November 7, 2009
Bosco makes it four straight over Prep
Marauders FB Tim Flannery had a 22-yard reception in defeat.
Click Here for more photos from St. Peter's Prep at Don Bosco Prep.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
RAMSEY – For Rich Hansen and the Marauders, it must feel like a recurring nightmare.
In a matchup of state powers, St. Peter’s Prep fell to rival Don Bosco Prep 42-9 last night at Granatell. The loss marks the Marauders’ fourth in a row to Don Bosco, each of them blowouts.
“They have our number, no doubt about it,” St. Peter’s Prep coach Rich Hansen said. “(Beat us) four years in a row, you have our number. We have other people’s numbers and they have ours. They have the mojo on us and we’ve got to figure it out.”
For the Marauders (6-2), one number that might especially haunt them is five, the amount of touchdowns of 30 or more yards they gave up on this night against the No. 2 ranked team in the country.
St. Peter’s Prep, ranked No. 4 in the state, drew first blood when Kevin Cosgrove connected on a 28-yard field goal late in the first quarter. But that Marauder lead would vanish just 15 seconds later as Don Bosco’s Tony Jones took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.
“It takes the wind out of you,” Hansen said about the return. “Similar things have happened to us when we’ve played them. We’ve got to find a way to make that (lead) stick.”
St. Peter’s would never see the lead again as the Ironmen’s elusive running back continued to torment the Marauders as he scampered for a 57-yard touchdown run less than four minutes later. On the next drive, Jones gashed the defense for runs of 14 and 28 yards to set up a 5-yard score, his third of the game, late in the second quarter.
Jones showed why he might be the Garden State’s premier running back, rushing for 182 yards on just 15 carries.
The big plays continued in the second half for Don Bosco (8-0). After failing to complete a pass in the opening half, Ironmen QB Gary Nova connected on scoring strikes of 33, 34 and 37 yards on consecutive passes.
“You can’t give up those kind of plays to these guys,” Hansen said. “When you do, they make you pay. They know how to win, that’s why their No. 2 in the country.”
While the Don Bosco line was creating holes for Jones and Nova to make plays, the Marauder line struggled at times to do the same for their skilled players against an aggressive defensive front led by LB Steele Divitto and linemen James Kittredge and Bryan Murphy.
St. Peter’s running back Savon Huggins was limited to just 56 yards on 22 carries and Raphael Ortiz was sacked four times. Hansen also lamented a few critical penalties and dropped passes that cost the Marauders early in the game.
“We didn’t play an ‘A game and to beat them you’ve got to play an A game,’” he said. “When you don’t play that game against them, you don’t have a chance.
“You can’t let those things happen and expect to be standing in the fourth quarter with a chance to win.”
Forced to throw the ball early and often, Ortiz completed 20-of-37 passes for 250 yards and an interception. Ortiz connected with six different receivers on the night, most notably Brendan Dolaghan (seven catches, 92 yards), Sheldon Royster (3 catches, 44 yards), Huggins (five catches, 35 yards) and Corey Davis (two catches, 40 yards). Davis added 107 return yards in defeat.
The Marauders received a scare in the second quarter when James Lancellotti suffered a concussion on a kickoff return. The senior linebacker was down for several minutes and left the field in an ambulance, but assured the crowd he would be okay by giving them a thumbs up before being taken away.
With the defeat, St. Peter’s will have to travel on the road for the opening round game of the Non-Public, Group IV tournament. The Marauders will almost certainly see the Ironmen again in order to reach their goal of a state championship. Regardless of the recent results, Hansen relishes the opportunity to square off with Don Bosco once more.
“I would love to have the opportunity to play an ‘A game’ against their ‘A game’ and see what happens,” Hansen said. “We haven’t been able to fight them playing our ‘A game.’”
Quarterback Raphael Ortiz completed 20-of-37 passes for 250 yards.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Peter's Prep (6-2) | 3 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
9 |
| Don Bosco Prep (8-0) | 7 |
14 |
14 |
7 |
42 |
| SPP: Kevin Cosgrove, 28 field goal | |||||
| DBP: Tony Jones, 90 kickoff return (Aidan Murray kick) | |||||
| DBP: Jones, 57 run (Murray kick) | |||||
| DBP: Jones, 15 run (Murray kick) | |||||
| DBP: Ryan Cobb, 33 pass from Gary Nova (Murray kick) | |||||
| DBP: Jimmy Clark, 34 pass from Nova (Murray kick) | |||||
| SPP: Savon Huggins, 4 run (pass failed) | |||||
| DBP: Clark, 37 pass from Nova (Murray kick) | |||||