Bergen Catholic follows “O-Block” to win by Darren Cooper of The Record
ORADELL – Saturday’s Bergen Catholic/St. Joseph game won’t be remembered for OT.
It will be remembered for the “O-Block.”
Bergen Catholic ran for 281 yards and steamed past the Green Knights, 41-30, on a gorgeous fall day in Oradell. The stars of the day were the Crusaders starting offensive line, which constantly made space in the Green Knights front.
“We were just running it down their throats,” said Bergen Catholic senior tackle Kevin Kenerson. “We did inside zone and power and it was working for us.”
In a way, the Crusaders beat St. Joseph at its own game. The Green Knights traditionally pride themselves on a ferocious offensive line under coach Augie Hoffmann.
“Ever since Augie took over there, he’s always prided himself on having the biggest and the best offensive line in the state,” said Bergen Catholic senior center Sean Twomey. “I think we might have gotten the better of them today.”
The five starters: Kennerson, Twomey, Zaakir Faith Jr., Bryan Felter and JR Woods call themselves the “O-Block,” a name that signifies that the line of scrimmage is their house, their home.
“The mind-set is, we always say every offensive lineman wants the ball run behind them,” said Twomey. “All five guys are saying that.”
When it was pointed out that there aren’t that many plays run behind a center, Twomey smiled.
“No one runs behind me too often, but the other guys say, run it behind me, I’ll keep blocking and we will win the game behind us,” Twomey said.
We have reached the halfway mark in the North Jersey high school football season. There is a clear No. 1 team now on the non-public side.
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DEPAUL: DePaul continues hot start, blows through Hudson Catholic
What is telling, however, is the method that Bergen Catholic (3-2) has used to get there. Bergen Catholic coach Nunzio Campanile’s gambling reputation has always been overblown – to him it’s always been about taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves. The simple, but plain truth is the team that blocks and tackles better the best will win. Saturday, it was Bergen Catholic. No flash needed.
The number of Bergen Catholic onside kicks Saturday? Zero. The number of passes attempted by quarterback Johnny Langan? A mere 12. Even defensively, Campanile said the game plan was somewhat conservative.
With both teams knowing exactly what the other team was going to do, it was going to come down to execution.
“We thought we had a chance with the way the guys are developing [on the offensive line] and we’re getting better every week,” said Campanile. “There are some tough defensive lines in this league, so to be able to do that is pretty impressive. I’m proud of our guys. They’ve worked hard and they’re seeing the work pay off.”
Four of the last five meetings between the Green Knights and Crusaders have gone to overtime, with the teams splitting those four matchups. This one didn’t have the dramatic finish you’ve kind of come to expect, but that was OK for Campanile.
“Well, I’m trying to save my wife’s heart a little bit,” Campanile quipped. “So we want to try to avoid that.”
After falling behind 9-0, Bergen Catholic (3-2) scored on six straight possessions. Langan had 84 yards. Josh McKenzie finished with 107 and Rahmir Johnson had 90. Dylan Classi caught a pair of touchdown passes from Langan.
And how’s this for an omen for Bergen Catholic. The 41 points scored against the Green Knights was the most points scored by the Crusaders against St. Joseph since 2004 – which is also the last time Bergen Catholic won a Non-Public Group 4 state championship.
The road won’t be simple. The Crusaders get a break now, a bye right at the midway point of the season before hosting St. Peter’s Prep on October 14 in Oradell. With Paramus Catholic and Don Bosco each struggling offensively, those could be the best two teams in Non-Public Group 4.
This was a big game statewide, because the Green Knights remain the favorites to win Non-Public Group 3, although right now that section may be even tougher than Group 4 with DePaul and Pope John each surging.
Campanile and members of his staff say the turning point may have been last week in the fourth quarter against Paramus Catholic. Coming off back-to-back losses, the Crusaders found a groove and beat the Paladins, 31-14.
“We found our stride there,” said Twomey. “The offensive linemen realized what kind of mindset we have to have for every quarter and every week and I think it carried through the week straight to this game.”