By John Tolis
St. Francis Prep’s long road back to the CHSFL’s elite is now complete.
Jonathan Joseph grabbed three interceptions, two in the fourth quarter, and returned the final pick 97 yards for a touchdown to complete the Terriers’ regular season in style. SFP posted its second straight unbeaten league season with a 49-32 victory over Bishop Ford last Saturday night at Mitchel Field.
The victory secured St. Francis Prep a berth in the Class AAA playoffs for the first time since 2008 and a No. 3 seed, its highest since it reached the title game back in 2001. The Terriers (8-1, 8-0) face rival Holy Cross in the quarterfinals next weekend. The Terriers won just three “AAA” games combined in 2009 and 2010, but are not back where they feel the proud program deserves.
“It’s a good challenge for us, it’s really achieving some of our goals as a program,” said SFP assistant Coach Richie Carroll. “This is where we believe St. Francis Prep belongs and as a program we’re kind of moving forward with that.”
Terriers’ star running back Justin Guerre (16 carries, 129 yards) ran for a 4-yard score, his second of the game to extend the lead 35-26 with a minute left in the third quarter. Tariq Olivier also scored twice on the ground.
The St. Francis Prep defense didn’t hold back anything as they forced Bishop Ford (6–3, 5–3) to turn the ball over on downs multiple times in the fourth. The Terriers’ offense took advantage of their time and with eight minutes in the game Gordon Marquis rushed the ball in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown to put the Falcons in a deep 42-26 hole.
Ford eventually scored in the fourth quarter when running back Rodney Gonzales scrambled in with seven minutes remaining in the game to make the score 42-32. The Falcons showed signs of a miracle comeback, but Joseph ruined that opportunity when he grabbed his third interception, this time inside the Terrier 10-yard line and returned all the way for a touchdown.
“I watched some film and I noticed that their slot receiver does a lot of out routs, so I saw the quarterback drop back and I was like, ‘Here’s my chance,’ so I decided to drop in and it paid off,” Joseph said.
For Guerre and his teammates, it’s nothing but excitement as they head to the playoffs. The Terriers still think they have plenty to prove.
“This is a big step for us,” Guerre said. “It’s time to show the league what we can do.”
