Football Game Preview: St. Francis Prep Terriers vs. Cardinal Spellman Pilots

St. Francis Prep has gone a perfect 3-0 against Cardinal Spellman recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Sunday. The Terriers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Pilots at 1:00 p.m. St. Francis Prep is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 26.1 points per game this season.

St. Francis Prep will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up seven points two weeks ago, then bounced right back against Kennedy Catholic on Friday. The Terriers breezed past the Gaels to the tune of 54-14. With the Terriers ahead 40-14 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.

Sean Ibert

Rushing Touchdowns (Career)

10/17/25 @ Kennedy Catholic	3
09/26/25 @ Fordham Prep	1
08/30/25 @ St. John the Baptist	1
10/20/24 @ Mt. St. Michael Academy	1
10/06/24 @ Holy Cross	1

Sean Ibert was his usual excellent self, rushing for 122 yards and three scores on only six carries. Those three rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Rocco Petronella was another key player, picking up 78 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.

St. Francis Prep didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Kennedy Catholic to a completion percentage of just 37.5%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from three players: Anthony Brown, Rafael Espinal, and Roderick Fordham, who each logged one passes deflected. St. Francis Prep has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.6 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.6 in their last three games.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Spellman played a tough contest two weeks ago in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by St. John the Baptist and fell 63-12. The loss continues a trend for the Pilots in their meetings with the Cougars: they've now lost six in a row.

St. Francis Prep now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Cardinal Spellman, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.

Everything came up roses for St. Francis Prep against Cardinal Spellman in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 35-6 victory. In that game, the Terriers amassed a halftime lead of 21-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Sunday.