Seton Hall Prep football team falls to St. Joseph (Montvale)

MONTVALE, NJ — In a game that went back and forth, the Seton Hall Prep football team lost to St. Joseph Regional (Montvale), 30-21, Saturday, Oct. 21, at Robert Joseph Dinallo Stadium at Tony Karcich Field to drop its record to 2-6 on the season. 

The Pirates fell behind 10-0 with 8:20 left in the second quarter. They took over the ball on the St. Joe’s 11-yard line after a very short punt. On the second play, senior quarterback Liam Londergan ran it in from the 6 and senior Jack Catchpole added the first of his three extra points to make the score 10-7 with 2:09 left. 

In the third quarter on their first drive, the Pirates went 26 yards in eight plays after another short St. Joe’s punt, with Londergan sneaking it in from the 1 to give the Pirates a 14-10 lead with 6:04 left. St. Joe’s scored a touchdown on its next drive to retake a 17-14 lead with 3:13. 

On their next drive, the Pirates went 75 yards in four plays, with senior Michael Dunmore rushing it in from the 3 with :28.5 left. The big play in the drive was a 73-yard pass from Londergan to senior Julius Vicari to give the Pirates a 21-17 lead. In the fourth quarter, St. Joe’s retook the lead at 24-21 with 11:11 left and then added two field goals later in the quarter to make the final 30-21.

In their final game of the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 28, Seton Hall Prep will host St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City at 1 p.m. at Brendan P. Tevlin Memorial Field in West Orange. The next morning the Non-Public Group will have its seeding meeting at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association headquarters in Robbinsville for the Non-Public, Group 4 state tournament. This is the 51st year of the state tournament. The Pirates have a record of 21-30 in their 36 years of participating in the state tournament. Last season, the Pirates reached the semifinals, when they defeated Pope John XXIII (Sparta) 42-13 in the first round and St. Joseph (Montvale) 34-30 in the quarterfinal round before losing in the semifinal round to Don Bosco Prep 48-14.

The Pirates were state champs in 1974, declared by the NJSIAA, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1985. They were runners-up in 1980 and 1997.

SHP stats vs. St. Joseph

QB Londergan: 9 of 18 passing for 144 yards, 1 interception; 11 carries for 55 yards, 2 TDs. WR Vicari: 3 catches for 104 yards. Junior linebacker Justin Cook: 15 tackles. Senior defensive back Jaylen McClain: 14 tackles. Junior LB Dylan Gilmore: 14 tackles. Sophomore DB Kenyon McClain: 12 tackles.

  Seton Hall Prep football