Football preview: Pope John aims to return to state final

The Pope John XXIII Regional High School football team is looking to have a season similar to last year, when it reached the state championship game, with a better result in the end, head coach Dom Gaston said.

The Lions lost to top seed DePaul, 33-21, in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public, Group B final game Nov. 29 in MetLife Stadium.

They also lost to DePaul, 31-3, in the season opener Saturday, Aug. 30 at home.

Gaston did not single out one opponent as the toughest to beat.

“We are in the toughest division in the state, so every game is tough. We are taking it week by week.”

The current team’s strength “is our versatility, which allows us to do multiple things both offensively and defensively,” the coach said.

“Our weakness is our youthfulness. We have a lot of young, talented players that are contributing early but that (will become) a strength.”

Top players this year are quarterback Luke Irwin, defensive back Akei Griffin, wide receiver Prince Joshua, running back Luke Gialanella, linebacker Sam Conetta, defensive back Alex Rakowsky, defensive lineman Shawn Baumann, offensive lineman Vincent Giacchi and offensive lineman Evan Kennedy, Gaston said.

Eight players who graduated in June were signed to play college football this fall: Tyler Houser (North Carolina), Tylik Hill (Syracuse), Andrew Sanchez (Stonehill), Dan O’Leary (Maine), Jarrod Cofrancesco (Tufts), Damon DeFazio (Rowan), Wes Johnston (Lafayette) and Joe Pappa (Kean). Nick Vannatta signed to run track at Rutgers and Joe Rozynski to run track at Virginia Tech.