Bergen Catholic starts Vito Campanile era with statement win over Grayson (GA) by Darren Cooper of The Record
Rahmir Johnson scored a pair of touchdown runs in the second half and Bergen Catholic made Vito Campanile a winner in his debut 34-22 over Grayson High School in Georgia on Friday night.
The Crusaders also got a pair of scores from junior Amar Gist, who had a 28-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter and recovered a fumbled punt snap in the end zone in the second quarter to give Bergen Catholic a 13-0 lead.
Grayson trimmed the Bergen Catholic lead to 27-15 early in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard interception return by Kenny Edwards, but the Crusaders answered with an 8-play, 80-yard drive highlighted by a 36-yard pass from Andrew Boel to Tyler DeVera.
COOPER: Bergen Catholic makes big power play in win over Grayson
Johnson dived in from three yards out a few plays later.
It was Bergen Catholic’s first game in Georgia and the debut of Campanile who coached previously at Seton Hall Prep and Westwood.
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What it means
North Jersey still plays a brand of high school football that few teams in the country can match – or it means that national polls don’t mean that much. Grayson was ranked No. 5 in the USA Today Super 25, with Bergen Catholic at No. 12, but the Crusaders were clearly the more dynamic and better coached team, leading 13-3 at halftime and nearly breaking the game open in the third quarter.
The Crusaders turned in a vintage North Jersey performance. They clamped down on defense. They scored a touchdown on special teams and stymied another Grayson punt attempt that led to another score, and when the game got close in the fourth quarter Bergen Catholic was able to grind out the clock behind the running of Johnson, a Nebraska commit.
The win will likely elevate Bergen Catholic’s national stature and keep them atop the New Jersey statewide polls.
Key play
Bergen Catholic coach Vito Campanile referenced it himself after the game. With Grayson having clawed back to 27-15 and carrying lots of momentum, Crusaders quarterback Andrew Boel connected with tight end Tyler DeVera in coverage for a 36-yard gain on second and eight at the Crusaders 30. Three plays later, Johnson was in the end zone and the Crusaders had put the game away.
“That ball was just fearless down the pipe against a Safety going to North Carolina,” said Campanile. “That was the play of the game.”
By the numbers
► Bergen Catholic hasn’t lost a season opener since 2013, that happened in Louisiana as the Crusaders were knocked off by Curtis High School.
► Bergen Catholic entered the contest 17-11 against out-of-state teams since 2000. It was the school’s first game against a foe from Georgia.
► Johnson finished, unofficially, with 28 carries for 129 yards and two scores, this after having just 12 yards in the first half. Boel, the junior from Franklin Lakes was 12 for 22 for 144 yards with two scores and one interception.
Game ball
► Bergen Catholic junior wide receiver Amar Gist had a 28-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, and in the second half, he jumped on a fumbled Grayson punt snap and lunged into the end zone to give the Crusaders a 13-0 lead.
They said it
“I’m looking forward to building on this. Its only Chapter 1. We have 11 chapters to go,” Bergen Catholic defensive end/tight end Aeneas DiCosmo.
Up next
► Bergen Catholic will face Archbishop Wood (Pa.) at HighPoint.com Stadium at Rutgers on Saturday. Wood beat the Crusaders 27-21 last season.
► Grayson will face Marietta High School in Georgia.