Bergen Catholic 17 Don Bosco 0 

Bergen Catholic started strong and had a quick 10-0 lead before Don Bosco’s defense stiffened. The score remained the same into the fourth quarter before the Crusaders scored a touchdown to put the game away, 17-0.   

First Quarter: After a Don Bosco punt, BC struck quickly when Steve Angeli kept the ball and sprinted 72 yards down the right sideline, getting tackled on the 3-yard line. Ryan Butler scored on the following play to put the Crusaders in front. BC had an opportunity when Jaeden Gould intercepted on Bosco’s 35 off a tipped pass. Angeli found a wide open Christian Carti down to the 10, but the Bosco defense settled down and Giancarlo Carbonaro kicked a 20-yard field goal to make it 10-0 lead midway through the quarter. 

Second Quarter: Bergen drove down the field again and made it inside the 10, but Angeli’s fourth down pass fell incomplete and Bosco took over on the 2. At this point, Bosco’s line began opening holes for Ronnie Heath, picking up four first downs. Their drive ended when quarterback Nick Minicucci fumbled on a hit by DJ Samuels and Bergen recovered. 

Third Quarter: The teams were trading punts until Bergen was deep in their own territory late in the quarter. On third-and-11 on the 1-yard line, Angeli connected with Carti for 24 yards, getting themselves out of a hole on the quarter’s final play. 

Fourth Quarter: The Crusaders kept driving and took time off the clock. Angeli ran for 14 yards, followed by a Butler run of 28 yards before he eventually ran for a 1-yard score with 5:31 left. Bergen’s defense forced a punt and the Crusaders ran out the clock. 

Summary: Bergen came out strong and it looked like they could run away with the game before things settled down. The early flurry gave them a lead they would never relinquish, pitching the shutout.  The defense was led by edge rusher DJ Samuels, who made his presence known by putting heat on the quarterback with outstanding closing speed. While the offense met resistance from the Bosco defense, they made plays on their fourth quarter possession. An unsung factor was their kick coverage early in the game that wouldn’t allow Bosco to get past the 20. 

Bosco was resilient, but they didn’t have enough to get past their opponent. Both lines came up big, sometimes outplaying Bergen. Ronnie Heath took advantage of the holes his line created, but they could not get on the scoreboard. 

Comments:

“We won a hard fought game and the defense came up with the goose egg. This is what the rivalry is about and everybody will know about it tomorrow.” – Two-way lineman Dominick Brogna