Seton Hall Prep football team falls to Pope John XXIII

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall Prep football team dropped its fourth game in a row, losing to Pope John XXIII (Sparta) 26-20 at Brendan P, Tevlin Memorial Field in West Orange on Saturday, Oct. 12, to move to 2-5 on the season. 

After a scoreless first quarter, the Pirates got on the board when a muffed snap on a punt was recovered by sophomore Jayden Crawford and returned 14 yards for a touchdown. Junior Declan Farrell added the extra point for a 7-0 Pirate lead with 11:55 left. Pope John made it 7-6 on its next drive as the extra point was blocked by senior Colin Robinson with 7:44 left. 

Later in the quarter, senior Matthew Moran took a lateral pass from senior Jack Gilmore and he threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to junior Joseph Proscia. Farrell’s extra point made it 14-6 with :36 left. 

In the third quarter, after a Pope John punt, the Pirates drove 74 yards in 10 plays, with Gilmore throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior Matthew Bergwall with 2:05 left. 

Farrell’s extra point was wide left to make the score 20-6. 

Just :22 later, the Lions scored a touchdown on an 86-yard pass from Tylik Hill to Joe Rozynski. The extra point was blocked by senior Tyler Amato to make the score 20-12. 

In the fourth quarter, Pope John added two touchdowns for the 26-20 victory. Luke Irwin threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Wes Johnston and Hill scored on a 73-yard run.

SHP game stats

  • Quarterback Gilmore – 13 of 24 passing, 159 yards, 1 TD. 
  • Wide receiver Bergwall – 5 catches for 64 yards, 1 TD.
  • Senior linebacker Nolan Eilender – 20 tackles,

Next game: On Friday, Oct. 19, the Pirates will travel to Granatell Stadium on the campus of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey to take on the Ironmen in a 7 p.m. kickoff.