It was the hook-and-ladder heard round the nation.
On the final snap of regulation in the Non-Public, Group II state title game with Holy Spirit, Mater Dei Prep quarterback George Pearson fired a 10-yard strike over the middle to Kyle Devaney, who drew the pursuing defenders in before lateraling to Eddie Lewis at the 40-yard line.
The Rutgers University signee took it the rest of the way, sprinting into the end zone to lead the Seraphs to a 26-20 victory and the program’s first sectional championship in program history.
Though Lewis is no longer in the mix for the New Monmouth-based program, Pearson and Devaney remain, and alongside some other new faces, Devaney and Pearson are prepared to help the Seraphs defend their title.
“We’re feeling good right now about where we are and who we have out here,” said Pearson at the annual JSN Football Preview photo shoot. “We have a lot of new guys, a lot of young guys on both sides of the ball, but we’ve been getting after it in camp, and it’s been fun so far.”
Pearson, who began his high school career with Matawan before transferring to St. Joseph’s (Montvale) as a sophomore, and eventually made the move to Mater Dei Prep for his junior campaign, will be back under center for the Seraphs in 2017, but this time with a commitment to NCAA Division I Central Michigan University to his credit.
As he was a season ago, Pearson will once again be the one driving the Mater Dei Prep offense, and he believes the internal competition between the Seraphs offense and defense will only aid his club’s development.
“The tempo in training camp has been great and we definitely have to keep it up, because it’s going to make us better,” said Pearson, who threw 19 touchdown passes as a junior, and ran for eight more.
“A lot of the times, the guys I go up against in practice are better than anyone I’ll play against in a game,” added Pearson. “Competition between ourselves is something we focused a lot on last year and it’s carried over. Sometimes, before we do anything else at practice, our offensive and defensive guys, we’ll have a 10-minute scrimmage. And that really gets us in the right mindset to compete.”
Pearson will be working out of the backfield with junior ball carrier Sincere Saunders, who ran for five touchdowns and 216 yards on just 32 rushing attempts in 2016, an average of 6.75 yards-per carry.
On the outside, Pearson’s leading returning receiver will be Devaney, who recorded four touchdown catches and 281 receiving yards on 14 receptions, four of which came in that state finals victory over Holy Spirit, while three more came in a victory over divisional foe Asbury Park on October 14 where he recorded 106 yards and two touchdowns.
“Our focus is on getting back to that moment,” said Devaney, speaking of the state championship stage. “We’re trying to be perfect and go 12 and 0 again. We have a long way to go before we get to that point; it’s a process, but we’re working hard right now in practices and scrimmages to make sure we’re there on the final day of the season.”
- 2023 JSN Awards Finalists Announced - December 18, 2023
- Sunil Sunder Raj Recaps Day One of State Football Finals With OnNJ (VIDEO) - November 27, 2023
- Mental Health and Exercise: Finding Balance in New Jersey's Fast-Paced Life - November 27, 2023
