St. Joseph seeking to cap perfect season

Eli Pogue can't count all the workouts in the weight room, all the repetitions on the practice field.

The St. Joseph fullback just knows that the seniors on the Wildcats roster have paid the price for a perfect ending to a perfect season.

"We've worked for this," Pogue said. "We've earned our legacy."

Barring one of the biggest upsets in New Jersey football history, St. Joseph will finish the season with a 10-0 record and the program's 14th state title since the NJSIAA expanded the Non-Public playoffs to the state championship round in 1993.

St. Joseph probably is a five-touchdown favorite over St. Mary of Rutherford in Saturday's Non-Public 1 state title game at 1 p.m. at the College of New Jersey. Or maybe a six-touchdown favorite.

"I'm still nervous," St. Joseph coach Paul Sacco said. "I'm nervous before every game."

St. Joseph beat St. Mary, 40-0, in last year's state title game. If anything, the gap between the programs has widened in the last 12 months, as St. Joseph has developed into the No. 1 team in South Jersey and one of the top two or three teams in the state.

St. Joseph (9-0), the No. 1 team in The Inquirer's South Jersey Top 10, has outscored its opponents by a combined 423-19. The Wildcats' closest games were a 34-7 victory over No. 8 Holy Spirit on Oct. 1 and a 32-3 victory over No. 7 Hammonton on Saturday in the 50th game between the crosstown rivals.

Pogue, a speedy, 5-foot-10, 180-pound athlete, ran for three touchdowns in the first half against a Hammonton team that entered the game with a 9-1 record, the Cape-Atlantic National Division crown and a berth in Saturday's South Jersey Group 3 title game against Timber Creek.

The Blue Devils gained 61 yards on their first play. That was their only first down of the game.

"There was a lot of hype for this game," Pogue said. "There was a lot of chirping, but when it was over, I was ecstatic at what we had done."

Pogue and fellow seniors Kaheem Reynolds and Darryl Smith lead a powerful St. Joseph ground game. The Wildcats also have a talented field general in junior quarterback Anthony Giagunto as well as a strong and synchronized offensive line, sparked by senior guard Corey Litton.

St. Joseph's defense has allowed just two touchdowns this season. The Wildcats are led by defensive end Max Valles, who has committed to Virginia, and linebacker Kaiwan Lewis, a South Carolina recruit.

"We don't believe anyone can move the football on us," Lewis said after the dominating victory over Hammonton.

Sacco said he wasn't sure of this team's potential before the season because six two-way starters from the 2010 team had graduated.

But the coach said this year's senior class has taken its place among the best in program history. Pogue knows how his classmates have done it - one weight-lifting session at a time, one practice drill at a time.

"Every since I came to St. Joe's our class has had great chemistry," Pogue said. "I've heard the coaches say we're really good with each other. I feel like that's what sets us apart."

Pogue and the rest of the St. Joseph seniors will play their final game on Saturday. They likely will build a big lead and spend much of the second half on the sideline - as they have in nearly every game this season - but this time will be different.

"I want to leave it all on the field," Pogue said. "I want to remember it when I'm 80 years old."