. 5, the Seton Hall Prep football team broke a four-game losing streak, defeating Pope John XXIII (Sparta), 42-13, in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Non-Public Group A football playoffs at Brendan P. Tevlin Memorial Field in West Orange.

Senior Darren Burton II took the opening kickoff at the Seton Hall 11-yard line and returned it to the Pope John 45-yard line. The Pirates drove 45 yards in four plays, with junior quarterback Liam Londergan hitting junior Casey O’Sullivan with a 7-yard scoring pass. Freshman Declan Farrell added the first of his 6 extra points for a 7-0 Pirate lead just 1:08 into the first quarter. 

In the second quarter after a Pope John punt, the Pirates drove 32 yards in six plays, and sophomore Benjamin Mitrow scored from the 1-yard line for a 14-0 lead with 5:54 left. On their next drive, Pope John scored a touchdown to cut the Seton Hall lead, making the score 14-7 with 2:41 left. Burton took the kickoff and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown to extend the Pirate lead to 21-7 with 2:27 left. Later in the quarter, after a Pope John punt, the Pirates drove 29 yards in six plays with Londergan hitting junior Michael Dunmore with a 3-yard scoring pass with :08 left to give the Pirates a 28-7 halftime lead. 

In the third quarter, the Pirates took a Pope John punt and drove 36 yards in four plays with Londergan scoring on a 28-yard scoring run to extend the Pirate lead to 35-7 with 7:57 left. On Pope John’s next drive, junior Jaylen McClain intercepted a pass in the end zone and the Pirates drove 80 yards in eight plays, with Londergan scoring from 33 yards out for a 42-7 Seton Hall lead. The Lions scored a touchdown on the last play of the game to make the final 42-13.

In the quarterfinal round, the Pirates will travel to Montvale to take on St. Joseph Regional on Saturday, Nov. 12, in a 1 p.m. kickoff.

The Pirates are ranked in the following polls:

MaxPreps: No. 8 in New Jersey.

USA Today Network: No. 17 in New Jersey Top 25.

SHP stats vs. Pope John

Passing:

• Londergan: 12-of-18, 133 yards, 2 TDs.

Rushing:

• Junior Luigi Pantano: 8 carries for 69 yards. 
• Londergan: 4 carries for 62 yards, 2 TDs.
• Junior linebacker Christian Black: 10 tackles.
• Senior defensive back Elijah Rippey: 9 tackles.

Seton Hall Prep (5-5 record)

• Aug. 27: win, vs. Delbarton, 32-27
• Sept. 3: win, Pope John (at Rutgers University), 14-7
• Sept. 17: loss, at Bergen Catholic, 35-14
• Sept. 24: win, vs. Irvington, 28-20
• Sept. 30: win, at Red Bank Catholic, 17-0
• Oct. 8: loss, vs. Paramus Catholic, 20-17
• Oct. 14: loss, at Don Bosco Prep, 35-21
• Oct. 22: loss, vs. St. Joseph of Montvale, 42-17
• Oct. 29: loss, at St. Peter’s Prep, 24-16
• Nov. 5: win, vs. (No. 12 seed) Pope John, 42-13, quarterfinals*

*Non-Public A playoffs (SHP is the No. 5 seed)

Photo Courtesy of PJ Candido

  Seton Hall Prep football