SPARTA/WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall Prep football team improved to 2-4 on the season, as the Pirates broke their four-game losing streak, defeating Pope John XXIII (Sparta) 17-15 at Pope John in Sparta on Saturday, Oct. 11.
On their second drive of the game, the Pirates started on their 36-yard line and drove to the Pope John 2, where senior Declan Farrell kicked a 19-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 3:53 left in the first quarter.
After freshman Charlie Hughes blocked a Lions field-goal attempt, the Pirates started their drive on their 20-yard line. Seton Hall went 80 yards in 17 plays and junior quarterback Jaylin Bullock ran it in from the 4-yard line on the last play of the second quarter. Farrell added the extra point to give the Pirates a 10-0 lead at halftime.
Pope John cut the lead to 10-7 with 2:23 left in the third quarter on a touchdown. Seton Hall’s next drive started on their own 31-yard line. On the third play, Bullock threw a screen pass to sophomore Leonard West, who ran it down the right sideline for a 62-yard scoring pass. Farrell added the extra point to give the Pirates a 17-7 lead with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Pope John took over after a Pirate punt on their 40-yard line. On their ninth play of the drive on the Pirates’ 11-yard line, SHP senior linebacker Michael Hug caused a Pope John fumble and senior defensive back Sean Hayes recovered the ball on the Seton Hall 2-yard. On the second play, Bullock was tackled in the end zone for a Pope John safety to cut the Pirate lead to 17-9 with 4:08 left.
On its next drive, Pope John scored a touchdown with 1:12 left to make the score 17-15. On the two-point play, the receiver was ruled out of bounds to keep the score at 17-15, as Pope John only reached midfield on its last drive of the game.
Following the game, West said, “It felt good to get the win. We played as a team today to get the win.”
On the TD pass, West said, “I got the blocking from my linemen and that is all I needed to score a touchdown.”
In the all-time series versus Pope John, Seton Hall leads 6-5. Their last victory was in the 2022 state tournament by a 42-13 score at Brendan P. Tevlin Memorial Field in West Orange.
SHP final game stats
- Bullock: 9-of-13 passing for 125 yards, 1 TD; 16 carries for 48 yards, 1 TD.
- West: 16 carries for 71 yards; 2 catches for 66 yards, 1 TD.
- Senior wide receiver Aiden Lockett: 3 catches for 23 yards.
- Hug: 12 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble caused.
- Hayes: 11 tackles, 1 fumble recovered.
- Junior linebacker Colin Moore: 10 tackles.
- Senior linebacker Owen Bednarski: 10 tackles, 2 sacks.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, the Pirates will host Don Bosco Prep at Brendan P. Tevlin Memorial Field in West Orange at 1 p.m.
Photos Courtesy of PJ Candido/Seton Hall Prep
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