St. Joe’s (Montvale) 10 Bergen Catholic 7
October 24, 2026
St. Joe’s (Montvale) defeated Bergen Catholic when Kyle Salinas kicked a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to snap a 7-7 tie.
First Quarter: Bergen Catholic opened the game with a 15-play, 6-minute, 80-yard drive. A well-set screen pass to Anthony Cristiano went 29 yards down the left sideline to the St. Joe’s 37. After two more first downs, the Crusaders faced a third-and-1 when Ryan Barry intercepted Trey Tagliaferri’s pass in the end zone, ran it out, and was tackled on the Green Knight 1-yard line. The drive ended three plays later when they punted.
Second Quarter: Two minutes in, Joe’s started on their 11 after a BC punt. A pass to David Forster went 19 yards, and Kyshawn Bryant ran for 11 yards on the next play. Two plays later, William Mitchell ran 11 yards to the BC 42, and on the next play he connected with Stalin Knowlden for a touchdown to put Joe’s up 7-0.
Bergen threatened on the following drive when Tagliaferri connected with Anthony Willis for 38 yards to the 20. But on third down, Jonathon Galette intercepted on the 3-yard line.
Bergen took over on the 50, and Tagliaferri found Bryan Porter for 21 yards to the 22 on fourth down. Once again, BC was intercepted; this time by Tahj Gray, who returned it to the 26 with 38 seconds remaining.
Third Quarter: Joe’s came out with the ball and went on a 10-play, 5-minute drive and threatened when Bryant caught a 30-yard pass, and Knowlden caught a 17-yard pass to the 12. But a Jaxson Bishop sack brought the ball back to the 19. Then a 15-yard penalty, followed by two incompletions, forced a punt.
Bergen blocked a punt and recovered on the 23-yard line. A 9-yard completion to Jamel Hammary gave the Crusaders a first-and-goal on the 7. On the next play, Tagliaferri hooked up with Willis, who made a spectacular, one-handed catch in the air for the tying touchdown.
Fourth Quarter: Joe’s came right back on a drive that bridged the quarters. After picking up a first down, Ralph Tristani found Knowlden over the middle for 42 yards to the 27. They couldn’t advance more, and Salinas kicked the winning field goal from 41 yards with 10:26 left.
Later in the quarter, BC had fourth down from their 36 and went for it, but Cameron Aime sacked Tagliaferri to the 25, and Joe’s gained possession. A 23-yard Bryant run brought a first-and-goal from the 2. A couple of penalties hurt Joe’s, but they had a fourth down on the 1, and Tristani was stopped short of the goal line.
BC had the ball on their 1, and they struck quickly on a 13-yard pass to Porter. Three plays later, Tagliaferri went 11 yards for a first down. A completion to Willis went 20 yards for a first down, but two sacks and a fourth-down incompletion turned it over to Joe’s with 10 seconds left.
Comments: Some nice plays from both teams would make the highlight reel. But this game was a snoozer, with no flow. And it comes the day after I saw one of the best games this year, Waldwick/Midland Park against Garfield. I compare it to Friday night’s game being the opening act at a concert to today’s game, and they blew the headliner off the stage.