Montvale Magic: St. Joe’s Takes Down Bergen Catholic in Rivalry Showdown
coverage by: Nery Rodriguez | photo by: Jack Lizza, St.Joseph Media Team
It doesn’t get much better than rivalry football in North Jersey, and Saturday’s showdown between St. Joseph Regional and Bergen Catholic lived up to every bit of the hype. In a game filled with momentum swings, highlight plays, and late-game drama, St. Joe’s went for the win — and got it — converting a two-point try in overtime to edge Bergen Catholic 43-42 in an instant classic.
Both teams came in 6-1 with star power all over the field, and from the opening kickoff it felt like another heavyweight bout between two programs built for November. After trading touchdowns in the first quarter, the Green Knights caught fire in the second. Quarterback Mason Geis was locked in, connecting with David Forster for a 40-yard score and finding Stalin Knowlden later in the quarter to cap a dominant stretch that saw St. Joe’s put up 21 unanswered points. Nathan Bailey added a goal-line run to make it 28-7 before halftime, and the Montvale sideline was rolling.
Bergen Catholic, though, wasn’t going down easy. Quarterback Trey Tagliaferri started to heat up in the third, hitting Austin Busso on a 50-yard bomb and later connecting with Bryan Porter — who finished with six catches for 133 yards — as the Crusaders stormed back. Running back Najee Calhoun kept the pressure on, grinding out 108 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter that erased what once looked like an insurmountable lead.
When Porter hauled in a 30-yard touchdown to tie it 35-35 late in regulation, the home crowd at Jack McGovern Field was electric. The game pushed into overtime, where the tension only grew. Calhoun scored his third touchdown of the day to put Bergen Catholic ahead 42-35, but Geis and the Green Knights answered right back. On third down, Geis dropped a perfect pass to Janyk Thomas Krisulevicz for an 11-yard touchdown. That made it 42-41, and instead of sending out the kicker, St. Joe’s head coach Dan Marangi kept the offense on the field for the win.
Bailey took the handoff, followed his line, and powered across the goal line for the game-winning two-point conversion, sealing one of the most dramatic finishes of the season. St. Joe’s players stormed the field as the Bergen sideline stood in disbelief — another chapter added to one of New Jersey’s fiercest rivalries.
After the win, Geis reflected on what it meant to pull out such a hard-fought victory. “This win definitely gives us a lot of confidence going forward with the playoffs in mind,” he said. “When we execute and do our jobs, we can play with anyone.”
The senior signal-caller finished 19-of-23 for 275 yards and four touchdowns, leading an offense that rarely missed a beat. But Geis was quick to shift the spotlight to his teammates: “It definitely means a lot, but I have to give all the credit to the O-line and wide receivers. They played great and set me up for success.”
When asked about St. Joe’s composure in crunch time, Geis said the group leaned on past experience. “We’ve been in this situation before and know what it feels like to be on the other end,” he said. “We just had to find a way to get the job done by any means necessary.”
Knowlden hauled in five passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns, while Bailey contributed both through the air and on the ground, finishing with 83 receiving yards and the decisive two-point run. For Bergen, Tagliaferri’s 284 yards and Calhoun’s three touchdowns kept the Crusaders alive until the final snap.
With the win, St. Joseph (6-2, 2-1 United Red) positions itself well heading into the postseason, carrying momentum from one of the most thrilling finishes of the season. Bergen Catholic (6-2, 1-2) will look to regroup and reload for another deep playoff push — and perhaps another meeting with the rival Knights down the line.