CRUSADERS TO RUN WITH THE BULLS IN SUNSHINE STATE SHOWDOWN
This evening's game pits two a pair of defending state champions with long winning streaks against one another. BC finished 2024 winning their last 11 and opened with a win over East St. Louis from Illinois last week. They put their 12-game streak up against West Boca Raton Community High School's Bulls who went 15-0 in 2024, winning the Florida 6A Title and opening with a win last week to run their streak to 16. Whose run will continue? The next 48 minutes will tell.
2025 BERGEN CATHOLIC CRUSADERS AT A GLANCE.
The Crusaders enter today's game under the direction of Head Coach, Vito Campanile, the eleventh coach in program history. Coach Campanile has done nothing but polish an apple, leading the Crusaders to five-consecutive #1 state rankings and school record, four consecutive Non-Public "A" State Championships. This year, the Crusaders are ranked #16 in the USA by MaxPreps as well as the top high school football team in the state of New Jersey.
VITO VENIT VIDIT VICIT
Coach Campanile came, saw and conquered. His record at the helm of the scarlet and gold is now a gaudy 66-10 (.868 winning percentage) through his first seven plus years.
| SEASON |
WON |
LOST |
TIED |
PCT |
| 2025 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2024 State Champs |
11 |
1 |
0 |
.917 |
| 2023 State Champs |
11 |
1 |
0 |
.917 |
| 2022 State Champs |
11 |
1 |
0 |
.917 |
| 2021 State Champs |
12 |
0 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2020 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
.833 |
| 2019 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
.556 |
| 2018 |
10 |
2 |
0 |
.833 |
| TOTALS |
66 |
10 |
0 |
.868 |
Coach Campanile took the helm at Bergen Catholic in 2018, succeeding brother, Nunzio, who led BC to a state championship in 2017. Coach Vito immediately found success during the 2018 season, leading BC to the state final before the Crusaders were upset by St. Joseph Regional at MetLife Stadium.
Following a five-and-four 2019 campaign, Covid-19 prevented Campanile's #1-ranked Crusaders from pursuing a state championship as the state tournament was cancelled for the season.
In 2021, Coach Campanile led BC to its 18th state championship and second-ever 12-0 record. The Crusaders were the class of the state of New Jersey and earned the school's highest ever ranking to date of #3 in the country. The Crusaders have gone on to winning championships ever since, defeating Don Bosco Prep in 2021, 2022 and 2024 and defeating Delbarton School in 2023, all at Metlife Stadium.
In recognition of his commitment to excellence and leadership, Coach Campanile was recognized by the
USAToday as the Nation's High School Boys Coach of the Year.
In his 18-year head coaching career, Coach Campanile has a record of 149-60 (a .713 winning percentage).
THE CRUSADERS ON OFFENSE
There is a new man at the helm of the BC offense, sophomore
Trey Tagliaferri. Trey didn't waste a lot of time making a name for himself, completing 11 of 15 passes for 150 yards, a touchdown and a clutch two-point conversion with 1:23 remaining in the game that gave BC the lead (22-21) which they would hold until the final whistle.
Three outstanding QBs are in the corral including speedy punter
Aiden Talley, passer
Ralph Tristani and freshman phenom
Walker Snee who rushed 6 times, averaging 6 yards per carry from the Wildcat formation.
BC returns an experienced backfield with seniors
Najee Calhoun and
Dante Kain. Calhoun led the Crusaders with 13 touchdowns and 1,293 yards rushing (8
th best in school history). Kain compliments Calhoun extremely well as a rusher and receiver out of the backfield. The senior had 9 touchdowns, 5 on the ground and 4 by air.
The Porter name remains a key aspect of the Crusader passing game as junior, Brian Porter scored a TD and caught the clutch 2-point conversion giving BC a 22-21 lead with 1:23 remaining. During his junior year, he scored 3 touchdowns, with 24 receptions and averaged 24 yards per carry, running the football.
Coach Campanile sees this group as the finest group of receivers since he took the helm at BC with
Austin Busso (13 receptions, 159 yards) and
Anthony Willis rounding out the top three perimeter receivers. Busso and Willis both made outstanding catches on deep balls in the openers and each recorded 4 receptions to start their senior years off right.
Jamel Hammary and
Quinn Dunleavy will also provide a threat to opposing secondaries.
Tough would describe the BC tight-ends. Both
Jackson Kolomer and
JD Adamek are fierce blockers who possess good hands. Add H-back,
Kaden Blount to your equation and BC can ground and pound with a wide variety of personnel groups.
Like all great offenses, the Crusaders' initiates on the offensive line where five seniors will start from tackle to tackle. BC averages 6'2.5" and 290 pounds per man on the O-line in 2025. Athletic
Rocco Costello brings three years of experience with him into his senior campaign. He will be working alongside of Mike McMahon at the guard position.
Travis Nodelman anchors the line at the center position and
Harold Kang will play guard next to
Jack Harris who is returning to his tackle position. Don't be surprised to see time with quality back-ups,
Hunter Gillon,
Luke George, Eamonn Errity and freshman
Justin Golden.
BERGEN CATHOLIC ON DEFENSE
Under the leadership of Tony DeBellis, Crusader defenses have been downright awesome. Winning 46 of their last 49 games, they were very solid vs. East St. Louis in the opener. The unit will be tested by a strong running team in West Boca tonight.
The defensive line is a formidable, four-man unit. Sophomore
Jackson Vaughn (2.5 sacks in the season opener) is one of the most sought after sophomores in the country. In his freshman year, he paced BC with 8 sacks and his 11 tackles for a were second on the team.
Kenneth Hackney and Texas A&M commit
Jermaine Kinsler (who caused a fumble at a critical juncture in Thursday's opener) along with DE
DeAndre Orgill will be asked to shore up a tough running team. Expect to see quite a bit from senior
Brandon Wilson who recorded a half-sack in the opener as well. Jaden Beckley,
Che Patrick and freshman
Yah-Yah Lewis will see quality time as well.
Joshua Cruz will be starting at the Sam linebacker position, moving down a level from strong-safety. He recorded seven tackles before a second-quarter injury pulled him out of the game. His tremendous speed and athleticism make him a weapon at that position.
Mason Marck returns at the Mike linebacker. Marck recovered the fumble caused by Kinsler to stop a Flyer drive in the opener. Tim Hogan is the third senior starter in the group and plays the Will linebacker. Like Cruz and Marck, Hogan is extremely intelligent. Sophomore Nick Mauro will be an impact player for BC as well.
BC's defensive backfield is the most talented in school history. Three-year starter and Ohio State commit
Jordan Thomas (6 career interceptions, 52 tackles) will start at safety for the Crusaders. His play on Thursday was a difference maker vs. East St. Louis. With the clock running and just 1:35 remaining, the Flyers chose to pass and a diving Thomas made an incredible break-up on the play, stopping the clock at 1:30, forcing an ESL punt. Down seven, the Crusaders still needed a play and a flying Thomas came off the edge, blocking the punt so teammate
Amar'e Newell could scoop and score on a 35-yard return.
Senior North Carolina commit
Xavier Jackson was solid at corner, recording a pass defended on Thursday and a number of tackles. The seniors are joined by twin speedster sophomores Amir Woodward (8 tackles) and
Adrian Woodward (11 tackles). Juniors
Amar'e Newell (13 tackles) and
Tristan Herring (3 tackles) have been solid through the summer months and made an impact on Thursday as well.
BERGEN CATHOLIC SPECIAL TEAMS
Jacob Soltys was excellent at the place-kicking position for BC (2 for 2 PATs and solid kickoffs). WR
Austin Busso will hold for his point-after and field-goal attempts.
Grayson Carfagno will be BC's long-snapper, snapping to punter
Aidan Talley (over 41 yards per punt on Thursday).
Austin Busso and
Anthony Willis are the Crusader punt-returners and
Adrian Woodward and Amir Woodward will be the deep returners on the kickoff return team.
RISING STARS IN TODAY'S GAME
According to 247, the following players are 3, 4 or 5 star recruits for the Crusaders and Flyers.
BERGEN CATHOLIC
CLASS OF 2026
#21 -
Jordan Thomas – Ohio State
#88 -
Jermaine Kinsler – Texas A&M
#2 -
Xavier Jackson – University of North Carolina
#6 -
Najee Calhoun – uncommitted
CLASS OF 2027
#3 - Brian Porter - uncommitted
CLASS OF 2028
#0 -
Jackson Vaughn #1 – uncommitted
#20 -
Adrian Woodward #5 – uncommitted
#30 - Amir Woodward #5 – uncommitted
WEST BOCA RATON
CLASS OF 2026
#5 CB - Jaydin Broadnax - Louisville
#3 RB – Javian Mallory - Miami
WR – Mark Hanniford - Louisville
#11 EDGE – Demetrius Geathers – Central Florida
DL – Xavier Reid - Liberty
CLASS OF 2027
DL – Jamar Thompson - undecided
WEST BOCA RATON AT A GLANCE
Head Coach Dylan Potts has got the Bulls seeing red. After taking over a 1-9 WBR program he turned them quickly into a winner, going 6-4. In his third year, the Bulls went 15-0 and won the group 6A state championship and earned a #12 ranking in the state of Florida. They ride a 16-game win streak into tonight's game vs. the Crusaders at home.
RECENT BULL FIGHTS
| SEASON |
WON |
LOST |
TIED |
PCT |
| 2025 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2024 State Champs |
15 |
0 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2023 |
9 |
3 |
0 |
.750 |
| 2022 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
.600 |
| TOTALS |
31 |
7 |
0 |
.816 |
WEST BOCA ON OFFENSE
Miami-bound #3 Javian Mallory is the man to stop in this Bulls offense. The 5'11-200-pound senior running back rushed for 119 yards and 3 touchdowns in the team's opener on Friday night and you can expect to see him carrying the rock tonight as well. Last season, he played 6 games for the Bulls, averaging 10.1 yards per carry and scoring 10 touchdowns, but his sophomore year, he was healthy and played 11 games (8 games over 100 yards rushing), rushing for 1415 yards and 18 touchdowns. As a ninth grader he carried for 499 yards and 6 touchdowns for West Boca and as an 8
th grader he rushed for 631 yards and 8 touchdowns at Westminster Academy.
He is joined by #3 Jayden Lockhart who has 1200 yards in his career. During his junior year, he carried for 969 yards (7.3 YPC) and 6 touchdowns. Lockhart is a multipurpose back, who pulled in over 100 yards receiving last year, putting his career total offense right around 1,450 yards. #23 Anderson Gracilien who carried 7 times for 95 yards on Friday, averaging 13.6 yards per carry may also see action.
The run-oriented Bulls can throw it a little with #1 Trey Moran who was 6 for 11 and 77 yards and 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions in the opener, but he threw for over 1200 yards as a sophomore, completing 70.7% of his passes and notching 18 touchdown passes against only 3 interceptions. Moran ran for 5 touchdowns as well.
Junior #4 Billy Clancy, III is the team's top returning wide receiver. He had 48 catches for 545 yards and 7 touchdowns as a sophomore. Senior #14 Kyle Anderson had a pair of touchdowns in his junior campaign on 25 catches which he averaged 15.8 yards per snag. A wide receiver named Mark Hanniford is listed on 247 recruiting as a WBR 3-star athlete. He is not listed on a roster we had available to us.
THE BULLS ON DEFENSE
Defensive linemen #11 Demetrius Geathers and #0 Jamar Thompson set the tone for a swarming Bulls defense. Geathers is the team's top leading pressure man with 10 career sacks under his belt. He has 3 hurries, 20 tackles for a loss (TFLs) and 110 career tackles in two years. As a sophomore Thompson recorded 66 tackles, 4 sacks and two fumble recoveries. He has 23 TFLs on his career and 89 total tackles.
Junior Linebacker #10 Maxwell Reid (5'11-200) has 172 career tackles and 103 solo tackles. As a sophomore Reid recorded 4 sacks and 15 of his 21 TFLs.
Senior #5 Jaydin Broadnax is solid at cornerback. He has 89 career tackles, 21 passes defended and 2 interceptions in his career for the Bulls. Senior #16 Tray Mitchell is starting for his first year for the Bulls and stepped right in, tying for a team-high 4 tackles in week one.
WBR SPECIAL TEAMS
Kickers #27 Tristan Lamb (3 touchbacks) and #28 Lucas Barker (6 touchbacks) put all of their 9 combined kicks into the end zone in the opener. The junior, Lamb, handled the scoring aspect of the game, going 5-for-5 on PATs and booting a field goal. Quarterback #1 Trey Moran handles the punting for the Bulls and averaged 21.5 yards on a pair of punts on Friday.
#19 Zacharias Walls is a dynamic returner for WB, returning three punts for 57 yards (a 19.0 average) including a 27 yard long.
THIS DAY IN CRUSADER FOOTBALL: SEPTEMBER 5
BC has never played on August 28, but here's a quick look at the August contests for the Crusaders.
2015:
| SAT |
W |
H |
American Heritage |
FL |
37 |
7 |
ORADELL, NJ – Freshman Josh McKenzie scored the first touchdown of his outstanding career in Oradell and kicked off the BC season. A Michael Kearney PAT was up and good and the Crusaders cruised to a 37-7 victory over the Patriots. After Danny DeLorenzi's sack for a safety lifted BC to 9-0, Melvin Covin, Ryan McCarthy and Andrew Vito (off a Jarrett Guarantano pass) would score to make the score 30-0 at the half. The future NFLer, Guarantano finished the scoring for the Crusaders and Kearney, BC's All-time leader in kicking points finished a perfect 5-for-5 day with PATs.
AMERICAN HERITAGE (FL) 0 0 0 7 7
BERGEN CATHOLIC 7 23 7 0 37
FIRST QUARTER
BC – Josh McKenzie 3 run (Michael Kearney kick)
SECOND QUARTER
BC – Danny DeLorenzi sack for a safety
BC – Melvin Covin 11 run (Kearney kick)
BC – Ryan McCarthy 14 run (Kearney kick)
BC – Andrew Vito 13 pass from Jarrett Guarantano (Kearney kick)
THIRD QUARTER
BC – Guarantano 3 run (Kearney kick)
FOURTH QUARTER
AH – Alec Sinkfield 3 run (Billy Mitchell kick)
CRUSADERS VERSUS FLORIDIANS
The Crusaders are currently 2-5 vs. the Sunshine State and looking forward earning their first win on the road in orange land. The Crusaders have been able to put some points on the board vs. those teams, averaging 26.3 ppg in seven games. Unfortunately the speed and athleticism of the Florida teams has posed a problem to BC's defense, as they have average 28.1.
BC's first win over a Florida team came in 2015 with the win over American Heritage 37-7. IMG visited later that year and BC then hosted Tampa Catholic, an Edmund Rice Christian Brother's School in 2016. The two schools celebrated a shared heritage and BC defeated the Crusaders from the south 44-7. Tropical Storm Mindy grounded flights and cancelled BC next scheduled game in 2021 in Florida, but the team returned in 2023 as they played Chaminade-Madonna HS.
WATCHING THE GAME
BC can be seen this week streamed on Flofootball.
https://flosports.sjv.io/c/5712137/2037694/24751?utm_term=flofootballevergreensignup
CRUSADERS CURRENTLY PLAYING IN COLLEGE
| ALUMNI |
COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY |
POS |
| Steve Angeli |
Syracuse |
QB |
| Joseph Barry |
Yale |
LB |
| Guytano Bartolomeo |
North Carolina |
K |
| Jayden Bellamy |
Central Florida |
DB |
| PJ Bonistelli |
Muhlenberg |
OL |
| Dominic Brogna |
Delaware |
DL |
| Ryan Butler |
Rice |
RB |
| Dominic Campanile |
Holy Cross |
QB |
| Benjamin Carey |
Lock Haven |
DE |
| Chrsitian Carti |
Columbia |
WR |
| Ethan Cohall |
Pennsylvania |
LB |
| Steven Copeland |
Morehouse |
LB |
| Santino Correa |
Marist |
WR |
| Luca Cuttita |
Carnegie Mellon |
WR |
| Nyier Daniels |
Georgia |
OL |
| Michael Delpome |
Franklin and Marshall |
TE |
| Will Dodds |
Colgate |
LB |
| Bryan Felter |
Rutgers |
OL |
| John Fiore, III |
Trinity |
LB |
| Dylan Garrity |
Yale |
OL |
| Christian Gonzalez |
Columbia |
LB |
| Jaeden Gould |
Central Florida |
DB |
| Larue Linder |
Johns Hopkins |
TE |
| Marcus Linder |
Johns Hopkins |
OL |
| Tywonne Malone, Jr. |
Ohio State |
DL |
| Benjamin Manuellian |
Middlebury |
DB |
| David Matesic |
Bryant |
LB |
| Malachi Mercer |
Columbia |
LB |
| Sydir Mitchell |
LSU |
DL |
| John Morris |
Fordham |
TE |
| AJ Morris |
Wesleyan |
LB |
| Naiim Parrish |
Minnesota |
DB |
| Quincy Porter |
Ohio State |
WR |
| Logan Rager |
Princeton |
LS |
| Christian Ross |
Holy Cross |
DL |
| Mujahid Russell |
Monroe |
RB |
| DJ Samuels |
Maryland |
LB |
| Kaj Sanders |
Rutgers |
DB |
| Saeed St.Fleur |
Delaware |
RB |
| Aaron Sylvester |
Muhlenberg |
CB |
| Collin Tunc |
Monmouth |
OL |
| Pierson Tobia |
Ithaca |
DB |
| Chris Viga |
Rutgers |
OL |
| Sean Woods |
Holy Cross |
OL |
ALUMNI CURRENTLY COACHING IN COLLEGE
| ALUMNI |
COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY |
POS |
| Michael Bajakian |
Massachusetts |
OC |
| Nunzio Campanile |
Syracuse |
ASSOC HC |
| AJ Gallagher |
Columbia |
ASST |
| Jonathan Poppe |
Columbia |
HEAD COACH |
| Zach Sparber |
Rutgers |
CO-DC |
| Philip Fusco ,III |
Rutgers University |
DIR OF DEVEL |
CRUSADERS CURRENTLY IN THE NFL
| ALUMNI |
NFL FRANCHISE |
ROLE |
| Javontae Jean-Baptiste |
Washington Commanders |
DE |
| Nick LaTesta |
NY Giants |
ASST DIR PRO SCOUTING |
| Nick Matteo |
Baltimore Ravens |
VP OF FOOTBALL ADMIN |
BERGEN CATHOLIC MISSION STATEMENT
Bergen Catholic High School is a diverse, Catholic community which prepares young men to become leaders by deepening religious faith, developing academic excellence, and strengthening social consciousness and responsibility in accordance with the Essential Elements of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother Education.
2025 CRUSADER VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thursday, Aug 28 vs. East St. Louis (IL) 22-21
Friday, Sept. 5 at West Boca Raton (FL) 6:30 pm
Friday, Sept. 12 at Winslow Township 6:00 pm
Saturday, Sept. 20 vs. Pope John XXIII 1:00 pm
Friday, Sept. 26 at Don Bosco Prep 7:00 pm
Friday, Oct. 10 at Paramus Catholic 7:00 pm
Saturday, Oct. 18 vs. Delbarton 1:00 pm
Saturday, Oct. 25 vs. St. Joseph Regional 1:00 pm
Saturday, Nov 1 at Seton Hall Prep 1:00 pm
Week of Saturday, Nov 15 State Playoffs
Week of Saturday, Nov 22 State Semifinal
Week of Friday, Nov 28 State Championship
2025 CRUSADER JV FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Monday, Sept 8 at DePaul Catholic 4:15 pm
Monday, Sept. 22 at Pope John XXIII 4:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 29 vs. Don Bosco Prep 4:00 pm
Monday, Oct. 13 vs. Paramus Catholic 4:00 pm
Monday, Oct. 20 at Delbarton 4:00 pm
Monday, Oct. 27 at St. Joseph Regional 4:00 pm
Monday, Nov. 3 vs. Seton Hall Prep 4:00 pm
2025 CRUSADER FROSH FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Saturday, Aug 23 scrimmage vs. St. Joseph Prep (PA) 11:00 am
Saturday, Sept. 6 at DePaul Catholic 9:30 am
Saturday, Sept. 13 vs. Shabazz 9:30 am
Thursday, Sept. 18 at Pope John XXIII 9:30 am
Saturday, Sept. 27 vs. Don Bosco Prep 9:30 am
Saturday, Oct. 4 at Malvern Prep (PA) 11:00 am
Saturday, Oct. 11 vs. Paramus Catholic 9:30 am
Saturday, Oct. 18 at Delbarton 9:30 am
Thursday, Oct. 25 at St. Joseph Regional 9:30 am
Saturday, Nov 1 vs. Seton Hall Prep 9:30 am
AROUND THE LEAGUE WEEK 2
FRIDAY 9/5 Pope John XXIII vs.
Paramus Catholic
St. Peter's Prep vs. Union City
Monarch (FL) vs.
Don Bosco Prep
SATURDAY 9/6 DePaul Catholic vs. Good Counsel (MD)
St. Joseph Regional vs. St. John's (DC)
Delbarton School vs. Malvern Prep (PA)
Seton Hall Prep bye
NEW JERSEY NON-PUBLIC "A" FOOTBALL 2025
The following high schools will be competing for the state's most prestigious state title: Non-Public "A." The 2021 Crusaders were the first (and only) team to ever navigate the Super Football Conference United Red Division and the state tournament to perfection since the league and realignment of state groups took place.
Bergen Catholic
Delbarton
Don Bosco Prep
St. Augustine Prep |
St. Joseph (Metuchen)
St. Joseph's Regional
St. Peter's Prep
Seton Hall Prep |
THE ALMA MATER
LEAD ON BERGEN CATHOLIC HIGH
By, James Obrotka (founding faculty member)
Lead on Bergen Catholic High
Lift your banner to the sky
Sons of Scarlet, Sons of Gold
In honor, brave and bold
B for Bravery without guile
C for Catholic all the while
H for hearts until we're old
S for scarlet tinged with gold
Honor-bound we'll always be
Filled with real sincerity
Alma Mater with all pride
Is Bergen Catholic High
Founded and staffed by the
Edmund Rice Christian Brothers
1040 Oradell Avenue - Oradell, NJ 07649
(201) 261-1844
www.bergencatholic.org
