CLARK, NJ- The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity football team will wrap up their 2017 season with a game on Thanksgiving Day at Rahway HS Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. at Rahway River Park, the first time the Crusaders will step on the new home turf for Rahway.
Both teams are coming off semifinals losses, Johnson coming up short to Hillside HS by a final score of 19-16, while Rahway fell on the road to West Essex HS by a final score of 28-14.
HISTORY:
Johnson won a close battle in the 2015 season by a final score of 21-17, with Joe Turek scoring two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter.
Rahway escaped with a road win in last year’s matchup by a final score of 34-33.
Notes:
Johnson comes off their 19-16 Week 11 loss to Hillside HS, where the Crusaders came up short in a tough battle of a rematch of this year’s UNICO Bowl game. Johnson drove deep into Hillside territory before coming up short in the final minute of what has been a very impressive season for the Crusaders.
Junior Vito Galluzzo had an eight-yard rushing touchdown late in the second quarter that was the only real sense of offense between both teams in the first half, the Crusaders also getting a safety on a bad snap earlier on in the game.
The third quarter of this past Saturday’s game featured the teams trading drives back and forth, with Hillside getting the lone score of the quarter, but that was all there was in that quarter alone. In the fourth quarter, trailing by ten points, the Crusaders chanced a deep pass, which was incomplete, but a pass interference call gave the drive new life and senior Mike Casalino cut the lead to 19-16.
Their running game has totaled numbers of 3,876 yards on 450 carries. Turek leads the offense with 1,376 rushing yards on 180 carries, to go along with 15 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.
Rahway is coming off a 28-14 Week 11 loss to West Essex HS. They are led by junior quarterback Jakir Robinson, who is 94-for-183 with 1,430 passing yards, along with 17 touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Other major talent the Hornets lost to graduation last year include Zahir Wilder (playing Division-III football at Montclair State University), Terrance Anderson, Qadrick Strickland and Justin Lacefield.
Other players on Rahway for Johnson to watch on Thursday morning include receivers Keyshawn Cummings, Jerish Halsey and Dashon Moore while Moore and Zion Pendleton, a combined 19 touchdowns between the two players, power the way for the Indians 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.
It is all about how you respond from a devastating loss a few days before, which the Crusaders were in those same shoes two years ago after coming up short in a battle with Lincoln HS (Jersey City) in the 2015 semifinals round.
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 Thursday morning.
Another major factor will be how the Johnson running game can do, especially with fighting to remain on the field by charging Rahway on defense, along with Antonio Alfano, to jump on them early and keep Rahway’s offense off the field as the night goes along.
If the Johnson defense can charge and chase Jakir Robinson, Keyshawn Cummings, Moore, Jerish Halsey, Zion Pendleton, slow down Dashon Moore, Zion Pendleton on the ground and handle Rahway in all angles of the game, it’ll be a major factor in the game.
Rahway opened up their 2017 season in their Week 1 season opener on the road, defeating Hillside by a final score of 35-21. They won their home opener in a Week 2 matchup over Governor Livingston by a final score of 42-14.
They went back on the road and lost Week 3 to Cranford by a final score of 24-14. They returned home on a short week and lost to Voorhees by a final week of 38-21 on a Week 4 Thursday night game.
They went back out on the road and stunned Somerville by a final score of 27-6 in Week 5. They had their bye week on Week 6.
They won their Week 7 matchup over Scotch Plains-Fanwood by a final score of 64-24. They lost their Week 8 matchup to Summit by a final score of 34-14.
They wrapped up their regular season with a 35-12 win over North Plainfield. They opened up the Week 10 NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 First Round at Summit, leading 38-8 at halftime before escaping with a 45-37 win.
They lost their Week 11 NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Semifinals to West Essex by a final score of 28-14.
Rahwat is a football program that’s always been decent in years past, and they have guys who are physical, can still make plays and run, throw and pass the football well, so we will see what develops Thursday morning.
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