The Paramus Catholic Paladins defeated the Bergen Catholic Crusaders 31-17 Saturday afternoon at Jack McGovern Field in Oradell. It was the first win for the Paladins against the Crusaders since 2014 and sixth all time.
It’s been quite some time since Paramus Catholic has had a dominating win over a top team in the state; You’d have to go back to the early 2010s, the Jabrill Peppers days. But this afternoon the Paladins made it look easy, sucking the life out of the #1 team as time went on.
“Feels great,” Paladins Quarterback Walker Snee said postgame. “I mean, I’ve been waiting for this day, and my teammates came out, and we showed that we’re the best team in the state.”
On January 30 of this year, it was announced that Snee was leaving Bergen Catholic and transferring to PC. He had his eyes on the day he’d face his former school for a long time. Bergen Catholic’s diehard fans, the “Crusader Crazies,” gave him no sympathy in his return, doing whatever they could to throw him off. “Bergen reject” was what they chanted throughout the first half along with other terms and shatters of boos whenever he was under center or after he made a mistake. But after all, it was Snee who had the last laugh. At the end of the game before heading off to the away crowd to celebrate with his team and fans, he gave a big wave to the other side of the field, directed at the “Crazies” that hadn’t gone home yet and had been silent since at least the end of the third quarter.
“It’s definitely a different type of feeling,” Snee said. “I mean, I knew I was going to get to talk, but at the end of the day, we got to go in the field and go ball and we can’t mind that other noise in the crowd because it doesn’t mean anything. They’re just watching the game. We got to play. We got to be tougher, we got to get that dub.”
Though Snee’s performance was impressive, he wasn’t the star of the game. Senior running back and Penn State commit, Chukwuma Odoh was the true hero for the Paladins, scoring three second half touchdowns, helping them pull away from the Crusaders. He sealed it when he scored from 52 yards with under five minutes left in the game.
“Coming out in the second half, we knew we just had to go to our bread and butter,” Odoh said. “We’re just pounding the rock, man, you know, so we came out, we ran the ball, we ran for a lot. They couldn’t stop it.”
It was a very quiet first half to say the least. Between punts and turnover on downs, neither side could get any sort of gain and both never got close to the end-zone. Both teams also played very sloppy, with self inflating penalties setting them back.
Business picked up when Bergen Catholic got on the board first with just under three minutes left. Fueled by Paramus Catholic penalties, Cruz Araujo scored on a nine yard reception thrown by quarterback Trey Tagliaferri.
After forcing a quick three and out, the Crusaders got the ball back at midfield and looked to score one more time before heading to the locker rooms. Instead Tagliaferri was picked off by Paramus Catholic’s AJ Lopez. From there, they went 42 yards down field, ending it with a TD pass from Snee to Josiah Tucille with 14 seconds left. Just when you thought it’d be scoreless, the first half ended 7-7.
Most expected the Crusaders to get to their regular form and start to take over the game. They never did. The Paladins were the ones to take control, scoring every single time they touched the ball. Odoh got his first touchdown to open the second half and another on the goal-line in the next possession. On the third offensive drive Harry Jones kicked a 22 yard field goal to go up 24-7
It was getting late and they were losing by multiple scores, but Bergen Catholic had been in this situation before. Just a week ago they were down 24-7 at the half to arch nemesis Don-Bosco Prep, where they came all the way back to steal the win. They were looking to do it again when Brody Carnahan kicked for three points, making it a two score game.
However, the biggest difference is last week the Crusaders played better in the second half while this afternoon they played worse as time went on. That showed when Odoh casually ran a 52 yard touchdown in response to the field goal with only minutes left to go in the game.
Bergen Catholic got one last touchdown at the end to get an extra seven points when Tagliaferri threw a goal line pass to Bryan Porter. In a moment where every second counted, they took longer than they should’ve to score. They’d go on to lose 31-17.
This was a huge win for the Paladins, who have already played well this season. After starting the season 1-3, they’re now on a three game winning streak in response. Some considered them to be dark horses over the summer and they’re shaping out to be just that.
“I’ve been saying it since the first game of this season. This is a different team,” Chukwuma Odoh said. “A different team than last year [and] previous years. This is a great win for the program, and PC is back.”
You have to give head coach Greg Russo credit for the job he’s done. He is someone who loves this school and truly has Paramus Catholic in his blood. He was a 1998 graduate, has many family members that have also graduated, and was the offensive coordinator from 2010-2016. Since taking the job in December of 2021 after five seasons as head coach of Northern Highlands, Russo has slowly but surely brought the Paladins back to relevancy.
There are tons of players who deserve credit for Saturday’s win. But in the end, the most recognition may go to Walker Snee based on the storyline going in and the fact that he’s a high-level prospect. While Russo knows that may be the case, he wants to assure that this was and has been a group effort:
“Everyone else outside this place makes Walker something bigger than what it is. He’s a 15-year-old puppy, okay? And I love him he played great. He had to win the job here. He came in, him and Rowan [Martin] battled all summer. It was really close. I think that made him better…Like, no ones been handing him anything, okay? So obviously, he’s just another player. And everyone outside wants to make it about Walker Snee. And that’s fine. When Jabrill [Peppers] transferred here it was the same thing right? But I’m just saying, like, is that there’s a team of football players here. Like, Chu Odoh [Chukwuma Odoh]. I thought my tight end Michael Fordjour, No one’s going to talk about him. I bet you when I turn his tape on, I’m gonna be like, wow, because all the runs were hitting and it was him. My guard, Ryan Rosario got banged up, went back in and dominated. Like, everyone should focus on that a little more and not just who plays quarterback here. And I know the quarterback always gets it, but he did a great job, but so did like a million guys on this team.”
The 4-3 Paladins will look to keep things going when they host another highly ranked school, St. Peter’s Prep Friday night. Bergen Catholic, now 3-3 on the season, will look to get back on track as they head to Delbarton on Saturday afternoon.
