October 3, 2010
NB finds winning combination
Wide receiver Justin Glennon pulls down one of his four receptions in the first half.
Click Here for more photos from North Bergen at Memorial.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
WEST NEW YORK – Whether it’s on the gridiron or the basketball court, the chemistry between North Bergen teammates Peter Ramanand and Justin Glennon is apparent.
The Ramanand-to-Glennon connection proved to be a winning for the Bruins in a 39-7 victory over Memorial yesterday at Coviello Field.
“We’re best friends on and off the field, and in basketball too,” Glennon said. “We both hang out a lot and talk about sports all the time. Even before games we talk about what routes we want to run in certain positions.”
Virtually every time Ramanand put the ball in the air, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Glennon was his target. Even when a pair of second quarter attempts to Glennon in the end zone fell incomplete, Ramanand continued to seek out his top wide out.
The persistence would pay off for North Bergen (2-2) in the final minutes of the opening half. Ramanand would hit Glennon with a 21-yard pass to bring the ball into Memorial (1-3) territory. On the next play, Glennon outjumped the Tigers defensive back for a 36-yard touchdown pass with 51.9 seconds left in the half.
The score not only increased the Bruins’ lead to 18-7, but seemed to deflate upset-hopeful Memorial heading into the locker room.
“We were working on the passing game the whole week because we knew their corners liked to push off.,” Glennon said. “We called a certain play that spread the safety to the other side. I went to the middle of the field, saw the ball and just jumped up to get it.”
“You hate to give up big plays (there),” Memorial head coach Oscar Guerrero said. “Our kids got to understand in a situation like that, being down 12-7 at the half is a good situation instead of (18-7) at halftime. We’ve got to learn from that and we’ve got to get better at those situations.”
Glennon would finish with four receptions (all in the first half) for 122 yards in the victory.
Now in possession of a two-score advantage, North Bergen turned to their deep collection of runners to preserve the lead. The Bruins opened the second half with touchdowns from Anthony Calabrese (39 yards), Chris Adorno (2 yards) and Ramanand (1 yard) to put the game out of reach.
In total, North Bergen finished with 315 yards on the ground, led by Calabrese’s 104 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. Ramanand rushed nine times for 88 yards to go with his 133 yards through the air on 6-of-9 passing.
Adorno gave the Bruins the lead with a 10-yard touchdown with 5:04 left in the second quarter en route to a 76-yard performance on 13 carries. Sophomore Debray Tavarez added 39 yards in the second half.
“We have enough kids (who can carry the ball),” head coach Vin Ascolese said. “We’re lucky.”
The multiple weapons on offense allowed North Bergen to overcome a sloppy opening half which included seven penalties. The Bruins’ early mistakes put them an early 7-0 deficit as Memorial’s Jermaine Reyes forced a fumble which teammate Chris Gomez scooped up and returned 75 yards for a touchdown.
“It was like déjà ‘vu,” said Ascolese in reference to his team’s 9-7 loss to Memorial in 2008, “Could this happen to us again? Then (Justin) caught the (touchdown) and we settled in.”
“That’s our rivalry and that’s an important game for us always, no matter what the records are, no matter what’s at stake,” said Guerrero. “Our kids are definitely going to be up for that.”
Gomez, who torched Ferris for 209 yards a week prior, led the Tigers with 46 yards on 17 carries. Brandon Luna added 33 yards rushing in the loss.
Senior Anthony Navarro had two sacks and linebacker Vinnie Ascolese had one sack for a North Bergen squad which travels to Bayonne next Friday.
Memorial will next play on Saturday afternoon at Marist.
Chris Gomez picks up a first-quarter fumble for Memorial's lone touchdown.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Bergen Bruins (2-2) | 0 |
18 |
14 |
7 |
39 |
| Memorial Tigers (1-3) | 7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
| M: Chris Gomez, 75 fumble return (Jorge Ortez kick) | |||||
| NB: Anthony Calabrese, 4 run (kick failed) | |||||
| NB: Chris Adorno, 10 run (pass failed) | |||||
| NB: Justin Glennon, 36 pass from Peter Ramanand (kick failed) | |||||
| NB: Calabrese, 39 run (Mike Mentor kick) | |||||
| NB: Adorno, 2 run (Mentor kick) | |||||
| NB: Ramanand, 1 run (Mentor kick) | |||||