Bergen Catholic 28 St. Joe’s (Montvale) 23
October 15, 2023
Bergen Catholic broke open a 7-7 tie in the third quarter and had to fight off St. Joe’s late in the game to win, 28-23, in a battle of two of New Jersey’s best.
First Quarter: Joe’s struck quickly when Yasin WIllis went 43 yards to the 27. But his run on fourth down lost 3 yards and Bergen took over on the 21 – the initial hit was by Benjamin Carey before others came in. St. Joe’s was in good position when they blocked Bergen’s punt and recovered on the 32. But the pass into the end zone on fourth-and-11 fell incomplete. Joe’s bridged the two quarters, with passes from Patrick Grusser to Nate Bailey of 32 and 11 yards to the 12. From there Willis went 10 yards and a 2-yard touchdown where he carried defenders into the end zone one minute into the second quarter.
Second Quarter: On the ensuing series, Will Barbieri intercepted at the 50 and went down the sideline to the 30. But BC got the ball back on the following play when Carey hit Gusser’s arm as he was dropping back, causing a fumble that was recovered by Anthony Morales on the 32. The Crusaders lined up to punt when Brandon Apracilar took the snap and ran just enough for a first down on the 42. BC ended up punting a few plays later and their next possession started on their 27. On third-and-13, Dominic Campanile connected with Quincy Porter for 33 yards to the 43 of Joe’s. A facemask penalty brought the ball to the 24. Three plays later, Campanile completed another pass to Porter for 20 yards to the 2 with Dante Kain scoring on the following play to tie the score with two minutes left.
Third Quarter: Joe’s opened the quarter with an onside kick that appeared to be recovered by Nate Bailey. However, Bergen was awarded the ball on the 50 and it may be because the ball did not hit the ground – I do not know for sure, but the subject was discussed with others. A series of penalties from both teams followed and a roughing the kicker on Joe’s gave the Crusaders a first down on the 35. And they went in front, 14-7 when Campanile found Luca Cuttita in the far left corner of the end zone, who out jumped the defender for the ball. After a quick punt gave BC the ball on the 50, Campanile found Anthony Perrotti on the run for a 49-yard score. Late in the quarter, Joe’s moved the ball when Grusser found Jovon Williams for 40 yards to the 27, which led to a 1-yard WIllis score less than one minute into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter: On Bergen’s next possession, it was all Taj Sanders, who carried the ball on all eight plays of the drive for 80 yards and the last was a 26-yard touchdown to make it 28-14 with 6:38 left. Joe’s came right back when Willis scored on an 8-yard run through the middle for his third touchdown to make it 28-21 with 4:54 left. Grusser completed passes on the drive, including a 29-yarder to Bailey. Bergen was at midfield on the following drive when Kain fumbled with Ja’Dyn Williams recovering for Joe’s on their 48. A run and reception by WIllis brought the ball to 24 until Jordan Thomas intercepted, falling back on the 1-yard line with 2:09 left. The Crusaders were forced to punt, with Porter put in as punter and he took time off the clock, but went out of bounds for the safety. It was 28-23 with 1:42 left. Joe’s made it to the 28, but Carey sacked Grusser to the 36. After a 9-yard completion to WIlliams, the Green Knights were faced with a fourth-and-five on the 27, where Mason Marck sacked Grusser to end the game.
Comments:.Bergen were at their best early in the game, but St. Joe’s had something to do with that. They got untracked, especially in the third quarter, scoring three touchdowns and were able to come up with big plays when Joe’s threatened. The defense was threatened on the last two drives from Joe’s, but came up with an interception and two sacks.
St. Joe’s gave it their all and the defense was much better than it was a year ago. I said earlier they had something to do with Bergen looking less than their best and the defense deserves credit. Willis had three touchdowns and looked like a top running back. One player I was impressed with was Bailey as a receiver. In the end, Bergen had just a little more.