It came down to this: Chaminade kicker Justin Jones lined up for a 33-yard game-winning field goal. With a simple sweep of the leg, Jones knocked it through the uprights to give his Flyers a 25-22 overtime victory against Seton Hall Prep on a gorgeous fall Saturday in West Orange, New Jersey.

"As I was jogging on the field, all I heard were encouraging words from my teammates and coaches. That really took all the pressure off," Jones admitted. "After making the kick, it was just pure bliss. Knowing that our field-goal unit was able to put the finishing touch on a game that the offense and defense battled out for 60-plus minutes was an amazing feeling."

Jones has been a dynamic force for the Flyers in this early part of the season. He has made all 11 of his kicks this year, including three field goals longer than 30 yards.

"Justin is a very valuable component of the team," said quarterback Sean Carnevale. "His talent level is very impressive, but his calmness under pressure is what separates him from other kickers."

From the beginning, this game had the makings of a classic.

Seton Hall Prep got the scoring started right away when sophomore QB Ty Newcomb led the Pirates down the field, finding junior wideout Cadel Barilford on a play-action pass to the right for an easy touchdown. A missed PAT kept the score at 6-0.

It was a quiet first quarter for the Flyers offense, but they broke out with two touchdowns in the second frame - both the result of Pirate mistakes, a theme that would continue throughout the contest. 

The Flyers were set to punt on their initial possession of the second quarter, but a pre-snap penalty by the Pirates gave Chaminade a first down. The offense made Prep pay, as two big catches, one by Michael Genovese and the other by Brady Murray, pushed the ball inside the five. Soon after, on third down from the one, two-way star Anthony Trapani slipped a tackle in the backfield and dove into the end zone to give Chaminade a 7-6 lead. 

Seton Hall Prep's offense, now down a point, punched back. This time, they turned to their dominant ground game to retake the lead. 

On a first-down play from the Chaminade 39, sophomore tailback Leonard West followed his blockers, charged down the right sideline, and dragged a defender across the goal line for an electric touchdown run. This time, the PAT was successful, and Seton Hall Prep led 13-7.

West and fellow running back Bryce Robbins shouldered the load for the Pirates offense, combining for 196 yards on the ground. West was the lead of the two, running for 90 yards and that score.  

Chaminade caught a break just before halftime when Barilford muffed a punt and Trapani recovered the loose ball at the Pirates 33. Re-taking the field 2:18 before intermission, the Flyers offense would capitalize yet again on a Pirates blunder.

After taking a sack to start the drive, Carnevale rallied his troops and reached the red zone, finding Murray on a play-action pass to the near right pylon for an 11-yard score. Entering the half, Chaminade held a one-point advantage, 14-13. 

"We were able to capitalize on their mistakes because the guys recognized that when playing a good team, the only chance to win is to take advantage of opportunities given to us," reflected Carnevale. "We were very focused and determined to be successful."

Both teams started slowly out of halftime, but the Pirates eventually built an eight-point lead. 

After Declan Farrell pinned the Flyers at their own one-yard line with a perfect punt, Pirates linebacker Michael Hug enveloped Flyers running back Arryn Blades behind the goal line for a safety, electrifying the home sideline. Later in the quarter, SHP head coach Billy Fitzgerald reached into his bag of tricks to tally another touchdown. Following a few laterals, the ball ended up in the hands of the speedy Barilford, who turned the corner and put on the afterburners for his second score of the match, making it 22-14. 

Down eight points entering the fourth quarter, Chaminade's offense methodically marched down the field and knotted the score with arguably their best drive of the young season. It nearly stalled at midfield, but Trapani broke free for a 33-yard run on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

Soon after, with the ball at the eight-yard line, Carnevale dumped a pass to Murray in the flat. As he sped toward the end zone, a big hit by a Pirates defender jarred the ball loose. Luckily, Genovese was Johnny-on-the-spot, as he scooped up the loose change in the end zone for a touchdown.

However, Murray remained down after the play with what appeared to be a severe lower-body injury. He left the game on a golf cart and did not return.

With Chaminade now down two, they needed to pick up the two-point conversion to tie the score. Fortunately, they did just that, as Carnevale hit sophomore tight end Robert Foschi - in for the injured Murray - with a perfect pass in the back of the end zone, evening the score at 22. 

Both teams had multiple opportunities to win the game in regulation, but the defenses stood tall, sending the game to overtime.

The Chaminade defense was especially impressive in the fourth quarter, forcing the Pirates to punt all three times they had the ball. Senior linebacker and captain Luca Smith emphasized this effort after the game:

"Playing against a team like Seton Hall that depends on the physicality and skill of their players over a complex offensive scheme, it came out to a match of who wanted it more," he explained. "By the time we were able to completely figure out their scheme against us, we were simply more aggressive at the point of attack, giving us the edge over them for the win."

Seton Hall Prep got the ball first in the extra frame, and it looked like they would score first, as well. Newcomb threw a perfect lob pass to West, who snuck out of the backfield and got himself open for what looked to be an easy touchdown. However, there was a holding penalty at the line of scrimmage, and the points were taken off the board.

Penalties were a massive problem all afternoon for the Pirates, as they racked up a whopping 12 - a major factor in their defeat. 

Thanks to this flag, Seton Hall Prep would have to settle for a field-goal attempt. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Farrell missed wide right from 42 yards out, opening the door for Chaminade to seal the deal.

Although many within the Chaminade program felt the team had a strong chance to win, it was clear that they were underdogs heading in. Seton Hall Prep, a team that plays in one of the most competitive leagues in the country, was ranked 963rd nationally by MaxPreps. On the other hand, Chaminade was ranked over 1,100 spots lower, at 2,118. As a result of this disparity, for some Flyers, this one just meant more.

"Every game against a team we lost to last year is a huge deal," admitted Smith. "But going to Jersey to play a team we lost against in heartbreaking fashion last year makes it even more exciting. We were tired of hearing how good Jersey football is, so we decided to silence them."

"It was incredibly important to get a win like that, especially under those circumstances," added Jones. "It proved to ourselves and to the rest of the league and the state that we are able to win hard-fought games against worthy opponents."

With the victory, the Flyers moved above .500 for the first time this year. They will put their 2-1 record on the line this coming Friday night in a showdown under the lights against a resurgent Archbishop Stepinac team that is also 2-1.

Kickoff for this opening CHSFL game of the campaign will be at 7 p.m. in White Plains.