St. Joseph’s wins Non-Public Group 3, 26-17 over DePaul by Chris Iseman of The Record
EAST RUTHERFORD – The passes were emblematic of the quarterback’s development.
Deep, precise throws delivered right into his wide receiver’s hands.
Nick Patti’s head coach and teammates had watched him grow, they had witnessed his improvement with each passing week.
So none of them was surprised that the St. Joseph quarterback stepped up on the biggest stage.
“He threw the ball phenomenally today,” senior Louis Acceus said.
Patti threw four touchdown passes and the Green Knights’ defense posted one final strong performance as top-seeded St. Joseph defeated No. 2 DePaul, 26-17, in the Non-Public Group 3 championship game Saturday at MetLife Stadium.
This is the Green Knights’ 18th sectional title, and their first since 2013. It also is the first for head coach Augie Hoffmann since he took over for Tony Karcich in 2014.
“It’s awesome,” Hoffmann said. “It’s as good as it can be. Next to being a player and winning a big game, this is the best feeling I’ve ever had.”
St. Joseph ended its season on a six-game winning streak, and that coincided with some of Patti’s finest performances – culminating with Saturday’s showing.
The junior, who recovered in a big way from a first-quarter pick six, completed 9 of 14 passes for 208 yards. Patti connected with senior Nick Cantone, his top target, for touchdown passes of 61 and 46 yards.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind that if I’m open and he knows where I’m going to be, that ball’s coming down with me,” Cantone said.
DePaul limited St. Joseph’s running game – the Knights finished with 187 yards on the ground – but that often opened up chances for Patti as the Spartans stacked the box.
“We couldn’t run the ball well tonight,” Hoffmann said. “That’s just a fact. They did a great job stopping our run. We stepped up and [Patti] threw the ball well.”
Leading 13-10, the Knights started their first drive of the third quarter at their own 31-yard line. Patti had a 10-yard pass and a 10-yard run to help get a first down at DePaul’s 46.
After St. Joseph ran for no gain on first down, Patti unleashed a 46-yard pass to Cantone, who made an over-the-shoulder catch and got into the end zone. The Knights couldn’t get the extra point, but still took a 19-10 lead.
The Spartans made it a two-point game later in the quarter.
On a third-and-6 at the Knights’ 26, Taquan Roberson delivered a touchdown pass to Ronnie Hickman to close the Spartans’ deficit to 19-17.
That’s as close as they would get.
►DePaul: The Spartans battled to the end
Patti connected with Yasir Berry for a 19-yard scoring pass at 10:35 of the fourth quarter with another excellent throw to push St. Joseph ahead, 26-17.
The defense did the rest.
The Knights held DePaul to 44 yards on the ground. Roberson completed 11 of 22 passes for 138 yards with two touchdowns.
“I [felt] like if we’re able to put up 20-plus points on the board, [we weren’t] going to lose a game this season,” Patti said.
The Spartans actually struck first, with Hickman returning an interception 63 yards for a touchdown at 7:57 of the first quarter.
Patti responded later in the period with a 61-yard touchdown pass to Cantone.
That restored his confidence. That ignited the offense.
When the final second ticked off the clock, the Green Knights were champions once again.
“I would say that this was a great topping off point of the season,” Patti said.