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Bosco explodes, blows by DePaul
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Don Bosco Prep has a whole new appreciation for the phrase “home, sweet home.”
After spending the first two weeks miles away from Ramsey and experiencing a myriad of adversity along the way, the Ironmen saved their finest effort of the early season for their first contest in the Garden State.
Isaiah Hill hauled in a pair of touchdown passes from Frank Nutile, while Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks registered two rushing scores as No. 2 Don Bosco Prep got off to a hot start and cruised past DePaul, 62-14, on Friday night.
Nutile, a 6-foot-4 junior, completed 11-of-12 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, connecting with Spencer Scannell and Hill twice. Hill’s scores gave the Ironmen leads of 27-8 and 34-14 in the waning minutes of the second quarter.
Don Bosco entered having scored just two touchdowns comnined on offense in its 13-6 loss to Gilman (Md.) in Week 1 and 20-10 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) last Friday. The offensive unit finally clicked, though, and it gave the Spartans fits during the first two quarters.
"After the last two weeks, we had a good week and executed in practice," Nutile said. "It showed today. The line has been great all season and I was able to finally get comfortable. And coach prepared us for tonight."
Staked to a commanding 34-14 lead at halftime, Don Bosco’s defense and special teams then took over and displayed the kind of shut-down football we have become so used to watching from this program.
Daivon Ellison, who took a kick return 95 yards to the end zone midway through the second, handed the Ironmen a 55-14 advantage with 3:02 remaining in the third when he intercepted a pass and scored from 31 yards out. Three minutes prior, Scannell picked off Zach Bednarczyk for an 81-yard score.
Mike D’Alessandro punctuated the sparkling defensive outing with a 103-yard pick-six with 6:12 left in the contest.
Ibitokun-Hanks finished with 79 yards on seven carries, and Hill registered 68 yards and five catches for the Ironmen, who improved to 2-1 and head to Alta (Utah) next weekend with plenty of confidence.
And while the Don Bosco players will have to pack their bags once again for a cross-country trip, they truly enjoyed a stop at home.
"This felt great," Ellison said. "Just to sleep in my own bed was awesome. But we prepared a lot for this game. We didn't overlook them. It's just a blessing to come out here and play my heart out. Now, we're really confident."
DePaul, which lost its second straight one week after falling to Paramus Catholic, was flagged for nine penalties and turned the ball over five times. Thanks to Joe Moreno’s 18-carry, 80-yard effort on the ground, the Spartans out-rushed the opposition, 197-89.
But no team was going to out-play the Ironmen on this night. Even if it was a road game, Don Bosco was home, sweet home.
Contact Brian Fitzsimmons at bfitzsim@cablevision.com. Follow him on Twitter: @FitzWriter
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