Bergen Catholic 24 Don Bosco 20
September 29, 2024
Bergen Catholic survived a late Don Bosco rally to win, 24-20. They never trailed, but Bosco was resilient, staying in close pursuit, including a late score and recovering the ensuing onside kick.
First Quarter: Don Bosco had two possessions in the quarter, crossing into BC territory each time, but a fumble and punt prevented any damage they could have done. Beregn’s third possession opened the scoring. Dominic Campanile found Quincy Porter for 54 yards to the 1-yard line, setting up a 1-yard score by Dante Kain.
Second Quarter: Bosco went on a drive that consumed half the second quarter, picking up 69 yards on 13 plays, and scoring on a 3-yard run by Dante DeLuca. The key play on the drive was an 18-yard pass from Deven Sisler to Zakai Murphy to pick up the first of five first downs. Bosco was advancing on their next drive, but Naiim Parrish intercepted for BC with 1:31 left.
Third Quarter: The quarter’s story was Bosco possessing the ball for over ten minutes. Bosco came out with the ball and made it past the 50, but they were forced to punt. It was here when disaster struck for the Ironmen when the punt snap sailed over John Devir’s head. He mishandled the bouncing ball, which got past a Bergen defender and picked up by Ben Carey, who went 16 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 BC lead. Bosco went on a 10-play drive that made it to Bergen’s 36 but turned it over on downs. The key play on the drive was when Sisler ran two yards to Bosco’s 41, but was hit by a Bergen defender and left the game with a head or neck injury that delayed the game ten minutes. Bergen’s following drive lasted one play when Najee Calhoun fumbled with the Ironmen recovering on Bergen’s 43. A 28-yard pass from Dylan Wrona to Colin Brennan gave Bosco a first down on BC’s 15. A sideline penalty on Bergen advanced the ball to the 4 for a first-and-goal with DeLuca scoring on the following play to tie things at 14-all with 2:49 left. A 29-yard pass to Quincy Porter and a 28-yard pass to John Morris brought the ball to Bosco’s 25. Two plays later, Campanile found Bryan Porter for a 22-yard touchdown and a 21-14 Bergen lead.
Fourth Quarter: When Bosco had to punt on their next possession, Devir’s knee touched the ground on the 20, but a Bergen penalty moved the ball back to the 35. The Crusaders ended up with a 41-yard field goal by Guytano Bartolomeo for a 24-14 lead with just under ten minutes to go, Jordan Thomas intercepted for BC on the Bosco 30 with 5:37 left, allowing BC a chance to break the game open. But the Crusaders turned it over on downs and Bosco had the ball on their 26 with 4:41 left. After two first downs, Wrona found DeLuca past the line of scrimmage, who found his way out of the grasp of a defender and went 32 yards to the 12. Wrona connected with Isaiah Alvarez in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked and it was 24-20 with 2:52 left. The Ironmen recovered the ensuing onside kick, setting them up on Bergen 49. An option pass from Renick Dorilas was intercepted by Parrish and enabled the Crusaders to run out the clock.
Comments: It was another dramatic Bergen-Bosco game won by the Crusaders. They made enough plays to win. Two big receptions by Quincy Porter for 83 yards set up two touchdowns. They scored on a special teams mistake by Bosco and a 41-yard field goal, which was enough for the win. They were at a time of possession disadvantage and those scores were important. They were held to 68 yards rushing and had twelve penalties to overcome. That part of their game will have to improve.
Bosco played a courageous game and almost came away with the win. They had the ball for nearly 32 minutes and their recovered onside kick put them in position to win. But they did not make enough plays to win and turnovers hurt them, such as three interceptions, a fumble, a bad punt snap, and the punter’s knee touching the ground sunk the Ironmen.