The Paramus Catholic Paladins (4-3) not only won their third straight game but, more importantly, ended a 12-year losing skid with a 31-17 upset over No. 1 Bergen Catholic at Bergen Catholic High School (Jack McGovern Field) in Oradell, New Jersey.

Penn State commit and Paladins running back Chukwuma Odoh had a monstrous day on the ground, carrying the ball 28 times for 227 yards and three touchdowns, all in the second half.

“Coming out of the second half, Coach Greg Russo told me he was going to put the ball in my hands, and we pounded the rock,” Chukwuma Odoh said. “This is the biggest win of my life so far, one for the program, especially coming from where we were when I first got here to now. We were the better team coming into this game, and we proved that.”

Equally impressive, Paramus Catholic quarterback Walker Snee made his anticipated return after spending last year on the Bergen Catholic varsity football team, then transferring, and completed 7 of 16 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed 18 times for 192 yards as the Paladins stacked up 469 yards on the ground.

Paramus Catholic Head Coach Greg Russo on the win and performances from Chukwuma Odoh and Walker Snee: “Chukwuma did a really good job staying composed when the snaps went weird early. He had an ankle injury coming in and responded.” “He’s a tremendous person, a straight A student, never in trouble, never late, and comes all the way from Plainfield. He’s a rock-solid pillar of a kid, and I love him. Wherever he goes, he’s going to be great and never complains.”

“Walker is a 15-year-old puppy, and I love him. He played great.” “He had to win the job here, and he and Rowan Martin had to battle all summer. It was close, and we played him.”

“I told the team before that we’re going to win, and let’s not get too high and low. There were swings, and we had some calls that gave Bergen Catholic first downs and gave them life, but I told them to walk about the next play, and you don’t win this game at once.”

“You win it like in six seconds at a time over and over, and I don’t care that there are 130 plays in the game.” “I thought we did that over and over, kept going, and made plays.” “Our defense was unbelievable, and all the defensive staff did an unbelievable job.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Bergen Catholic struck first with less than three minutes remaining in the second quarter on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Trey Tagliaferri to wide receiver Cruz Arrojo, putting the Crusaders up 7-0.

With less than one minute left, the Crusaders offense appeared on the verge of tacking on more points. Still, the sequence changed in a flash when Paladins defensive back AJ Lopez Jr. intercepted a Trey Tagliaferri pass and set Paramus Catholic up with excellent starting field position at the 42-yard line.

Paladins quarterback Walker Snee went to work, completing two passes that moved the ball deep into Bergen Catholic territory. On first and ten at the 17, Snee took the snap, stepped up in the pocket, scrambled to the right, and fired a pass into the end zone.

Wide receiver Josiah Tuccille hauled in a phenomenal catch while absorbing a punishing hit, then spun around and hit the ground with a thud, maintaining possession for the score that tied the game at 7-7 with 14 seconds to go.

Paramus Catholic received the second-half kickoff and carried the momentum from the late first-half score into a punishing ground attack, with Chukwuma Odo taking the bulk of the carries and pushing the ball deep into Crusaders territory.

A ten-play, 80-yard drive chewed up two and a half minutes off the clock, culminating in Chukwuma Odoh taking a handoff from Walker Snee and Odo smashing through a host of players to rumble into the end zone for the 11-yard touchdown that put the Paladins up 14-7.

The Paramus Catholic defense made a statement of its own, forcing the Crusaders offense into a quick three-and-out. With the Paladins back on offense and less than eight minutes remaining, they turned it into a clock-eater with a resourceful mix of running and passing that culminated in a 15-play drive that chewed up over five minutes off the clock, ending with a one-yard touchdown run by Chukwuma Odoh to extend the lead to 21-7.

Bergen Catholic, looking to right the ship, found some rhythm on offense starting at their own 26 and carried that consistency in the running and passing game into the fourth quarter.

However, the Crusaders' momentum hit a brick wall when an incomplete pass led to a turnover on downs at the Paramus Catholic 25.

The Paladins seized the energy the defense generated and turned it into a potent running attack that bulldozed up the field into Bergen Catholic territory.

Despite the Crusaders' defense digging in and forcing a field goal attempt, Paramus Catholic converted on a 22-yard field goal by Harry Jones, expanding the margin to 24-7 with four and a half minutes left after an 11-play, 75-yard drive.

Bergen Catholic responded with a field goal of their own on a booming 41-yard kick by Brody Carnahan with two minutes remaining.

Once again, the Paladins answered in lightning fashion as Chukwuma Odoh took a handoff from Walker Snee, then threaded the needle up the middle, busted loose into the open field, and galloped to the end zone for the 52-yard touchdown that cemented the victory.