October 24, 2010
Friars clinch division title
Jidamon Sparkman rushed for 100 yards and four touchdowns for St. Anthony.
Click Here for more photos from Hoboken at St. Anthony.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
JERSEY CITY – All throughout St. Anthony high school is an endless collection of banners and trophies documenting the many state and national titles of the storied boys basketball program. Now the football team will be adding a banner of its own as is making a name for itself in the process.
In just their third year of varsity program, the Friars have secured their first championship, clinching the HCIAL American Division title after defeating Hoboken 36-20 last night at Caven Point.
“We wanted to hang a trophy in the hallway,” head coach Sean Fallon said. “We wanted to get in on the act.
“When I took the job (before the 2009 season), I looked at the roster and I knew the names. I knew that there was talent here. We just had to teach these kids how to play football.”
St. Anthony (7-0) started up the football program as a junior varsity team back in 2007. Now, the freshmen on that inaugural squad represent the senior core of what has become one of Hudson County’s top teams and a legit contender for a state title.
“No, not at all,” said senior quarterback Slyvester Wright when asked if he could have envisioned this type of success. “I’m glad Coach Sean (Fallon) came in and turned the program around. Now we’re becoming a big-time name in this county.”
Those freshmen who are now seniors made their presence felt throughout the victory, led by RB/LB Jidamon Sparkman.
Faced with an early 14-0 deficit after the opening quarter, Sparkman and the Friars took over. He put St. Anthony on the scoreboard with a 19-yard run and would give them the lead at 15-14 just three-and-a-half minutes later with a 6-yard touchdown.
“We all just knew that they come out early,” senior WR/CB/K Craig Davilla said. “We just had to keep our composure and just keep working hard.”
“Because of the way our offense has been playing, we don’t even blink if we’re down two touchdowns,” said Fallon whose team has averaged more than 46 points per game this season. “Hoboken’s a fast-starting team, we prepared for that.”
When St. Anthony was looking to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, Fallon looked to Sparkman to finish the task. His 2-yard rushing touchdown would make it 29-14 two plays into the fourth quarter. Sparkman would add a fourth touchdown, this one from nine yards, late to cap off the win.
He finished with 100 yards rushing on 15 carries and was an intimidating force on defense and special teams, racking up several huge tackles.
“(Jidamon) takes over games on offense, defense and you see him running down on kickoffs and tackling guys inside the 10-yard line,” Fallon said. “Every phase of the game he dominates.”
Fellow senior David Coleman had 67 yards (including an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter) on just nine carries. Wright completed 4-of-6 passes for 70 yards and rushed for 22 yards. Daryl Wilson had 83 yards on 11 carries.
Spencer Perez had a big game in defeat for the Red Wings (5-2). The junior QB completed 7-of-12 passes for 115 yards and tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Delquan Groomes. Perez also had a fourth-quarter touchdown to finish with 35 yards on five carries.
Chris Morales had 12 carries for 104 yards and senior Jason Montalvo added 61 yards rushing. Daquan Stewart tacked on 39 yards rushing along with 28 yards receiving for a Hoboken squad which will look to bounce back on Friday against Kearny.
The Friars will travel to Bayonne on Friday in search of their eighth-straight victory. While St. Anthony may always be best known for hoops, they know the pieces are in place to a team to be reckoned with on the gridiron as well.
“What Coach (Bob) Hurley has done there is going to be talked about 100 years from now,” Fallon said. “When you start a new program, you want to be like that. We’re not going to ever be the best team in the country or be the USA Today #1, but on a smaller scale we can win state championships. We have the talent, we have some decent coaches and we have the support system.”
Junior QB Spencer Perez threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a score in defeat.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoboken Red Wings (5-2) | 14 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
20 |
| St. Anthony Friars (7-0) | 0 |
22 |
0 |
14 |
36 |
| Hob: Delquan Groomes, 21 pass from Spencer Perez (kick good) | |||||
| Hob: Groomes, 4 pass from Perez (kick good) | |||||
| SA: Jidamon Sparkman, 19 run (David Coleman pass from Slyvester Wright) | |||||
| SA: Sparkman, 6 run (Craig Davilla kick) | |||||
| SA: Coleman, 7 run (Davilla kick) | |||||
| SA: Sparkman, 2 run (Davilla kick) | |||||
| Hob: Perez, 8 run (run failed) | |||||
| SA: Sparkman, 9 run (Davilla kick) | |||||