Paramus Catholic Paladins named to the 12th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard

MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the Paramus Catholic (Paramus, N.J.) Paladins have officially been named to the 12th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 12th year honoring football.

This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for the top 100 teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams. This puts the Paladins ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!

For the third time in the last five years, Paramus Catholic finished the season as the NJSIAA state champion. On Friday, Feb. 3 the Paladins erased a halftime deficit (14-7) with a 26-0 run in the second half of the state title game and completed a comeback win (33-28) over St. Peter's Prep for the Non-Public Group 4 state crown.

This was the third state title game matchup between Paramus Catholic and St. Peter's Prep in the last four seasons – Paramus Catholic took home two of the three state championships (2013, 2016).

Paladin quarterback Andrew Brito completed 7-of-13 passes for 105 yards and rushed for 126 yards on 14 carries. Alijah Jackson finished with 127 yards and two-touchdowns on 11 carries. Jonathan Clark added a touchdown and 130 yards on 12 carries.

At the end of the season (10-2) head coach Dan Sabella and the Paladins finished ranked No.1 in Division Non-Public Group 4, No.1 in the state, No.2 in the northeast region and No.36 in the nation.

These incredible season achievements have earned the Paramus Catholic Paladins an invitation to the 12th Annual Tour of Champions.

Please join us as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. during the signing day assembly in the gym.

For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.