Bishop McDevitt football outlasts DePaul in wild back-and-forth shootout
WAYNE — DePaul seemingly did everything right in the first half, but the Spartans made every possible mistake in the second.
Pennsylvania 4A state champion Bishop McDevitt rallied back behind star quarterback Stone Saunders to record a 46-42 win over the defending New Jersey Non-Public B state champs Friday night before a big crowd at Alumni Field.
The game featured 13 touchdowns, 28 penalties, a kickoff return for a score, a pick-six and lasted nearly three hours.
Spartans coach Nick Campanile was clearly frustrated at the end of the game. DePaul scored on its first five possessions humming under quarterback Derek Zammit and star wide receiver Dez Jones, but penalties and mistakes doomed them in the end.
“I am devastated right now,” said Campanile, in his third year. “I don’t think I have ever taken a harder loss in my life, honestly. That’s about as bad as it gets.”
Campanile complimented the play of Saunders, calling the Kentucky commit a "great player" but believed his team let one slip.
“We gave it away,” Campanile said. “We made terrible mistakes, turnovers in the second half killed us obviously. We have major issues in the secondary that have to get resolved immediately. The thing I am most frustrated with is the penalties. That’s not who we are. We are not coached that way.”
The turning point
In a game with end-to-end action, the biggest play may have been Bishop McDevitt’s first punt. It was the first drive of the second half and DePaul led, 35-20. The Crusaders lined up to punt from the DePaul 42 and kicked it away.
DePaul was flagged for 12 men on the field. The penalty was originally marked off to the Spartans 17, and then corrected.
The DePaul defense held, forcing a fourth-and-10 at the 12. Saunders pass over the middle fell incomplete, but DePaul was called for holding, giving the Crusaders a third chance.
“That was the backbreaker,” Campanile said. “That’s on us as a coaching staff 100 percent, not the players. That’s on myself. That’s on me.”
DePaul fumbled on its next possession and then the Crusaders took the lead on a Jaire Rawlinson interception return of a tipped pass.
The end game
Things took another crazy turn in the final minute. Bishop McDevitt was running out the clock and the Crusaders swarmed the field with 22 seconds left to celebrate.
The refs threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, stopping the clock (DePaul had no timeouts left). The Crusaders punted with 16 seconds left, but DePaul’s last chance fell incomplete.
Quick hits
Saunders finished 18-for-29 for 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also ran for the eventual winning score with 8:55 left.
Jones caught seven passes for 175 yards and two scores. Nolan James made his DePaul debut after transferring from Don Bosco and ran for 108 yards and a score on 18 carries.
The two teams are scheduled to meet again next year in Pennsylvania.
Each team was called for 14 penalties, particularly on special teams play.
They said it
“I honestly felt like we were the better team, I just think we gave it away. This is the best team I have ever coached here without a doubt. We can play with anybody, but we have some things to fix and we will,” Campanile said.
Next up
DePaul will play St. Peter’s Prep on Friday night at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson. It’s the second game of a doubleheader.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bishop McDevitt football outlasts DePaul Catholic in shootout
