Bounce back? You betcha.

Playing on the road against yet another strong opponent, Bergen Catholic (2-2) showed no remnant effects from last week, controlling the game from the outset, pulling away late, and rolling to a 31-14 victory over rival Paramus Catholic in Paramus, NJ, on Friday.

Crusaders quarterback Johnny Langan got the party started with a 17-yard touchdown strike to Tyler Devera to cap a 65-yard drive and put Bergen Catholic up 7-0 mid-way through the first quarter.



The Crusaders added to their lead two possessions later -- with a Michael Kearney field goal after Bergen Catholic came up empty with goal-to-go. Paramus Catholic would take advantage of the opportunity to keep things close.



The Paladins cut the deficit to 10-7 on a 16-yard run by Christian Byrd with just under six minutes to play until halftime, and the tally would hold up until the break. A sloppy first half saw the teams combine for five turnovers -- three by Paramus Catholic -- in two quarters of football that felt lopsided but didn't necessarily reflect Bergen's success on the scoreboard.



Out of the second-half gate, it was Xavier Devore staking claim to a 14-10 Paladin lead with a 13-yard run with 10:02 to play in the third quarter -- an advantage that would hold throughout the remainder of the third quarter and into the fourth.



Josh McKenzie finally broke through for the Crusaders with 9:20 to go in the game, scoring on a five-yard run to give Bergen Catholic another lead, 17-14 -- and, from there, the visitors piled it on.



McKenzie scored again on Bergen Catholic's next possession, and Rahmir Johnson, running with fresh legs, put the nail in the coffin on the following Bergen Catholic drive, punching it in from six yards to put the visitors up 31-14 -- capping a drive that was set up by a 23-yard interception by Anthony Corbin.

---

Join The Conversation On Social

•  Follow us on Twitter @FloFootball_
•  Follow us on Instagram @FloFootball
•  Follow us on Facebook

FloFootball's hottest content, delivered to your inbox

Don't miss breaking news, feature stories, event updates, and more. Sign up for the FloFootball mailing list today.