Reporter: Mark Stewart
Great sunny afternoon at Mara Field. People started settling onto the hill. One second everyone was waving to friends and sliding into their usual spots, and the next, Antwine Short was already halfway down the sideline with the opening kickoff. It happened so fast that the crowd didn’t have time to finish their hot dogs; instead, there were multiple high fives at the first strike against Paramus Catholic.
Ninety-six yards later, Short was in the end zone. Iona Prep set the tone and decided the day was theirs before Paramus Catholic even touched the ball.
There was still that leftover buzz from last week’s win in Syracuse over Christian Brothers Academy. And nobody showed it more than running back Chase Reeves.
Watching Reeves run with urgency with every step put the defense on notice. His stat line, 13 carries, 227 yards, four touchdowns, was unreal.
Paramus Catholic didn’t disappear early. They came in ranked top 10 in New Jersey, and they played like it. At halftime, it was still just 28-20. Quarterback Jaydin Jackson punched in a 4-yard run to stretch the lead, and not long after, Daquan Smith jumped a pass, took it 55 yards to the Paramus 7, and Reeves finished the job on the next play. From the hill, you could feel the shift. Paramus Catholic looked rattled. Again, Iona Prep looked like a team that had decided the afternoon belonged to them. The defense made sure of it.
Offensively, the Gaels didn’t pretend to be anything other than who they are: a team that believes in its strength up front. They ran the ball because they trusted their line, and the line rewarded that trust. Reeves wasn’t the only one piling up yards. Christopher Banks, Tyrone Mushatt, Quentin Galvin and Mamadee Sangaray combined for nearly 400 rushing yards, turning the game into a showcase of depth.
Standing on the hill, watching the way this team moves, you can see the identity forming: deep in the backfield, tough up front, and improving every quarter. The Gaels’ story continues to build.
Iona Prep (2-0) heads to Staten Island on Sept. 19 to face St. Joseph by the Sea.
