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Pope John to play DePaul for state championship Friday

SPARTA. Lions beat St. John Vianney, 48-14, in the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group B tournament semifinal.

Sparta /
| 27 Nov 2024 | 11:30
    Pope John ball carrier Tylik Hill avoids a St. John Vianney defender in the first half of the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group B tournament semifinal Saturday, Nov. 23. Hill made three touchdowns, and Pope John won, 48-14. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
    Pope John ball carrier Tylik Hill avoids a St. John Vianney defender in the first half of the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group B tournament semifinal Saturday, Nov. 23. Hill made three touchdowns, and Pope John won, 48-14. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
    Pope John ball carrier Wes Johnston is stopped short of the goal line during a two-point conversion attempt in the first half of the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group B tournament semifinal Saturday, Nov. 23 in Sparta.
    Pope John ball carrier Wes Johnston is stopped short of the goal line during a two-point conversion attempt in the first half of the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group B tournament semifinal Saturday, Nov. 23 in Sparta.
    Pope John defenders Alex Schreiber (18) and Nick Vannatta (21) come close to blocking the ball during an extra-point kick attempt by St. John Vianney in the first half.
    Pope John defenders Alex Schreiber (18) and Nick Vannatta (21) come close to blocking the ball during an extra-point kick attempt by St. John Vianney in the first half.
    Pope John ball carrier Luke Gialanella follows his blockers as they make a lane for him to run through. Gialanella made one touchdown and rushed for 55 yards in the game.
    Pope John ball carrier Luke Gialanella follows his blockers as they make a lane for him to run through. Gialanella made one touchdown and rushed for 55 yards in the game.
    St. John Vianney ball carrier Abdul Turay on the move in the first half. Turay rushed for 189 yards and made one touchdown.
    St. John Vianney ball carrier Abdul Turay on the move in the first half. Turay rushed for 189 yards and made one touchdown.
    The St. John Vianney offensive line holds back the Pope John defense to give quarterback Zach LaBarca enough time to throw the ball. LaBarca made a touchdown in the first quarter.
    The St. John Vianney offensive line holds back the Pope John defense to give quarterback Zach LaBarca enough time to throw the ball. LaBarca made a touchdown in the first quarter.
    The St. John Vianney offense face the Pope John defense in the first half.
    The St. John Vianney offense face the Pope John defense in the first half.
    Fans are in the holiday spirit as they cheer on the Pope John Lions.
    Fans are in the holiday spirit as they cheer on the Pope John Lions.
    The Pope John Lions break through a banner held by cheerleaders as they enter the field for the game.
    The Pope John Lions break through a banner held by cheerleaders as they enter the field for the game.

The Pope John XXIII Regional High School football team is headed to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public, Group B tournament final after a convincing victory against St. John Vianney, 48-14, on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Sparta.

After a 2-7 regular season, the Lions have flipped a switch in the playoffs, winning their three games by a combined 73 points.

They have done so on the back of running back Tylik Hill, and Saturday’s game was no different.

Hill scored twice in the first quarter as the Lions took an early 13-0 lead.

He rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns, eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark for his career.

“My offensive line helped me prove my point that I’m the best running back in the state,” he said after the game.

After the early Lions lead, the St. John Vianney team responded, scoring its first points of the day and cutting the Pope John lead to six points heading into quarter two.

It didn’t take long for the Lions to come back as senior Joseph Rozynski got loose off a screen pass from quarterback Luke Irwin for a 54-yard touchdown.

The Pope John defense faltered again in the second quarter, surrendering another touchdown, but that was the last time that St. John Vianney saw the end zone.

Senior linebacker and Wake Forest commit Tyler Houser intercepted the ball and ran it all the way back to the end zone, putting an exclamation point on a dominant half for the Lions.

The second half was much of the same. A 55-yard touchdown run by Hill to start the half all but ended the game as St. John Vianney continued to have no answer for Hill and the Lions offense.

The Pope John defense stiffened up as well, not allowing a point in the second half.

“We got a lot of tough guys in the middle of the field, and Houser is special,” said Pope John head coach Dom Gastone.

The Lions tacked on another seven points from a 64-yard throw and catch between Irwin and senior Wes Johnston.

“We got a resilient group of kids. They fought all season and honestly we haven’t been healthy and now we’re healthy at the right time,” said Gastone. “Everything’s coming together at the right time for the boys.”

The regular season record may not have been what the Lions were hoping for, but the experience of playing some of the state’s best teams certainly helped them during the playoff run.

Pope John will travel to MetLife Stadium to take on DePaul in the tournament final at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 29. The team hopes to avenge its week-one loss against a 10-1 DePaul team.

“Trying to cement a legacy here and keep it going,” Houser said. “We haven’t been to MetLife in 11 years, and it felt great to get there from our home field.”