CLARK, NJ- The Johnson Crusaders varsity football team came out of the bye week looking to pick up where they left off and they did. Building off their Oct. 2 win against Governor Livingston, they took on the Roselle Abraham-Clark HS Rams and got their second win of the season Saturday afternoon in Clark. The final score was 23-14.
The Rams struck first in the first quarter, with senior quarterback Rashaad Pendleton connecting on a 38-yard rush for the touchdown, making it 7-0, but the Crusaders would respond in their next drive.
ALJ senior quarterback Anthony Rizzuto rushed the football for 20 yards to get his team into Rams territory, and received an additional 15 yards following a Roselle penalty. Rizzuto capped off the 5-play, 54 yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown rush, and after the failed two-point conversion, they cut the Rams lead to 7-6.
After the Rams had to punt, the Crusaders would strike again. Starting their next possession on their own 30-yard line, the Crusaders marched their way into Rams territory again, and Rizzuto contributed another big play.
He recorded a 27-yard rush to deep into Roselle territory, and three plays later, sophomore Joe Turek put Johnson on top with an 18-yard rush, putting his team up top by a score of 12-7.
The Crusaders led the Rams 12-7 at halftime.
Rizzuto felt that this win was a huge one for the team, with an important stretch in the schedule coming up for the Crusaders later this season.
“We really showed how well we stick together as a team, even when calls are not going our way and negative plays,” Rizzuto said. “We stuck together, and they didn’t, and that’s the key of the game.”
