Pope John loses championship game, 33-21

After a competitive first half in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public, Group B final game, the Pope John XXIII Regional High School football team was unable to close a 12-point gap opened by top seed DePaul Catholic High School in the fourth quarter.

The heavily favored DePaul (11-1) claimed its 11th state championship and its seventh since 2013 on Friday, Nov. 29 at MetLife Stadium.

The Wayne high school last won the title in 2022, beating Red Bank Catholic, 19-17. Last year, it lost to the same team, 14-7.

Pope John (5-8) was moved to the Non-Public, Group B from Group A along with other schools this year to make it more competitive.

The Lions, seeded sixth, last competed for a state title in 2013 and last won it in 2002.

The game

DePaul scored first Friday on a 14-yard run by quarterback Derek Zammit.

Lions powerhouse running back Tylik Hill then made the first of his three touchdowns, tying the score at 7-7.

Hill’s counterpart for DePaul, Nolan James Jr., ran the ball in to give his team the lead, 13-7, at the end of the first quarter.

Pope John moved ahead, 15-13, on another touchdown by Hill and a two-point conversion by Joseph Rozynski.

Then Zammit scored again in the second quarter, bringing the score to 19-15.

In the third quarter, Elijah Burress caught a 15-yard pass from Zammit, giving DePaul a 26-15 lead.

Hill came back with another touchdown on a 67-yard run.

James widened the DePaul lead to 33-21 with his second touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Two interceptions by De’Zie Jones late in the game ended Pope John’s efforts to put more points on the scoreboard.

The stats

James rushed for a total of 244 yards in the game while Hill had 175.

Zammit completed nine of 13 pass attempts for a total of 115 yards. He also rushed for 46 yards.

Pope John quarterback Luke Irwin completed five of 15 pass attempts for 86 yards.

Jones caught six passes for a total of 85 yards.

Tyler Houser made 14 tackles for the Lions.

Omar Daniel made one extra point for Pope John, while Ryan Sayles made three extra points for DePaul.