St. Joseph football tops Seton Hall Prep, but 'needs to clean it up'

WEST ORANGE – St. Joseph is a little bit of a mess right now and, in its own words, “needs to clean it up.”

The Green Knights won their first game in Augie Hoffmann’s second stint as coach, a 28-7 victory Saturday at Seton Hall in which they were penalized on their first two plays on offense and two more flags wiped out touchdowns.

“I’ve got to tell you – I’m glad we won, the kids deserved it, but I’m not happy with the way we won,” Hoffmann said. “I don’t think we operated appropriately. I think we were not ready to play.”

Still, St. Joseph (1-1) has arguably the top stable of skill players in New Jersey. That was more than enough to overcome all the penalties and Green Knights regularly sprinting on and off the field because they weren’t sure if they should be in or out of the game.

The junior quarterback tandem of starter Lamar Best and Mason Geis combined to throw for 270 yards and four TDs to help the Green Knights build a 28-0 lead, and the defense did not allow a score until midway through the fourth quarter.

Best threw first-quarter TD passes of 3 yards to junior receiver Nathan Bailey and 47 yards to senior receiver Mekhi Rossignol. Best's 19-yard score in the fourth to sophomore receiver Stalin Knowlden made it 28-0. Geis threw a 5-yard score to junior running back John Forster in the final minute of the second quarter for a 21-0 halftime lead.

Seton Hall (1-1) scored in the fourth on sophomore quarterback Kahden Davis’ 31-yard pass to senior receiver Nicholas Nilio. On the drive, the Pirates threw on every down, and Davis was 7-for-7 for 77 yards.

What it means

St. Joseph has state title aspirations and can challenge three-time defending Non-Public A champion Bergen Catholic, provided it limits the mistakes committed Saturday. In separate interviews, Hoffmann, Geis and Best all talked about the Green Knights “cleaning up” their act.

“We need to be better,” said Hoffmann, who led his alma mater from 2014-2019 and Saturday won his 50 ^th game. “We need to clean it up, and fast.”

“We need to be a little more consistent, more locked in, know our assignments,” Geis said. “I think once we clean it up, we’re going to be good, we’re going to be rolling.”

“We just have to be a little more locked in, come every play and understand our assignments, and play for the person next to you,” Best said. “And once we go back and look at the film, we’ll clean all that up.”

By the numbers

St. Joseph had 429 total yards and no turnovers. Best, who can pass and run, was 13-for-21 for 172 yards and three TDs. Geis, more of a classic pocket passer, was 8-for-10 for 98 yards and a score.

“Me and Mason are a great 1-2 combo,” Best said. “The offense has a lot of firepower, the offensive line is doing a great job of protecting us, and the defense is great at getting us the ball back.”

The Green Knights’ defense limited big plays, and junior linebacker AJ Revella’s interception and 41-yard return on the first play from scrimmage set up the first score. Seton Hall had 194 total yards.

“I think they did a good job,” Hoffmann said of his defense. “Great way to start the game. I’d like to see us tackle better. We kept them out of the end zone for the most part.”

They said it

“There’s miscommunication right now,” St. Joseph senior defensive lineman Vincent Ferrara said. “We’re getting used to our coaches. The penalties are inexcusable. We practice that every day. [Hoffmann] gets on our case about it, and it’s inexcusable. I’m sure we’ll hear about it Monday.”

“We’re going through a lot of firsts,” Hoffmann said. “It was the first away game, with a new staff. But in the end, the message has been the same since the minute I came back. And we need to stop talking about it and really believe in what we’re doing.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: St. Joseph football tops Seton Hall Prep, but 'needs to clean it up'