Paramus Catholic will go head-to-head with DePaul in the NJSIAA/Xfinity Non-Public B state final this Friday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. The matchup features standout players such as quarterback Rowan Martin from Paramus Catholic and defensive lineman Logan Nagle from DePaul.
Head coach Greg Russo of Paramus Catholic reflected on their previous encounter this season, noting, “They do a great job, and we”re similar in a lot of ways offensively. Our kids play really hard, and every time we play them, it”s one of those games where anything can happen. We played during the year, and we were up in the first half. They came back, and we had a chance to take the lead late, but we fumbled in the red zone. It was a really close game, and closer than what the final score indicated. We could”ve won. I thought it was even, and I”m excited about this matchup. It”s about who can get their kids up at 10 a.m. and ready to go.”
During the postseason, running back Odoh has been a force, accumulating an impressive 480 yards and eight touchdowns on only 31 carries. His standout performance last week against Red Bank Catholic included a career-high 301 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries. Odoh had three touchdowns prior to the playoffs, having dealt with a lower-leg injury earlier in the season.
Nick Campanile, the head coach at DePaul, acknowledged the challenge his team faces, saying, “They”re as talented as any team we have played at the skill positions. They have a number of home run hitters, and their team speed is far superior to ours, so we”re going to have to find ways to neutralize that. We”re going to have to play a mistake-free game and come up with a game plan defensively and stick to it. We played bend-but-don”t-break defense the first time against them, and they seem to have improved quite a bit since. Rowan is an accurate thrower, and you”d never think he”s a sophomore. He”s a really good player, and he has poise. We have our work cut out for us for sure. It”s going to be a hell of a game.”
In the postseason, DePaul”s Carter has been instrumental for the Spartans, rushing for 278 yards and four touchdowns across two games. His performance last week included a season-high 176 yards on just 11 carries in a win over Holy Spirit. With 10 rushing touchdowns this year, a strong showing in the final could push him past the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
