METUCHEN, NJ- After a sloppy first half which featured a lost fumble on the opening possession and zero points for almost the entire first 24 minutes, the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity football team continued to hang tough with the Metuchen High School Bulldogs, but still found themselves in a 7-0 deficit with 3:20 left in the second quarter.
Johnson responded quickly, with sophomore quarterback Joe Greenbush heaving a 19-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Max Carmino and Johnson trailed 7-6 at halftime, but were in danger of falling to 0-3 on the season. As they went into halftime to talk things over, the Crusaders were focused on the task ahead.
“We had to trust ourselves, our teammates and play together,” Johnson senior Sebastian Iakouchevitch said. “We had to stop freaking out, we had to start playing football and play within ourselves.”
The next 24 minutes that followed proved to be a different story for the Crusaders.
Sophomore quarterback Joe Greenbush went 3-for-5 with 122 passing yards and three touchdown passes (two of them in the second half), capping off a second half comeback as the Crusaders defeated the Bulldogs 27-7 in a Union County vs. Middlesex County crossover game Saturday afternoon in Metuchen. Greenbush also ran for 64 yards on ten carries in the win for his team.
The Johnson defense got a quick three-and-out on defense, which got the ball back for their offense.
After being backed up and facing third down and 23 yards to go following a penalty, Greenbush went through the air on the next play, finding Carmino for a 43-yard touchdown pass (second of game), giving Johnson a 12-7 lead. The Johnson sideline erupted in cheers once Carmino made the catch and got into the end zone to give his team the lead.
While there was a lot of game left on the afternoon, the offensive surge appeared to give Johnson the spark needed to get back on track and continue fighting out on the field.
“We had to come out firing,” Carmino said of his team’s message at halftime. “We knew we needed to get this win to get back on track and hopefully we can get more wins from here.”
The Crusaders attempted a two-point conversion following the go-ahead score and Iakouchveitch cashed in with a rush, making it eight points on the play and giving Johnson a 14-7 lead. The defense continuously shut down Metuchen, not allowing much ball movement and forcing the Bulldogs to punt for a second consecutive series.
Full Coverage of Johnson Crusaders Varsity Football Win Over Metuchen HS Here
