Canevari's sacrifice pays off for No. 9 Don Bosco

Paul Canevari spent three seasons outside the spotlight at No. 9 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), but the rugged senior back is one of primary reasons why the revamped Ironmen are off to a 4-0 start after stopping primary rival Bergen Catholic (Oradell), 38-18, last Saturday before 8,000 in Oradell, NJ.

Although most of Don Bosco's offensive accolades are afforded to senior quarterback and Pittsburgh recruit Gary Nova, no one seems more pleased with Canevari's success than the young man who puts the ball in his belly.

"Paul's worked hard since he got to Don Bosco," Nova said. "He sacrificed himself and spent two years as a defensive end for us. I'm so happy for him. He's one of my best friends."

Canevari cranked out 155 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries against Bergen Catholic, mostly running between the tackles and wearing down the Bergen Catholic defense, he looked awfully nimble on a 38-yard scoring run up the left sideline that helped the Ironmen salt the game away. This came a week after his 265-yard performance against St. Ignatius - his second-best showing after his 326-yard display in the season opener against Gilman at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

"He's going to take his toll on them, not on us," Don Bosco head coach Greg Toal said.

Although he does not hold an official offer yet, Pittsburgh, Central Florida and Syracuse among those who have shown "strong interest" in Canevari according to Toal. If he maintains his current pace, it would be surprising not to see Canevari in a Division I backfield next fall.

Other items from New Jersey.

2. East Brunswick's run stopped: On nj.com, they referred to it as "the shot heard around the GMC." Even if it is a bit of overstatement, sophomore Jessica Puchalskiís game-winning goal helped South Brunswick (Monmouth Junction) end East Brunswick's 57-game undefeated streak with a 2-1 triumph on Sept. 29. East Brunswick had dominated the Greater Middlesex Conference since a 3-2 loss to Old Bridge on Oct. 12, 2006

3. Graf gets to 400: Not only did Metuchen's 36th-year head coach Ken Graf earn his 400th boys soccer victory Monday, but he got it when his Bulldogs defeated Greater Middlesex Conference rival Spotswood, 2-1, Monday. Senior Matt Walters headed home the go-ahead goal early in the second half.

4. Avoiding the sophomore jinx: Colonia's second season of varsity girls volleyball is shaping up to be even better than its first. After going 23-8 in its inaugural campaign, a 10-1 start has the Patriots already dreaming about a run through the NJSIAA Group 3 bracket. Senior outside hitter Uzuomeka Ibeh, who has accepted a scholarship to Virginia Commonwealth University, is hitting at a .450 clip with 61 kills.

5. Clifton honors late coach: Prior to its contest against Passaic County Tech, Clifton honored former coach Fernando Rossi with a memorial statue at Clifton Stadium. Rossi, who coached the Mustangs from 1977-2001 and helped establish the Mustangs as one of the state's premier programs, succumbed to cancer in February. His son, Giuseppe, plays for the Italian national team and professionally for Spanish side Villareal.

Top Performers

Among outstanding efforts last week:

* Tanner McEvoy (Bergen Catholic football): The senior quarterback, a converted wide receiver in his first year starting under center, threw for 258 yards and two scores while rushing for 134 yards against Don Bosco Prep.

* Tariq Turner (Manasquan football): The senior running back proved a one-man show with a career-high 297 yards rushing and scoring runs of 57, 53, 8, 5 and 31 yards in a 35-13 victory over Metuchen.

* Amber Evans (Ridge-Basking Ridge volleyball): The junior outside hitter spiked five kills and served three aces to help the Red Devils outlast North Hunterdon, 25-13, to win their first-ever tournament title at the Watchung Hills Tournament last Saturday. Evans leads the team with 72 kills.

* Dylan Cummings (Pennsville Memorial-Pennsville football): The 5-7 freshman quarterback came off the bench and threw for 222 yards, including a South Jersey-record-tying 99-yard scoring strike to Mitch Weiser in the first quarter, as the Eagles staved off Salem, 25-14.

* Marquise Wright (Paramus Catholic-Paramus football): The senior defensive tackle and Pittsburgh recruit recorded 12 tackles (five for losses) and three sacks in a loss to Northern Valley at Old Tappan.

* Shane Thompson (West Morris Central-Chester football): The running back/linebacker rushed for 86 yards and a TD on 12 carries, returned a fumble 25 yards for a score, hauled in a 13-yard touchdown toss and added eight tackles for good measure.

Looking Ahead

Among the many top upcoming games/events:

* Williamstown (3-0) will be a desired destination Saturday when the two top public schools in South Jersey face off when the Braves host Cherokee-Marlton (3-0).

For Williamstown, running backs Khalil Faison, Karl Johnson and Harry Ulmer barely played a year ago, but their patience has paid a nice early return. They combined for 448 yards on 47 carries in a 30-14 victory over Moorestown last Saturday. All three topped the 100-yard plateau, featuring a 166-yard performance by Ulmer that included a 75-yard scoring sprint.

"We're a three-headed monster. With the line blocking, nobody's going to stop us in the ground game," Ulmer told The Courier Post after the game.

Meanwhile, Cherokee looked impressive in their tune-up game, scoring on five of six first-half possessions in a 41-0 win over Washington Township. Quarterback Andrew Martin finished 12-for-16 with 205 yards passing and three touchdown tosses.

* A pair of North Jersey powers and defending state champions will reignite the public-private debate when defending North 1, Group 3 titlist Ramapo-Franklin Lakes (4-0) visits Non-Public Group 3 champ St. Joseph's Regional (4-0). Both teams played under the Friday night lights on Oct. 1 with Ramapo handling Ridgewood, 28-14, while St. Joseph's needed to block a potential game-deciding field-goal attempt with 35 ticks left to survive Paramus, 28-27.

Two other public-private clashes also have us excited since all involved teams are 4-0: Bridgewater-Raritan at Immaculata-Somerville and Seton Hall Prep-West Orange visiting West Orange.

* Defending NJSIAA Immaculate Heart Academy will host a top-flight field at The Garden State Classic, taking place this Saturday and Sunday at Ramapo College in Mahwah. In addition to teams from New York and Maryland, the field will feature Garden State powers such as Hunterdon Central, Bogota, Madison and Mount Olive.

Recruiting News
Northern Valley (Old Tappan) dual-threat junior quarterback Devin Fuller recently received his first scholarship offer from Rutgers. Boston College, Georgia Tech, UCLA and UConn are among those who have expressed interest. Expect several offers to come along as Fuller builds upon his totals of 1,350 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns (11 rushing) through four games ... Rumson Fair-Haven girls basketball guard Nicole Isaacs verbally committed to Manhattan College. ... Colts Neck senior lacrosse midfielder Sarah Greenberg will play at Columbia University beginning in 2012.

Falzarano's Viewpoint
Seeing almost 8,000 fans pack Crusader Stadium for the annual Bergen Catholic-Don Bosco Prep further illustrated that this is the biggest gridiron rivalry in New Jersey and the Northeast, with one BC assistant comparing it to the atmosphere of a Texas high school game.

Seeing most of the 8,000 on hand standing behind barracades lined around the field area also proved Don Bosco Prep head coach Greg Toal's post-game point that this rivalry and both schools' fervent fanbases has outgrown campus sites.

It would be strange to see this game played almost 45 minutes away at Rutgers University, although that would certainly be a huge recruiting boost for Greg Schiano's beleaguered Scarlet Knights. However, it might be the most feasible solution considering the only large nearby facility is Montclair State University's 6,000-seat Sprague Field that can be expanded to 8,000, but lacks suitable on-campus parking.

A suggestion: hold BC-Don Bosco as the showcase game of a doubleheader at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Even better, make it a two-day event with two games on Friday and three on Saturday.

Here's a suggestion for 2011 that would include all of the state's regions to maximize appeal:

Day 1: Immaculata-Holy Spirit at 4 p.m., St. Joseph's Regional-St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City) at 8 p.m.
Day 2: Cherokee-Williamstown at noon, Wayne Hills-Ramapo, 4 p.m., BC-Don Bosco at 8 p.m.

Briefly
Morris Knolls rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat Wayne Hills, 3-2, on Monday in a battle of state title contenders. ... Wallington may have stamped itself as the North 1, Group 1 boys soccer favorite with a 2-0 triumph over Harrison last Thursday.

Brian Falzarano, a veteran New Jersey sportswriter, covers the state of New Jersey for MaxPreps.com. You can reach him with story ideas or questions at bfmaxpreps@gmail.com.