Haddonfield football stuns No. 1 St. Joseph with 22-15 win

Surprise, surprise.

The first surprise – to the previously undefeated No. 1 team in South Jersey, the red-clad crowd in the home stands and most followers of the sport – is that Haddonfield beat top-ranked St. Joseph by 22-15 on a sunny Saturday on the Wildcats' field.

The second surprise is that the Bulldawgs didn't regard the result as a surprise.

"We weren't the underdogs," said Haddonfield senior quarterback Jay Foley, who threw three touchdown passes.

That unshakable confidence marked the biggest regular-season victory in recent Haddonfield history.

The Bulldawgs walked into Bill Bendig Field with a 4-0 record, with the No. 3 spot in the Inquirer Top 25 and with every expectation of pulling away in those yellow school buses with another victory.

Haddonfield played to win, throwing a halfback-pass on the game's second snap, converting a fake punt on the fourth and following Foley's fearless lead through 48 pressure-packed minutes before a large crowd that filled both sections of stands and ringed the field.

"We didn't come down here to cover the 21-point spread in the Born Power Index," said Haddonfield coach Frank DeLano, referring to the new formula used by the NJSIAA to help rank teams for postseason play. "Our kids saw this is a challenge and they embraced it. But they came down here to win."

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This was a complete team effort, highlighted by some great work by the Haddonfield receiving corps and a sensational effort by the Bulldawgs' defense.

But the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Foley led the way, both in his play and in his approach. The unflappable son of former NFL quarterback Glenn Foley is the definition of a gunslinger at the position and his aggressiveness set the tone for the visitors.

"He's our leader," said Haddonfield senior wide receiver Drew Gavranich. "He's so fearless."

Foley called his receiving corps – which features his twin John as well as Gavranich and senior Davis Smith – among the "best on the East Coast, or the maybe the country" and credited his offensive line.

"I was getting hyped up, thinking I might get sacked 10 times," Foley said. "I don't think I got sacked once. Those guys did it. I get too much credit."

Foley was 11-for-23 passing for 159 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran four times for 28 yards in the second quarter, completed a pass on a fake-punt and unleashed a 49-yard punt.

"It's a credit to him," said John Foley, who caught a 20-yard pass from his brother for the game's first touchdown. "We grew up in an incredibly competitive family and he has that mentality about him."

Said Jay Foley: "I told my guys I was going to ball out for them."

The loss was St. Joseph's first in 17 games. The Wildcats went 12-0 last season and opened this season with four impressive victories, beating Top 15 foes St. Augustine and Millville by a combined 50 points.

"We got outplayed in every aspect of the game," St. Joseph coach Paul Sacco said. "They were much better than we were, so hat's off to them."

It was a taut, tight game, as the teams took turns seizing the lead.

St. Joseph (4-1) got a big play from senior back Nate Johnson, who raced 74 yards for a score in the second quarter as the Wildcats took an 8-7 lead at the half.

Jay Foley's first touchdown pass to Gavranich, a 15-yard screen pass, pushed Haddonfield back in front 14-8 late in the third quarter.

The Wildcats regained command with five minutes, 49 second remaining when sophomore quarterback Jayden Shertel finished a 59-yard drive with a one-yard sneak for a touchdown. Adam Monacelli's extra-point made it 15-14.

Haddonfield answered right back, as Jay Foley hit Chris Brown for 14 yards on a screen, and the visitors gained 15 more on a face-mask penalty. Sophomore Tommy Batson shook loose for 19 to the 12, and Jay Foley fooled most the crowd with a deft ball fake and raced eight yards to the eight.

On third and three, Foley lofted a perfect pass to the left corner of the end zone, where Gavranich made a leaping catch.

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"Biggest game I ever played in," Gavranich said. "This one and last year against West Deptford (in South Jersey Group 2 finals)."

It was left for Haddonfield's defense to make one final stand. All game, the Bulldawgs used stunts and pre-snap shifts to mitigate St. Joseph's powerful offensive line and sure tackling to corral Jada Byers, the Wildcats' dynamic junior.

St. Joseph reached the Haddonfield 26 with a little more than a minute to play, as Byers caught two passes for 53 yards.

But the Wildcats could advance no further. That third-down sack by senior end Gabe Klaus and junior tackle Mike Carey and that fourth-down interception by senior linebacker Lewis Evans with 0:41 on the clock were the final brush strokes of a masterpiece by Haddonfield's defense.

"This victory," Jay Foley said, "belongs to the defense."

Haddonfield 0 7 7 8 – 22

St. Joseph 0 8 0 7 – 15

H: John Foley 20 pass from Jay Foley (Henry Grozier kick)

SJ: Nate Johnson 74 run (Jada Byers run)

H: Drew Gavranich 15 pass from Jay Foley (Grozier kick)

SJ: Jayden Shertel 1 run (Adam Monticelli kick)

H: Gavranich 5 pass from Jay Foley (Gabe Klaus pass from Jay Foley)