St. Joseph’s Prep Earns Spot In State Semi-Finals With Win Over Nazareth

Tagged under: District 11, District 12, Game Photos, Gameday Hub, News

Samantha Baker | November 26, 2023

The Nazareth Blue Eagles traveled to Northeast High School’s Charles Martin Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia to face St. Joseph’s Prep, who has never lost to a district 11 opponent in the state playoffs before. St. Joseph’s Prep had possession first and it didn’t take long for them to get going. Nazareth put pressure on the Hawks early, but senior quarterback Jack O’Connor was able to convert on third down to connect with senior receiver David Washington for a 10-yard gain. St. Joseph’s now had the wind at their back, which sponsored a 25-yard touchdown run from Erik Sanchez. Nazareth came out fired up, but couldn’t find their rhythm, leading to a blocked punt attempt. The Hawks gained back possession in the red zone. After a few plays, senior Taj Dyches punched one in from 3 yards out. The next drive looked like deja vu for the Blue Eagles and another blocked punt led to St. Joseph’s third touchdown of the game, which came from sophomore Khyan Billups. The Hawk’s usual starting QB, senior Samaj Jones, entered the game for their next offensive drive and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to senior Brandon Rehmann. Skyler Sholder’s put the extra point through the uprights and made the score 28-0 with 4 minutes remaining in the first quarter. Nazareth didn’t go scoreless in the first quarter, however. After a long drive down the field, sophomore quarterback Peyton Falzone topped off the series with an 8-yard run across the goal line.

Early in the second quarter, St. Joseph’s had two more touchdowns, one coming in the form of a QB draw by Samaj Jones and the other a 3-yard pass to David Washington. The score was 42-7 with under 5 minutes left in the first half. The Blue Eagles fought to stay in the game with a Peyton Falzone touchdown pass to Mason Kuehner, who ran up the sideline, spun, and charged into the end zone. Nathan Baker’s PAT made it 42-14 to close the half.

St. Joe’s ran a flea-flicker that ended with a Jones to Washington 60-yard TD halfway through the third quarter. Elijah Jones also caught a 13-yard pass from Jack O’Conner to top off scoring in the third. Nazareth tallied it’s final touchdown of the contest when Peyton Falzone threw to Frankie Mroz for a 6-yard touchdown with just under 8 minutes to play in the game. The final score was 59-21. The Nazareth Blue Eagles concluded their season 12-2. The St. Joseph’s Hawks will look to continue their campaign for another state title in the semi-final round against District 1 champion Central Bucks South.

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