Long: McEvoy electric in Crusader victory
On Saturday afternoon another Pennsylvania opponent sauntered into Crusader Stadium with heads held high and chests puffed out awaiting a clash with the Bergen Catholic Crusaders. For a second straight week, a Pennsylvania opponent left Oradell with heads hanging low and shoulders sulking. This weekend's victim was the Malvern Prep Friars after the Crusaders used a dominant second-half performance en route to an easy 34-7 victory for the Red & Gold in front of yet another large home crowd.
Tanner McEvoy played the part of maestro for the BC offense, and boy did he make great music. McEvoy dazzled onlookers with his exceptional play, having a hand in all five of Bergen Catholic's touchdowns, as he rushed for 3 scores and threw for 2 others.
BC did not get out to the fast start they had in Week 1 and had to punt the ball away after picking up one initial first down. After pinning Malvern Prep inside their own 5-yard line, the Crusader defense endured a terrible missed call on a 35-yard pass completion where the ball clearly bounced off the turf and was scooped in by a Prep receiver, only to be ruled a catch on the field. I guess the inordinate amount of black rubber pellets jumping up from the turf was not a good enough indicator for the official to rule an incompletion. Despite that long completion, BC's defense quickly forced a punt and got the ball back into the hands of a hungry offensive unit that was still trying to find its mojo.
The Crusaders began to march down the field behind a balanced attack of Karl Bostick runs and Tanner McEvoy passes to Cam Dickerson and Ryan Finkel. The drive eventually was capped off with a perfectly placed pass to the back right corner of the endzone where sophomore John Tsimis hauled in the touchdown catch, tapping one foot down in bounds before rolling out in the shadow of the BC scoreboard. Tsimis's catch gave BC an early 7-0 lead, and an energized Crusader defensive unit returned to the field to compete against the Malvern Prep Wing T offense. The defense again forced a Friar punt, and gave its offense a short field to work with near the end of the first quarter.
The red-clad Crusaders, delighted their sun-drenched home crowd with another sustained offensive drive that ended with a visit to the endzone, this time by the senior quarterback himself, as a designed QB draw play led McEvoy into the endzone untouched for his first rushing score of the game and of the young season. Ryan Rose's extra point extended the home team's lead to 14-0 seconds into the start of the 2nd quarter. While it looked like BC was well on its way to a cakewalk victory, Malvern Prep began to display its own grittiness and talent on offense, led by their junior quarterback Tommy Ruemer.
As BC was able to take away the potent running attack from the Friars, Ruemer showed fans why he had thrown for a school record 313 yards the week before in a Friar loss. In the waning minutes of the first half, after yet another BC defensive penalty (this time a pass interference call) sustained a Malvern Prep drive, Ruemer was able to connect on two long passes to Joe Rava and Mike Bolte, the latter completion resulting in a Friar touchdown.
With plenty of time in the pocket, Ruemer lofted a soft pass to the front of the endzone, creating a jump ball situation for the BC secondary. Safety Shutang Mungwa intercepted the pass with his hands above his head and momentum taking him backwards into his own endzone. The ensuing play is unclear, as to whether Malvern Prep's Mike Bolte wrestled the ball away from Mungwa or if he had just grabbed onto the ball and created a simultaneous possession situation. In the latter case, the tie goes to the wide receiver. Either way, the Friars were awarded a touchdown and were no doubt feeling confident against their Garden State hosts, down just 14-7.
With only 5 seconds left until halftime, BC tried one last pass attempt to put points on the board before adjourning to their locker room, but instead saw their first turnover of the season as McEvoy's bullet pass into coverage was picked off by Joe Nilan. As BC's offensive linemen tackled Nilan down to the turf to end the first half, McEvoy found himself blocked out of bounds and engulfed in a pile of Malvern Prep players, who delighted in some serious chatter right to McEvoy's face. I don't think they were asking BC's signal caller for an autograph, but based on his performance in the 2nd half, the Friars would have been wise to make that request.
For the second straight week the Crusaders came out a team possessed to start the second stanza of play. With Malvern Prep receiving the ball to start the 3rd quarter, the Crusader pass rush hurried Ruemer into his second interception of the game. Senior captain Nick La Testa had picked off Ruemer earlier in the first half, and junior Luke Cervino was the willing recipient this time.
The BC offense immediately took the field, energized and revitalized, and prepared to make a huge play through the air. McEvoy -- with plenty of time to throw due to the outstanding efforts yet again by the Bergen Catholic offensive line -- lofted a pass down the near sideline. Initially it seemed to be a little too long for his receiver, but sophomore John Tsimis, his body fully extended in mid-air as if he were diving into the ocean, made a sensational grab at the Malvern Prep 5-yard line. The Crusaders would cap off the drive when McEvoy again crossed the goal line for his second rushing touchdown of the day.
The Crusader defense -- intent on making amends for its first-half letdown score late in the 2nd quarter -- swarmed and shutdown the overmatched Wing T attack, and gave the ball back to an offense whose confidence was growing by the down. McEvoy zipped a bullet pass into the hands of the senior Cam Dickerson, who reversed field from the far sideline to the center of the field, and dragged two Friars with him into the Oradell Avenue endzone. The PAT was no good, but at that point the 27-7 lead felt safe for the Crusaders as the Friars meandered back to their sidelines following Bergen Catholic's second score of the 3rd quarter.
BC would finish their scoring on the afternoon in spectacular fashion, as McEvoy took a designed quarterback keeper 52 yards down the field for a jaw-dropping score. In the midst of his sprint down the field, McEvoy stopped on a dime, allowing one Malvern Prep player to fly past his feet, then finishing his run down the far sideline to his desired destination. With a 34-7 lead, La Testa added his second interception on defense and the defensive unit pitched a second-half shutout while also getting key performances from BC reserves who provided much-needed relief against Malvern Prep's first-team offense.
Despite the lopsided victory, Coach Campanile knows that his team has not sniffed its overall potential as a team, and must start to play a more disciplined style of football in the coming weeks. The offense has started to resemble the potent squad that dominated in preseason scrimmages, and McEvoy had his first statement performance as a Crusader QB.
Another game against a Keystone State foe, another victory for the Red & Gold.
| 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th qtr | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen Catholic | 7 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 34 |
| Malvern Prep | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
NOTES:
- BC was without the services of WR/CB Chucky Wingate for another game, as the junior is rehabbing an ankle injury he suffered at the beginning of the 1st quarter against LaSalle. Wingate is expected to play next week against Teaneck.
- Tanner McEvoy has already combined for a total of 8 touchdowns this season with his 5 passing TDs and 3 rushing scores in two contests.
- Home Cookin': With BC's first 2 wins at home to start the 2010 season, the Crusaders have improved their record at Crusader Stadium to 89-14 (86%) since the 1991 season, and 192-49-7 (77%) overall.
ABOUT DAN LONG
Dan Long graduated from Bergen Catholic in 2003 where he was the Sports Director of BCTV and coined the immortal phrase "Crusader Crazies" for the raucous BC student section. He is currently the radio voice of the Bergen Catholic football, the founder of DL Sports Media, and a weekly contributor to BergenCatholicFootball.com.
Know Your Foe: Malvern Prep Friars
This week in Know Your Foe, Dan Long breaks down the Malvern Prep Friars, Bergen Catholic's second-consecutive Keystone State opponent.
- 2009 Season: (7-4; finished in a tie for the Inter-AC Conference title)
- 2010 Season: (1-1; a 20-0 win over Downingtown West and a 34-21 loss vs. Roman Catholic)
Malvern Prep is an all-boys Catholic school founded in 1842 as the prep school for Villanova University. The Friars come to Oradell, New Jersey following a 34-21 loss at home to Roman Catholic, one of LaSalle's rivals in the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Malvern Prep runs a Wing T offense, a scheme BC ran to perfection in the 1990's, and something the Crusaders are familiar with defending thanks to their recent matchups against Ridgewood. Despite being a power running team, Malvern Prep threw for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air in their loss last week. Problem was, they only managed 24 yards on the ground and played from behind the entire game.
On defense, Malvern Prep allowed 34 points to Roman Catholic and gave up 346 total yards of offense in their loss. This comes after they shutout their first opponent of the year, Downingtown West 20-0. This will be the 2nd straight season that the Friars have traveled to Northern New Jersey, as they defeated Hudson Catholic 44-0 a year ago in Jersey City.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB #11 Tommy Rumer
Rumer runs the Wing T offense for the Friars, but he is not a running threat and is mainly a pocket passer. Last week, Rumer threw for a school-record 313 yards in their loss to Roman Catholic, and managed to connect for 3 touchdowns with only 1 interception. However, he only completed 45% of his passes due to constant pressure delivered by the Roman Catholic defensive front 7. BC must look to do the same, and force Rumer outside the pocket, where he is not an accurate passer.
RB #22 Shawn Wilson
The junior lead back for the Friars transferred to Malvern Prep after his former school, North Catholic, closed in June. Wilson displays a quick burst in the backfield, and accounted for over 150 yards and 2 scores in his Friar debut two weeks ago. Last week was a nightmare game for Wilson, as the running back only managed 10 yards rushing on 9 carries and lost two fumbles in the loss. The play of the defensive tackles is key against Wilson, and BC must look to exploit a possible lack of confidence given his recent fumbling issues.
WR #2 Mike Bolte
When Tommy Rumer set the individual school record for passing last week, a majority of his yards came with passes in Bolte's direction. With 6 receptions for 207 yards and 2 TDs, Bolte broke the single-game individual receiving record at Malvern Prep, and like Sean Coleman for LaSalle, BC would be wise to put Nick LaTesta on him in coverage. If Bolte is able to get on track early, that offensive balance will fuel the Wing T attack and make for a long afternoon for the defensive unit.
This will be a great test for the Crusaders and it will be interesting to see if there is any emotional letdown early on at Crusader Stadium after such a dramatic and hard-fought win against LaSalle last weekend. BC's defense continues to show its potential, as they held LaSalle in check for most of the game, and the pass rush began to find its way to the quarterback as the game progressed.
The BC offense showed glimpses of the brilliance they displayed in the preseason, but could never put it all together and click against LaSalle. Coach Campanile certainly will hope that his offense begins to gel after shaking the rust off in game one of the season last weekend.
The BC special teams needs to have a bounce back performance after a rough start to the season with their kicking game and also with kickoff coverage.
THREE KEYS FOR BC
Here are a few keys to the game for the Crusaders to beat back-to-back Pennsylvania opponents to open the 2010 season:
- BC needs to show discipline on the field and stay away from the mental laziness of holding, facemask, and offsides penalties. BC had 10 penalties against LaSalle, and consistently showed a lack of focus on the field with costly penalties that led to a LaSalle scoring drive. If BC wants to get their offense in sync and defense in a confident position, staying away from the yellow laundry will go a long way.
- BC must focus on stopping the run first, and only then worry about the passing attack of Malvern Prep. BC struggled at times defending against the inside draw and delayed handoffs against LaSalle, and they must really focus on the several running threats presented by Malvern Prep.
- BC must be patient enough to establish a running game and give the running back stable of weapons some experience and touches. This game will afford the running backs the chance to push the pile and find open space behind a veteran offensive line. The passing attack should look for big passes on Saturday, as they did not even attempt any 40+ yard passes against LaSalle.
This is BC's final opportunity to impress versus an out-of-state opponent in 2010, and I would expect a much better performance out of BC's offense on Saturday now that they have a game under their belts. Kickoff is at 2pm.
Dan Long graduated from Bergen Catholic in 2003 where he was the Sports Director of BCTV and coined the immortal phrase "Crusader Crazies" for the raucous BC student section. He is currently the radio voice of the Bergen Catholic football, the founder of DL Sports Media, and a weekly contributor to BergenCatholicFootball.com.
Long: Dramatic win for Cardiac Crusaders
In what was one of the most exciting finishes in Crusader Stadium history, Bergen Catholic held on to beat LaSalle College High School 22-21 in front of a standing-room only crowd in Oradell on Saturday afternoon. With LaSalle driving deep into Bergen Catholic territory with 12 seconds left, BC senior linebacker Karl Bostick forced a fumble from LaSalle quarterback Matt Magarity, turning the ball over to the Crusaders, and preserving a dramatic first win in the varsity coaching career of new BC Coach Nunzio Campanile.
Neither team wasted any time putting points on the board, as each side scored touchdowns on their first offensive possession. On LaSalle’s third play from scrimmage, Magarity connected through the air with a wide-open Mike Piscopo, and the senior tight end rumbled all the way down to the Crusader 10-yard line. LaSalle found the endzone on a simple 7-yard touchdown toss from Magarity to his fullback Tim Wade that gave the Explorers a quick 7-0 lead on the road.
On their first offensive drive, Bergen Catholic methodically moved down the field , powered in part by a 50-yard sprint by senior Spencer Kulcsar that put BC into scoring position. The Crusaders put their first points on the board when senior Tanner McEvoy threw his first-ever varsity touchdown, connecting on a screen pass to junior running back Mike Gerst. BC would have to settle for 6 though, as junior Austin Devine’s extra point attempt clanked off the right upright and was no good.
Fans expecting a shootout after the first two drives were sorely disappointed as the defenses for both sides began to play well and dominate their offensive counterparts. When the BC offense got deep in LaSalle territory, the Explorers’ defense stiffened and turned the Crusaders over on downs. The same happened for LaSalle’s offensive unit when they had the ball at the BC 10-yard line with the final seconds of the first half ticking away. Thanks in part to a costly holding penalty, LaSalle chose to forgo the field goal attempt and instead threw for the endzone, only to see the pass intercepted by BC’s Kulcsar. That play closed out the first half with the scoreboard frozen at 7-6 LaSalle.
BC came out of the halftime locker room a determined bunch, running the ball on the first five plays of the second half, and finding creases in the middle of the LaSalle defense thanks to the sensational efforts of the BC offensive line. The Crusaders finally got their first lead of the game after McEvoy, with plenty of time in the pocket, found Kulcsar wide open on the far side of the field. The senior hauled in the pass, cut to the inside to juke past one defender, and ran into the endzone from 32 yards away. Coach Campanile elected to go for 2 points and the 7-point lead instead of attempting an extra point, and the conversion was successful on a McEvoy run behind the left side of his line.
But as was the case all game long, it once again became a seesaw affair. When it looked like BC was about to break away from LaSalle and potentially go up by two scores, the Crusaders would commit a couple of costly mental mistakes. On two third down-and-long situations, LaSalle was able to prolong their drives due to personal foul facemask penalties on BC. That new life led to an eventual touchdown run by LaSalle’s Jamal Abdur-Rahman and LaSalle pulled to within a point of tying the game. But after a BC offsides penalty was declined, Spencer Kulcsar shot through the middle and blocked Ryan Winslow’s extra point, preserving BC’s one point lead at 14-13.
Penalties again doomed a BC drive after the Crusaders received a sensational kickoff return by sophomore James Dawson all the way down to the LaSalle 30-yard line. The top team in Pennsylvania was given the ball back after a BC punt, and began to methodically pick apart the BC defense, many times on back-breaking third-and-long conversions. With perfect poise and precision, Magarity consistently found wide receivers Sean Coleman and Kevin Forster for big gains before finally connecting with Colin Buckley from 15 yards out on a crossing pattern in the middle of the endzone. The Explorers followed the Crusaders’ lead and went for the 2-point conversion, recapturing its 7-point lead at 21-14.
BC faced a fourth quarter deficit against one of the top teams on the East Coast. Pressure was staring Coach Campanile’s team square in the face and the Crusaders never blinked.
With under 9 minutes left in the game, the Crusaders marched down the field behind the sensational running of quarterback McEvoy. You would have never guessed that McEvoy was making his quarterbacking debut, as he was a calming influence for his offensive tro0p, taking what the defense gave him and never forcing a pass into coverage. That solid decision-making moved BC into the LaSalle red zone, where McEvoy darted a pass to Kulcsar across the middle of the field, and the dynamic senior proceeded to stop on a dime, shift his momentum from right to left, and find open running room into the endzone from five yards out.
Everyone in Crusader Stadium assumed that a game-tying extra point was about to happen with a little over 4 minutes remaining in the game. Everyone except for BC head coach Nunzio Campanile. Campanile decided to go for two and the lead, to the home crowd’s delight. With an empty backfield, Nunzio called for a quarterback keeper, and McEvoy easily got into the endzone behind the right side of his offensive line, then casually handed the ball to the umpire as his jubilant lineman patted him on the helmet. BC had regained the lead, but LaSalle had one final chance to steal the game on the road.
Facing two huge 4th down conversions on their final drive, Magarity connected with his favorite receiving threats in Coleman and Forster to move the chains and keep hope alive for the Keystone State visitors. After Sean Coleman scooped a low throw into his midsection, and Abdur-Rahman gained a yard on a bubble screen, LaSalle called the first of their two remaining timeouts with 12 seconds left in the game and the ball on the BC 15-yard line. Rather than send his kicker onto the field for a potential game-winning 27-yard field goal, LaSalle Coach Drew Gordon decided to take one last shot at the endzone before attempting a field goal with untested sophomore kicker Ryan Winslow.
With Crusaders fans biting their nails and holding their collective breath in anticipation of a game-deciding field goal, the Crusader Crazies instead became witness to a defensive play that may well echo on for the rest of the season for this Crusader team. On 3rd down-and-3, Matt Magarity dropped back to pass and pump faked to the near endzone, looking for Kevin Forster to get open. Excellent coverage by senior Nick LaTesta left Magarity holding the ball in the pocket and enabled lonebacker Karl Bostick to knife through the offensive line untouched, wrap Magarity up in a bear hug, and strip him of the ball. The ball wobbled free on the Crusader Stadium Field Turf, and a thousand-plus fans screamed for the players to take notice. BC plopped on the fumble and sealed the win with 5 ticks left on the clock. Crusader fans could officially exhale.
Tanner McEvoy took a knee from the victory formation, and the entire red-clad BC sideline erupted in jubilation, sprinting from the far side of the field to greet the offense in a dramatic moment of celebration. Nunzio Campanile was doused with his first Gatorade bath as a victorious varsity coach, and got to celebrate that special moment with his father Mike standing alongside him on the field. What a way to open up a new era at BC, with a dramatic home win over a national power.
Dan Long graduated from Bergen Catholic in 2003 where he was the Sports Director of BCTV and coined the immortal phrase "Crusader Crazies" for the raucous BC student section. He is currently the radio voice of the Bergen Catholic football, the founder of DL Sports Media, and a weekly contributor to BergenCatholicFootball.com.
Know Your Foe: LaSalle Explorers
In the first of our weekly columns where we break down Bergen Catholic's opponent, we focus on the LaSalle Explorers (1-0) who will enter Crusader Stadium on Saturday coming off a huge (27-14) win on the road against then top-ranked North Penn.
- 2009 Season: (14-1 AAAA State Champs; Catholic League Champs)
LaSalle capped off one of the most magical seasons in its football program's history when they defeated State College for the Pennsylvania AAAA State Championship. They won their second straight Catholic League Championship, and finished their season 14-1 on the season, their lone loss a 24-17 setback to rival St. Joseph Prep which they eventually avenged in the playoffs. The offense averaged 30 points-per-game, while the defense only surrendered 12 points on average. Due to their incredible season, LaSalle finished ranked 28th in the nation by MaxPreps.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB #17 Matt Magarity
The junior quarterback entered into the game last Friday night against North Penn having only tossed 7 passes as a sophomore the season before as the varsity backup. But his inexperience was not evident to onlookers as Magarity carved up the North Penn secondary for 140 yards and connected on 3 passing touchdowns, while also adding a 1-yard rushing touchdown of his own on a key 4th down in the game.
Magarity showed poise leading his team from a 14-6 halftime deficit, and took over the game in the 3rd quarter. BC will need to put pressure on him from the defensive line, as Magarity proved against North Penn that when given time in the pocket he can pick a secondary apart.
WR #7 Sean Coleman
The sophomore wideout certainly had his coming out party as a varsity star against North Penn, hauling in 2 of the 3 receiving touchdowns on the night, and was seemingly open on every play. Coleman displayed tremendous concentration and great hands on a couple of his touchdown catches, and must be accounted for by the BC secondary as a legit long pass threat.
RB #22 Jamal Abdur-Rahman
When healthy, he is by far the most dangerous offensive threat for the Explorers, but Abdur-Rahman has been nursing a knee injury that he suffered both last season and this past summer. He was really not a factor running the ball against North Penn, as fullback Tim Wade provided the running punch for the team. If Abdur-Rahman, a recent Villanova football commit, is healthy on Saturday BC must stay disciplined in their run defensive assignments, or Abdur Rahman will bring back visions of Tony Jones in his running style all over the field.
FS #9 Kevin Forster
The athletic Forster might be the key for LaSalle to limit the chances that BC will take through the air on offense. The ball-hawking free safety has a great read on the quarterback, and consistently makes huge plays for LaSalle in the secondary. If BC can read where Forster is on every pass play, they might be wise to attack away from him.
LaSalle demoralized North Penn in the second half of their game last week because the Explorers ditched their running game and instead went all out on their passing attack. Routinely finding receivers wide open in the middle of the field and behind coverage, Magarity passed at will against North Penn and threw the ball almost effortlessly around the field due to an invisible pass rush. Based on the injury situation regarding their star Abdur-Rahman, expect LaSalle to attack the inside of the BC defense with a healthy dose of power football with hand-offs to fullback Tim Wade who was impressive up the gut against North Penn. By running the ball early on, Coach Drew Gordon will then take his chances down the field, especially looking for Coleman at WR.
THREE KEYS FOR BC
This is certainly a tough test against an exceptional opponent who has already played one game this season, which might act as a big advantage against the Crusaders, especially in the beginning of the game. Here are a couple keys to the game for the Crusaders to open up their 2010 season with a victory:
- BC must not get too pass happy early in the game, but instead develop a great combo attack, especially within the realms of the deadly no-huddle offense. North Penn punished LaSalle in the 1st half behind a battering ram-style running attack, possibly a perfect setting for Bostick and Kulcsar.
- BC must be able to stop the inside running game for the Explorers. Once Wade was established as a legit power threat up the middle, North Penn had to commit some guys from their secondary to play up top. That led to plenty of opportunities down the field for Coleman and company.
- BC must not get too pumped up in front of their home fans that they become careless with the ball or take too many chances on defense. North Penn turned the ball over constantly to LaSalle, allowing the Explorers to stay in the game in the 1st half and led to their eventual upset win. BC was been solid this preseason in regards to turnovers, and they will need another top notch effort to win on Saturday.
Coach Campanile loves the challenge against Pennsylvania's best, and fans should be in for a great one at Crusader Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is at 2pm.
ABOUT DAN LONG
Dan Long graduated from Bergen Catholic in 2003 where he was the Sports Director of BCTV and coined the immortal phrase "Crusader Crazies" for the raucous BC student section. He is currently the radio voice of the Bergen Catholic football, the founder of DL Sports Media, and a weekly contributor to BergenCatholicFootball.com.
Bergen Catholic Football Preview: Part II
Defense in search of swagger
In part two of our 2010 Bergen Catholic Football Preview, Dan Long breaks down the Crusaders' defensive unit and looks at its strengths and weaknesses for the upcoming year:
Defensive Line
One of the keys this season for Bergen Catholic is sustaining a consistent pass rush and putting constant pressure on the opposing quarterback, something that has been sorely lacking during big-time matchups in recent years. This year BC hopes to have found the right mix of athletes on the defensive line in order to win the battle in the trenches and wreak havoc on opposing offenses.
The Crusader defensive line has grown stronger with each scrimmage this summer, and is starting to believe it can be a force. The defensive ends are juniors Anthony Davanzo (6’0 205) and Hunter Kiselick (6’1 225). Both ends are fast and use their speed as an advantage when matched up with larger offensive linemen. Junior Brian Luna (5’11 200) and sophomore Ethan Fredericks (6’1 215) will be sure to see plenty of time as well, as BC will look to rotate fresh bodies into games as much as possible to sustain the pressure up front.
The defensive tackles will be Zach Sparber and junior James Horan. Sparber was moved to the defensive side of the ball this summer to go along with his left tackle duties, and his play has been stellar this preseason with several sacks, forced fumbles, and tackles for losses. Fans can expect to see sophomore Carmine Goldsack (6’2 265) and senior TC Picariello on the field at times as well at the DT spot.
Linebacker
For years, BC has prided itself on its tradition of producing great linebackers and the linebacking position always being the strength of its defense. For the first time in recent history, the linebacking position has become the largest question mark for the defense, and several players are being asked to step up their games in order to solidify the unit.
Senior Karl Bostick will man the middle as the Crusaders' Mike linebacker. Bostick has the size and speed to be a great linebacker, but sometimes gets lost in coverage. He will be joined inside by Spencer Kulcsar at the weakside linebacking spot. Kulcsar is an exceptional hitter and made a lot of plays in the scrimmage against St. Joe’s. He also returned an interception for a score against Roxbury. The most interesting addition to the brand new linebacking corps is Cam Dickerson, the strongside, or Sam LB. Dickerson, a one-way player last season, displays great lateral speed and is a strong tackler. He is the best of the three LB’s when it comes to dropping back into coverage.
Senior Shane Drummond, the backup at both Mike and Will, will rotate into games with the starting linebackers. Drummond, one of the leaders of the special teams units, possesses a keen game IQ, is strong against the run, and his quick reads lead to many tackles for losses. Senior Anthony LiGregni and sophomore Parker Tobia will provide time as linebacking reserves this season. This unit is fast and athletic, but may need to add more of a physical component to their play in order to consistently defend the run.
Secondary
The strength of the entire defensive unit for the Crusaders will be its outstanding secondary. The Crusaders have exceptional athletes who can stuff the run as well as be lockdown defenders on the outside against wide receivers. The headliner in the secondary is senior Shutang Mungwa, a strong safety who intimidates with his hitting prowess and regularly finds his way into the backfield on blitzes and run stops. He’ll be joined by Luke Cervino, a junior transfer from Paramus Catholic who will open the season at the free safety position. Once healthy, senior Ricky Sinnig will also see plenty of playing time at the safety position along with sophomore Jon Germano.
The cornerback position is in great hands with senior Nick LaTesta and junior Chucky Wingate blanketing opposing receivers. LaTesta has a nose for the ball and is brilliant at anticipating passing routes. Wingate uses his tremendous speed to make up for any mistakes he may make, and returned a couple of interceptions for scores this summer. Sophomore John Tsimis and junior Jagger Brady will play in nickel and dime packages. Both players are ball hawks and sure tacklers. Expect teams to attempt to run more against the Crusaders' front 7 and avoid its stellar secondary.
Final Thoughts
If new BC Defensive Coordinator Angelo DeSalvo can get the expected results out of his front 7, this Crusader defense will be just fine and the team can be looking at a deep playoff run. The defense has shown a bend-but-don’t-break mentality in the preseason, giving up some long runs, or passes across the middle, but stiffens when having to play in the shadow of its own goal line. In their last scrimmage against Roxbury, the BC defense had its best effort of the summer, forcing the Gaels into 3 consecutive turnovers and shutting out their opponent.
A cause for concern may be centered on how many offensive players are also playing defense this season for the Crusaders. Will those players bring the same attention to detail to the defensive side of the field that they bring to their offensive exploits? The team has gotten into exceptional shape with their extensive conditioning, but will the two-way players fade against the better competition this season?
The final issue facing this BC defense is in regards to the mentality of the entire unit. Can this BC defense restore the swagger and confidence that was evident for so many years at Crusader Stadium with players that would run through walls and do whatever needed to be done to make sure the Crusaders won? If the players buy into the culture of toughness, competition, and accountability that Coach Campanile has been preaching to his team since he walked through the door, then just maybe a BC defense that has been derided all offseason can have the last laugh in December.
Now for the second part of my season preview of the 2010 Bergen Catholic Football Season, I break down the Crusader defensive unit and look at its strengths and weaknesses for the upcoming year.
Defensive Line
One of the keys this season for the BC defense is sustain a consistent pass rush and put constant pressure on the opposing quarterback, something that has been sorely lacking during big-time matchups in recent years. This year BC hopes to have found the right mix of athletes on the defensive line in order to win the battle in the trenches and wreak havoc on opposing offenses.
This preseason, the BC defensive line has grown with every scrimmage, and is starting to believe it can be a force. The defensive ends are juniors Anthony DaVanzo (6’ 205) and Hunter Kiselick (6’1 225). Both ends are fast and use their speed as an advantage when matched up with larger offensive linemen. Junior Brian Luna (5’11 200) and sophomore Ethan Fredericks (6’1 215) will be sure to see plenty of time as well, as BC will look to rotate fresh bodies into games as much as possible to sustain the pressure up front.
The defensive tackles will be Zach Sparber and junior James Horan. Sparber was moved to the defensive side of the ball this summer to go along with his left tackle duties, and his play has been stellar this preseason with several sacks, forced fumbles, and tackles for losses. Fans can expect to see sophomore Carmine Goldsack (6’2 265) and senior TC Picariello on the field at times as well at the DT spot.
Linebacker
For years, BC has prided itself on its tradition of producing great linebackers, and the linebacking position always being the strength of its defense. For the first time in recent history, the linebacking position has become the largest question mark for the defense, and several players are being asked to step up their games in order to solidify the unit.
Senior Karl Bostick will man the middle as the Crusader middle linebacker. Bostick has the size and speed to be a great linebacker, but sometimes gets lost in coverage. He will be joined by Spencer Kulcsar at the weak-side linebacking spot. Kulcsar is an exceptional hitter and made a lot of plays in the preseason against St. Joe’s and returned an interception for a score against Roxbury. The most interesting addition to the brand new linebacking corp is Cam Dickerson, the strong-side LB. Dickerson, a one-way player last season, displays great lateral speed and is a strong tackler, and is the best of the three LB’s when it comes to dropping back into coverage.
Senior Shane Drummond, the backup at both Mike and Will, will rotate into games with the starting linebackers. Drummond, one of the leaders of the special teams units, possesses a keen game IQ, is strong against the run, and his quick reads lead to many tackles for losses. Senior Anthony LiGregni and sophomore Parker Tobia will provide time as linebacking reserves this season. This unit is fast and athletic, but may need to add more of a physical component to their play in order to defend against the run.
Secondary
The strength of the entire defensive unit for the Crusaders will be its outstanding secondary in 2010. The Crusaders have exceptional athletes who can stuff the run as well as be lock down defenders on the outside against wide receivers. The headliner in the secondary is senior Shutang Mungwa, a strong safety who intimidates with his hitting prowess in the secondary and constantly finds his way into the backfield on blitzes and run stops. He’ll be joined by Luke Cervino, a junior transfer from Paramus Catholic who will play the free safety position this season. When healthy, senior Ricky Sinnig will also see plenty of playing time at the safety position along with sophomore Jon Germano.
The cornerback position is in great hands with senior Nick LaTesta and junior Chucky Wingate blanketing the opposing wide receivers. LaTesta has a nose for the ball and is brilliant at anticipating passing routes. Wingate uses his speed to make up for any mistakes he may make, and returned a couple of interceptions for scores this summer. Sophomore John Tsimis and junior Jagger Brady will play in nickel and dime packages, and both are ball hawks who also love to play the run with big hits from the secondary. Expect teams to try to run more against the Crusader front 7 due to the stellar secondary.
Final Thoughts
If new BC Defensive Coordinator Angelo DeSalvo can get his expected results out of his front 7, this Crusader defense will be just fine and the team can be looking at a deep playoff run. The defense has shown a bend-but-don’t-break mentality in the preseason, giving up some long runs, or passes across the middle, but stiffens when having to play red zone defense. In their last scrimmage against Roxbury, the BC defense had its best effort of the summer, and forced the Gaels into 3 consecutive turnovers and shutout their opponent.
A cause for concern may be centered on how many offensive players are also playing defense this season for the Crusaders. Will those players bring the same attention to detail to the defensive side of the field that they bring to their offensive exploits? The team has gotten into exceptional shape with their extensive conditioning, but will the two-way players fade against the better competition this season?
The final issue facing this BC defense is in regards to the mentality of the entire unit. Can this BC defense restore the swagger and confidence that was evident for so many years at Crusader Stadium with players that would run through walls and do whatever needed to be done to make sure the Crusaders won? If the players can buy into this confidence that Coach Campanile has been selling his team all off-season, then maybe a BC defense that has been derided all offseason can have the last laugh in December.
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2010 Archive
Last broadcast of the spring, as the BC Baseball team hosts Demarest at 4:00 pm at Overpeck Park. Listen live @ http://t.co/3YnRgpZV #GoBC2 days ago from web
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