November 22, 2009
Huggins delivers Prep to title game
Savon Huggins had 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns to lead St. Peter's Prep.
Click Here for more photos from Bergen Catholic at St. Peter's Prep.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
JERSEY CITY – With less than two seconds left in the half and the ball on the Bergen Catholic 1-yard line, St. Peter’s Prep could have been content with a short field goal and a three-point lead.
But for head coach Rich Hansen and the Marauders, the decision was easy – put the ball in Savon Huggins’ hands.
The gamble paid off as Huggins’ 1-yard touchdown, his second of three on the day, gave St. Peter’s Prep a lead they would never relinquish in a 42-24 victory over Bergen Catholic in the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group IV semifinals yesterday at Caven Point.
“I told Coach Hansen, I told the offensive line, I told the whole team after they called the play that I’ve got this,” Huggins said. “I told my O-Line I can handle this, I’m going to put this on my back and get a touchdown. And that’s what I did.”
“We were going to go right after them and we were going to keep attacking them,” Hansen said, adding there was no doubt about going for the touchdown. “We wanted the ball in (Savon’s) hands.”
The score by Huggins, who had 192 yards rushing on 32 carries, capped off a nearly flawless two-minute drill by the sixth-seeded Marauders (8-2) and QB Raphael Ortiz.
With the ball on his own 35-yard line and 35.2 seconds left on the clock, Ortiz calmly led Prep down the field. The senior connected with Sheldon Royster for a 25-yard pass into Crusader territory. Ortiz proceeded to find receiver Corey Davis for a trio of receptions to set up Huggins’ run to snap a 21-all tie.
“That gave us so much confidence,” linebacker Gianni McLaughlin said. “After that we knew we had it because we were going to keep fighting and shut them down.”
Energized from the score, the Marauder defense stepped up in the second half to preserve the lead. Seventh-seeded Bergen Catholic (7-3) was limited to just three points, and committed three turnovers.
“The first half it seemed like we we were out there going through the motions (on defense),” McLaughlin said. “Then at halftime the defense realized we’ve got to step it up if we want to win. We can’t win like that so everyone just realized what we had to do.”
“Being tough is the key and having heart,” said Huggins who added an interception. “All the plays, all the schemes and all that stuff it doesn’t matter. When you get punched in the face you need to have heart and play tough and that’s what we did.”
After Huggins’ gave Prep much-needed insurance with a 4-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, McLaughlin delivered the knockout punch when he took an interception 79 yards for a touchdown, ensuring the Marauders’ fourth Non-Public, Group IV final appearance in five years.
The one-two combo of Huggins and Ortiz propelled St. Peter’s to a fast start similar to the one in their September meeting with the Crusaders. The Marauders opened with a seven-minute drive, culminating with Ortiz’s 29-yard scoring strike to Brendan Dolaghan over a pair of defenders.
Davis proceeded to intercept a pass on the Crusaders’ first play of offense, setting up a 15-yard touchdown by Huggins, Prep’s second score in a span of two and a half minutes.
That lead would be short lived as touchdowns from Charles Wingate and Doug Rigg tied the game early in the second quarter.
Both starting quarterbacks proceeded to exchange touchdowns to make it 21-all. Ortiz called his own number for a 1-yard plunge while the Crusaders’ Mike Halligan followed with a 7-yard scramble.
Ortiz completed 15-of-21 passes for 148 yards. Davis caught eight of those throws for 75 yards.
Halligan completed 17-of-28 passes for 166 yards through the air and rushed for 69 yards on eight carries. Rigg led the team in rushing (11-for-72 yards) and receiving (3-for-51).
With the victory, the Marauders will face top-seeded Don Bosco Prep at Giants Stadium in two weeks for the Non-Public, Group IV title. The Ironmen have eliminated St. Peter’s each of the past three seasons and delivered a convincing 42-9 victory on Nov. 6. Recent history may be against them, but the Marauders are eager for another shot at the nation’s No. 2 ranked team.
“Everybody on this team is hungry, we want to play hard, we want to do well and we’re all excited to take another crack at them,” TE/LB Kevin Innis said. “We’re going to come back, fix our mistakes and hopefully see a better result in the future.”
Tackle Keith Lumpkin (72) and the Marauders had 379 yards of total offense.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen Catholic (8-3) | 0 |
21 |
0 |
3 |
24 |
| St. Peter's Prep (8-2) | 14 |
14 |
0 |
14 |
42 |
| SPP: Brendan Dolaghan, 29 pass from Raphael Ortiz (Kevin Cosgrove kick) | |||||
| SPP: Savon Huggins, 15 run (Cosgrove kick) | |||||
| BC: Charles Wingate, 3 run (Mike Halligan kick) | |||||
| BC: Doug Rigg, 15 run (Halligan kick) | |||||
| SPP: Ortiz, 1 run (Cosgrove kick) | |||||
| BC: Halligan, 7 run (Halligan kick) | |||||
| SPP: Huggins, 1 run (Cosgrove kick) | |||||
| BC: Halligan, 34 field goal | |||||
| SPP: Huggins, 4 run (Cosgrove kick) | |||||
| SPP: Gianni McLaughlin, 79 interception return (Cosgrove kick) | |||||