CLARK, NJ- The Johnson Crusaders varsity football team defeated the North Plainfield Canucks on the road by a final score of 41-20. The game featured a strong outburst on offense in the second half, courtesy of 27 points, including two touchdown passes through the air, a move the Crusaders don’t really make all that often.
The offense for the Crusaders was fueled by senior quarterback Mike Bruno, who had 61 yards on the ground with nine carries, to go along with a 14-yard rushing touchdown. Through the air, he was 3-for-4 with 106 passing yards and two touchdown passes, 41-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Fedak and a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mike Casalino.
Senior fullback and co-captain Joe Turek got 13 carries for 106 rushing yards, in addition to recording a four-yard rushing touchdown. Senior Kevin Metz had a 38-yard rushing touchdown to open up the scoring. It was a sluggish first half, as Johnson held off North Plainfield after going ahead 14-0, to go into halftime tied 14-14, when it didn’t initially look good for the Crusaders.
The Crusaders won the second half, outscoring the Canucks 27-6 after going into halftime tied 14-14. The defense limited North Plainfield to only a fourth quarter touchdown as Johnson rolled to the win in the second half on the road.
Here Are Three Things We Learned From the Road Win:
1.) Adversity: Can You Respond to Tough Times in a Game The Proper Way?
To first spot out, the first half wasn’t really the best level of football the Johnson Crusaders played. They did jump out to a 14-0 lead early on, but North Plainfield found a way to get back in the game with touchdowns from Brandon Smith and Al-Nasir Robinson. The Canucks lost two crucial fumbles that would eventually lead to the two Crusaders touchdowns.
No matter what the records are between the two teams on the field, you will face a dose of adversity at some point of the season. Ultimately, this was a perfect example of adversity the Crusaders faced and stopping the Canucks on their two-point conversion following Robinson’s touchdown might’ve saved them and started to shift the momentum in the Crusaders’ favor.
They went into halftime and made the adjustments, both on playmaking and physicality and easily won the second half, hands-down. Johnson started with the football in the second half and made great plays down the field to keep the North Plainfield offense off the field.
They responded through the air, on the ground and on defense, to hold off a gritty Canucks team and continue the Crusaders’ impressive regular season.
2.) Special Teams Came Up Huge In the Win
Senior kicker Mike Casalino continues to prove game-in and game-out how he’s really done a fantastic job on the special teams unit for the Johnson Crusaders. He came up huge for the Crusaders, just not in the usual kickoffs, field goals, extra points situations. He came up in a clutch manner, just in a different way, right after his team took the lead to start the second half.
With his team ahead by a score of 21-14 with 8:20 left in the third quarter, Johnson lined up to kick the football off to North Plainfield, but Casalino suddenly gave the football a short boot and the Crusaders charged right to the ball and they successfully recovered the fumble, getting the ball back and preventing North Plainfield’s offense from getting back on the field.
The offensive line has once again, continued to show why the running game has gotten so good as they have, keeping the North Plainfield defensive front at bay and allowing the plays to be made.
The Crusaders went back to work on offense and Joe Turek made it a 28-14 game with a four-yard rushing touchdown, there was now 5:23 left in the third quarter, with the Canucks offense yet to see the field in the third quarter. Casalino did it again, another onside kick and another recovery by the Crusaders to keep the ball in their hands with the lead.
It took one play for senior quarterback Mike Bruno to complete a 41-yard touchdown pass to senior Jordan Fedak to make it a 34-14 lead with Johnson out in front.
Without those successfully recovered onside kicks, it could’ve been a much different result for the Johnson Crusaders and they capitalized on every opportunity that came their way in the second half, especially with the special teams unit stepping up huge in the victory.
3.) Johnson Crusaders Won the Second Half, Used Passing Touchdowns As Fuel in the Win
There’s no question when you look at the box score and the plays that came about in the second half, the Johnson Crusaders won the second half, without a doubt. North Plainfield is now 0-7 on the season, but they have the kids who can run the ball and make plays whenever they need to step it up at their respective moments of the game.
The Johnson Crusaders did a great job of using their clock management to their advantage and keeping the North Plainfield offense to only a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jordan Fedak had a huge interception that cancelled out a North Plainfield drive that saw chugging into Johnson territory.
The Crusades outscored the Canucks 27-6 and buried them with two unexpected touchdown passes from Mike Bruno, who surprised the Canucks defense who had been expecting the rushing game to get the football at that moment of the game.
Bruno put Johnson ahead with a 14-yard rushing touchdown, Turek had a 14-yard rushing touchdown, while Fedak and Casalino hauled in the passes from Bruno, to help the Crusaders rebound from a tough Week 7 home loss to Somerville HS, making the plays and making up from a struggle in the first half, which featured a 14-14 tie and a game that could’ve gotten bad had Johnson not stepped up in the moments where it mattered the most.
What’s Next?
The Johnson Crusaders (6-1) return home to play Governor Livingston (1-6) on Friday, November 3 at 7:00 p.m. It is also the Crusaders’ Senior Night, where the senior football players, cheerleaders and band members will all be honored for their hard work to their respective programs over the past four years.
The Highlanders lost their season opener against Voorhees at Kean University by a final score of 23-0. They lost their Week 2 game to Rahway by a final score of 42-14.
They narrowly won Week 3 against North Plainfield by a final score of 36-29, where they fell behind 16-0 in the first quarter. They went out on the road, losing to Summit by a final score of 35-8 in Summit’s “Friday Night Lights” game in Week 4.
They went back out on the road and lost to Somerville by a final score of 60-7 in Week 5. The Highlanders returned home for their annual “Friday Night Lights” game, losing to Cranford by a final score of 38-0 on Senior Night.
They lost this past week to Delaware Valley on the road by a final score of 28-6.
Governor Livingston is led by senior quarterback Pat DeAngelis, who is 23-for-39 on the season with 280 passing yards with one touchdown pass and one interception.
Other players on Governor Livingston for Johnson to watch on Friday night includes Matthew Schuman, Dylan Dewer and Chris Bruno, who are major targets on the passing game.
If the Johnson Crusaders continue to play the way they’ve always been playing, hard, fast, physical and going at the football and charging through other team’s defenses on offense and drawing up good game plans, they will compete on Friday night.
The important part of Senior Night is coming to the field, after a week of practice and acting fired up and get the win for the seniors, who put so much hard work and leadership throughout the season, from summer practices to the games in November. The way the Johnson defense fought hard against their six wins, playing hard, fast, physical and going at the football and charging through other team’s defenses on offense, limiting all mistakes, playing a clean, physical game and drawing up good game plans, they will compete Friday night.
The Johnson Crusaders had to fight to put away North Plainfield HS, turning a 14-14 game at halftime into a 41-20 win.
While Governor Livingston is a football program that’s always struggled in years past, they have guys who can still make plays and run the football. There is also a major rivalry between the two teams, so we will see what develops Friday night.
