The Bergen Catholic Crusaders (3-2) pulled off a remarkable 34-30 late comeback victory over the undefeated Don Bosco Prep Ironmen (5-1) in the 84th meeting between the two teams at Bergen Catholic High School/Jack McGovern Field in Oradell, New Jersey.

Bergen Catholic quarterback Trey Tagliaferri delivered a strong performance, completing 27 of 41 passes for five touchdowns. Wide receiver Bryan Porter added 11 catches for 169 yards, while Jamel Hammary scored twice and Anthony Willis added another.

Head Coach Vito Campanile on the thrilling win: “We talked about in Pittsburgh that you can’t get 17 points in one drive, and we wanted to make it a one-touchdown game, and it started in the fourth quarter and put the pressure back on them(Don Bosco Prep).”

“I’ve coached in 15 of these games, and to win without the players who didn’t play today, I don’t know if it’s the greatest, but it’s one of the best wins in my career.” “It’s an amazing day for us. We’re so young, and every week is a new one.”

Don Bosco Prep quickly jumped to a 7-0 lead on its first offensive possession after a Bergen Catholic punt landed deep in Crusaders territory. Running back Ca’Si Thomas took a handoff from quarterback Carson Schoen and powered for a touchdown with less than eight minutes left.

Late in the quarter, Don Bosco Prep started at the Crusaders' 45-yard line and moved the ball downfield, highlighted by a 30-yard pass from Carson Schoen to Isaiah Alvarez that set up first-and-goal at the Bergen Catholic six-yard line.

The Crusaders defense held firm, forcing a field goal attempt that Joey Bercovicz converted from 20 yards to extend the Don Bosco Prep lead to 10-0 with 18 seconds remaining.

Early in the second quarter, Don Bosco Prep’s defense kept the pressure on, with Aidan O’Neil sacking Trey Tagliaferri inside the Crusaders' five-yard line and Bergen Catholic eventually punting away. The punt went sideways and landed at the 15-yard line.

The Ironmen capitalized on the short field as Carson Schoen threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Zakai Murphy, who made a spectacular catch in the left corner of the end zone.

Both teams traded turnovers on the next two possessions, with Aidan O’Neil recovering a fumble before Crusaders defensive back Amar’e Newell intercepted a pass.

Bergen Catholic tried to build on the momentum. Still, after a pair of incomplete passes, a third-down throw over the middle turned disastrous when Don Bosco Prep defensive back Kane Ramos intercepted it and returned it 37 yards for a pick-six, widening the margin to 24-0 with nine minutes to go.

With less than five minutes left, the Crusaders finally found rhythm on offense as Trey Tagliaferri completed several passes to wide receivers to move the ball into Ironmen territory.

After Bergen Catholic reached the 26-yard line, Trey Tagliaferri took the shotgun snap, dropped back, and fired a strike to Anthony Willis. Willis moved left, made a couple of nifty moves, and scored with two and a half minutes remaining.

“I thought it was big for Anthony and Trey as well,” Head Coach Vito Campanile explained. “Anthony had two drops in the first half, and he’s probably the most sure-handed receiver maybe in the conference. It was like an epiphany to me watching him drop the ball twice and then come back, make a play on the same route where he dropped it earlier, break for a touchdown, and get back where he was before.”

In the third quarter, with less than ten minutes on the clock and the ball at the 45-yard line, the Crusaders switched to the run game, and the offensive line paved the way for Anthony Cristiano to carve out chunks of yardage.

Bergen Catholic drove to the Don Bosco Prep one-yard line. On third-and-goal, Trey Tagliaferri took the snap in spread formation, rolled right, and lofted a pass into the end zone where Jamel Hammary made a phenomenal one-hand catch for the score, narrowing the gap to 24-14 with less than six minutes to go.

Fueled by the offense's success and the crowd’s energy, the Crusaders defense made a huge fourth-quarter stop that forced a turnover on downs.

Bergen Catholic’s offense went right back to work, with Trey Tagliaferri finding his rhythm and Jamel Hammary adding a mesmerizing one-handed snag.

The Crusaders reached the Ironmen 16-yard line, and Tagliaferri dropped back and heaved a pass to the far-right corner of the end zone, where Jamel Hammary hauled in the touchdown to close the margin to 24-21 with eight minutes left.

Bergen Catholic’s defense controlled the line of scrimmage and forced a quick three-and-out. The Crusaders offense responded immediately as Trey Tagliaferri hit Jamel Hammary on a 37-yard pass that pushed the ball into Ironmen territory.

On first down at the 28, Tagliaferri took the snap, rolled out under pressure, and fired a pass down the middle to Bryan Porter, who reeled in a tremendous catch and slid into the end zone to put Bergen Catholic up for the first time, 28-24, with five and a half minutes remaining.

Don Bosco Prep answered quickly from its own 20, with Carson Schoen connecting on a 29-yard pass to Isaiah Alvarez to move the ball into Crusaders territory.

The Ironmen chewed up more time, including a key fourth-down conversion inside the Bergen Catholic ten-yard line. 

On first-and-goal at the two-yard line, Carson Schoen took the handoff and surged straight ahead through a pile of players and across the goal line.

The extra point went off track when the holder could not secure the snap, forcing a two-point conversion attempt that fell short. Crusaders defensive back Austin Bryan made a critical tackle after Don Bosco Prep tight end JT Geraci caught the ball at the one-yard line, leaving the score at 30-28 with a minute and a half left.

With plenty of time left, Bergen Catholic quickly moved into Ironmen territory as Trey Tagliaferri completed two passes.

That set up third down at the 38-yard line, where Tagliaferri rolled out under pressure and fired to Bryan Porter. Porter ducked, wove, bounced off defenders, and muscled into the end zone for the stunning touchdown with 15 seconds left. Despite the failed two-point conversion, the Crusaders led 34-30.

With little time left, Don Bosco Prep completed a pass on second down, but time expired as Bergen Catholic celebrated the incredible victory and the home crowd erupted.