Bergen Catholic comes back to beat No. 1 St. Joseph by Greg Mattura of The Record
MONTVALE – New Jersey will once again see a change at the top of the football rankings, and the next No. 1 could be Bergen Catholic.
The Crusaders could return to the top spot of the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey Top 20 after knocking off No. 1 St. Joseph of Montvale, 24-20, Saturday in the Super Football Conference.
Bergen Catholic scored two touchdowns in the second half to erase a 20-10 halftime deficit: junior quarterback Andrew Boel scored on a 1-yard run in the third, and senior running back Anthony Corbin scored on a 10-yard run early in the fourth.
St. Joseph took a 20-10 lead into intermission after junior running back Te-Rai Powell scored on an 87-yard run with 28 seconds left in the second quarter and senior Angelo Guglielmello added the extra point.
St. Joseph had taken a 13-10 lead in the second quarter on Guglielmello’s 37-yard field goal. His 22-yarder in the first quarter had tied the score, 3-3. The Green Knights extended the lead to 10-3 on a 5-yard run by junior Shane Stewart.
Bergen Catholic opened the scoring in the first quarter on a 25-yard field goal by senior kicker Michael Kearney. The No. 4 Crusaders tied the score, 10-10, in the second quarter on a 3-yard run by senior running back Rahmir Johnson.
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What it means
It likely means another split decision for No. 1 by the eight selectors who vote in the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey Top 20.
Even though it lost to St. Joseph, does DePaul (5-1) move up from No. 2? Or, does Bergen Catholic (5-1) leapfrog DePaul and No. 3 St. Peter’s (4-2), which lost last week to DePaul and Friday night needed overtime to outlast No. 12 Don Bosco, 26-23? And where does St. Joseph (4-2) fit in?
Key play
With St. Joseph leading 20-17 late in the third, Bergen Catholic senior safety Griffin McGovern made a TD-saving tackle. McGovern’s tackle came at the 24-yard line – after a 70-yard reception – and three plays late Corbin made an interception.
“Griffin makes that play on the tackle, running the guy down, and Anthony makes the pick, and it’s what seniors do,” Bergen Catholic coach Vito Campanile said. “You invest four thousand hours of your life into something, you probably don’t want to give up too easily.”
By the numbers
Bergen Catholic limited St. Joseph to 77 yards in the second half, after surrendering 268 yards in the first half.
“It’s just a collective effort,” Campanile said. “There were 18 guys in the defensive game plan today, and we needed all 18 of them. And there’s no bickering, there’s no, ‘OK, why is this guy in on this one?’ We matched their personnel, we played a super football team, tremendously coached football team, and it went down to the last minute.”
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Game ball
Corbin is the choice. Not only did he make the interception to end a St. Joseph drive, he capped the ensuing 8-play TD drive that began at the Bergen Catholic 25-yard line. Corbin lined up in the wildcat and scored on the 10-yard run to put the Crusaders ahead, 24-20, with 9:29 left in the fourth.
They said it
“Every time we got in the huddle, they were just telling me, ‘Run hard, run harder than you ever have,’” said Corbin, who carried four times on his TD drive. “And I was just thinking, ‘Yep, if they’re going to give me everything they’ve got, then I’ve got to give them everything I’ve got.’”
“We’ve been here a lot of times,” Campanile said. “The fact that we play this kind of competition, we know how to respond to really tough situations.”
Up next
► Bergen Catholic hosts Pope John on Saturday.
► St. Joseph plays at Don Bosco on Friday.