CLARK, NJ- The Johnson Crusaders varsity football team defeated the Bernards Mountaineers on the road by a final score of 38-7. The game featured a strong outburst on the ground game, courtesy of the Crusaders running game that helped Johnson take major control and come through with the win.
The offense for the Crusaders was fueled by senior fullback and co-captain Joe Turek, who got 13 carries for 144 rushing yards, in addition to recording two rushing touchdowns. Senior Mike Bruno got seven carries for 60 rushing yards, including a one-yard rushing touchdown that was the final score of the game. The defense limited Bernards to only a second quarter touchdown.
Here Are Three Things We Learned From the Road Win:
1.) The Running Game Looked Stronger From Week 1 and Got Better, Tore Through for the Win
In the home opener win over New Providence, the Johnson Crusaders running game saw a total of 31 times for 340 rushing yards, accounting for all their touchdowns in the win. The performance carried over to Week 2 at Bernards HS and it looked even more powerful with the way they handled the Mountaineers by a final score of 38-7 Friday night in Bernardsville. The Mountaineers are a team that, although after losing key talent to graduation, showed some fight in portions of Friday night’s game.
The Crusaders got 38 carries of the football, rushing for 542 yards on the ground, piercing the Bernards defense. The offensive line continues to slow down the opposing team defense to allow the running yards to be tallied up as high as they are. Senior quarterback Mike Bruno and senior fullback and co-captain Joe Turek have been the leaders of this offense, without a doubt.
Bruno saw seven carries for 60 yards to go along with his one-yard rushing touchdown in Johnson’s 38-7 win over Bernards HS. He’s taken control of the quarterback position and has put in hard work over the summer to continue to make strides in the offense of the Crusaders this season.
Turek, as we’ve seen him play since his workload increased his sophomore year, got better last year in his junior year and it only appears that he is going to be the greatest of all time as his senior season rolls around. He saw 13 carries for 145 rushing yards to go along with two rushing touchdowns (five yards and 27 yards).
Junior Sebastian Iakouchevitch showed how you need to fight through and elude defenders when you see an opening on the field to set up an opportunity for a touchdown on the field. He eluded a series of defenders and raced down the sideline for an 80-yard rushing touchdown that made the game 17-0 Johnson. That touchdown came one play after an interception cancelled out a Bernards drive (more of that to come in #2).
Senior Brandon Rapp, who’s shown strides in the holes needed to fill in the running game from losing Jon Duffy and Nick Fischetti to graduation, made a strong presence with a 46-yard rushing touchdown right after Bernards put their only seven points on the board. That made the score 24-7 Johnson, the game score at halftime.
Senior Kevin Metz and junior Vito Galluzzo add to the already powerful offensive scheme by Johnson, also on the special teams. Galluzzo had a really good kickoff return that set Johnson at the Bernards 46-yard line, subsequently setting up Rapp’s 46-yard rushing touchdown that started the building of a comfortable Johnson lead as the second half went along.
These guys on the running game will be set for a task to break through Roselle’s defense and a chance to continue to work during the upcoming week of practice.
2.) The Defense Rose Up, Slowed Down a Young and Fast Bernards Team, Picking Up Right Where They Left Off the Previous Week
Defensive coordinator Chris Di Nucci continues to work the players really hard at practices on the defense and it’s really shown in the Bernards game. Johnson immediately set the tone on the first Mountaineers drive, forcing them to go three-and-out after three short running plays produced nothing for the Mountaineers.
After taking a 10-0 lead, Bernards did find a few holes and made some major plays in an attempt to get back in the game on the ensuing drive. A reception that was around 48 yards set up Bernards within the Johnson 30-yard line. Turek would read a deep pass and haul it in for an interception to stop trouble on the drive.
The next subsequent play for Johnson would be Sebastian Iakouchevitch’s 80-yard rushing touchdown that would make the score 17-0 Johnson.
Despite allowing a touchdown on the next Bernards drive, the defense held down the Mountaineers and their young offense. Senior kicker Mike Casalino, who hit a 33-yard field goal and had six kickoffs land in the end zone for six touchbacks, also recorded an interception, along with senior Jordan Fedak.
They held Bernards to a minimum at all angles of the offensive side of the game of football and stopped them on a fourth down conversion along with punting a lot in the win.
The pressure was miraculous by the Johnson Crusaders defense as they battled and showed their dominance over the opposing team and the offense.
3.) The Defense Gets Their First Major Test in the Coming Week of Practice for the Roselle Game
Roselle-Abraham Clark HS has been known to give opposing teams’ defenses a hard time on the field and will provide a major test to see how really good defensive coordinator Chris Di Nucci’s defense and players are when it comes to handling an offense that can be really feature big plays like the Rams have in previous years.
On the year, Roselle has 458 passing yards and 156 rushing yards from senior quarterback Qurann Dixon, a transfer from East Orange Campus HS. Nasir Cherry (12 receptions, 302 yards), Jordan Cherry (seven receptions, 140 yards), Naseer Page (one rushing touchdown, 97 rushing yards on 15 carries) and Craig McRae (two rushing touchdowns, 218 rushing yards on 26 carries) lead the Rams offense.
They are a senior-heavy class, despite losing quarterback Gerald Hairston III, running back Isiah Byrd and wide receiver Drew Stephens all to graduation. The offense of the Rams appears to be dangerous, but not as they were through their first two games during the 2016 season, where they scored a total of 495 points, losing the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 Semifinals to eventual state champion Manasquan by a final score of 31-27.
Roselle took a commanding 20-3 lead over Bernards in their home opener on Friday, September 8 at Rahway River Park before the Mountaineers would cut the lead down to 20-17, before two fourth-quarter touchdowns would secure the win for the Rams. Last week, the Rams embarked on the road against a Delaware Valley HS football team that appears improved from the first two games in 2016 season.
The game was tied 14-14 at halftime and was knotted up 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter before a Rams touchdown became the difference. Roselle beat Delaware Valley by a final score of 28-21 at Tap Webb Field in Frenchtown, New Jersey.
Friday night presents the test for the Crusaders to see how they will handle the offensive targets on the Roselle-Abraham Clark HS team.
What’s Next?
Johnson returns home to play Roselle-Abraham Clark HS on Friday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m.
The Rams, who finished last year with a 10-1 record, won their home opener against Bernards HS by a final score of 34-17. They are playing their home games at Rahway River Park for the 2017 season, with new turf and a new field house being installed into Arminio Field will be complete for the 2018 season, where Roselle played all their home games in previous seasons.
They narrowly won this past week at Delaware Valley HS by a final score of 28-21.
Roselle is led by quarterback Qurann Dixon, a transfer from East Orange Campus HS who’s had to fill in the shoes of Gerald Hairston III (continuing football career at Lincoln University). On the season, Dixon is 20-for-41 with 458 passing yards and four passing touchdowns with four interceptions.
Nasir Cherry is a major target on the Rams passing team, while Craig McRae and Naseer Page lead the way for Roselle on the rushing game.
If the Johnson Crusaders continue to play the way they have the past two weeks, playing ard, 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 on Friday night.
Roselle is a football program that’s always been good in years past, especially in the past few years, so we will see what develops Friday night. Especially with both teams coming into next week with 2-0 records.
