CLARK, NJ- The Johnson Crusaders varsity football team defeated the Roselle-Abraham Clark Rams by a final score of 7-0. The game featured one strike through the air, along with a fast and physical defense that really came ready to play. These two elements helped Johnson ease out Roselle at various parts of the game and come through with the win.
It is also the second straight win for Johnson following an 0-2 start, bringing their record to 2-2 on the season.
The offense for the Crusaders was fueled by senior running back Sebastian Iakouchevitch, who got 16 carries for 116 rushing yards, in addition to recording the interception with 2:59 left. Sophomore quarterback Joe Greenbush went 2-for-7 with 61 passing yards, including a 49-yard touchdown pass to senior Federico Veltre in the third quarter.
The defense limited Roselle to 50 yards total, not allowing anything on the passing game, including a Rams lost fumble and an interception at the end that sealed the deal. The Johnson defense recorded seven sacks on the night, along with a high tackle total of 92 tackles and the one interception. Iakouchevitch and Veltre led the team with a lot to the table and were able to capitalize when they needed to, capturing the win.
Here Are Three Things We Learned From the Home Win:
1.) P.P. Was On The Night (Physicality, Patience On Defense)
The Johnson Crusaders came out firing away on defense, against a Roselle-Abraham Clark HS offense that sort of lost some of the firepower they had turned to in recent seasons. On Roselle’s first drive, sophomore quarterback Cameron Chatham-Rice mishandled a snap and the ball went the other direction and was recovered by the Crusaders, a drive that would end with a failed fourth-down conversion.
They held Roselle to nothing throughout the first half, including the last drive of the first half, making the Rams punt in the four drives that preceded the opening punt.
Veltre provided the biggest blow of the third quarter, with a thunderous tackle on Chatham-Rice so hard, the Roselle starting quarterback had to be taken out of the game and did not return due to injury. The play occurred just as he got the handoff to Roselle senior running back Khair Pendleton.
Sophomore Evin Rosario had to go in for the rest of the game.
With Johnson leading 7-0 late in the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Joe Greenbush mishandled a snap and Roselle recovered the Johnson lost fumble with 3:38 left. Two plays into the drive, the patience with reading the bubble play paid off.
Senior Sebastian Iakouchevitch read the Rosario slant pass and got into the right place to grab the interception and continue running with the ball, sealing the deal, as the Crusaders went through one last drive to run out the clock and secure the win.
Roselle may be 0-4 on the season, but they do have kids who play hard. Sometimes, all it takes is one really good game for the defense to get the confidence back that is needed going forward.
2.) Timely Plays on Offense Were Key, Mostly with Moving the Football
The lone score on the night came from sophomore quarterback Joe Greenbush, who heaved a 49-yard touchdown pass to senior Federico Veltre with 5:00 left in the third quarter. Senior Nick Serpe’s extra point made it 7-0 Johnson, which is all that Johnson needed as they battled Roselle in the fourth quarter.
“To be honest, forget about the touchdown, this was a team win,” Veltre said. “I did that for my boys. We worked too hard to go out there into the bye week with a loss. That [touchdown] was for the family.”
On the ground, Sebastian Iakouchevitch ran for 116 yards on 16 carries, while Greenbush ran for 66 yards on 17 carries. The extra week will allow Johnson to get better and improve on a lot of things before getting to the second half of their schedule, which features Hillside, North Plainfield, Bernards and Spotswood.
3.) Time to Refresh, Reload and Practice Extra Reps Over the Bye Week
The guys put in a complete and full 48-minute effort on Friday night and puled it out to get to the record they wanted to be, despite the slow start. The coaches and players have to be satisfied about the win, but obviously need to clean up the mistakes and beef it up for the rest of the way.
The seniors led the team through the rough two-game stretch, but the team now has a chance to refresh and get back on track for the rest of the way.
What’s Next?
The Johnson Crusaders (2-2) head into their bye week. They return to action for a home game against Hilside HS on Friday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m.
With the bye week, there will be no “3 Things to Know” post for next week.
A full analysis of Hillside HS will follow once all next week’s games are complete.
