The St. Mary Rutherford Gaels (4-5) rebounded from a brutal loss to New Milford a week earlier with a compelling 27-6 win over the Lodi Rams (5-4) at Lodi High School (Pa Tirico Stadium) in Lodi, New Jersey.

St. Mary running back Julius Mercado was the star of the game, carrying the ball 18 times for 154 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Gaels Head Coach Paul Johnsen on Julius Mercado: “Julius is an amazing athlete. When he first came to visit our school, he said, ‘Football is in my head,’ and I said that was cute. When I came to see him play, I said, ‘That kid could play ball.’ He’s going to be a player for us in the future, and he doesn’t care how big the guy is in front of him. He’s going to run by him and do whatever it takes.”

St. Mary received the opening kickoff and benefited from a relatively short field after a Lodi onside kick was recovered by the Gaels at midfield.

On first down, Julius Mercado took a handoff from quarterback Evan Colon and sprinted down to the Rams’ 25-yard line. Lodi kept the ball on the ground and pushed it to the one-yard line, setting the stage for running back Nick Nazarto to churn across the goal line for the score with less than eight minutes left.

In the second quarter, St. Mary’s offense had the ball with less than nine minutes remaining and mixed up the running and passing game effectively, advancing the ball into Rams territory and drawing a personal foul on the Lodi defense.

Quarterback Evan Colon completed an 18-yard pass that set up first and goal at the Rams’ five-yard line. On first and goal, Julius Mercado took the handoff from Colon and barreled into the end zone, extending the Gales’ advantage to 14-0 with six minutes to go.

Lodi took over at its own 34-yard line after the ensuing kickoff and kept the ball on the ground, with the offensive line opening holes for running back Jordanny Rodriguez to carve up chunks of yardage.

The Rams pushed the ball deeper into St. Mary territory and eventually inside the red zone and ten-yard line. However, the Gaels’ defense dug in at the line of scrimmage. It prevented Lodi from crossing the goal line, leading to a turnover on downs despite the physical style of play and several skirmishes that drew numerous personal fouls.

Head Coach Paul Johnson on the message to the team at halftime: “No matter what the score is, it’s 0-0. Enjoy every moment because you never know when it’s going to be your last. Don’t take it for granted and always have fun playing this great game of football.”

“That was big time by the defense’s goal line stand at the end of the first half, and it would have given Lodi a lot of momentum going into the half. The defense has held strong all year, and if we’re aligning and playing the right way, that should be the result every time.” “We got a great group of kids, and we don’t get caught up in the pettiness back and forth. We have Bible study every week, and that goes a long way. Applause to the kids for how they handle themselves on the field and for not going down a level. They think about the team first.”

In the third quarter, St. Mary’s offense had the ball deep in their own end zone; Julius Mercado, showing his elusiveness and speed in the running game, ripped off a 65-yard run that moved the ball all the way to the Lodi six-yard line. Mercado capped the drive by taking the handoff from quarterback Evan Colon and plowing across the goal line for the score that widened the lead to 21-0 with 4:22 left.

The Rams, looking to reverse course, finally caught a break on an interception by defensive back Daniel Jovino, who motored all the way down to the Gaels’ five-yard line. Lodi capitalized immediately on the turnover, with running back Jordanny Rodriguez taking a handoff and bolting into the end zone for the touchdown. Still, the PAT failed, leaving the score at 21-6 with 6.4 seconds remaining.

St. Mary again had outstanding field position on the following possession, starting the fourth quarter at their own 44-yard line. Facing a third and 24 at their own 42, quarterback Evan Colon tossed a pass to tight end Santiago Vinces; Vinces darted and wove through traffic, broke into the clear, and rumbled down to the two-yard line.

On second and goal at the one-yard line, Julius Mercado punctuated his spectacular offensive display by taking the handoff from quarterback Evan Colon. With the offensive line pushing defenders out of the way, Mercado snaked through a pile of players and broke the plane of the goal line for his third score of the game, expanding the margin to 27-6 and putting the game away for good.

“Evan is the cog in our offense. He’s got speed, his legs are amazing, and he puts a lot of defenses under stress whether we’re giving the ball to the running back or Evan’s keeping it. He’s very dangerous with the ball in his hands,” Head Coach Paul Johnsen said.

“We’re very young upfront on the offensive line, and we start four sophomores and one senior, and they just work every single day. They never get any of the credit, and the pressure is on them. Coming into this game, I said the game is on you, and we’ve got to be able to block those defensive ends to be successful. They buy into it and work hard in practice, and they’re getting better every single day.”

“We’re excited about the program and started three freshmen and a bunch of others who physically can play varsity football. It’s a big jump coming from eighth grade. We’re looking forward to going out there and getting better.”