Bergen Catholic Secures Narrow Football Victory Against East St Louis
East St Louis battles top New Jersey team Bergen Catholic but falls short in a 22-21 closely contested game to begin their challenging schedule.
OCEAN CITY, N.J. - Bergen Catholic of Oradell, N.J., the state's top-ranked high school football team, needed a touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:23 remaining in regulation to pull out a 22-21 win over East St. Louis in a game played on Thursday afternoon at Ocean City, N.J.
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It was the regular season opener for both clubs, as East Side began its national schedule of playing against the best competition int the country for its non-conference schedule.
The Flyers will travel to Las Vegas and Bradenton, Fla., as well as host Gadsden County of Havana, Fla., as part of their schedule.
The Crusaders scored first in the opening quarter when quarterback Trey Tagliaferri threw four yards to Bryan Porter for a touchdown with 4:26 left in the first quarter to go ahead 7-0. Bergen Catholic doubled its lead with 9:09 left in the second quarter when Nate Calhoun ran in from two yards out, with Jacob Soltys adding on the convert to give the Crusaders a 14-0 lead.
East Side came back on an Ahmad Coleman four-yard run with 5:22 left in the half, with the conversion kicked by Damon Pruitt to cut the lead to 14-7 at halftime. The Flyers tied the game in the third quarter when Jabari Lofton took a fumble back 88 yards for a touchdown, with Pruitt adding the conversion to tie the game at 14-14, the fumble return being the only score on the third quarter.
East Side took the lead with 8:06 left in regulation, on a Myson Cook-Johnson 49-yard run for a touchdown, Pruitt kicking the point to give the Flyers a 21-14 lead. Bergen won the game on a special teams play, when Amarie Newell took a blocked punt back 28 yards for a touchdown with 1:23 to play.
The Crusaders elected to go for the win with a two-point conversion try, and Tagliaferri found Porter in the end zone with a pass to earn the two points and the win for Bergen 22-21.
The Crusaders open the season 1-0, while the Flyers start off 0-1, and host Gadsden County next Friday night in the home opener at Clyde C. Jordan Memorial Stadium. Kickoff time is set for 7:30 p.m.
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