Jada Byers rallies unbeaten Wildcats past Hermits

Jada Byers saw nothing but red.

That was good.

Then he saw nothing but green.

That was better.

"I got the ball and all I saw was red, nothing but blockers," Byers said. "Then I saw nothing but green and I was like, 'Go.'"

Byers, a sophomore who has emerged as one of South Jersey's most dynamic playmakers, went 69 yards with a punt return to set up the go-ahead touchdown as St. Joseph rallied for a 22-10 victory over St. Augustine on Saturday in a West Jersey Football League clash of old and fierce rivals.

The 5-foot-7, 155-pound Byers also generated a 26-yard touchdown run, scored a two-point conversion, and ended St Augustine's final possession with an interception on a warm, sunny afternoon at Bill Bendig Field in the heart of Hammonton.

"He's dynamite," St. Augustine coach Pete Lancetta said of Byers.

The victory was extra sweet for St. Joseph (8-0), the No. 4 team in the Inquirer Top 25.

St. Augustine had won two in a row in the series between the non-public rivals, including a 42-0 win in 2016. That game seemed to confirm a shift in the balance of power in the series.

But St. Joseph dominated the second half Saturday, outscoring St. Augustine, 22-0, behind some strong work by the offensive line, hard running by senior fullback Qwahsin Townsel, and sturdy play by a defense that forced three-and-outs on the Hermits' first three possessions after halftime.

"There was no hollering and screaming," St. Joseph coach Paul Sacco said of the scene at halftime, with his team behind, 10-0. "There was no sense in it. We let the seniors talk a little. The coaches went outside and I said, 'Let's just stick with it and run it right at them.' "

St. Joseph senior cornerback C.J. Parrish said he was nervous at halftime but confident because the Wildcats had been in the same situation Sept. 15 against Holy Spirit.

In that game, St. Joseph rallied from a 26-22 halftime deficit for a 42-26 victory.
"We're a second-half team," said Parrish, whose interception and 37-yard return to the 3-yard line set up Townsel's touchdown with five minutes to play. "I told the guys, 'We've been here before. We're used to it.' "

St. Augustine built a 10-0 halftime lead thanks to freshman Pat Smith's 10-yard touchdown run and a ferocious defensive effort led by junior linebacker Joe Bonczek and senior end Garrett Dolan.

"We played a great half," Lancetta said after the Hermits, who are No 12 in the rankings, dropped to 4-4. "But you have to play two halves."

Byers set the comeback in motion by racing around left end and into the end zone on St. Joseph's second possession of the second half.

Moments later, Byers picked up a bouncing punt at the 25, raced to his left, and returned the football all the way to the St. Augustine 6. Two plays later, quarterback Mitchell Donovan scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 5-yard keeper.

"It's amazing," Sacco said. "We've been hollering at him for weeks not to let the ball bounce on punts. It's almost comical. He says it gives him an advantage."

St. Augustine 0 10 0 0 — 10
St. Joseph 0 0 14 8 — 22
SA: Pat Smith 10 run (Nate Fondacaro kick)
SA: Fondacaro 26 FG
SJ: Jada Byers 26 run (run fail)
SJ: Mitchell Donovan 5 run (Qwahsin Townsel run)
SJ: Townsel 1 run (Byers run)