Nazareth football becomes another District 11 sacrifice to St. Joseph’s Prep buzzsaw

The 50-foot wall between Lehigh Valley schools and the PIAA 6A semifinals – the one named St. Joseph’s Prep – proved insurmountable again on Saturday.

Nazareth , the District 11 Class 6A champion, fell to District 12 power St. Joseph’s Prep 59-21 in the state quarterfinals at Northeast High School’s Charles Martin Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia.

St. Joseph’s Prep, the defending PIAA 6A champion, improved to 9-0 against D-11 opposition in the state bracket . The Hawks (11-1) advance to meet District 1 champion Central Bucks South in the semifinals next week.

“The hardest thing about today is these kids walk out of here with tears and they’re feeling lousy,” Nazareth coach Tom Falzone said. “They should really all have their heads up high [about] what they accomplished this season.”

St. Joseph’s Prep, which scored on all of its possessions except the last one of the contest, started the game with senior reserve Jack O’Connor at quarterback. Two incompletions and a Hawks timeout put Nazareth (12-2) on the brink of forcing a three-and-out on the opening series. Instead, O’Connor connected with senior wideout David Washington for a 10-yard gain. Two plays later, senior tailback Erik Sanchez got St. Joseph’s Prep on the board with a 25-yard touchdown run.

Nazareth was doomed by field position in the opening quarter. The Blue Eagles’ first possession started at their 12-yard line and failed to generate a first down. A tipped punt gave the Hawks the ball at the Nazareth 21.

Three straight runs, the final a 3-yarder by senior Taj Dyches, put St. Joseph’s Prep in the end zone.

Nazareth went three-and-out on its ensuing drive, and Leo Quaranta’s punt was blocked by Sanchez, giving the Hawks the ball at the Blue Eagles’ 1. St. Joseph’s Prep sophomore Khyan Billups scored on the next play.

The Blue Eagles couldn’t move the sticks on the following series, and St. Joseph’s Prep got the ball back at the Nazareth 44. Senior QB Samaj Jones, the usual Hawks starter, tossed a 19-yard wheel route to senior Brandon Rehmann for a touchdown. Skyler Sholder’s PAT made it 28-0 with 4:04 remaining in the first quarter.

“It’s hard to spot any team 28 points and try to come back from that, especially St. Joe’s Prep, of course,” Falzone said. “That’s exactly what we did. The one thing that you saw is the kids kept on fighting. St. Joe’s kept throwing punches in the end. They were chucking it right until the end of that game. They kept going after us. But, our kids fought, and they battled. That’s the best part of this day.”

Nazareth scratched the scoreboard with a 10-play, 68-yard drive. Sophomore quarterback Peyton Falzone ended the series with an 8-yard scoring run with 4 seconds remaining in the opening period.

“They’re a great team,” Nazareth senior wideout/defensive back Mason Kuehner said. “They’ve got a lot of guys over there. Even when a guy would go out, they’d bring another guy in who was just as talented. They’re a really talented team, but we fought until the end. I’m proud of these guys.”

The Hawks then went 75 yards in six plays. Jones, a University of Cincinnati recruit, crossed the goal line on a QB draw from 6 yards out.

A 65-yard screen pass from Jones to Washington, a Kentucky commit, set up a 3-yard TD toss to Washington that put St. Joe’s ahead 42-7 with 4:49 left in the opening half.

The Blue Eagles answered when Kuehner got loose on a pump-and-go from Peyton Falzone. The star Nazareth receiver caught the pass while tip-toeing the sideline, spun around a defensive back and raced into the end zone. Nathan Baker’s extra point made it 42-14 with 3:34 on the second-quarter clock.

“This is a family. We trust each other; we love each other. Even when we went down, knowing this could be our last game together – and now that it is – we wanted to fight [and] give everything we could,” Kuehner said. “I’m super proud of the fact that, even when we went down, we kept fighting.”

St. Joe’s initiated the mercy rule by running a flea flicker. Jones connected with a wide-open Washington for a 60-yard touchdown, pushing the advantage to 52-14 midway through the third quarter.

Nazareth scored one final touchdown – its 62nd by the offense this season – when Peyton Falzone pitched a 6-yard throwback to senior Frankie Mroz with 7:42 left in the fourth quarter.

St. Joe’s, which lists 85 kids on its roster, showcased its depth by using three quarterbacks and calling runs for nine different ball-carriers. The Hawks have appeared in nine of the last 10 big-school state finals, winning seven of them.

“If you have that luxury of having one-way guys, that’s huge. You’re rested,” Tom Falzone said. “Our guys are on the field for offense, defense and special teams – a lot of them. It wears you down over time. It’s hard. They’re an amazing team. They’re going to win a state title again this year – at least I think they will. When you play the schedule they do and you operate how they do, you expect those kinds of things.”

Jones completed 8 of 11 passes for 267 yards. Washington had four receptions for 138 yards.

Peyton Falzone finished 14-for-23 with 153 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. He also rushed for 48 yards.

Kuehner , who plans on making his college choice prior to the Dec. 20 signing period, made seven receptions for 107 yards. He threw a 25-yard completion on a double-pass, too.

“I’m proud of him and his effort, obviously. That kid has no fear,” Falzone said of Kuehner. “He has been an outstanding player for us on both sides of the ball his entire career here. I’m really looking forward to seeing what decision he makes college-wise.”

Nazareth will say goodbye to 31 seniors who left an incredible mark on the program, including 21 wins over the last two years. That group includes EPC all-stars Kuehner, Sean Kinney, Lincoln Heimbach, Tony Pilla, Jed Bendekovits and Logan Hilarczyk.

“It’s an amazing group of seniors, and we’re losing 31 leaders out there,” Tom Falzone said. “It’s hard to replace that. We’ve got a rebuild going on here.”

“It’s been a great run with these guys ... We’ve been doing this since we were 5-6 years old in flag football,” Kuehner said. “The fact that we made it to Week 14 ... we accomplished our goal of getting a district title; we got an EPC title last year; we really set good groundwork for up-and-coming kids to come through the Nazareth program. Hopefully, they can look up to us and take after us, keep this tight-knit family that we have and keep winning for years to come.”