Monday,
September 9, 2013
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Nick Flores anchored a defense that allowed just 39 yards of total offense as Paramus Catholic began the defense of its state title with a 28-0 over Gilman (MD) on Sunday. |
PARAMUS – Keeping pace among New Jersey teams in the national rankings is something Paramus Catholic could have only dreamed of when Chris Partridge took over in 2011. But just two years later, the Paladins are not only returning state champions, but also the gold standard that other teams country might be compared against. On Saturday night, St. Joe’s (Montvale) beat up on nationally-ranked DeMatha (Maryland), 42-14. On Sunday, it was the Paladins’ turn to make their statement against another Maryland powerhouse, Gilman, and its star quarterback, junior Kai Locksley.
Led by defensive tackle Nick Flores, Paramus Catholic’s defense was absolutely dominant at the line of scrimmage. They allowed just two first-downs, 39 yards of total offense and Gilman never got past the PC 43-yard line. The offense was not as crisp as Partridge would have liked, but it hit enough big plays to make it a comfortable win.
Steve Shanley hit Jabrill Peppers twice for TD strikes and Keyon Washington busted off a 73-yard TD run late in the third quarter to put the game away as Paramus Catholic began the defense of its state title with a 28-0 pasting of Gilman.
“We wanted to come out and make a statement and we definitely did that on the defensive end,” said Peppers, a returning first-team All-American who recently committed to Michigan. “We knew their quarterback was big and dangerous with his legs. Our D-line did a great job of forcing him to make quick decisions. Our goal defensively was to fluster him and set the tempo, and we did both of things very well.”
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Gilman QB Kai Locksley was the focus of the PC defense. |
After forcing a three-and-out on the opening series of the game, Gilman snapped the ball over the head of the 6-foot-4 Locksley and into the end zone. Although the ball could have been recovered for a touchdown, the Paladins were unable to corral it until Peppers finally fell on it. However, part of his body was out of the back of the end zone and it was ruled a safety. PC tacked three more points onto its lead on a 43-yard field goal from Matthew Golabek.
Gilman’s best chance to get something going offensively came after a Shanley pass slipped through the hands of a receiver and into the arms of Robert Branch, who returned it to the PC 47. The Paladins forced their second of four consecutive three-and-out series to quell the threat before finally finding the end zone. Peppers was used as a decoy for most of the half before making his presence felt when it counted the most. Shanley moved around in the pocket before Peppers found a soft spot in the zone. Shanley hit him with a check-down pass and Peppers did the rest, outracing the defense to the corner for a 36-yard score that gave the Paladins an 11-0 lead at the half.
Paramus Catholic carried that momentum into the third quarter and scored on its first drive of the second half. Shanley tossed a quick swing pass to Peppers, who wiggled through two tacklers before again outracing the defense to the corner. He dove for the pylon and scored his second touchdown for an 18-0 lead.
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Keyon Washington had a career-high 183 yards rushing for Paramus Catholic. |
Washington earned most of the tough yards throughout the game between the tackles. PC’s offensive line led by Michigan commit Juwann Bushall-Beatty, Virginia Tech commit Billy Ray Mitchell, and senior center Alec Bowman eventually wore down Gilman’s D-Line. After consistently pounding away for four to six-yard runs throughout the game, Washington finally broke off a big one as he went 73 yards to the house. Dan Conte capped the scoring with a school-record 49-yard field goal for the final 28-0 margin over Gilman (1-2).
“We have so many weapons and so much experience that our biggest job is for us to stayed focused on each and every play,” said Shanley. “I think we had some first-game jitters early on and it showed in the mistakes we made. But we got better as the game went on and we kept our focus on the play in front of us. We knew if we kept grinding it out that we could wear them down.”
Shanley had a great day both in and out of the pocket, going 18-for-24 for 222 yards, two touchdowns and the one interception for Paramus Catholic (1-0). Washington rushed for a career-high 180 yards on 23 carries and Peppers had 96 yards of total offense and two TDs. Najee Clayton and Dejon Harrison combined for 11 catches and 120 yards receiving.
Paramus Catholic, ranked No. 4 in the country by USA Today, will look to keep their winning ways going next week but it will not be a cakewalk. The Paladins travel to take on Delbarton, which led 16-0 in the first half in their meeting last year before PC battled for a 36-23 victory. While shutting out Gilman was a big win for the program, there is still a lot of things the Paladins need to shore up before next week; mainly nine offensive penalties, five of them coming on false starts. Partridge knows what there is to work on in practice this week.
“I thought we played very well for the most part, but the penalties are definitely a concern,” said Partridge. “It didn’t hurt us today, but if you keep making those mistakes it will eventually catch up to you. Our defensive was outstanding and (Nick) Flores was everywhere. Delbarton is a well-coached disciplined team and we have to be even more disciplined than they are next week. This was a big win, but we still have a lot of work to do and a long way to go before we get to where we want to be.”
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