Under the Friday night lights at New Meadowlands Stadium,
Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) teased the shifting of the balance of power on the Garden State's high school gridiron, coming tantalizingly close to ending a
Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) reign that has extended across the last five seasons.
Buoyed with the confidence of three straight second-half stops, the Crusaders pulled within 31-27 with 5:39 and had just recovered an onside kick when Tanner McEvoy settled in the pocket and unleashed an aerial up the right sideline that would have put Don Bosco Prep in the unprecedented position of having to stage a fourth-quarter rally.
And then Yuri Wright stepped in front of McEvoy's throw, squelching the Crusaders' upset bid and ensuring Don Bosco Prep would remain New Jersey's standardbearer for another year.
Behind a defense that forced five turnovers, and a five-touchdown performance from workhorse senior Paul Canevari, Don Bosco survived Bergen Catholic and extended its win streak to a state-best 35 games, earning its fifth consecutive Non-Public Group 4 title with a 37-27 victory over its primary rival in the Non-Public Group 4 final before 10,000 fans in East Rutherford, N.J.
"This is a great way to finish your senior year," said Canevari, who churned out 264 yards rushing. "This is the way to go out."
Don Bosco (12-0) faced rare adversity in the second half after storming to a 31-14 halftime lead as Canevari rushed for four scores and the Ironmen defense turned two interceptions and a blocked field goal into 21 points - following a similar script to when they forced four turnovers in a 38-18 triumph over the Crusaders on Oct. 2.
But Don Bosco senior quarterback Gary Nova, a Pittsburgh recruit, recalled thinking, "Bergen's a great team. We knew they were going to make a run."
Indeed, Bergen Catholic forced Don Bosco into three-straight second-half stops, then relied on McEvoy (18-for-27, 279 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT passing; 26-129 rushing) clicking with John Tsimis (17 yards) and Jack Gallagher (3 yards) on scoring strikes to pull within 31-27 with 5:39 remaining.
"Our guys played a great second half," Bergen Catholic coach Nunzio Campanile said. "We left some opportunities out there."
Perhaps none bigger than after the Crusaders recovered the ensuing onside kick, putting them in prime position to end Don Bosco's reign. McEvoy took a shotgun snap on 1st-and-10 from the Don Bosco 43, looked down the right side and threw down the right sideline.
No one on the Don Bosco sideline panicked, but everyone exulted when Wright came down with the interception and returned the state's balance of power.
"Maybe we went to the well one too many times," Campanile said. "Maybe he shouldn't have forced it on first down. But we're not anywhere near where we are without him."
From there, the Ironmen milked the clock until they faced a 4th-and-1 from the Crusaders' 47. That's when Canevari took his final handoff of the night, initially stopped off left tackle before finding a seam and sprinting up the left sideline for his final 47 yards. Despite the missed extra point, the Ironmen held an insurmountable 37-27 lead with 12 ticks left.
"He's a bull. He was unbelievable. He looked like Larry Csonka out there," Don Bosco coach
Greg Toal said. "We gave it to the bull and the bull took us home."
And with that, the Ironmen headed up Route 17 to their Ramsey campus, once again the standard on the Garden State's high school gridiron.
