No. 12 Bergen Catholic edges No. 17 East St. Louis

OCEAN CITY, New Jersey- Playing in the late afternoon matchup in South Jersey, it may have looked bleak for Bergen Catholic late in the final quarter, but the Crusaders would make one more play at the end.

Hitting the Flyers with a ground-and-pound attack, the Crusaders blocked a punt, returned it for a touchdown to pull off a 22-21 win Thursday evening at Carey Stadium. 

A blocked punt with under two minutes to go happened because of clock management

Trailing 21-14 in the final minutes, Bergen Catholic’s offense looked a little sluggish because of being unable to match East St. Louis’ energy for most of the second half.

Except when they needed it. A blocked punt, returned back for a touchdown by defensive back Amar’e Newell, improbably put Bergen Catholic back in front with about 90 seconds remaining in the game.

What worked so well in the opening half for the Crusaders, converting third downs, getting three or four yards a pop and timely deep balls, just were not there for Bergen Catholic in the latter two quarters. 

The heart of a champion and making a play when they needed it most was as they nabbed victory from the jaws of defeat.

Bergen Catholic runs your old school-style offense 

Remember the old days? Three yards and a cloud of dust? If you like some old school, ram it down your throat high school football, then you’ll probably enjoy watching Bergen Catholic operate their offense. 

From the very first moment of the game when the Crusaders lined up on offense, you knew East St. Louis’ front seven was going to need to bring their lunch pale for the evening. 

Bergen Catholic started the game with senior quarterback Trey Tagliaferri under center in a single back set and turned around and handed it off to senior three-star running back Najee Calhoun. 

Now yes, the Crusaders do throw the ball, but when they did, they looked to do so effectively and mostly off of play-action. Tagliaferri finished the game completing 13 of 19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. On the ground as a team, the Crusaders finished with 115 yards off 34 attempts. 

Debut of East St. Louis’ four-star Myson Cook-Johnson 

Watching East St. Louis on the offensive end of the ball, you can see how the Flyers might plan to use the junior four-star athlete and predictably, it’s going to be in a variety of ways. 

Whether it’s Cook-Johnson lining up iat running back or going out wide or even running a route out of the backfield, the staff made a concerted effort to make sure he touches the ball. 

For the game, Cook-Johnson finished compiling 102 yards on 11 touches on the dais. If there was any questions on how he would fit in the offense, they were answered on Thursday evening. 

2028 EDGE Jackson Vaughn is the real deal 

One of the top Class of 2028 players showcased his talents and made an early case for why he’s one of the best EDGE’s in the country, regardless of grade level. 

The defensive end caused havoc all evening long for the Flyers’ offensive line as Vaughn in the first half alone had totaled four tackles for loss and two sacks. Whether he was using bull rush moves or inside move techniques, it was clear whoever would be blocking him was outmatched. 

Though Vaughn saw his first half production slow down in the latter two quarters, seeing the four-star sophomore play gave an idea of how good he could be this fall and for the following two years to come.