EAST RUTHERFORD — The Marauders of St. Peter’s Prep knew that they had to play a pretty much flawless game to defeat the nation’s No. 2 ranked team Saturday in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 4 state title game.
It didn’t happen.
The Marauders turned the ball over on the first play from scrimmage, setting the tone for the rest of the game, as they fell, 35-15, giving Don Bosco its fourth straight state sectional title and their third straight No. 1 ranking overall in New Jersey.
The game began in a steady rain and ended in a heavy snowfall.
The Marauders received the opening kickoff, but on the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Raphael Ortiz threw an interception to Ryan Cobb at the 17-yard line of St. Peter’s. Five plays later, Tony Jones, who rushed for 215 yards and scored five touchdowns, went in fron the 1-yard line for the first of his three first half touchdowns, giving the favored Ironmen a 7-0 lead with 9:41 left in the first quarter.
The Ironmen, who entered the game with a 22-game winning streak and not having lost a game in New Jersey in four years, then pushed the lead to 13-0 on another Jones 1-yard run with 4:49 left in the opening period.
The Marauders then came right back. Ortiz connected with Brendan Dolaghan for a 51-yard reception, and then hit Sheldon Royster on a 20-yard touchdown pass to slice the lead to 13-7.
But Don Bosco controlled the action from that point on. Aidan Murray made a 29-yard field goal with 6:55 left before halftime to push the lead to 16-7 and then Jones put the dagger in the Marauders’ upset chances with his third touchdown, this one of five yards, with just 19 seconds left before intermission, giving the Ironmen the 23-7 halftime advantage.
Jones scored on a touchdown run to push the lead to 29-7 in the third quarter. The Marauders (9-3) had some life when Ortiz scored on a 10-yard quarterback keeper and hit Corey Davis for the two-point PAT pass, cutting the lead to 29-15 with 11 minutes left, but Jones capped his memorable day with a 40-yard touchdown run a few minutes later to close out the game’s scoring.
Don Bosco Prep (12-0) has now won 24 straight games overall, won 48 of their last 49 games and have not lost a game in New Jersey since falling 22-15 to St. Peter’s Prep in the 2005 state finale.
It marked the end of the local high school football season, with two local teams falling in state finals at Giants Stadium, being played there for the final time. Secaucus lost, 30-14, Friday night to Cedar Grove. — Jim Hague