Marauders, Gaels Stand in Way of Paramus Football Squads

The heavily favored Paramus Catholic Paladins and underdog Paramus Spartans will take to the gridiron this weekend for a shot at securing their place in North Jersey footbal history and a spot in the Dec. 7/8 state championships at MetLife Stadium.

But the road to Rutherford is not clear as they must face St. Peter's Prep and Roxbury High School in their respective Non Public Group 4 and North 1 Group 4 tournaments.

Paramus Spartans vs. Roxbury Gaels

The sixth-seeded Spartans (7-3) enter Friday night's 7pm away game facing the second-seeded Gaels (9-1) after huge wins over Ridgewood on Thanksgiving and Old Tappan in the first round.

While considered an underdog in the tournament, the Spartans pound and ground approach all season has led them to return to the state semifinals following a rough start to the season with back-to-back losses to DePaul and Lakeland.

Since then, Paramus which is led by Tyler Smith, Brandon Sebahie, Matt Tozzi and Darius House, have found a way to overcome the likes of Northern Highlands, Wayne Valley, and Wayne Hills, and secure a Big North Colonial Division title in the process.

The Gaels last claimed a North 1 Group 4 title in 2009 with their lone loss this season to Delbarton. The Morris-County school is averaging a staggering 58.9 tackles and 1.9 sacks per game. Led by senior signal caller Kyle Young (235 passing and 457 rushing yards) propelling the offense, Donald Panciello has been creating havoc on defence with 85 tackles and atleast 5 sacks this season.

Roxbury High School is located at 1 Bryant Drive, Succasunna and kickoff is at 7pm on Friday. 

Paramus Catholic Paladins vs. St. Peter's Prep Marauders

In their final home game on a grass field, top seeded Paramus Catholic will host the fourth-seeded Marauders on Saturday, 1pm in the Paladins first ever semifinal match at home.

The Paladins rolled over Paul VIin their first postseason match before suffering a setback on Thanksgiving Day when Bergen Catholic found a way to disrupt speedy Jabrill Peppers and the Wildcat formation.

Powered by a high octane offense, the Paladins (8-2) have been on a roll all season as they swept pass the competition except for Don Bosco and Bergen. The team has continually alternated between signal caller Steve Shanley and utilizing a wildcat formation. Rounding out the offense are Tyrone Washington, Keyon Washington and Najee Clayton, while Marquise Watson and Khilyni lead the defense.

The 8-1 Marauders may not have entered the tournament as a parochial favorite, but St. Peter's Prep should not be discounted as a worthy foe to the Paladins. The Prep defeated Seton Hall Prep 48-7 in the first round and their single regular season loss was from the hands of St. Joseph of Montvale.

St. Peter's averages 77.8 passing and 155.6 rushing yards per game with atleast 39.3 tackles and 1.9 sacks from the defense. Junior Michael Rabasca is just one of three quarterbacks the Marauders have come to rely on, throwing for 455 yards this season while sophomore Jonathon Hilliman racked up 659 rushing yards for a dual effort between a run and pass game.

Junior Shane Huber (51 tackles) and sophomore Almany Conde (38 tackles) picked up the biggest numbers for the defense while freshman Dave Tolentino (35 tackles) is not that far behind.

The Paladins and Marauders kickoff begins at 1pm on Saturday at Paramus Catholic, 425 Paramus Road, Paramus.

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