Up and Running: Donovan Catholic Continues to Impress With Rout of St. John Vianney
HOLMDEL — At this time last year, Donovan Catholic was still trying to find out how to fit together the talented pieces on its roster.
Now the machine has been built.
The Griffins have mowed over their first two opponents after taking care of St. John Vianney 45-13 in a nondivisional game on Friday night at Seaview Orthopaedics Stadium. Donovan Catholic (2-0), ranked No. 2 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12(opens in new tab), has beaten its first two opponents by a combined score of 97-20 behind prolific senior quarterback Kahden Davis and senior running back Alex Staten.
“I said it to them before they came out tonight, I was like, ‘At this point last year, we were just getting to know each other,” head coach Dan Curcione said. “I feel like we’ve come a really long way in two years.”
In 2025, Davis and Staten were a part of a group of transfers all trying to mesh with holdover talent and up-and-coming underclassmen, resulting in an up-and-down, 8-4 season that included an injury to Davis. Now they’re veterans at the helm of an offense with much more continuity after returning almost everyone and having a full offseason together.
“Last year sometimes guys would run the wrong routes, or I would think we were running a different play, but everyone’s on the same page this year,” Davis said.
“We had a lot of team bonding, getting together and putting in that work, whether it was weightlifting or route running or talking about schemes to get open,” Staten said. “That brotherhood definitely built into what we have this season.”
Senior quarterback Kahden Davis accounted for four touchdowns in a win over St. John Vianney. (Photo by SidelineSamShots)
Davis has roared out of the gate with five touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns in two games. On Friday night against the No. 11 Lancers (1-1), the Columbia commit went 12 for 18 for 200 yards and three touchdowns passing, while adding 46 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
“I think that we’ve done a nice job of spreading it out to a bunch of different guys,” Curcione said. “We have a bunch of good skill players, and Kahden has done a nice job of just taking what the defense has given him.”
He also has a good rapport with a deep receiving corps. Davis spread the ball around to seven different receivers on Friday night, mixing in underneath throws with deep shots to a group of wideouts who were consistently getting behind St. John Vianney’s secondary.
“We got some speed,” Davis said before smiling. “My boys can move.”
“He knows where I’ll be, I’ll know where he wants to put the ball, and same thing with every other receiver on the field,” junior wide receiver T.J. Hunter said. “Everybody just has really good team ‘chem.’ We really became family this summer.”
Donovan Catholic’s TJ Hunter quiets the home crowd after catching a touchdown pass. (Photo by SidelineSamShots)
Donovan Catholic also flexed a formidable ground game on Friday night, with Staten rushing for 127 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
They dominated from the outset, with sophomore Torrence Turner recovering a fumble on St. John Vianney’s opening drive at the Lancers’ 27-yard line. Eight plays later, senior running back Diondre Foendoe plowed in from a yard out for a 7-0 lead with 7:04 left in the first quarter.
After the defense forced a three-and-out, the Griffins went 52 yards in six plays to make it 14-0 with 2:58 left in the first quarter. Davis lofted a 15-yard pass to Hunter in the corner of the end zone to cap the drive.
“It was honestly a shock how open I was,” Hunter said.
The Griffins’ defense forced a stop on downs on St. John Vianney’s ensuing possession before a quick strike pushed the lead to 21-0 with 10:05 left in the second quarter. Davis unloaded a deep shot down the middle to streaking senior wide receiver Aidan Kelly for a 57-yard touchdown.
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“I saw cover 3 and then the middle safety ran with my No. 3 receiver across the field, so it left Aidan wide open down the seam,” Davis said.
Davis also had plenty of time to let the play develop because the Griffins’ offensive line dominated all night in run blocking and pass protection.
“I had all day in the pocket,” he said. “My O-line did a great job. They’re moving mass and keeping me safe.”
A high snap on a punt on St. John Vianney’s next possession led to a fumble recovered by Turner at the Lancers’ 20-yard line. That ultimately set up a career-long, 47-yard field goal from senior kicker Sal Reynoso that made it 24-0.
The lead ballooned to 31-0 when Davis found senior Nyron Snerling with a 14-yard touchdown pass on third down with only 20 seconds left in the half. St. John Vianney then got on the board when wide receiver Jaheim Worthy took a short pass from quarterback Will Calcagno and raced 80 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-6 at halftime.
Davis scored from 2 yards out and Staten tacked on a 69-yard touchdown run in the second half as the offense continued to explode after scoring 52 points against Kingsway in the season opener.
The Griffins’ defense also limited St. John Vianney to 21 yards rushing before it was a running clock in the second half. Donovan Catholic’s secondary also neutralized St. John Vianney junior standout Noah Fitzpatrick, an FBS prospect who was coming off three touchdown catches(opens in new tab) in the season opener. He finished with 3 catches for 27 yards, 15 of which came after Donovan’s backups were in.
Sophomore Kam McBride, one of the best cover corners in the Shore, drew the assignment along with some help on certain plays. McBride also had an interception in the win.
“We kind of mixed it up a little bit with double coverages and Kam on him,” Curcione said. “We wanted to pay attention to where he was at. He’s a really good player, and he can wreck a game, so we tried to do our best to limit him.”
While the start has been impressive, Donovan Catholic has its eyes on much bigger goals ahead. The Griffins want to repeat as Class A South champions and then make it to the Non-Public B final in December in search of the program’s first state title since the 1970s. The frightening part for opponents is Donovan Catholic had three touchdowns wiped out by penalties on Friday night, so it still has another gear to hit.
“Since the first day of summer workouts, our goal has been to make it to MetLife,” Hunter said.
Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999.
Email: scottstump25@gmail.com
