SPARTA − On an afternoon when it didn't play its sharpest offensively, DePaul relied upon a strong defense to take the season opener.

The Spartans defeated Pope John, 31-3, on Aug. 30 in a rematch of the 2024 Non-Public B state final at MetLife Stadium.

"It was a clean slate," DePaul coach Nick Campanile said of the rematch. "We're both two completely different teams. They're still talented and well-coached. Schematically, it's very similar to what they were doing last year but the players are different and it's kind of the same thing for us."

Mason James caught a pair of touchdown passes, and Sean Nevers rushed in from three yards out with 29 seconds left in the first half as DePaul took a 24-0 lead into halftime.

Pope John struggled on offense but was helped out by Spartans mistakes.

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