One of the most anticipated high school football games in the state, Seton Hall Prep vs Bergen Catholic, lived up to the hype. Bergen Catholic Coach, Vito Campanile, the former head coach for the Pirates, came to the KAC playing a different team than he coached. When Campanile was head coach at SHP, he went 10-19 with the Pirates over three seasons. Coach Fitzgerald turned the program around completely and brought The Prep back to its  winning ways. Now the Pirates ranked #3 in the state were set to take on #1 Bergen Catholic.  

Notre Dame commit and 4-star QB, Steve Angeli and his Princeton commit running back, Ryan Bulter, led Bergen right down the field on the first drive. In the drive, Angeli found Christian Carti on his slant route and the Crusaders took an early 7-0 lead. Angeli would be sidelined for two series due to a shoulder injury. Backup quarterback Jack Duffy entered and faced adversity early. Duffy was picked off by Jackson Dowd ’22 inside the 20 and Dowd would put the Pirates offense on Bergen’s eight-yard line. Jaden Craig ’22 took advantage of the field position and scrambled for a 4-yard touchdown. After a defensive stop, Craig led the Prep down the field. After a 30-yard completion to Julius Vicari ’24, Craig scrambled again for another score. Bergen was quick to respond. Princeton commits Ryan Bulter ran straight through SHP’s defense and scored on a 48-yard run. The game was tied at 14 half.

Both defenses produced big stops in the 3rd quarter. Bergen Catholic completed a 19-yard field goal, as the Crusaders led 17-14 entering the 4th. In the 4th Craig found the end zone for a third time with his legs, putting the Pirates back on top 21-17, but Bergen answered quickly again. A run-pass option play left Bergen Catholic’s Wide receiver Santino Correa wide open resulting in a 70-yard score, Bergen was back on top 24-21, but Craig was not finished. Jaden Craig found Myles Thomason ’22 for a 57-yard passing touchdown, putting the Prep back on top 28-24. Bergen continued to battle with their 3-star running back, Ryan Butler. On a normal HB counter, Butler ran down the sidelines for a 65-yard rushing touchdown. SHP down three was looking for another score from their offense. However, the Bergen Catholic front seven outmuscled The Prep’s offensive line causing havoc for Craig in the backfield. Unable to move the ball, SHP was forced to punt. Bergen received the ball back up three, with five minutes left. Angeli’s offense was perfect in their last drive, wasting time and moving the ball. Bulter would end up scoring for a 3rd time on the day, putting the icing on the cake for Bergen Catholic. Bergen Catholic 38 Seton Hall Prep 28.