The No. 2 Green Knights (6-2) are just a few days removed from a huge win over Bergen Catholic and SJR is looking to carry that momentum into Friday night vs No. 9 DePaul (5-3).
"To carry momentum you have to address the human nature piece of it which is we don't have the ability to take our foot off the gas," said Coach Augie Hoffmann
"I think the natural progression is to sit there and say we had a big win. Now we're going to roll in and be just as hard and focused as we were going vs Bergen."
Week after week the SJR's offense has found ways to improve, and last week's big improvement was being able to finish drives. In their game vs Don Bosco, SJR accounted for 346 total yards but only scored two touchdowns. The following game vs Bergen Catholic, SJR racked in 399 total yards and scored six touchdowns.
"Finishing drives have been super pivotal," said Senior wide receiver Nate Bailey
"We just honed in on the little details, like what it takes to finish a drive. Being mentally tougher than our opponents the whole drive and just going through every play one play at a time."
A huge piece on the Green Knights success has been QB Mason Geis who is coming off a phenomenal game where he went 18/23 with 274 passing yards and four touchdown passes. However, Geis' availability is up in the air after he was removed in the final play against Bergen Catholic with a foot injury.
"I think we're going to just continue to see how the week progresses," said Coach Hoffmann on the QB situation.
"He (Mason Geis) is running around pretty good, so we'll see."
If Geis is unable to play or is limited, the Green Knights would have to look towards sophomore Bryce Longo to play on Friday as senior Lamar Best is still limited due to a shoulder injury.
The Green Knights defense is coming off a game where they had a strong first half, giving up just seven points, but a shaky second half, giving up 35 points.
"It's communication," said Coach Hoffmann.
"It is making sure the right guys are on the field, making sure the right packages are in, not substituting in situations that don't warrant the subs. So it is all stuff that can be fixed."
On the other hand, DePaul has had a roller coaster of a season thus far.
DePaul had a strong start to the season going 4-1 before they got trounced by Don Bosco 47-15. After that game the Spartans upset the No. 3 team in the state at the time, St. Peters Prep 31-21. The following week, the Spartans got upset by an un-ranked Delbarton squad 28-6.
The Spartans offense is headlined by 4-star and Washington commit QB Derek Zammit. Through eight games this season Zammit has thrown for 1,554 yards, 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Along with his threat in the air, Zammit has proven to be a threat on the ground, rushing for 560 yards and four touchdowns.
"He's (Derek Zammit) a versatile QB," said sophomore linebacker Tahj Gray
"He is really good at getting out of the pocket. If he sees a gap, he's going to take it. So we are really looking to shut that down this week."
Along with a proven passing game, the Spartans have also relied on running back Marquan Carter in the rushing game. Carter has racked in 582 yards and six touchdowns, along with 131 receiving yards.
On defense, the Spartans have struggled as of the last three games, averaging 32 points per game. In those three games DePaul has allowed at least 300 yards each game, something the Green Knights offense has been able to do four times in six games this season.
"DePaul presents some issues, they got a couple guys on the back end that are running around," said Coach Hoffmann
"I feel really good about where we are offensively right now. We had a great game plan against Bergen. I think our prep has been going great this week and it should translate on Friday night."
Kick off is set for Halloween night, October 31st, 6 PM at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne.
