NationalHSFootball.com
For the third time this season the top team in New Jersey has turned over as Paramus Catholic (NJ) was shutout for the first time in over three years.
Entering the game ranked No. 6 in the HSFB100 the Paladins were unable to solve St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, NJ) as the then-No. 92 Green Knights dominated from gun to whistle, 27-0.
St. Joseph was fueled by the guest appearance of former head coach Tony Karcich who was asked to work on the defensive gameplan by his successor, Augie Hoffman.
What he dialed up worked all day and set Paramus Catholic to center stage of the Sunday Stock Watch.
The new feature from NationalHSFootball.com takes the place of HSFB100 Rankings Preview but will contain similar elements and as National Week Nine of the high school football season wraps up there were results that stood out more than others.
Paramus Catholic turned the ball over four times — of which three were interceptions and two turned into points for St. Joseph — and ended the chances for a New Jersey team to claim a National Championship for the first time since 2009.
Paladin coach Chris Partridge shouldered the loss telling NorthJersey.com that he didn’t put his players in a position to succeed.
“This one was on me,” Partridge said. “The kids came to play, but I got outcoached completely.”
St. Joseph set the tone early as it drove the field on its opening possession and scored a touchdown to cap its nine-play, 76-yard drive.
The following possession for Paramus Catholic dug the hole deeper as its punt team was unable to turn the field after a poor snap leading to a 10-0 lead for St. Joseph before the Paladins gained a first down.
The second quarter came with more of the same for St. Joseph as the defense stifled the heavily-favored Paladins.
Gavin Haggerty connected on a career-long 43-yard field goal to push the lead to two scores and then an interception made by senior Devin Cividini gave the team the ball back prior to the break. St. Joseph went for broke and connected on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Jack Walsh to Ugo Ezemma — the second time the two got together in the first half.
With the lead and the ball it was running back Brian Kearns that was asked to salt away the clock and he carried the ball 32 times for 100 yards in the victory.
The outcome will push Paramus Catholic down to the No. 2 position in New Jersey and give the top spot back to preseason favorite St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, NJ).
Don Bosco (Ramsey, NJ) — which had moved all the way to No. 1 in the HSFB100, Bergen Catholic (Oradell, NJ) and St. Joseph will round out the Top 5 for the state with St. Joseph trending decidedly upward with a chance to knock off Don Bosco on Thanksgiving and change the rankings landscape again.
Here is the rest of the Sunday Stock Watch:
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Starkville (Mississippi) — The concern that this team had peaked too early started to surface last week and after another tough test it was time to adjust the Yellow Jackets back down out of the Top 10. The team scored the final 27 points two weeks ago to win and this week it was in a back-and-forth battle for all four quarters to close the regular season against Clinton. There are three other Mississippi teams inside the HSFB100 that could challenge for a state title and the next five weeks will be interesting in the Magnolia State. |
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Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, AL) — It is hard to figure which number needs to be paid more attention to: the 85 points that the Cougars scored or the 50 that it allowed. We are taking note of the latter much more than the former and sliding the team back down from the No. 11 placement that it had last week back into the middle-teens. There are enough teams that can not keep pace with Clay-Chalkville that we believe them to be among the best 25 in the nation right now but allowing that amount of points makes it tough to think it belongs on the doorstep of the Top 10. |
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First Coast (Jacksonville, FL) — We have been holding on as best we can to this team but the talent and the results are not lining up on a consistent basis. First Coast has as much talent as any team in the nation has multiple close calls this season that it shouldn’t. The cumulative body of work includes an 18-6 win over Fletcher, 13-7 versus Mandarin, 34-30 to Flagler Palm Coast, and this Friday’s 19-14 contest versus White. Playoffs can change things but more than likely the team will not be long for the HSFB100. |
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Hoover (Alabama) — This is the second week in a row the Bucs were featured in the Stock Up section and the continued improvement of quarterback Jack Hutchison will keep the team moving up the rankings. The Class 7A playoffs will feature a few tough tests but the last two weeks what Hutch usually shows in practice has come out on the football field. |
| Katy (Texas) — The Tigers are moving back into the Top 25 this week after another strong performance. After s stunning loss to The Woodlands the team has been refocused and the holes exposed on the offensive line seem to have been plugged. The defense is always strong and the running game will pave the way. The Class 6A Division II playoff path has multiple interesting games and could be the better overall bracket versus Division I. We are back on board with Katy and think the team can finish where it started with a Top 10 ranking. |
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