Pope John Lions 

July 19, 2025 

2024: 

• 5-8 
• Lost to DePaul in the Non-Public B finals, beat St. John Vianney in the semifinals, and Paramus Catholic in the quarterfinals 
• Wins included Seton Hall Prep, Kellenberg (NY), and Camden Catholic 
• Losses included Bergen Catholic, DePaul, Delbarton, St. Joe’s (Montvale), and Paramus Catholic 
• Scored 373 points for a 28.69 average 
• Allowed 431 points  

Graduation: 

• RB Tylik Hill – Syracuse 
• LB Tyler Houser – North Carolina 
• WR/LB Wes Johnston – Lafayette 
• OL Dan O’Leary – Maine 
• DB Andrew Sanchez – Stonehill (MASS) 
• DE Joe Pappa – Kean 
• OL Jarrod Cofrancesco – Tufts (MASS) 
• DL Damen DeFazio – Rowan 
• WR Joe Rozynski – Virginia Tech for track 
• WR Peyton Fox – Liberty for lacrosse 
• DB Nick Vannata – Rutgers for track (javelin) 
• TE Nick Struble – Sussex Community College for baseball 

Offense: 

• Formation: Multiple Spread 
• Returning Starters: 4 

Statistics courtesy of nj.com 

Quarterback: 

• Luke Irwin, Senior, 6-1, 210 – returning starter; passed for 1,509 yards and 13 touchdowns 
• Rocco Marchese, Senior, 6-0, 205 – competing 

Running Back:

• Luke Gialanella, Junior 5-8, 180 – competing; saw action with 470 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns 
• Nick Mignone, Senior, 6-0, 195 – will see action 
• Anthony Castro, Senior, 5-7, 155 – part of the rotation 

Wide Receiver: 

• Prince Joshua, Senior, 5-10, 160 – returning starter; 37 receptions for 423 yards and 1 touchdown 
• Zayne Carswell, Junior, 5-11, 175 – projected starter; Randolph transfer 
• Luke Romano, Senior, 5-10, 160 – projected starter
• Kai Kammer, Sophomore, 5-9, 160 – part of the rotation 
• King Jackson, Junior, 5-8, 150 – part of the rotation 

Tight End: 

• Zane Russell, Junior, 6-4, 220 – projected starter 
• Matt Rodriguez, Junior, 6-2, 220 – will see action in two-tight end sets 

Offensive Line: 

• Evan Kennedy, Senior, 6-3, 300 – returning starter at left tackle 
• Aidan Hanneman, Senior, 6-3, 305 – projected starter at left guard 
• Jacob Post, Sophomore, 6-1, 235 – competing at center 
• Sutton Fullwood, Sophomore, 6-2, 235 – competing at center 
• Cole Roddy, Sophomore, 6-2, 250 – projected starter at right guard 
• Vincent Giacchi, Senior, 6-0, 280 – returning starter at right tackle 

Defense: 

• Formation: Multiple 3-4 
• Returning Starters: 3 

Defensive Line: 

• Shawn Baumann, Senior, 6-0, 250 – projected starter at nose guard 
• Dave Thomson, Senior, 5-10, 205 – part of the tackle rotation 
• Adrian Savytskyy, Junior, 6-2, 230 – part of the tackle rotation 
• Mike Morelli, Sophomore, 6-2, 215 – part of the end rotation 
• Carter Johnston, Sophomore, 6-3, 220 – part of the end rotation 

Linebacker: 

• Sam Conetta, Senior, 6-2, 210 – returning starter on the inside 
• Matthew Barnish, Junior, 6-0, 195 – projected starter on the inside 
• Alex Schreiber, Junior, 6-3, 220 – projected starter on the outside 
• Kal Marone, Junior, 6-3, 225 – projected starter on the outside 
• Andrew Gesumaria, Sophomore, 5-10, 210 – part of the rotation on the inside and outside 

Secondary: 

• Akei Griffin, Senior, 5-10, 175 – returning starter at cornerback 
• Alex Rakowsky, Senior, 5-10, 170 – returning starter at cornerback 
• Yazir Register, Sophomore, 6-0, 205 – projected starter at safety 
• Eddie Leonard, Senior, 5-9, 175 – competing at safety 
• Owen Houle, Senior, 5-9, 175 – competing at safety 
• Nick Mignone, Senior, 6-0, 195 – competing at safety 
• Prince Joshua, Senior, 5-10, 160 – competing at safety 
• Vin Gesumaria, Sophomore, 5-10, 170 – competing at safety 

Special Teams:

• Sophomore Seamus Corcoran returns at both kicker and punter 
• The return men are Joshua, Carswell, and Gialanella 

*Offense, defense, and special teams positions are subject to change 

Schedule: 

• Saturday, 8/30, DePaul at home 
• Friday, 9/5, at Paramus Catholic 
• Saturday, 9/13, at Kellenberg (NY) 
• Saturday, 9/20, at Bergen Catholic 
• 9/26-27, Bye Week 
• Saturday, 10/4, Delbarton at home 
• Saturday, 10/11, Seton Hall Prep at home 
• Saturday, 10/18, at St. Joe’s (Montvale) 
• Saturday, 10/25, St. Peter’s Prep at home 
• Saturday, 11/1, St. Thomas Aquinas at home 

Concerns:  

• Youth, inexperience, and getting acclimated to varsity football  

Recruiting: 

• Baumann has an offer from Bates 
• Irwin has interest from Saint Anselm, Lehigh, and others 
• Joshua has interest from Moravian 
• Kennedy has an offer from Denison 
• The others are Anywhere from NESCAC to the Patriot League 
• Underclassmen: 
• Marone has interest from Rutgers and Boston College 
• Register is a sophomore with a Boston College offer 

Coach’s Comments: 

We feel good about the team and season. The kids have done well and need to grow quickly. We have a good, large sophomore class, but there are seventeen seniors, and as long as they lead, we can have good results.” – Head Coach Dom Gaston