Explosive plays send Pope John past St. John Vianney in Non-Public B football semifinals

SPARTA — St. John Vianney has terrorized opponents this season with one of the best running backs in New Jersey. But on Saturday, the Lancers found out what it’s like to be on the wrong end of an unstoppable force.

Senior running back Tylik Hill ran for 234 yards and three touchdowns on just 13 carries when No. 6 seed Pope John stormed past No. 10 seed St. John Vianney, 48-14, in the NJSIAA Non-Public B semifinals. Hill scored on runs of 54 and 36 yards in the first quarter and added a 55-yard touchdown run in third quarter as part of a big-play afternoon for the Lions. Pope John had six touchdowns of over 35 yards with junior quarterback Luke Irwin connecting on long touchdown passes to Joseph Rozynski and Wes Johnston and senior linebacker Tyler Houser returning an interception 40 yards for a score.

Pope John will play top-seeded DePaul in the Non-Public B state final at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 29 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. DePaul defeated No. 4 seed Holy Spirit 41-7 in the other semifinal.

St. John Vianney sophomore running back Abdul Turay ran for 189 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries to conclude an outstanding season in which he rushed for a Shore Conference-leading 2,481 yards and scored 37 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Zach LaBarca added a 5-yard touchdown run. The Lancers were playing in their first state semifinal since 2017.

“We knew he was a very good football player coming into this, but in person he’s even more explosive,” St. John Vianney head coach Bobby Acosta said about Hill, who went over the 2,000-yard mark on the season. “We didn’t have an answer for him. We have got to look at, moving forward, what we have to do better defensively to stop kids like that. I think we have the same type of kid (Turay), but they stopped us.”

St. John Vianney entered the game averaging 34.6 points per game on offense but allowing 21.6 points per game. The Lancers’ chances hinged on at least slowing down Hill and the Pope John offense and hitting big plays of their own, but that formula never materialized. St. John Vianney received the ball first but had to punt after gaining one first down. Four plays later, Hill was off to the races on a 54-yard touchdown run for a 6-0 Pope John lead.

The Lions’ advantage grew to 13-0 after an SJV punt was partially blocked and gave Pope John the ball at the Lancers’ 36-yard line. On first down, Hill broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run to put his team ahead 13-0 midway through the first quarter.

St. John Vianney struck back late in the first quarter when LaBarca scrambled for a 5-yard touchdown run to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive. However, Pope John needed just two plays on its next possession to find the end zone. Irwin flipped a wide receiver screen to Rozynski and he had plenty of space and blockers to spare on a 59-yard touchdown reception to give the Lions a 19-7 edge.

Turay began to heat up on the ensuing possession for St. John Vianney with runs of 34 and 20 yards to set up his own 1-yard touchdown run. The Lancers were still in the game at 19-14 with 8:53 left in the first half but needed a stop on defense to help turn the tide. Facing a 3rd-and-10 at its own 21-yard line, Pope John got a key conversion when Irwin connected with Rozynski for 16 yards to move the chains. A 29-yard run by Hill put the Lions into SJV territory and led to a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Luke Gialanella. Irwin then tossed the 2-point conversion pass to Hill for a 27-14 lead.

The teams traded punts over the next two series before St. John Vianney got the ball back at its own 31-yard line with 1:35 left in the half. Pope John broke the game open when Houser, who is committed to Wake Forest, intercepted LaBarca and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to send the Lions into halftime with a 34-14 lead.

Hill’s 55-yard touchdown run on the second play of the third quarter made it 41-14. Irwin fired a 64-yard touchdown pass to Johnston on the first play of Pope John’s next possession for a commanding 48-14 advantage that set the running clock in motion.

“It was going to be the team that could force three-and-outs,” Acosta said. “We didn’t sustain drives and couldn’t get three-and-outs. They did a very good job. I know that coaching staff well and I hope they represent well in the state championship.”

St. John Vianney’s first year under Acosta saw the Lancers go 9-4 and earn standout wins over Class C North division champion Holmdel and rival Red Bank Catholic. They had one of the top offenses in the Shore led by the most productive running back in New Jersey. Both Turay and LaBarca return to lead a talented core that also includes junior linebackers Danny Breen and Thomas Foley, junior wideout Adam Urs and junior defensive back D.J. Carter. Acosta remains excited about the future, but his mind was with the seniors who helped SJV begin its turnaround.

“The seniors have been through a lot in this program and I think we turned it around,” Acosta said. “When I took this job our kids were being made fun of that this isn’t a football school. I think this senior class changed the mindset.”

“I think we put a great thing together this year for people to see and buy into. I needed to get buy-in and I think we’re close. I think our kids are going to be hungry. I want to be back here next year. We got a taste of it. That’s why I came back to New Jersey, to win a state title in my home state. We’re going to get it done.”