St. Joseph slips past Hammonton
The coaches had faith in the young guys. The young guys drew inspiration from the old guys. "We had to do it for the seniors," St. Joseph sophomore Salaam Horne said.
The coaches had faith in the young guys.
The young guys drew inspiration from the old guys.
"We had to do it for the seniors," St. Joseph sophomore Salaam Horne said.
Salaam Horne and his twin brother, A'Laam, led the way as St. Joseph rallied for a 28-21 victory over Hammonton on Saturday in the 52d annual Thanksgiving weekend clash between the crosstown rivals.
The Hornes each scored a touchdown, and their running fueled two fourth-quarter scoring drives for St. Joseph (10-1), the No. 2 team in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings.
"People always say, 'You trust those young guys?' " St. Joseph coach Paul Sacco said. "If you can handle it, you can handle it. We don't care if you're 18 or 14. And they [the Hornes] can handle it."
Senior Alex Padovani ran for a touchdown on a fake punt and kicked three extra points and senior Justin Fucetola ran for 113 yards in the second half for No. 14 Hammonton (6-4).
"I'm just proud of my guys," Hammonton coach Pete Lancetta said.
Hammonton still holds a 27-24-1 edge in a series that began in 1962 and has long been regarded as one of the richest rivalries in South Jersey football.
But Saturday's game could have marked the last game in the series, at least for the foreseeable future. Hammonton will be a member of the West Jersey Football League next season and might not have an opening in the schedule to play St. Joseph.
"It's a classic rivalry," said Padovani, a Villanova recruit.
The game began with a pair of big plays before a capacity-plus crowd that filled the stands on both sides and ringed the fence that surrounds Bill Bendig Memorial Field.
Padovani went 54 yards around right end for a touchdown on a fake punt on the fourth play of the game.
But A'Laam Horne answered moments later, taking the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.
"I got great blocking and saw an opening," A'Laam Horne said.
The hard-hitting, emotional battle was tied at 14 at halftime, but Hammonton grabbed the edge in the third quarter as Fucetola fueled a 15-play, 79-yard drive that consumed nearly nine minutes.
Fucetola carried the football 11 times for 68 yards during the drive. His touchdown on a 2-yard run and Padovani's extra point gave the Blue Devils a 21-14 lead entering the fourth quarter.
"We were in the huddle and the seniors were like, 'Do it for us,' " Salaam Horne said of the mood as the Wildcats began the fourth quarter behind on the scoreboard.
Salaam Horne sparked St. Joseph's first scoring drive of the fourth quarter. The slick and speedy quarterback passed 11 yards to Rocco Ordille on a screen, then ran for 31 and 14 yards on consecutive plays.
That set up junior fullback C.J. LaFragola for a 2-yard touchdown that, combined with Jon Ryker's extra point, tied the score at 21 with 11 minutes, 46 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Hammonton drove to the St. Joseph 18 on the next possession, as Fucetola ripped off gains of 14 and 12 yards and junior quarterback Jon Triboletti hit senior wide receiver Pete Lancetta, the coach's son, for a 31-yard gain on third and 9 from the 10-yard line.
But Hammonton missed a 35-yard field goal that would have given the Blue Devils a 24-21 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The Horne brothers combined to lead St. Joseph down the field for the winning score. It was one twin left and the other twin right as Salaam Horne ran three times for 31 yards and A'Laam Horne ran twice for 20 yards.
"The sky is the limit for those guys," St. Joseph senior Cody Sampson said of the twins.
Ordille, a junior, finished the drive with a 14-yard bolt around right end and into the end zone. When Ryker added the extra point, St. Joseph was in front by 28-21 with 3:14 to play, and the Wildcats defense was able to hold the Blue Devils on the next two possessions to seal the victory.
"Emotions were high," A'Laam Horne said. "We knew how much this game meant to our seniors. We didn't want to see them lose this game."
Hammonton 7 7 7 0 – 21
St. Joseph 7 7 0 14 – 28
H: Alex Padovani 54 run (Padovani kick)
SJ: A'Laam Horne 98 kickoff return (Jon Ryker kick)
H: Tyler Armor 3 run (Padovani kick)
SJ: Salaam Horne 3 run (Ryker kick)
H: Justin Fucetola 2 run (Padovani kick)
SJ: C.J. LaFragola 2 run (Ryker kick)
SJ: Rocco Ordille 14 run (Ryker kick)