Pope John XXIII will face off against the St. John-Vianney Lancers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Pope John XXIII will be strutting in after a win while St. John-Vianney will be coming in after a loss.
Having struggled with five defeats in a row, Pope John XXIII turned things around against St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday. They snuck past the Trojans with a 26-21 victory. The score was all tied up 7-7 at the break, but Pope John XXIII was the better team in the second half.
Pope John XXIII got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Luke Gialanella out in front who rushed for 81 yards and one touchdown on only ten carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick Mignone, who rushed for 73 yards and one TD on only nine carries.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Pope John XXIII's defense and their three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Sam Conetta, Alex Schreiber, and Mike Morelli, who each picked up one sack apiece. Conetta was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 15 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, St. John-Vianney fell victim to Wall Township and their airtight defense two weeks ago. They had to suffer through a 28-0 loss at the hands of the Crimson Knights. The loss continues a trend for the Lancers in their meetings with the Crimson Knights: they've now lost four in a row.
Pope John XXIII's record now sits at 2-7. As for St. John-Vianney, they now have a losing record of 4-5.
Everything came up roses for Pope John XXIII against St. John-Vianney when the teams last played back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 48-14 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pope John XXIII since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
