#22 Don Bosco Prep beats #21 St. Joseph Regional for NJ Non-Public Group 4 title

by Jeff Fisher

For the first time since 2011, Don Bosco Prep is the New Jersey Non-Public Group 4 champs.  The Ironmen, ranked #22 in High School Football America’s National Top 25, beat #21 St. Joseph Regional (Montvale) 21-10 Friday to win the school’s 12th overall title.

Midway through the fourth quarter and down 21-10, St. Joe’s had a shot to get closer when it appeared to recover a DBP fumble after a punt.  The fumble would have given the Green Knights the ball at the Bosco 26, but the recovery was negated because the play was called dead by an inadvertent whistle, which gave the ball to the Ironmen.

After the game, St. Joseph head coach Augie Hoffman told NJ.com — “He (official) told me he screwed up, You can put that in the paper. He told me, ‘I missed it.’ That’s what he said to me, but you can’t leave it up to the refs. We needed to take care of business, but that was the explanation I was given.”

Don Bosco Prep was led by junior quarterback Tommy DeVito, who threw two touchdown passes.

The Bosco win avenged St. Joe’s 17-7 win over Ironmen during the opening week of this season.