St. Joe’s Shutout in Home Opener

Following a Week One victory over defending NYSPHSAA Class A state champ South Park, the St. Joe’s Marauders looked to carry their stellar play into a week two match up with Monsignor Farrell from Staten Island, a team that defeated St. Joe’s 38-17 last season. Once again it was all Monsignor Farrell, as they hung a 41-0 loss on the Marauders Saturday afternoon at the Robert T. Scott Athletic Complex.

The Lions returned the opening kick into Marauder territory. With Farrell inside the red zone the Marauder defense stood tall, only allowing a field goal. Although the early stop supplied the Marauders with confidence, St. Joe’s struggled to move the ball on offense. The Lions held a 17-0 lead with just under two minutes remaining in the first half. The Marauder offense finally appeared to have life. The Marauders were knocking on the Lions doorstep and appeared ready to punch the ball into the end zone, but Marauder sophomore Jaden Loften was unable to maintain control of the ball, as it slipped out of his hands at the one yard line.

The second half of football was a tale of one team as Monsignor Farrell continued its dominance of St. Joe’s until the final horn. The Monsignor Farrell defense was outstanding, pitching a shutout not only on the scoreboard but also in the yardage department as St. Joe’s had zero yards of total offense in the half. Despite the dominance on defense Farrell only led by a score of 20-0 going into the fourth quarter. However the Marauder fatigue and frustration set in during the final quarter of play as Joe’s gave up 21 points in the final frame.

The St. Joe’s offensive line struggled mightily all day as Quarterback Casey Kelly was sacked eight times. Kelly himself had a tough outing, going 11/25, for 75 yards and throwing two interceptions. Running back Naseer Jackson also struggled, only accounting for 28 yards on 11 carries. In addition the Marauders were only one of 11 on 3rd down and one of four on 4th down. Farrell gained 300 yards of offense compared to the 110 yards of St. Joe’s offense.

St. Joe’s (1-1) will play their first Monsignor Martin Athletic Association league match up next Saturday when the Marauders will travel to Cardinal O’Hara (0-2) to take on the Hawks with kick-off scheduled for 1 P.M.