Bergen Catholic firing on all cylinders by Tyler Drakeford special to northjerseysports.com
PARAMUS – In what was expected to be a battle between one established powerhouse and another parochial school team that is looking to gain the same status turned out to be a lopsided affair. Bergen Catholic, a program that was in the Bergen County Tournament final last season, dominated this North Jersey battle from start to finish on Paramus Catholic’s home field on Tuesday. These two teams have started off the season well and are headed in the right direction, which is why the result, a 10-1 Bergen Catholic victory, was a bit surprising.
Chris Gerard, the starting pitcher for Bergen Catholic, turned in an impressive performance as he allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out five in six innings of work. Gerard threw only 58 pitches.
“I was locked in from the beginning. My coach stressed how important this game was for us and we took that mentality with us throughout the game. Bergen and Paramus Catholic, no matter what the sport, is always a big rivalry and we knew coming in that bragging rights were also of importance,” said Gerard. “Staying focused is key and is something that is going to help us throughout this season and in the future. With counties right around the corner we are going to face some tough hitting teams and I know that me pitching my best is a key to our success. We are off to a great start this season being 8-2 and 4-1 in the league, and we want to continue our success with strong starts.”
It certainly was a strong start to the game with Bergen Catholic scoring four runs in the second inning. A fielder’s choice started off the strong rally followed by an RBI Double and barrage of RBI singles.
“I have a veteran savvy team and they know the importance of these games and how they affect the season,” said Bob Muggeo, the Bergen Catholic head coach. “We really are troopers and we know how to fight, we have some veterans and we have some young guys but everyone is an important contributor to this team. I love our fight, and I don’t always have to be on my guys, they practice hard, they warm-up, they play hard. That is what I love about these guys. I am extremely blessed to have a group of talented kids who love the game of baseball and are going to bring the fight to the other team every single game. That is the beauty and the pleasure of coaching.”
Even though this was not the result Paramus Catholic head coach Scott Luna was hoping for he knows every game is a learning experience for his team.
“I’m not going to sit here and sugarcoat what just happened and say that I am happy with the ending result of this game, but every game is a learning experience,” said Luna. “I tell my guys everyday how important it is to practice how you play, that is one of my biggest mottos. We had a great practice week, but we just played a better team today. Gerard is a very talented pitcher and we are going to have to stay focused if we want to hit this guy. His off-speed pitches are unbelievable and hitting lefties is something we struggle with. He is a very talented kid. I give him tons of credit but I know if we are locked in we can hit anyone. It won’t be long before we see this team again.”
Luna’s will get another shot at Bergen Catholic as soon as the rain clears. “We cannot give up those long sizable chunk innings like we did in the second and fourth inning,” said Luna. “Those are killers and in high school sports, very hard to come back from. We need to get off to an early start if we want to beat a talented Crusaders team one of the bets in the state.”
Those second and fourth innings that Luna spoke of turned out to be pivotal. BC sent eight hitters to the plate in the second inning and plated four runs and sent 11 to the dish in the fourth inning and scored five runs.
“These long innings in which we score two, three, four five runs give my pitcher tons of confidence. He knows that he has some room for mistake, which won’t cost him the game. I love how our guys pick up our pitcher, and give him run support,” said Maggeo. “Run support is key when you play teams like Paramus Catholic, Saint Joes, Saint Peters, Don Bosco…these are teams that can score many runs and have tons of talent on offense. To beat these top teams in the state we have to give our guys run support.”
Rob Cappadonna and Cole Bosch were two players locked in from the start and both had two RBI, all of them in that big fourth inning for the Crusaders.
“I know how much it means to win these games and so do my teammates,’ said Cappadonna. “Every game is big to me so I do not put more focus into one game more than the other. I am always focused and locked in my goal is to win the league, county and state championships. With the talent, we have on this team it is a goal we can achieve if we stay focused, practice hard, and listen to our coaching staff.”
“Like Cappadonna said it is going to be important for us to stay on task if we want to achieve the goals we set forth in the beginning of the season,” said Bosch, who also drove in two runs. “I love seeing our guys in pregame ready to play, focused and just excited to come out and play the game of baseball, it’s what keeps me going. I love my teammates and wouldn’t trade them for the world. My coaches are the best of the best and we listen to what they say which is the main reason for our success as a team. They teach discipline, focus, and hard work, that shapes who we are as a team.”
Bergen Catholic showed why it is one of the top teams in the state. The Crusaders are talented and they are deep.
“In such a long season, I will continue to preach to my guys to stay focused and steady,” said Muggeo. “Focus is important in grinding out a long season and building a championship foundation. Our guys are smart kids and they know what it takes to get it done.”
Paramus catholic is right in the thick of things in the league and certainly in the running for a spot in the Bergen County Tournament.
“We will try to use this game to turn things around, we will see the Crusaders again and give them all they can handle,” said Luna. “Our guys are not quitters, they are competitors.”