Saturday, December 5, 2009

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

UNION – After a blowout loss to rival Don Bosco over the Thanksgiving weekend and an injury to quarterback Devin O’Connor, there were plenty of reasons to think St. Joseph Regional’s iron clad on the Non-Public Group 3 state playoff bracket was loosening fast. With a talented Immaculata squad waiting a year for a shot at revenge after losing last season’s section title game to the Green Knights, St. Joe’s could have been on the ropes.

But what the Bosco game did instead of demoralizing the SJR defense, it served as a valuable game-simulated practice for its defense, which knew it needed to play several notches above it normal level to compensate for the limited play of O’Connor.

The Green Knights’ defense did that an then some with a vintage performance as first-half touchdown runs by Kamal Hogan and Blair Wynn were all St. Joe’s needed. The defense allowed just 77 yards of total offense and handed head coach Tony Karcich his landmark 300th career victory with a 14-0 triumph and second straight Non-Public Group 3 title at Kean University.

“It’s a great feeling to win another state title,” said Wynn. “To do it in my senior season and for us to beat a great team like Immaculata again makes it that much sweeter.”

After the teams traded three-and-outs to start the game, St. Joe’s got on the scoreboard on its second drive by chewing up yardage on the ground. The big play came on a third-and-5 from the 22 where Wynn broke a tackle and bounced it outside for a 15-yard gain. Hogan busted through a big hole on the next play to get in the end zone to give his team a 7-0 lead.

St. Joe’s defense almost seemed like it had more players on the field than Immaculata’s offense in the first half as it was smothering throughout the first half, allowing just 23 yards and two first-downs. The Green Knights not only played outstanding defense and ran the ball effectively, they also caught a huge break at a crucial point early in the second quarter.

Facing a fourth-and-4 at the Immaculata 22-yard line. O’Connor was sacked, but the drive continued when the refs flagged the Spartans for a face-mask penalty. The Knights were in trouble again on a third-and-17 when O’Connor threw his biggest pass of the game. He hit Kai Dominguez on a skinny post for a first-down at the Immaculata three-yard line. On the ensuing play, Wynn broke a tackle and just got into the end zone with 9:43 left in the second quarter. Jason Checke tacked on his second extra-point and St. Joe’s took a 14-0 lead into the locker room.

“Scoring that second touchdown and giving our defense that cushion was huge,” added Wynn. “We knew they were going to get their offense going, we just had to stay tough and not let them back in the game.”

Immaculata gained more yards on its second drive of the third quarter than it did in the entire first half. Ralph D’Agostino’s second effort on a fourth-and-3 kept the drive alive. It was fourth-and-5 from the nine when Tyler Laverty kept it on the option and appeared to have enough for the first down. But he fumbled and St. Joe’s defensive standout Alex Aitkens recovered to end the threat.

“That was the real turning point in the game. We needed to get in the end zone there,” said Immaculata head coach Pierce Frauenheim, who is only one of only six New Jersey head football coaches all-time with more wins than Karcich at 305. “With the way they were running the ball, that was the time.”

The last hope for Immaculata (10-2) came early in the fourth quarter when it had a fourth-and-nine at the Green Knights’ 30-yard line. But the snap was muffed and St. Joe’s fell on it to all but end the game.

“Devin (O’Connor) has been great for us all year and we knew we had to pick up the slack today,” said Aitkens, who had a great game with six tackles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception. “When we got them for a three-and-out on their first drive, that just got us going. We were hitting all night and we weren’t going to let them get any momentum. Our whole team wanted to get this one for Coach Karcich. Immaculata is a tough team, so we had to go out and get it, not wait for it to be handed to us.”

The only suspense left was when Karcich was going to get the old Gatorade shower from his players. That came with under a minute to play and Karcich was able to end his season in style with his 300th career win and St. Joe’s 12th state title in the past 15 years. He also became the first coach in Bergen County history to reach the 300-win plateau. But as usual, he was only focused on what the win meant to his players.

“It wasn’t the prettiest win we’ve ever had here, but we’ll take it,” said Karcich. “Sometimes it’s just about grinding it out and getting the job done. Our defense really stepped up and they needed to against a very good football team. For our seniors to go out with back-to-back state championships is something they will always remember, and something that is far more important to me than reaching any personal milestone.”

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