BERNARDSVILLE, NJ- In their home opener, the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity football team dominated on the defensive side of the game and in their second game of the season, it carried with them. After allowing one touchdown in the second quarter, their defense took control as the Crusaders defeated the Bernards High School Mountaineers by a final score of 38-7 Friday night in Bernardsville.
The Crusaders hauled in three interceptions from Bernards senior QB Lofton Hoover. Senior and co-captain Joe Turek, senior Mike Casalino and senior Jordan Fedak each caught a pass as the defense took over in the game. They also kept them from reaching the red zone on multiple occasions.
The defense in the game was a resemblance of the 2016 matchup, when Bernards was shut down in the second half as the Crusaders plowed their way to the win.
“We listened to our coaches,” senior and co-captain Tommy Bowen said. “The coaches were really good this week. We just came out and did our jobs. Everybody was told they had a specific job and that we all needed to do it as best as we could. That’s what we did.”
“We came out and did our best and we got a big W today,” Bowen added. “I’m ready to take on Roselle this week.”
On the offensive side of the game, Johnson wasted no time battling towards the end zone. After senior Lorenzo De Paz recovered an onside kick that set Johnson at the Bernards 42-yard line, they embarked on a drive that saw nine plays and 42 yards.
They continued chipping away with the rushing game, which featured Turek and senior Brandon Rapp leading the Crusaders force on the field.
Turek capitalized for a one-yard rushing touchdown and following the extra point from Casalino, Johnson led 7-0. Next, the defense came to the field and slowed down Bernards following three short rushing plays, forcing them to punt the football away.
The Crusaders started their next drive at the Mountaineers 41-yard line following a short punt.
They instantly got momentum on the drive from senior quarterback Mike Bruno’s 17-yard run. After a few penalties and short runs set up fourth down, Johnson sent out their field goal unit. They added a field goal on their next drive from Casalino, a 33-yarder, making the score 10-0 Johnson after the first quarter.
In addition to the field goal and interception, Casalino was 5-for-5 on extra points and made six touchbacks on kickoffs following the Crusaders’ scoring drives.
“Getting the win to go 2-0 was huge. Crushing [Bernards] was awesome,” Casalino said.
Bernards threatened on a drive as the second quarter started, which ended with Turek’s interception. In the very first play of the next Crusaders drive, they made the Mountaineers pay for their turnover.
Junior Sebastian Iakouchevitch took the ball and eluded a series of defenders, racing down the sideline and going all the way for an 80-yard rushing touchdown that got his team ahead 17-0. He finished with 151 rushing yards on the night with his touchdown.
Bernards got on the board with their next drive, junior Ethan Caldwell scoring on a seven-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 17-7.
The Johnson running game struck yet again on the next drive. Senior Brandon Rapp took the ball and plowed his way up the field and charging to the end zone, a 40-yard rushing touchdown, making the score 24-7 Johnson, as they went into halftime.
“It was a team effort,” Johnson assistant coach Dan Dugan said. “It wasn’t just one guy out there making all the plays, but each guy individually doing their job and doing their assignment and that’s what led us to the win.”
On the night, the Johnson defense caught three interceptions, made the Mountaineers punt two times and stopped them on one fourth down conversion try.
“I think it was awesome. We played great out there,” Fedak said. “We were aggressive and we never let up. We played a tremendous game and in the end, [the interception] was one play and I was glad I was able to help the team out.”
The Crusaders, as a team, ran the ball 38 times and collected 542 yards on the ground in the road victory and didn’t the football away at all on the evening. The collective team effort of individual assignments being done has stood out to the coaches in the game.
Bernards began the second half with the ball, but on the third play of the drive, Hoover was intercepted by Casalino. Turek ended the drive with his second touchdown of the game, a 27-yard rushing touchdown, making the game 31-7 Johnson.
Turek ran the ball 13 times for 144 yards to go along with his two rushing touchdowns.
“We had a great game plan,” Turek said, echoing Dugan’s words. “Everybody was doing their job tonight. I’m happy we got the win and it’s onto Roselle.”
In the fourth quarter, Johnson added another touchdown, senior quarterback Mike Bruno cashed in for a one-yard rushing touchdown to end the scoring, making it 38-7 Johnson.
“Our coaches, they’re really leading the way and we’ve got to keep doing our thing and we’ll be fine,” Bruno said, speaking of his team’s efforts the past two games and looking ahead to the rest of the schedule.
Johnson also defeated Bernards in last year’s meeting by a final score of 43-14, with Turek supplying four of the six Crusaders touchdowns in the win.
The Johnson Crusaders (2-0) head back home to take on Roselle-Abraham Clark HS on Friday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m.
The Bernards Mountaineers (0-3) will head out on the road to play at Hillside HS on Saturday, September 23 at 1:00 p.m.
