St. Joseph is Team of the Year

Paul Sacco won't compare his teams.

The St. Joseph coach won't say whether his 2014 team was better than his 2011 team or his 2005 team.

But the Wildcats this season put themselves into the pantheon of the best teams in the history of South Jersey's most decorated program.

St. Joseph went 11-0, dominated competition in the Cape-Atlantic American Division, and won its sixth consecutive Non-Public state title with a 55-0 victory over St. Anthony in the Non-Public 1 state title game.

St. Joseph also went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in The Inquirer Top 25.

"I'm just proud of what these guys accomplished," Sacco said. "They worked hard all year and focused on getting better every week."

St. Joseph this season probably faced the most daunting schedule in the program's illustrious history. Unlike the teams in 2005 and 2011, these Wildcats competed in the CAL's American Division, facing the largest schools in the conference.

In eight games in the division, St. Joseph outscored foes by a combined 373-37. The Wildcats' closest game was a 36-6 win over No. 7 St. Augustine in the opener.

In addition, St. Joseph traveled to Steubenville, Ohio, this season and beat the Big Red, one of that state's perennial powers, by a 25-23 score before 10,000 spectators.

St. Joseph was led by junior twins Salaam and A'Laam Horne, as well as seniors C.J. LaFragola, Justin Kennedy, Knikeem Lewis, and Zach McGuckin, among others.

Salaam Horne, the quarterback, passed for 14 touchdowns and scored 10. He averaged 10 yards per carry. At running back, A'Laam Horne scored 26 touchdowns and averaged 12.3 yards per carry.

LaFragola, a top fullback and linebacker, scored 16 touchdowns, while Kennedy and Lewis anchored the front lines and McGuckin was the team's leading tackler at linebacker.