Saint Joseph football aiming for deep state playoff run

Saint Joseph Regional High School has compiled an 18-2 record covering the last two football seasons.

Both losses by the Metuchen school were suffered during the Non-Public, Group 4 state playoffs.

In both 2016 and 2017, the Falcons lost their first playoff game to Paramus Catholic, a state power out of Bergen County.

Paramus Catholic flexed its muscle and outscored Saint Joseph, 77-14, over the course of the two playoff games.

The Falcons have eight two-way starters back for 2018. Most are seniors with college football ambitions. They have one goal this fall.

“Make a run in the state playoffs,” said senior fullback/middle linebacker Brian Reilly.

“Get as far as possible,” seconded senior tight end/linebacker Jalen Murray.

“We’re expecting to go undefeated,” senior wide receiver/cornerback Nate Wyatt then said.

Saint Joseph opens this season on Aug. 30 at North Brunswick Township High School.

After the state playoff losses, Saint Joseph coach Rich Hilliard knew he needed to approach 2018 differently.

The Falcons have been quite successful against their Greater Middlesex Conference opponents over the last two years. They will play those opponents again, of course, but Hilliard also scheduled two state sectional playoff champions, South Brunswick High School and Westfield High School, as non-conference opponents.

Saint Joseph’s 2017 schedule left the Falcons unprepared for a talented Paramus Catholic squad.

“This year we bumped up our schedule. South Brunswick, Westfield, those are state champions,” Hilliard said. “We’re playing better opponents. The main goal is to get where we need to be for the state playoffs.”

South Brunswick won the Central Jersey, Group 5 state title and Westfield captured its third straight North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 state championship this past season.

The tougher schedule will prepare the Falcons for playoff-caliber talent. But that was not their only problem last year.

Paramus Catholic had 90 players on its 2017 roster. Saint Joseph fielded 32.

“We just got tired against them,” said Saint Joseph senior running back/safety Jordan Davis. “We got to be ready to play the full game against those powerhouses up north.”

Now, Hilliard only has 41 players on his 2018 roster. It’s more, but it still doesn’t approach the roster sizes of “those powerhouses up north,” like Paramus Catholic.

Hilliard is trying to condition away the difference in roster sizes.

“We’re definitely running more. The last two years we didn’t run at all,” Davis said, laughing. “This year we try and run as much as possible. Twice a practice, before and after. Across the field at least four times each.”

It remains to be seen if these changes will work. But either way, Saint Joseph’s core is again loaded this year.

Three starters are back on the offensive line, including left guard John Olmstead, a Notre Dame recruit. Sophomore left tackle Jacob Allen, a first-year starter, is already getting college attention. Allen, a tall, brawny kid, stands 6-7 and weighs in at 250 pounds. Olmstead, a senior, offers dimensions of 6-6 and 285.

“With the line we have, we should be running all day long,” Olmstead said.

The Falcons’ offense has a perfect marriage of dominant line and electric runner. Davis, a third-year starter, is a human YouTube reel.

“Any time he gets the ball, something can happen,” Hilliard said.

Quarterback Tyree Ford can also run.

“He’s a dual threat,” Hilliard said.

“If I give Jordan the ball, I know he’ll make plays,” Ford said. “But if I see an end closing on him, I’ll just keep the ball and run.”

Defensively, Hilliard runs a 3-3-5 to take advantage of athletes in the secondary. Wyatt is committed to Temple University to play cornerback. Davis is as dynamic on defense as he is on offense. Seniors Ryan Granito and Derek Zelesnick can also both cover and tackle.

“The 3-3-5 look allows us to be very multiple. We can adjust on the fly,” Hilliard said. “We live by never getting outflanked.”

The system would not work without a dominant line and active linebackers. Olmstead doubles as a defensive end and “constantly applies pressure,” Hilliard said. Nose guard Val Citron occupies multiple offensive linemen.

Reilly and Murray are “really, really good, tough linebackers,” Hilliard said.

Saint Joseph is in a weird place as a program. An undefeated regular season is expected, but it wouldn’t be quite enough.

The seniors are still not feeling the pressure. They are just ready to enjoy their last season together.

“I just get to focus on my senior year, hanging with my friends,” Olmstead said.

“I’m just going to go hard for my team and do what I have to do for us to win,” Wyatt said.