CLARK, NJ- It is hard to believe, but we have reached the first week of the 2017 New Jersey High School Football state playoffs. The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders, the third-seeded team, varsity football team will remain home to take on sixth-seeded Holmdel HS tomorrow night, November 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 First Round.
It is the Crusaders’ first home state playoff game since 2011.
HISTORY:
Johnson reached the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 state playoffs last year, falling short to Manasquan by a final score of 33-29.
Holmdel finished last year with a 2-8 record.
Notes:
Johnson comes off their 41-6 Week 9 win over Governor Livingston HS, where the Crusaders came through for a 34-point first half to dispatch the Highlanders on Senior Night, after Johnson put 21 points on the board in the first quarter. Johnson ended an early Governor Livingston drive with an interception and everything would fall into place as the night went along.
Senior fullback and co-captain Joe Turek started the offense with a 42-yard rushing touchdown and the offense got the ball back following a quick three-and-out and a Highlanders punt, with the next drive starting at midfield for the Crusaders. They slowly chipped away at the Governor Livingston defense and junior Vito Galluzzo ended the drive with a ten-yard strike on the ground and Johnson was now ahead by a score of 14-0.
After another Governor Livingston punt, this one a short one, it took just one play for Johnson to open up the game. Senior quarterback Mike Bruno took the snap, ran through a hole and went untouched to the end zone for a 33-yard rushing touchdown to make the game 21-0 Crusaders after the first quarter.
Governor Livingston had their drives constantly ending with punts and Turek cashed in for his second touchdown of the game, this one, from ten yards out, to give Johnson a 28-0 lead. As the first half was just about over, Johnson found themselves at their own 38-yard line, when senior Kevin Metz added to the scoring mix on Senior Night, with a 62-yard rushing touchdown, as Johnson took a 34-0 lead over Governor Livingston into halftime.
With the starters out of the game, the third quarter was scoreless between the two teams, Governor Livingston ended the shutout with an eight-yard rushing touchdown. Johnson added the final touchdown of the night, as sophomore quarterback Evan Parenti dove in for a two-yard rushing touchdown to make the score 41-6 Johnson.
Bruno ran for 62 yards on six carries to go along with his 33-yard rushing touchdown, while senior Kevin Metz ran for 83 yards on four carries, along with his 62-yard rushing touchdown.
Turek had 103 rushing yards on 16 carries, to go along with two rushing touchdowns (11 yards, four yards). The Johnson running game ran for 406 yards on 42 carries in the win.
Their running game has totaled numbers of 2,831 yards on 312 carries. Turek leads the offense with 1,130 rushing yards on 141 carries, to go along with 11 rushing touchdowns. They are anchored by a strong offensive line that has allowed them to maintain and achieve all the successes they’ve had all season long.
Holmdel is coming off a 28-0 Week 9 win over Matawan HS. They are led by junior quarterback Jeff DeCicco, who is 15-for-28 with 254 passing yards, along with one touchdown pass and one interception.
Other major talent the Hornets lost to graduation last year include David Noor and John O’Beirne.
Other players on Holmdel for Johnson to watch on Friday night include receivers Mack Byrne and Alex Galarza, while Dean Gallo, Cameron Lamountain, DeCicco and Byrne power the way for the Hornets on the running 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 way the Johnson defense fought hard against in their victories this season, 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.
Another major factor will be how the Johnson running game can do, especially with fighting to remain on the field by charging Holmdel on defense, to jump on them early and keep Holmdel’s offense off the field as the night goes along.
If the Johnson defense can charge and chase Jeff DeCicco, Mack Byrne, slow down Dean Gallo and Cameron Lamountain on the ground and handle Holmdel in all angles of the game, it’ll be a major factor in the game.
Holmdel opened up their 2017 season in their Week 0 season opener on the road, defeating Brearley by a final score of 17-12. They lost to Monmouth HS in Week 1 by a final score of 14-3.
They went out on the road and won their Week 2 matchup over Spotswood by a final score of 45-7. They returned home and lost Week 3 to Rumson-Fair Haven by a final score of 40-24.
They went back on the road and won their Week 4 matchup over Red Bank by a final week of 21-0. They went back out on the road and lost to St. John Vianney by a final score of 38-3 in Week 5.
They went back on the road and defeated Manchester Township in their Week 6 matchup by a final score of 42-14, before going on a double bye week, having Weeks 7-8 off and went back out on the road, defeating Matawan by a final score of 28-0 in Week 9.
Holmdel is a football program that’s always been decent in years past, and they have guys who can still make plays and run the football, so we will see what develops Friday night.
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