November 20, 2010
Marauders fall in semifinals
Brandon Napoleon (l) tries to avoid the rush of Razohnn Gross and Michael Strizak.
Click Here for more photos from St. Peter's Prep at Don Bosco Prep.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
RAMSEY – For St. Peter’s Prep last night was just the latest chapter in what has been a half-decade nightmare. The players and the story may change, but for the Marauders the ending has remained the same.
St. Peter’s saw its title hopes dashed by Don Bosco Prep for the fifth year in a row. This time it was a 37-0 defeat at Granatell Stadium in the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group IV semifinals to end the Marauders’ season.
This time around it was a pair of crucial special team breakdowns and an interception which sunk fifth-seeded St. Peter’s Prep (9-2) and negated a solid defensive performance.
“Every single one of them was disappointing,” St. Peter’s Prep head coach Rich Hansen said. “Every single one of them was disheartening and it took us out of our game.”
The Marauders found themselves in trouble just four plays into the game as Don Bosco’s Jay Correa blocked a Kevin Cosgrove punt which teammate Paul Canevari recovered on the St. Peter’s Prep 5-yard-line.
Three plays later, the top-seeded Ironmen (10-0) would capitalize on the Marauders' error - as well as one of their own when a Don Bosco fumble was recovered by Leonte Carroo in the end zone for a touchdown.
St. Peter’s seemed to shake off the early 6-0 when they drove all the way down to the Bosco 6 thanks a 30-yard pass from Brandon Napoleon to Joe Vesey. But disaster would strike again for the Marauders as a botched field goal attempt ended with Don Bosco’s Jabrill Peppers returning a fumble 87 yards for a touchdown.
It would be the first of two touchdowns for Peppers, a freshman cornerback, in the opening half. In the second quarter, Peppers intercepted a pass and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown to give the Ironmen a 21-0 lead without a single first down on offense.
“We blew an opportunity,” Hansen said. “We can’t have a punt blocked to give them the ball in the red zone. You can’t blow a scoring opportunity and have it turn into a touchdown for them. And you can’t throw an interception and not cover it, letting him go (95) yards for a touchdown. With that, we’re right back in the same boat that we’re always in with these guys.”
Armed with a 24-0 lead at the half despite just 48 yards of total offense, the Don Bosco defense took over in the second half. St. Peter’s Prep entered the contest averaging 44 points per game, but was limited to just six yards of total offense in the second half as they were shut out for the first time in its last 33 games. In total, the Marauders could must just 133 yards on the night.
The Ironmen sacked Napoleon six times in the victory. Junior Darius Hamilton (the son of former Giants standout Keith Hamilton) led the relentless Don Bosco pass rush with three sacks. Fellow junior Michael Strizak added two sacks of his own.
They were also able to keep Savon Huggins in check for most of the game. Huggins who re-wrote the record books during his career at St. Peter’s Prep, was limited to a season-low 72 yards on 19 carries and kept out of the end zone for the first time all season. He had entered the game with 1,694 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns.
Canevari added a fourth-quarter touchdown for the Ironmen finished with 87 yards on 23 carries. University of Pittsburgh-bound quarterback Gary Nova completed 12-of-26 passes for 120 yards.
Don Bosco Prep will face the winner of today’s Bergen Catholic/Seton Hall Prep matchup for the Non-Public, Group IV title in two weeks. While the Ironmen are one step closer to its fifth-straight title, the Marauders are once again left to wonder what could have been.
“My regret is that we didn’t play an ‘A’ game,” Hansen said. “If you play an ‘A’ game and they beat us, I think we can live with it. But we all have to take and I have to take not playing a good game, not playing well and not executing. It’s tough to deal with.”
LB Dan Lesce (right) and the Marauder defense allowed just 48 yards in the first half.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Peter's Prep Marauders (9-2) | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Don Bosco Prep Ironmen (10-0) | 14 |
10 |
0 |
13 |
37 |
| DBP: Leonte Carroo, fumble recovery in end zone (kick failed) | |||||
| DBP: Jabrill Peppers, 87 fumble return (Jay Correa pass from Gary Nova) | |||||
| DBP: Peppers, 95 interception return (Max Buchanan kick) | |||||
| DBP: Buchanan, 34 field goal | |||||
| DBP: Paul Canevari, 15 run (Buchanan kick) | |||||
| DBP: Mike Yankovich, 5 run (Buchanan kick) | |||||