Paramus Catholic wins Non-Public Group 4 state final by JJ Conrad of The Record
EAST RUTHERFORD — The panic never set in. Not at halftime, anyway. And because of it, Paramus Catholic is now champion again.
Inside the corridors of MetLife Stadium at the break Friday night, Paladins first-year coach Dan Sabella looked at and spoke to a team trailing by seven in the
biggest game of everyone in the room’s lives. It was the Non-Public Group 4 final — the biggest stage in New Jersey high school football — and St. Peter’s Prep held the one-touchdown advantage at the break.
But living up the motto that propelled the program to state championships in 2012 and 2013, the Paladins came out ‘Livin’ in a four-touchdown second half — and a momentum-shifting fourth down stand and all-but game sealing forced fumble — to propel them to a 33-28 victory to claim the program’s third state championship in the last five years.
“We heard it all,” senior Corey Bolds said. “We heard we’re done after being Jabrill Catholic. We heard we’re done after being Rashan Catholic. We heard we’re done after losing Drew Singleton for the year. We were kept written off, but we never let it get to us. And now here we are. State champions. Again.”
►COOPER: Second half outburst leads to state title for PC
Trailing 14-7 at halftime, Paramus Catholic went on a 26-0 run. Alijah Jackson broke a 7-yard touchdown run on the Paladins’ sixth play from scrimmage in the third to tie it at 14. Later in the quarter QB Andrew Brito uncorked a 24-yard strike to a wide-open Matt Zelaya for the go-ahead touchdown. A failed PAT left Paramus Catholic with a 20-14 lead. A key fourth-and-1 stop with St. Peter’s Prep knocking on the door of the go-ahead touchdown at the PC 18 with 11:09 left in the fourth led to the highlight of the game.
Jackson broke his second touchdown of the night in emphatic fashion, rumbling 82 yards down the right sideline on the Paladins’ only play of the drive, looking like some touchdown runs reminiscent of former Paramus Catholic star Jabrill Peppers. The Paladins led, 26-14, with 10:55 left.
“Alijah is just a hell of an athlete that has been doing things like that all season,” Bolds said of Jackson, who rushed 10 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns and was a former track teammate of Peppers his freshman year. “Alijah never backs down in big moments and always lives up to the big game. We expect things and games like that from him.”
On St. Peter’s Prep’s following drive, Lewis led the Marauders down to the PC 3 before, again, the Paladins’ defense sealed the deal. Tyler Whipper forced a Lewis fumble on second-and-goal at the 3 and Khyon Fitzpatrick scooped it off the turf with 7:01 left in the fourth. Brito capped the Paladins’ next series with a 17-yard touchdown run to give Paramus Catholic a 33-14 lead with 5:12 left.
“That third quarter, I think we finally settled in,” Bolds said. “The first half I think the environment got to us. NFL stadium. Good-sized crowd. But we settled in and played PC football and it took off from there.”
Jonathan Lewis later added two late fourth-quarter touchdowns, sandwiched around a recovered onside kick, as the Marauders made things interesting down the stretch with 14 points in 17 seconds. But ultimately, Paramus held on in a wild finish.
Just as Lewis has flashed all year competing against the NJSFC non-public powers, the Rutgers-bound quarterback wasted no time making his presence felt Friday. The dual threat star took a read-option left 61 yards to the house down the left sideline on the Marauders’ seventh play from scrimmage. An errant snap on the ensuing point after left St. Peter’s Prep ahead 6-0 with 9:14 left in the first.
The Marauders had the chance to take a 9-0 lead late in the opening quarter, but a combined tackle for a loss on third down by Paramus Catholic’s Ali Brightwell and Donte Small pushed back St. Peter’s Prep field goal attempt to 33 yards into the wind. It was no-good — and Paramus Catholic took advantage. The Paladins marched 80 yards in six plays, capped by Jonathan Clark’s dazzling 36-yard touchdown run down the right sideline with 11:21 left in the first half. Clark also had a key 15-yard reception earlier in the drive on a third-and-7. Robbie Gomez’s ensuing PAT gave Paramus Catholic its first lead, 7-6.
After both teams exchanged punts midway through the second, St. Peter’s Prep regained control with a six-play, 65-yard drive. Dakari Falconer provided a 16-yard run and Lewis added a 10-yard run to bring it down to the Paramus Catholic 1. Lewis later marched it in from 1 yard out with 5:47 left in the first half and added a successful two-point conversion throw to Jorge Portorreal to put the Marauders ahead, 14-7.
The Paladins reached the St. Peter’s Prep 44 on their ensuing possession but that drive ended with an interception thrown by Andrew Brito on a deep ball down the middle of the field. St. Peter’s Prep’s Shayne Simon picked it off.