Senior Tyler Kohler, No. 57, and the rest of the Pirates get ready to compete against Pope John in the Rumble on the Raritan at Rutgers University's SHI Stadium on Sept. 3. The SHP Pirates won, 14-7.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall Prep football team closed out its season with a 48-14 loss to Don Bosco Prep in the semifinal round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Non-Public Group A state tournament at Charles I. Granatell stadium in Ramsey on a cold and snowy Friday night, Nov. 18. The loss dropped the team’s record to 6-6. This is the most games that Seton Hall has ever played in a season and the first time they reached the semifinals since 2010.
The Pirates started out well as senior Andrew Daly took the opening kickoff and returned it to the Pirate 36-yard line. They drove 64 yards in six plays as senior Darren Burton II took the handoff from junior quarterback Liam Londergan and ran around the right end and down the sideline for a 29-yard touchdown. Freshman Declan Farrell kicked the extra point to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead with 8:52 left in the first quarter. The Ironmen would score two touchdowns later in the quarter and one touchdown in the second quarter to take a 20-7 halftime lead.
In the third quarter Don Bosco scored two touchdowns, to extend their lead to 34-7. Later in the quarter, the Pirates took over on their 35-yard line and drove 65 yards in seven plays, with Daly running it in from the 5-yard line and Farrell adding the extra point to cut the Don Bosco lead to 34-14 with 11:50 left in the fourth quarter. Don Bosco would score two more touchdowns to close out the scoring.
After the game, SHP fifth-year head coach Bill Fitzgerald commented about the season. “Our staff told the team early in the summer that this year’s squad had the potential to be the most improved team from the beginning of the season until the end. The 2022 team overcame a lot of adversity, especially with regards to injuries. That provided opportunities for new players to step in, and a bunch of younger players gathered some quality experience. We took a step this year and crossed over into the final four for the first time in over a decade. To continue to move the program forward we will need to be even more detailed and fix some things. The expectation is that we will all be up for that challenge.”
SHP stats vs. DBP
Passing:
- Londergan: 15-of-25 for 156 yards, 1 interception.
Rushing:
- Londergan: 5 carries for 52 yards.
- Senior wide receiver Mason Mac: 6 catches for 61 yards.
- Senior defensive back Elijah Rippey: 15 tackles.
- Junior linebacker Christian Black: 13 tackles.
- Junior defensive back Jaylen McClain: 10 tackles.
The Super Football Conference last week announced the all–Red Division team. The following Pirates were selected by the division coaches.
First team defense:
- Senior linebacker Jordan McAllister.
- Junior defensive back Jaylen McClain.
Special teams:
- Senior returner Darren Burton II.
Second team offense:
- Junior at-large Liam Londergan.
- Senior lineman Dylan Kohler.
Second team defense:
- Senior linebacker Kelvin Williams.
- Senior defensive back Elijah Rippey.
Honorable mention:
- Senior defensive end Reggie Williams.
Photo Courtesy of PJ Candido
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