November 19, 2011

Debray Tavarez (3) celebrates with North Bergen fans after the Bruins' overtime victory. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

North Bergen at Union City Football Photo Gallery

UNION CITY – As an emotional Eric McMullen dropped to one knee and gazed out towards the fence behind the west end zone of Roosevelt Stadium, assistant coach Mike Ascolese went to his star running back and pointed out beyond Kennedy Boulevard and towards North Bergen's next destination.

Visible from the field was the Meadowlands and MetLife Stadium where McMullen and the rest of the Bruins will be playing for a state title in two weeks after a 10-7 overtime victory over Union City in the semifinals of the North 1, Group IV playoffs.

"I've never been there before," said McMullen, a senior who spent his first three years at Paulsboro. "In South Jersey we just played on our opponents' home field. It's crazy."

After being stalled at the 8-yard line in overtime, third-seeded North Bergen (7-4) turned to kicker Welmar Muriel. Seemingly unfazed by the pressure of the situation, the junior kicked a 25-yard field goal through the uprights to regain the lead for the Bruins.

"I really didn't pay attention to that," said Muriel, adding that he was hitting from 40-yards out during pregame warm-ups. "I was feeling confident about the kick, I knew I was going to make it."

From there, North Bergen put the finishing touches on another dominant defensive performance with its ferocious pass rush. On third-and-8 from the 24, Anthony Calabrese and Alex Rodriguez teamed up to sack Isaiah Diaz-Mays after the Union City signal caller was flushed out of the pocket by linebacker Vin Ascolese III.

Diaz-Mays and the second-seeded Soaring Eagles (8-2) wouldn't have a chance on fourth down as lineman Nick Garcia exploded through the line and brought down Diaz-Mays for a game-ending sack as the Bruins raced out onto the field in a wild celebration.

"I saw the A-gap open up and I saw (Diaz-Mays') one leg follow up behind his other," Garcia said. "I dove at it and I swept at it man. That was all I could do and it worked. It worked man, it worked! I'm just happy. I saw that A-gap open like a truck could go through it."

"They executed that (QB rollout) play very, very well," head coach Vincent Ascolese said. "(Diaz-Mays) got us a couple of times. But in the end we got him."

The North Bergen pass rush had five sacks on the night, led by Calabrese (two sacks) and Ascolese (one-and-a-half sacks). As a team, the Bruins' defense limited Union City to  just 107 yards of total offense and six first downs.

"They rose to the occasion," the elder Ascolese said. "It meant a lot to these kids to win this football game. We lost a heart-breaker to them and to come back tonight was just unbelievable."

McMullen (25 for 175 rushing) put the Bruins on top less than a minute into the game when he took the game's second play from scrimmage 67 yards for a touchdown. But from that point forward, Union City's defense was up to the task in this slugfest between neighboring rivals. The defense kept North Bergen from progressing past the Soaring Eagle 40 until the final minute of regulation and forced a pair of turnovers thanks to interceptions from Juan Cruz and Ralph Colindres.

Diaz-Mays, tied the game at 7-all when he knifed his way through the defense and lunged just inside the front-right pylon in the end zone for a 6-yard score with 29.4 seconds left in the first half. The junior created havoc outside the pocket with his legs, rushing for a team-best 71 yards on 13 carries.

Union City closes out its season on Friday afternoon when it hosts St. Peter's Prep. In two weeks North Bergen will face the winner of today's Montclair-West Orange game for the North 1, Group IV championship at MetLife Stadium.

After the win, many of the Bruin players and coaches headed over towards the fence to get a look at the stadium located less than five miles away, knowing that they will get to end their high school careers on New Jersey's biggest stage.

"It's an amazing feeling," Garcia said. "I just can't explain it, it's just such a great feeling to know my last game is going to be in Giants Stadium."

"It's special," said Ascolese, who will be coaching his final game after 39 years at North Bergen. "I'll enjoy it. I'll enjoy the preparation more than anything else. It gives you two weeks time, everybody heals, you have a lot of time for preparation, Thanksgiving and we got to be ready."

Isaiah Diaz-Mays rushed for 71 yards and Union City's lone touchdown of the game. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

North Bergen at Union City Football Photo Gallery