Paramus Catholic 35 St. Thomas Aquinas 34 in Overtime
October 4, 2024
Paramus Catholic beat St. Thomas Aquinas in overtime, 35-34. PC scored on the first overtime possession, followed by an STA touchdown. The two-point attempt by STA was incomplete, giving the win to PC.
First Quarter: After an exchange of punts, Paramus Catholic drove 55 yards and was on the board when Xavier Williams scored on a 2-yard run. The big play on the drive was a 21-yard pass from Marco Green to James Dely to the 16. Otherwise, it was eight runs, seven from Williams. St. Thomas Aquinas answered with a 68-yard drive, going seven plays, and scoring on a 1-yard run by quarterback Roman Blanks. The drive’s big play was a 53-yard pass from Blanks to Josiah Zayas to the 10, giving the Trojans a first-and-goal. Five runs by Chukwuma Odoh filled out the drive.
Second Quarter: A 23-yard run by Casi Thomas set STA up on the PC 28. But Isaiah Selby intercepted for PC, ending that drive. The Paladins drove into STA territory, but a mishandled snap on fourth down gave STA the ball on the 32, midway through the quarter. PC was driving and a 22-yard pass from Green to Jayden Clydesdale set the Paladins up on the STA 38. Two plays later, Anwar Witherspoon intercepted and returned it to the STA 45. The Trojans went as far as the PC 26 but did not score.
Third Quarter: Aquinas came out with the ball, but Jordan Moneta intercepted and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 PC lead. After STA punted, PC drove with ten carries by Williams, the last a 4-yard touchdown to put the Paladins up, 21-7, with two minutes left in the quarter. Thomas returned the ensuing kickoff for a 79-yard score. The Paladins answered quickly with a 32-yard touchdown run by Williams for a 28-14 lead with 13 seconds left.
Fourth Quarter: Witherspoon returned the ensuing kickoff to the PC 16 and Blanks scored on the Tush Push from one yard out to cut the deficit to 28-21. PC advanced into STA territory and a 27-yard run by Nehki Martin on a jet sweep set the Paladins up on the 17 but turned it over on downs with 4:32 remaining. Odoh had runs of 25 and 35 yards, sandwiched around a 15-yard run by Thomas to give the Trojans a first-and-goal on the 8. Two plays later, Odoh scored on a 2-yard run with 1:10 left. PC drove to the STA 19, but Zayas intercepted in the end zone with nine seconds left.
Overtime: Paramus Catholic had the ball first and three runs by Williams netted six yards, setting up a fourth-and-4 on the 19. Green found Martin for nine yards and two plays later, Martin scored on a jet sweep for a 7-yard touchdown, making it 35-28. St. Thomas Aquinas had the ball, Odoh had a 15-yard run to the 6, and a facemask penalty brought the ball to the 3. PC’s defense stiffened, and it was fourth-and-goal on the 3 when Odoh scored on the wildcat. The two-point pass was incomplete and Paramus Catholic emerged victorious,
Comments: The big reason for PC’s win was the running of Williams and the offensive line in front of him. Williams ran for 226 yards, three touchdowns plus three receptions for 45 yards. The line of tackle Malachi Goodman, guard Mason Lafond, centers Joshua Richardson and Michael Rae, guard Kristin Koram, and tackle Jordan Gaston paved the way for Williams. Martin added 63 yards on five carries. I debated with a colleague whether it was a jet sweep or a little flip pass. I believed it was a run and if it was a pass, it was cheap, scoring it as a run. Moreta’s interception for the score was a big plus and Selby also had an interception.
For St. Thomas Aquinas, Odoh had 155 yards on 27 carries while Thomas had 36 on five carries. The team showed some toughness by fighting back from a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter. Impressive players were Witherspoon, Odoh, and Zayas. Thomas is a freshman who should be monitored for the next three years. The Trojans were without running back Chase Young, who collapsed in last week’s game. He was on the sideline in street clothes and said he was fine. I did not discuss anything else, just how he was.