Sunday,
September 30, 2007
By
Jim McConville
NJS.com Staff Writer
ORADELL -- In looking
at the 2006 Bergen Catholic football season, everyone will tell
you that turning point was the 18-16 loss to Paramus Catholic,
a game which spawned a number of personnel changes that spilled
over into this season.
That defeat was the
lynch pin of a 6-4 season, and the resulting reaction also led
to this year’s seniors bringing a change of attitude to
the team. The new-look Crusaders still had a measure of revenge
to extract, however, and that opportunity presented itself on
Saturday afternoon against the Paladins.
The points came early
and often, the message was loud and clear. Bergen Catholic easily
earned its retribution, blowing out to a 43-0 lead at halftime
before letting the second and third teams clean up in a 50-0 blasting
of Paramus Catholic. The now 3-0 Crusaders have blitzed their
first three opponents to the tune of a combined 148-13 score,
and it is all a very pleasing sight for head coach Fred Stengel.
“I’m very
proud of them. We took a lot of stuff last year, but this team
has a different attitude about it, and I’m happy to see
the way they back each other. I encouraged it, but they did it.”
Jon Sam took the opening
kickoff 70 yards, only to have it brought back by penalty. Quarterback
Rob Eckrote then hooked up with Jon Rigg for a 56-yard completion
to reach the Paladin 30-yard line. Nick Gerst got them all on
two plays, the last a 12-yard run off left tackle. Dan Smith hit
the first of six extra point kicks just 1:02 in and the tone was
set.
“We were looking
to set the tone right away, get up early and make sure we come
out on top,” Gerst related.
Paramus
Catholic (0-4) had no success offensively, picking up only 20
total yards in the first half on 19 plays. They finished with
81 total yards and only 3 through the air. Meanwhile, the Crusaders
we`re whacking out yards in bunches, totaling 352 in the opening
half on just 23 plays.
Gerst
had 170 rushing yards in the first quarter and was done for the
day midway into the second quarter after a 32-yard touchdown run
finished his ledger at 11 carries, 202 yards and three touchdowns.
“They’re
doing a tremendous job,” Gerst said of the offensive line.
“I could have chosen to run anywhere today.”
“Like bull terriers,”
Stengel growled of his offensive line.
Bergen was up 22-0
after the first quarter, as Joe Wagner scored on a 3-yard run
and Gerst went 56 yards. In between those TDs, Bill Schautz tackled
a Paladin runner in the end zone for a safety.
Schautz scored on a
38-yard pass down the middle from Eckrote (4 of 8 passing, 122
yards, no interceptions) on the first play of the second quarter
and Gerst followed with a 32-yard scoring run.
On the kickoff after
the Gerst touchdown, an altercation broke out on the field, with
a Paladin player being ejected for throwing a punch. After that,
the game became a matter of getting it over for both teams.
Anthony Marino scored
on a 24-yard interception return when the punter was unable to
get off a kick and tried to throw a pass while being hit. The
starters got the second half off, with James Williams getting
8 carries for 35 yards and a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter
to finish the scoring.
Seniors Jim McGahn
and Andrew Truebig each had five tackles to top the Crusaders,
while Scott Lowry, Mike Luciano and Marco Smith each made five
tackles for the Paladins.
Bergen Catholic now gets ready to face Bloomfield, a 3-0 club
coming off a big win over Passaic.
“Bloomfield’s
good,” Stengel warned. “They’re a solid opponent
and we need to be ready.”
“We have to remember
what happened last year,” Gerst said. “We took some
teams lightly and lost some games. We need to stay focused, keep
working and keep playing hard.”
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