October 3, 2009
Bruins blank Soaring Eagles
Anthony Salcedo and the Bruins defense has allowed just 24 points in four games.
Click Here for more photos from North Bergen at Union City.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
UNION CITY – After last week’s tough defeat to Teaneck, North Bergen was looking to bounce back and send a message. Through an array of blitzes and pressure, the message was sent loud and clear, as the Bruins used a dominant defensive performance to shut out Union City 14-0 last night at Roosevelt Stadium.
“That’s the whole thing about the Bruins,” Quarterback Peter Ramanand said. “Our defense just comes harder and that gets the offense to come out fired up and score points.”
“It’s a tremendous confidence boost for them,” head coach Vin Ascolese said about the defense’s performance..
The North Bergen (3-1) defense was overpowering, limiting the Soaring Eagles (1-3) to just 86 yards of offense.
A defensive front led by defensive Anthony Salcedo and linebackers John Stark and Luis Obregon consistently harassed Union City QB Pedro Aragon. The Soaring Eagles’ passing offense was never able to get in sync as Aragon was hit repeatedly when he stepped back to throw.
“We were off kilter,” Union City head coach Joe Rotondi said. They blitzed a lot and they made big plays. They did a good job mixing things up on defense. We just seemed to be one block away or one catch away all night.
Ascolese credited his defensive line for “getting off the football” quickly for the constant pressure. It paid dividends on this night as Aragon was limited to just 35 yards passing on 15 attempts, one week after throwing for 232 yards.
“(Aragon) throws the ball well and he’s got poise,” Ascolese said. “We worked hard on (pressuring him). We wish we could have gotten to him more, but I was satisfied.”
Wellington Mejia and Josh Martinez had interceptions for a North Bergen defense which has allowed just 24 points this season. But the biggest turnover came at the start of the second half when a fumbled kickoff return was recovered by the Bruins in Union City territory.
North Bergen capitalized on the fumble five plays later when Peter Ramanand connected with Justin Glennon on a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0.
Ramanand opened the scoring when he tossed a 13-yard touchdown to Martinez on a fourth down.
Ramanand overcame a trio of turnovers and a strong Union City defense to rush for a game-high 69 yards and complete 5-of-9 passes for 53 yards. With starting running back Carlos Mateo limited by injuries, Mejia added 42 rushing yards in the second half.
After last week’s 10-7 loss at Teaneck and with upcoming games against state-ranked powers St. Peter’s Prep and Wayne Hills, a win over Union City was imperative for the Bruins’ post-season chances. Now they find themselves one step closer towards their goal of a return trip to the state playoffs.
“This game meant everything to us,” Fernandez said.
“We both needed this game,” Ascolese said. “There’s no doubt about it.”
Wellington Mejia rushed for 44 yards and had an interception for the Bruins.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Bergen (3-1) | 0 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
14
|
| Union City (1-3) | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
| NB: Josh Martinez, 13 pass from Peter Ramanand (Jeremias Vilches kick) | |||||
| NB: Justin Glennon, 15 pass from Ramanand (Vilches kick) | |||||