Not Immediately, But Eventually

As the clock ran down, as the team swarmed onto the field, as Coach Rich Hansen and company hoisted the trophy, something happened: what might have seemed impossible midway through the fourth quarter, and what felt like a razor-thin margin for hope with a minute to go, now, in retrospect, looked inevitable. It was always going to be this way. It had to. These Marauders, who time and again wore their hearts on their sleeves as their fans watched with their hearts in their throats, had to win it this way, had to write the Hollywood ending to a season full of plot twists, had to dig deep for one last ounce of Prep Magic and come up victorious. It had become their identity and their destiny.

by Mike Jiran, '03

The Road to Metlife

The seeds had been planted on a hot afternoon in Oradell back in September. Coming off season opening wins over Millville and Erasmus Hall, Prep had played 46 minutes of back and forth football at Bergen Catholic in their first division matchup of the year. But with 1:55 to play, a Bergen touchdown and two point conversion had put the Marauders down 30 27. Two plays later, quarterback Tahj Bullock, ’21 found himself in an unenviable position: third down and 23 after being sacked at his own 14 yard line, with just 1:19 on the clock. And then, as though someone had flipped a switch, Prep’s offense sprung back to life. Bullock found Jelani Mason, ’20 for a 36 yard gain, and a 15 yard penalty put the ball in Bergen territory. A few plays later, it was Bullock to Mason again, this time for a 26 yard touchdown and the win.

Three weeks later, with Union City and DePaul in the rearview mirror, the setting and the opponent had changed. But the final minutes vs. Don Bosco at Caven Point looked eerily familiar. The Ironmen had battled back from a deficit of their own, and grabbed a 22 19 lead with just under three minutes left. Working against the clock to strike back,

Bullock again found himself with a tall order if he wanted to move the chains: 4th and 19 near midfield. Under pressure from the Ironmen in the pocket, the intrepid QB bought some breathing room with a pump fake before unloading a bomb down the left sideline to Zyeiar Miller, ’21 in heavy traffic. Miller willed his way to a 39 yard gain, and one play later it looked so easy: Ethan Rodriguez, ’21 took the handoff and ran 21 yards to put Prep on top to stay.

“Tahj, as he does so often, turned chicken feathers into chicken salad,” Coach Hansen told the Record after the game. Prep, now 6 0, continued to feast on opponents one way or another. The Marauders took wins over Paramus Catholic and Pope John in their stride. Although Saint Joseph Regional handed Prep their first loss to close out the regular season, another goal was checked off: defending the United Red Division title.

Tahj, as he does so often, turned chicken feathers into chicken salad.

After a bye week, Prep was back in action at Caven Point, hosting Notre Dame in a wild one that saw Prep reel off 23 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. Bullock completed 16 of 22 passes for 296 yards, 50 of which came on a touchdown pass to Miller. Also finding the end zone for Prep were Byron Shipman, ’20, Jelani Mason, Paul Lefkowitz, ’20, Tyion Smith, ’21, and Jaylan Sanchez, ’22. Notre Dame tried some Bullockesque fourth quarter heroics of their own, with two touchdowns closing the gap to 8 points before Prep’s defense slammed the door. Prep 43 Notre Dame 35, and one last home win needed to reach MetLife Stadium.

In the semifinal vs. Saint Augustine, Prep wasted no time pulling out to a 14 0 lead, but the Hermits, fresh off an upset win over Seton Hall Prep, were not about to go quietly. Early in the fourth quarter, Saint Augustine’s Kenneth Selby intercepted a Bullock pass and ran it back for a touchdown. For the first time all night, the Marauders trailed, 28 21. A few possessions later, though, after G.J. Mazella, ’20 forced a fumble, recovered by Andrew Robinson, ’20, Prep had a golden opportunity to strike back. Right on cue, Bullock found Byron Shipman for a 60 yard touchdown, evening the score at 28. A David Benoit, ’20, interception gave Prep possession once more with about a minute and a half to play, and once again Bullock and company went to work. In the end, #12 took it himself, smashing over the goal line with one second left in regulation. Prep was headed back to the state final!

Just be Saint Peter's Prep

A clear, frigid night in the Meadowlands. Prep was now one win away from the state championship. Hansen’s pregame message to his players was simple: “We fight this fight, not because of who’s in front of us, but because of who’s behind us. You have a whole lot of people behind you. The most important thing right now is that we play harder than they do. The most important thing right now is that we be Saint Peter’s Prep. Just be Saint Peter’s Prep.”

Cody Simon, ’20 drew first blood at the midpoint of the first quarter. The All American and Ohio State commit evaded a tackle at the Prep 35, hugged the sideline at the Prep 42, turned the corner at the 50 yard line, and then he was gone, not to be seen again until he ended his 70 yard punt return in the end zone. But by the end of the quarter, Bosco had answered and then taken a 14 7 lead. That’s where it stayed, and stayed, and stayed for most of the second half. The Prep crowd was getting anxious. Something had to give.

The Greatest Five Minutes

As with so many great stories, there are many ways to tell this one. One option is to step back and introduce a character. Often this is someone who ordinarily lurks on the sidelines. In this case, it’s literally true.

Mark Wyville, ’76, P’11,’17 has been Prep’s go to sports photographer for more than 20 years, and throughout his career—from the rise of Bruce Springsteen to the thundering excitement of the Kentucky Derby to the heights of Prep Football heroics and everything in between— Mark has seen it all, and covered it all well. He’s also the picture of a cool customer, laid back and soft spoken. Suffice it to say he is not a man given to hyperbole. So when his first batch of images from that Saturday night arrived in the inboxes of several Prep administrators with a seven word note, it truly spoke volumes: “Greatest five minutes in Prep Football history!"

That final stanza began with a bang. As the clock wound down to 5:00 remaining in regulation, Bullock was taking matters into his own hands, smashing his way over the goal line for a rushing touchdown. It capped a 12 play, 73 yard drive, cutting the deficit to one point, 14 13. Hansen had a decision to make: play it safe and look to tie the game with the extra point, or take the risk of a 2 point conversion attempt in hopes of grabbing the lead.

Tahj Bullock engineered more than his share of heroic comeback drives this season, and took matters into his own hands to complete the biggest drive of them all. This touchdown brought Prep within 1 with five minutes to play.

Mark Wyville, '76, P'11,'18

Greatest five minutes in Prep Football history!

But there was never really any question, was there? Not for this team, not on this night, not after those three prior fourth quarter comebacks. Bullock and the Prep offense lined up once again, and took care of business. The handoff to Mason was flawless, and #1 in maroon eluded the grasp of several Ironmen as he put Prep on top 15-14. For the sea of Prep fans that braved the cold, it would have been tempting to exhale.

Moments later, #1 scored 2 as Bullock’s handoff to Jelani Mason yielded the go-ahead 2-point conversion.

Mark Wyville, '76, P'11

But five minutes with the thinnest of leads in hand can feel like an eternity, and the Ironmen were not going to go quietly. Sure enough, with just under a minute remaining, Bosco battled their way into field goal range. One way or another, this was sure to be a pivotal moment. The long snap seemed to hover in the air. Bosco kicker Justin Frey connected with his left foot. In more than one highlight reel, more than one cameraman followed the ball as it rose, and continued for a moment to pan toward the uprights...but the ball wasn’t in the shot! It had vanished. Call it Prep Magic.

The Block, The Interception, The End

Quentin Lemon (#7) blocks the Bosco field goal attempt. Avery Powell (#29) would recover.

Mark Wyville, '76, P'11

At the same moment Frey strode toward the ball, at the line of scrimmage, two figures in maroon broke through the wall of white. One reached skyward with yellow gloves, and the ball, just beginning to climb, struck him in the shoulder. It was Quentin Lemon, ’20. The other Marauder was Avery Powell, ’22, who cradled the loose ball on a hop, and hauled it in. His place in Prep Football lore lay just over a white line painted on the turf, 65 yards away, and he wasted no time in getting there.

Avery Powell celebrated after returning the blocked field goal 65 yards for a touchdown.

Mark Wyville, '76, P'11

For the first time in more than three quarters, Prep once again led by 7. The lead would hold, thanks to a decisive interception by G.J. Mazzella that closed the book on any chance of Bosco striking back.

G.J. Mazella’s interception ensured Bosco would not strike back

Mark Wyville, '76, P'11

Prep 21 Bosco 14. One last magical comeback had capped this magical season. In a school year that began with Prep’s president, Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91, telling students the persistence to believe, “I will win, maybe not immediately, but eventually,” was essential to Prep’s identity, Prep Football had brought those words to life in spectacular fashion. Nobody could have known it at the time, of course, but in a school year that would end amid worldwide trepidation, the inspirational story of this team that refused to lose would take on even greater meaning. They had taken their coach’s words to heart: Just be Saint Peter’s Prep.

Coach Hansen and Dr. Gomez drove the trophy home to Grand & Warren.

Micahel Gomez, Ed.D., '91