Paladins Defeat DePaul, Stand Alone as Best in New Jersey

Paramus Catholic came away with a 35-21 win over DePaul on Saturday.

The Paladins got off to a slow start in what was their first home game of the season. Despite being ranked No. 3 nationally, the Paladins trailed 7-0 with just a few minutes left in the first half. DePaul is ranked outside the top 200 nationally.

“I don’t what’s going on. We’ve started off slowly in all our games so far this season. The first half of that game was a dog fight,” said Paramus Catholic star defensive back Jabrill Peppers. “Our offense always starts slow and we have to figure that out but we know our defense is the catalyst of this team.” 

The Paladins got into the end zone late in the first half and the game went to the break knotted at seven.

DePaul got the ball to start the second half but promptly turned it over. Senior running back and defensive back Keyon Washington stripped the ball from a DePaul runner and scooped the ball off the turn and took it in for a touchdown. That play opened the flood gates and Paramus Catholic pulled away.

“When Keyon scooped that fumble and took it to the house, that gave us a lot of energy,” said Peppers. “He also got a short screen pass and took it to the house. Keyon Washington played great.”

Paramus Catholic led 35-7 before allowing a few late scores, but the game was really decided by the end of the third quarter after being tied at halftime.

The Paladins go on the road to play St. Ignatious (Cleveland, OH) on Sept. 28.