Seton Hall Prep football pulled out another unbelievable upset in back-to-back years defeating the number 1 team in the state and reigning State Champions Saint Peters Prep, 26-25 in overtime. What looked like a blowout on paper, Coach Fitzgerald turned around and beat the sixth ranked team in the country! Saint Peter’s, entering the game 4-0, turned to  star seniors, 4-star Michigan commit DL Gerald Rooks and starting QB 3-star Virginia Tech commit Tahj Bullock to continue the undefeated season.  

A motivated Seton Hall Prep squad playing their last game of the season got off to an early lead. Jaden Craig ’22 found Jack Larsen ’21 over the middle for a 20-yard gain. Next, Craig was able to find Nick Dunneman ’22 over the middle for another first down. On 3rd and 1, Myles Thomason ’22 ran up the middle and into the back of the end zone for a 25-yard score, putting the Prep up 7-0.

Saint Peter’s was quick to respond as Bullock marched down the field and scoring on a 36-yard run to tie the game at 7. The 2nd quarter was dominated by the Pirates. Craig completed a pass to Dunneman  and put the Prep inside the Marauders’ 30-yard line. Then, Craig, scrambling left, found tight end Larsen for the score. Seton Hall’s defense stopped the Marauders and gave the ball back to the offense. After getting inside Saint Peter’s red zone, on 2nd and 8 from the 12, Craig found Dunneman in the back of the end zone for a miraculous toe-tap catch for a touchdown. Seton Hall went into halftime with a 19-7 lead. Saint Peter’s Prep would not give up, proving why they are the defending state champions. Coming out of the locker room with a new attitude, the Marauders outscored the Pirates 12-0 in the 3rd quarter. Bullock displayed why he is a Power 5 commit, finding Ken Soares for a 1-yard touchdown and scrambling in for another TD. However, both extra points were missed which played a massive role in this game’s ending. SHP entered the 4th with a 19-19 tied ballgame. Throughout the 4th both defenses stepped up, resulting in zero points scored in the 4th, meaning we were headed to overtime!  

Saint Peter’s Prep scored first with a 6-yard run by Bullock but was stopped on the 2-point conversion, giving the Prep a chance to win with a score and extra point. The next play, Coach Fitzgerald called for a screen pass to Thomason and it worked to perfection. Wth blockers downfield Thomason found the end zone for the score. Seton Hall Prep was an extra point away from defeating the number 1 team in the state and sending their seniors off with a historic victory. With teammates and coaches on the bench were on their knees with locked arms. Kicker Nick Conforti ’22 kicked the ball in between the uprights resulting in a 26-25 SHP victory, a moment that will live forever in SHP history. After the extra point, all Seton Hall Prep players celebrated in joy, while dogpiling on Nick celebrating the victory. 

After the game, Seton Hall Prep defensive lineman and Captain Declan Kazan ’21 said, “No one thought we could do it.” Similar to the upset last year of Saint Joe’s Regional by a point, Matt Colantuono said, “Only the people in our locker room believed we could win this game. We proved ourselves right.”

Kazan finished the game with four tackles capping off a remarkable career as a Pirate.