By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
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The St. Joseph Academy football team got off to a bit of a rocky start this season, as new head coach Sal Marchase — he of legendary Delsea Regional fame — was sidelined with illness and missed the team’s first four games. The Wildcats limped to a 1-3 start, their only victory at 19-7 win over a Cumberland Regional squad that is without a win so far in 2026.
There have been a lot of moving parts, and the Wildcats have been playing a ton of young players under assistant Ron Flaim, who has been guiding St. Joe while coach Marchese recovers. Recently, however, St. Joe has gotten a boost from the return of Marchese, who was roaming the sidelines during Thursday night’s 35-14 win over Egg Harbor Township, albeit in a motorized wheel chair. The Cats also have a new quarterback, as Williamstown High transfer Tyson Forman has been eligible for the past two games.
It’s no coincidence St. Joe (3-3) won both those games, a 41-7 win over Highland and the recent blowout win over EHT, a big Group 5 school that has more than 50 players on the sideline.
Williamstown went 3-7 a year ago, but Forman got some valuable experience playing against some really good teams, like Kingsway Regional (a sectional finalist), Southern Regional, Shawnee, Seneca, Rancocas Valley and Group 5 state champion Washington Township. He threw for more than 800 yards and six touchdowns while also rushing for nearly 400 yards, and since last year he’s grown an inch and gained 10 pounds. He’s now a junior who is 6-feet, 170 pounds, and he has the Wildcats’ offense beginning to round into playoff form.
“It’s been a smooth transition. The community likes me, for the most part — at least I hope so! I love my guys, I trust them. I like (this offense). A lot of teams think they can stack the box, but we can spread you out, too. They put the ball in my hands and I do what I do, and I also trust my guys to go make plays as well,” said Forman, who directed the Wildcats to touchdowns on three of the team’s first four drives against EHT on Thursday. “We all just trusted in our offensive line. We trusted that we were going to punch them in the mouth every single play. That’s what we stressed in practice, and we came out here and executed.”
Running back Cole Brubaker — one of just a handful of seniors on St. Joe’s roster — had high praise for Forman, who was forced to sit out the team’s first four games due to the transfer rule.
“I feel like since our freshmen now have some experience under their belt, and we got our leader back in Tyson, we’re starting to pick things up. The freshmen understand the speed of the game and they’re playing their hearts out. We’re really coming together,” said Brubaker, who had 102 rushing yards against the Eagles — his hometown team. “Despite the fact that he’s an awesome football player, he’s also a great leader. He’s always in the huddle, keeping us in the game. We’re nothing without Tyson. He’s a super athlete and a great quarterback.”
If Forman continues to play the way he did against EHT (86 rushing yards, 27 passing yards, two rushing TDs and a passing score), it’s entirely possible that St. Joe could run the table in its final three games before the state playoffs. The Wildcats host Pennsville and Vineland before traveling to Timber Creek to finish out the regular season on Oct. 22. Those teams are a combined 10-6, but only Timber Creek is more than one game above .500.
“Last week, we had a really good win, and this week we got a good win against a really good EHT team. This is going to propel us,” Brubaker said. “We practice really hard and our coaches spend hours on the game plan. We new every play they were going to run, every formation. Our guys really prepared hard this week.”
Offensively, St. Joe looks like a team beginning to hit its stride. It’s not the juggernaut it was under legendary coach Paul Sacco, but the Wildcats were impressive against EHT. Nahsir Hart, a 180-pound junior, finished with 113 yards, and sophomore Joachim Egbeh (5-10, 190) added 46 yards. The Cats also have J.C. Casario, a 6-foot, 190-pound freshman, and Donovan Hart, a 5-11, 160-pound sophomore.
Quite the loaded backfield.
“Our backfield is super dynamic,” Brubaker said. “We can throw when we need to, but Donovan is a track athlete, his brother (Nahsir) is a track athlete, I’m fast, Tyson is a track athlete. We have a really fast and powerful backfield.”
The defense played extremely well on Thursday night, too. Led by guys like juniors Matthew Lahn and Eneas Tavella, the Cats only allowed one offensive touchdown against EHT, and that came late in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.
“Defensively, we balled out. We did all the little things right. We trusted in each other and played like a family,” Forman said. “We just have to stay hungry. We’re not going to be satisfied until we get to the state playoffs and reach our ultimate goal. We’re never satisfied. We want to be physical, that’s our brand of football. (Beating EHT) was a good win, but we’re coming for more.”
WHAT’S NEXT: St. Joseph Academy hosts Pennsville on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
