CLARK, NJ- The Johnson Crusaders varsity football team lost to the Rahway Indians on Thanksgiving Day by a final score of 21-13 Thursday morning at Rahway River Park. The Indians put up two quick touchdowns in the opening four minutes of the contest that were the difference of the game. The Crusaders struggled on the fourth down plays and that prevented them reaching the end zone earlier on in the game.
Here Are Three Things We Learned From the Season Finale Loss:
1.) Start to the Game Was A Slower One for Johnson
I will summarize it, the start of the game was not a good one for Johnson, it was a tough first few minutes. Rahway struck to the end zone on the third play of their first drive, a 56-yard rushing touchdown to give the Indians a 7-0 lead. The first drive for the Crusaders featured a bad pass, which was tipped about two to three times before being intercepted.
Rahway drove down the field and junior quarterback Jakir Robinson threw a 19-yard touchdown pass and suddenly, just like that, Rahway led Johnson 14-0 and it looked worse, although a full four minutes had gone by in the quarter.
As the rest of the first quarter went along, Johnson played a lot better and kept Rahway away from the end zone, but couldn’t generate major movement nor momentum on the offensive side of the ball.
As the game went along, take away the opening four minutes, I think it is a completely different football game on the scoreboard and on the field. One major positive in the quarter came, when Johnson senior fullback and co-captain Joe Turek became the all-time leading rusher in Johnson football history, completing the accomplishment behind a powerful offensive line.
Johnson held Rahway on a crucial drive before they got a chance, which ended with a missed field goal right before halftime.
2.) Crusaders Kept Fighting To Give Themselves a Chance Despite the End Result
The slow start, in my opinion, didn’t sway my views of how tough this Johnson team was on defense. They kept a Rahway team with a lot of firepower on both sides, both passing and rushing and kept themselves in the game, giving them a chance to remain in the game.
The offense got going in the later portions of the third quarter, when senior quarterback Mike Bruno connected with senior Kevin Metz for a ten-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 14-7 Rahway, the score after the third quarter. As the fourth quarter went along, Johnson continued to fight until the end of every single play, on both sides of the ball.
A lost fumble with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter ended all sense of momentum, as Rahway would take the ball down the field and cash in for a touchdown to take a 21-7 lead with about three minutes remaining in the game, looking like they locked up their second straight Thanksgiving Day win here and there.
Following a turnover on downs, Rahway had a chance to ice the game, but senior Lorenzo De Paz came up with his second interception of the game and the chances were still there of a potential comeback, although they did not seem likely.
Turek grinded his way to the end zone for a 32-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead down to 21-13. The onside kick that followed was a great attempt, but barely recovered by Rahway, who got into the victory formation to lock up the win.
3.) There’s A Lot to Reflect Upon and To Be Proud of from the 2017 Season
The players, coaches and the parents have nothing to be ashamed about although the season is over. The 2017 Johnson Crusaders varsity football team accomplished a lot throughout the season, achieving what hadn’t happened for the football program in a long time.
They got revenge with a win over Roselle-Abraham Clark HS in Week 3, a 23-13 win, wiping away the memories of the loss in the 2016 season at Arminio Field with an exciting fourth quarter comeback, with Kevin Metz and Joe Turek pounding through the Rams defense to seal an impressive win.
The Crusaders started out their season with a 5-0 record, capturing the 2017 UNICO Bowl championship nd locking up the 2017 Mid-State 38 Valley Division Conference Championship with a 22-13 win over Hillside HS. The Crusaders hadn’t locked up a conference championship since the 2006 season, when assistant coaches Joe Sortino (Class of 2007) and Chris Di Nucci and Dan Dugan (both Class of 2009) were players on the team that year.
The last time Johnson won eight games in a season was the 2008 season, when Di Nucci and Dugan were seniors on that roster.
They completed the regular season with a 7-1 record and plowed through Holmdel HS in the NJSIAA Central, group 2 First Round. Although they came up short in the semifinals round and Thanksgiving, the Class of 2017 seniors, underclassmen and the coaches all got the program back on the right track.
There is a lot of things that, come time for the football dinner in March, we will reflect upon and remember!
