Paramus Catholic outlasts Don Bosco in overtime thriller by Greg Mattura of The Record

PARAMUS – Paramus Catholic opted to go for the win and Xavier Briggs-Devore fought his way across the goal line.

The Paladins defeated Don Bosco in overtime, 22-21, after Briggs-Devore scored on a two-point conversion run on Friday night in the NJSFC United Red Division.

Paramus Catholic coach Dan Sabella chose the two-point conversion attempt over a potential game-tying extra point after Don Bosco was flagged for an illegal substitution that moved the ball half the distance to the goal, from the 3-yard line to inside the 2-yard line.

“We were going to kick it, we were going to tie it and send it into double-overtime, but that penalty changed it a little bit,” Sabella said. “So we took a shot and Xavier bulled his way in there.”

“I was just extremely excited knowing that I pushed my team over the top,” Briggs-Devore said.

Paramus Catholic (3-4) scored in the OT when quarterback Shelton Applewhite threw a 14-yard TD pass to receiver Andy Ambroise.

Don Bosco (2-5) had taken a 21-14 lead when running back Jalen Berger took a handoff, ran right, and threw to a wide-open Kieran Reynolds for a 25-yard score. Brandon Marrero converted the extra point, after missing a 35-yard field goal on the final play of regulation.

Don Bosco scored both of its touchdowns in regulation in wildcat-formation runs by Berger. In the first half, he ran for a 69-yard TD to tie the score, 7-7, at 5:01 of the second quarter. In the third, Berger scored on a 78-yard run to give the Ironmen a 14-7 lead at 11:01.

Don Bosco had a chance to win on its final possession of regulation. The Ironmen drove from their 20-yard line to the Paramus Catholic 18-yard line, but Marrero’s kick was just a touch to the left.

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Game-winning conversion: Applewhite handed to Briggs-Devore going left, he was hit at the 1-yard line and fought his way into the end zone. Officials ruled it at touchdown after determining he did not fumble until after crossing the goal line and hitting the turf.

“It’s a play we run a lot, it’s a counter play, and you’ve got to get 2 yards, you gotta get a yard-and-a-half,” Sabella said. “And you’ve got to trust your guys and we got it by a couple of inches and that was enough.”

Star of the game: Paramus Catholic scored on its first and last possession of regulation. The Paladins took a 7-0 lead at 7:47 of the first quarter as Briggs-Devore capped a 13-play, 79-yard drive by scoring on a 4-yard run. The Paladins tied the score with 1:25 left in the fourth on Briggs-Devore’s 5-yard run.

Quotable: “It came right down to the wire, both teams battled to the end,” Sabella said. “The defense kept us in it all game long. We had a bunch of opportunities in the first half, and even more in the second half where we couldn’t get the ball in the darn end zone. Finally there at the end, we tied it up, got it into overtime, and it was great to answer the score.”