Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) at Paramus Catholic (N.J.)
Don Bosco Prep and Paramus Catholic will have a highly anticipated rematch this week.
Photo by Glenn Kross
It's semifinal weekend in New Jersey's rugged Non-Public Group IV bracket. A doubleheader of games featuring four of the top five teams in the state's MaxPreps Computer Rankings kicks off Saturday afternoon when No. 14 Paramus Catholic hosts Don Bosco Prep. It's a rematch of an Oct. 11 win for Paramus Catholic that was played amid an air of hostility that bubbled up when both head coaches publicly accused each other of impermissible recruiting. Paramus Catholic (8-1) is now 10 spots lower in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 than before its stunning 27-0 loss to St. Joseph Regional (Montvale) two weeks ago. As the top seed in the bracket, the Paladins had a first-round bye last week to work on righting their ship. Meanwhile, Don Bosco Prep (7-2) returned two interceptions for touchdowns to aid in a 42-21 round-one win over St. Augustine (Richland) last week. The Ironmen have five pick-sixes in their last five games.
Follow live scoring of this game on Qwixcore Just the facts: This will be the 15th meeting between these Big North United Division rivals in the last 11 years. Don Bosco Prep had won 12 in a row before Paramus Catholic beat the Ironmen in last year's playoffs and in the regular season earlier this year. … Current Big North United members have a combined 46 Non-Public Group III or IV state championships since 1974.
Mitch Stephens: Paramus Catholic 24, Don Bosco Prep 17
Kevin Askeland: Don Bosco Prep 24, Paramus Catholic 21
Jamie DeMoney: Don Bosco Prep 27, Paramus Catholic 20
Stephen Spiewak: Paramus Catholic 21, Don Bosco Prep 20
Leland Gordon: Paramus Catholic 22, Don Bosco Prep 17
Colin Ward-Henninger: Don Bosco Prep 24, Paramus Catholic 21
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