Derek Zammit came into the NJSIAA/Xfinity Non-Public B championship on a bad ankle that was re-injured in last week’s state semifinal win over Holy Spirit.
It turns out the DePaul senior quarterback was just fine.
The University of Washington commit and four-star prospect ran for three touchdowns in his final game — a 21-12 victory over NJ.com No. 11-ranked Paramus Catholic on Friday at MetLife Stadium.
It’s the second-straight title for the No. 10 Spartans (8-4), their third in four years, and their eighth title since 2013.
“It’s been less than 100 percent all year,” Zammit said of his right ankle. “Today, it was as good as it was going to be. Shout out to all our trainers because they care about us so much. And I’m super blessed for my teammates. It’s been the best four years of my life. We did what we needed to do.”
The Lincoln Park native first rolled his ankle early in the year and then injured it badly in the Spartans’ Week 7 victory over No. 4 St. Peter’s Prep. He exited in the third quarter of last week’s win and was iced up with crutches after the game.
His stardom outweighed his pain on Friday.
Zammit carried for two touchdowns in the first half and then put the game out of reach against a late-starting Paramus Catholic (6-7) with a 69-yard run. He received outstanding stalk blocks on the lengthy run, which gave his team a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter.
Zammit ran 13 times for 74 yards and completed 8-of-9 passes for 58 yards and no turnovers. He also came into Friday’s game one score shy of the school passing/rushing touchdown record held by Chaz Cervino.
He now has sole possession of it.
“I can’t say enough about that guy,” DePaul head coach Nick Campanile said. “We didn’t know early in the week how he would feel. He could barely walk on it. We knew he was going to play, but I know he’s in agony right now. You wouldn’t have been able to tell by the way he played though. He’s had one of the best quarterback careers in the history of New Jersey high school football. He’s incredible.”
Zammit’s efforts created some comfortable distance from Paramus Catholic, but not enough to make the Paladins fade. Senior quarterback Marco Green — in for injured sophomore Rowan Martin in the second half — engineered two scoring drives and had his squad knocking on the door of a third. Junior Chukwuma Odoh punched in both touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving.
DePaul, which has admittedly struggled defensively over the last few seasons, has taken pride in their performance on that side of the ball this year. The Spartans’ senior-led unit cracked down one last time, sending Green and company backwards on multiple plays on a drive that would’ve cut the game to one possession late in the fourth.
Paramus Catholic came into the day averaging 30.1 points per game. Twice this year, the Spartans have held the Paladins well below that total — twelve points on Friday and 14 in a regular-season victory in Wayne.
“The past few years, our defense hasn’t been that good,” senior defensive lineman Logan Nagle said. “I think we matured and had a lot better leadership this year [on defense]. We give it 100 percent on every play, we get after the passer, and we sacrifice for each other.”
“No one in New Jersey has a team as close as ours,” senior defensive lineman Jaxon Bastante added. “It showed today. I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.”
The 2025 campaign was one for Paramus Catholic to be proud of.
The Paladins began 1-4, but rallied for five wins in their last eight games and made strides for a team that has seen dark days since its last state title in 2016.
Head coach Greg Russo and company have their program trending upward and many pieces back in the fold for 2026. Russo gave credit to his senior class for their contribution to the build.
“I love them,” Russo said of his seniors. “DePaul has been here a lot of times. For our seniors, it was the first time. They came into a program that hadn’t played for a state title in nine years. We would’ve liked to finish a little bit better, but it doesn’t take away from their achievements. Now all of these young guys have played here before. When they come back next year, they’re expecting to play here and be ready for the challenge. I think it’s a big experience.”
On the other hand, the topic of seniors made Campanile emotional. It’s a 21-man class for the Spartans that did nothing but win.
They banked three of the program’s 12 state titles, reached the final on four occasions and won 32 games in total. Their mark was made for the small catholic school from Passaic County.
“I told them this morning that they’re truly the guys who are responsible for building this program,” Campanile said. “There are so many special kids. I’m going to miss them a lot. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime group.”
To watch the complete replay of this game, click here.