EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – The Don Bosco Prep Ironmen concluded their undefeated season with a 35-15 victory over the St. Peter’s Prep Marauders in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group IV state championship game on a snowy Saturday at Giants Stadium.
Photo by Danny Wild
Tony Jones from Don Bosco Prep.
“Winning the championship is our number one goal,” Don Bosco Prep Head Coach Greg Toal said. “All of the other things are fun, but the bottom line is that we want to walk out of here as the best football team in New Jersey.”
The Ironmen, ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25, finished the season 12-0 and won their fourth consecutive sectional title. Don Bosco Prep has won 23 games in a row since losing to St. Xavier in Ohio in the first week of the 2008 season. The last team from New Jersey to beat the Ironmen was St. Peter’s Prep in the 2005 state championship game.
Don Bosco Prep wasted no time getting started. On the first play from scrimmage, St. Peter’s Prep quarterback Raphael Ortiz was intercepted by Ryan Cobb which set up the Ironmen at the 18-yard line. Ortiz threw four interceptions and struggled to establish a passing game against the menacing Don Bosco Prep defense. The Ironmen scored the first points of the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Tony Jones and never looked back.
“It’s always good to get out of the gate and get up 7-0, that’s for sure,” Toal said. “We were happy with that. Cobb made a great play. We were pleased with our coverage last week against St. Joseph Regional, and I think we got better at it today.”
Jones, named the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey earlier this week, scored all five touchdowns in the game for Don Bosco Prep, setting a new career-high, and rushed for 215 yards. Boston College, Connecticut, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Rutgers, and UCLA have all shown interest in the senior running back.
“The dream was always to win four state championships in a row,” Jones said. “When I scored three touchdowns in the first half, it was in my head. I just wanted to make it happen, and I’m grateful for that.”
Jones was sidelined for most of last season with a collar bone injury. He has made a statement in his final year with Don Bosco Prep, rushing for a total of 1384 yards and scoring 35 touchdowns.
“It’s really special for me because I really didn’t play last year. I just really worked hard during the offseason and practiced harder than anybody else.”
“Tony Jones is a special guy, and he’s had four great years,” Toal said. “He lost one football game in his career. He was lights out tonight. This was his stage tonight. He’s the best running back in the state of New Jersey and he proved it today.”
Don Bosco Prep had a 23-7 lead at halftime, and a 29-7 lead after the third quarter. Just when the game appeared to be over, St. Peter’s Prep began to rally. A 7-yard touchdown run by Ortiz and a successful 2-point conversion cut the Ironmen lead to 29-15. A defensive stop gave the Marauders good field position at their own 46-yard line. St. Peter’s Prep’s rally ended on the second play of the drive when a pass by Ortiz was deflected and intercepted by Daniel Chun. The play led to Jones’ fifth touchdown of the day, a 40-yard run that put Don Bosco Prep ahead 35-15 and clinched the victory.
Although St. Peter’s Prep remained in the game until the fourth quarter, their potent running game was shut down. Savon Huggins, the Marauders’ star running back who will be a national recruit next year, was held to a mere 53 yards.
Earlier in the season when the two teams met, Don Bosco Prep overpowered the Marauders 42-9. Jones rushed for 185 yards and scored two touchdowns in that game.
The Ironmen have proved they are one of the most dominant teams in the country. With two convincing wins over St. Peter’s Prep (9-3), the second ranked team in New Jersey, a 30-6 defeat of the De La Salle Spartans (11-2), and a 35-24 victory on the road against the Prattville Lions (13-3), the second ranked team in Alabama, undefeated Don Bosco Prep makes a strong case to finish No. 1 in Xcellent 25.
Photo by Danny Wild
The 2009 champs.
“This is a special group in so many ways. Anytime this team was challenged, they made plays and got it done,” Toal said. “Like in Prattville, Alabama when the humidity was 80 or 90 percent. It was brutal, absolutely brutal. We went down 24-23, and then our kids just went to another level. I knew right then that this was a special group because when they were challenged, they fought back like tigers.”
The victory over St. Peter’s Prep wraps up yet another incredible season for Don Bosco Prep, and they will be ready to contend for their fifth straight title next season.
“I love these kids, and we’re going to miss these guys so much, as we did all of our players,” Toal said. “We have had so many great kids that go on to play in college and really become great people. I’m going to miss these guys, but we have to get started for next year soon.”