Seton Hall Prep senior Taylor Daniels is all smiles during the win over St. Joseph (Montvale).
WEST ORANGE — On Saturday afternoon, Oct. 17, the Seton Hall Prep football team came from behind to defeat St. Joseph (Montvale) 31-24 at Brendan P. Tevlin Memorial Field.
The Pirates fell behind 7-0 before taking the kickoff and driving 44 yards. Senior Jackson DeStefano connected on a 30-yard field goal with 4:25 left in the first quarter to cut the Green Knight lead to 7-3. On their next drive, St. Joe’s scored a touchdown to extend the lead to 14-3 with 3:06 left. On the ensuing kickoff, senior Cadel Barilford ran it back 91 yards for a touchdown to cut the Green Knight lead to 14-10 with 2:51 left.
On St. Joe’s next drive, they fumbled and sophomore William Kelly recovered on the St. Joe’s 48-yard line. On their first play, senior Jaylin Bullock hit senior Benjamin Ross with a 48-yard touchdown pass to give the Pirates a 17-14 lead with 1:43 left. In the second quarter with 3:36 left, Seton Hall extended their lead to 24-14, when Bullock threw a 46-yard scoring pass to Barilford.
The Pirates received the opening kickoff in the third quarter and drove 64 yards, as sophomore Adonis Rabrun scored on a 52-yard run off of right tackle while he ran down the right sideline to extend their lead to 31-14 with 10:35 left.
St. Joe’s cut the Pirate lead to 31-17 on a field goal with 2:59 left.
In the fourth quarter, St. Joe’s scored their final points with 3:24 left on a touchdown, as the Pirates held the ball for the victory.
Following the game, SHP head coach Bill Fitzgerald said, “We definitely made big plays and Cadel’s kickoff return to get it all started was definitely a huge turning point to help provide us with some great momentum.” Barilford added, “We really had to step it up today, especially after being down early and the team really did that.” Bullock commented on the play of the team today. “It was a good team effort today as we expanded the playbook and the O-line blocked very well. We had a very good two weeks of preparation.”
SHP game stats
Bullock: 9-of-14 passing, 151 yards, 2 TDs. Rabrun: 7 carries for 64 yards, 1 TD. Ross: 5 catches for 82 yards, 1 TD. Barilford: 3 catches for 63 yards, 1 TD.
Trevor Wilson, senior linebacker: 10 tackles (4 solo). Taylor Daniels, senior safety: 10 tackles (3 solo).
In the all-time series versus St. Joseph, the Pirates hold an 11-6 advantage. Their last two victories before Saturday were in 2022 (34-30) and 2023 (35-28) state playoffs.
Next game: The Pirates will host Irvington on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Tevlin Memorial Field at 1 p.m.
Photo Courtesy of Seton Hall Prep
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