SHP senior Nick Dunneman makes the TD catch over a St. John Vianney defender.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Nov. 6, the Seton Hall Prep football team hosted St. John Vianney in the first round of the NJSIAA Non-Public A state tournament at Brendan P. Tevlin Memorial Field in West Orange. The fifth-seeded Pirates defeated the 12th-seeded Lancers, 49-0.
Seton Hall opened the scoring just 1:10 into the contest, when senior Myles Thomason scored on a 52-yard run and senior Nick Conforti added the first of his 6 extra points.
Later in the quarter, senior Byron Maddox scored from 2 yards out to make the score 14-0 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Seton Hall added four touchdowns to make the score 42-0 at halftime. Senior quarterback Jaden Craig connected on a 9-yard scoring pass to senior Nick Dunneman, Maddox added a 1-yard run, and senior Jalil Bowen scored two touchdowns on runs of 28 yards and 1 yard.
In the third quarter, junior Andrew Daly scored on a 7-yard run with 1:12 left, while junior Jack Catchpole added the extra point to make the final 49-0. This was the only meeting between St. John Vianney and Seton Hall Prep in the history of their programs.
Following the game, Seton Hall Prep head coach Bill Fitzgerald was asked about his team’s performance. “Our objective was to come out fast, and we did, as we scored on our first six possessions. Our defense played really well, and we accomplished what we wanted to do.”
On Friday night, Nov. 12, the Pirates, who improved to 7-3 on the season, will take on fourth-seed St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City in the quarterfinal round at Cochrane Stadium at Caven Point in Jersey City. Earlier this season, Seton Hall Prep lost a heartbreaker, 22-21, in double overtime against St. Peter’s Prep.
SHP game stats:
• Passing — Craig, 6-6, 80 yards, 1 TD.
• Rushing — Thomason, 7 carries 112 yards, 1 TD; Maddox, 6 carries, 61 yards, 2 TDs; Bowen, 7 carries, 57 yards, 2 TDs; Daly, 6 carries, 53 yards, 1 TD.
• Defense — senior linebacker Jackson Collins, 7 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks; senior linebacker Jackson Dowd, 6 tackles; senior linebacker James Palaia, 6 tackles; sophomore defensive tackle Jack Tierney, 1 1/2 sacks.
Photos Courtesy of Rich Morris/SHP
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