OCEAN CITY, New Jersey — Amar'e Newell's late scoop-and-score with 1:23 to play in the game and Bryan Porter's 2-point conversion run helped lead the No. 18 Bergen Catholic [NJ] Crusaders to a 22-21 win over the No. 17 East St. Louis [IL] Flyers.
Bergen Catholic led early 14-0 when East St. Louis running back Ahmad Coleman finally got East St. Louis on the board in the second quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run. The Flyers then evened it up in the third quarter on a 54-yard punt block return of their own by Jabarri Lofton.
East St. Louis then took its first lead of the game when Myson Cook-Johnson broke into the clear for a 49-yard touchdown run to put the visitors from the Midwest up 21-14.
But clinging to that lead later in the quarter and lining up to punt near midfield with about 90 seconds to play, East St. Louis made its fatal mistake. Bergen Catholic overloaded the left side of the East St. Louis line, and the Flyers' were unable to contain a vicious punt rush. The Crusaders were successful, and Newell picked up the ball around the 38 yard line of East St. Louis and took it to the house to cut the lead to 21-20.
Bergen Catholic then called a timeout and decided to go for two, converting the play for the winning two points on Porter's run.
BRYAN PORTER ON THE TWO-POINT CONVERSION!
— Kevin Emmons (@OfficialKEmmons) August 28, 2025
Bergen Catholic leads East St. Louis 22-21 with 1:23 left. @SJSportsZone 🏈@Football_Flyers @DarrenSunkett @BergenCatholic @BC_Crusaders @BergenCathFBall @bccoachvito @SCNext @MaxPreps @On3sports @Rivals pic.twitter.com/2qPvFJuVki
A single point ended up being the difference between two teams separated by a single position in The Sporting News High School Football Top 25 rankings.
Bergen Catholic will visit the Sunshine State next weekend to take on the West Boca Raton [Boca Raton] Bulls next Friday, September 5. East St. Louis will get a taste of the Sunshine State as well when the Flyers host the Gadsden County [Havana, FL] Jaguars on Saturday, September 6.
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STREAM: Watch No. 17 East St. Louis [IL] vs. No. 18 Bergen Catholic [NJ] Live on FloFootball
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Refresh for updates
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|| FINAL — No. 18 Bergen Catholic 22, No. 17 East St. Louis 21
|| FOURTH QUARTER ||
The Bergen Catholic punt block team returns the favor with 1:23 to play in the fourth quarter. The unit blocks a punt, and junior Amar'e Newell scoops the ball up and returns it 38 yards for a touchdown to pull within one. The Crusaders elect to go for two on a gutsy call and convert to take a one-point lead.
The Crusaders survive a determined effort from the Flyers as they drive into Bergen Catholic and complete a pass inside the Bergen Catholic 10. But the play was called back because the Flyers' quarterback had passed the line of scrimmage on the attempt.
End of Game — BERGEN CATHOLIC 22, EAST ST. LOUIS 21
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East St. Louis has now scored 21 straight points to rally from an early 14-0 hole in Ocean City, New Jersey, to take their first lead of the game. The Flyers get a 49-yard touchdown run from junior RB Myson Cook-Johnson, and they take control in The Battle at the Beach as we start to make our way toward the midway point of the fourth quarter.
4th Qtr — EAST ST. LOUIS 21, BERGEN CATHOLIC 14
|| THIRD QUARTER ||
So, we head to the fourth quarter all knotted up. East St. Louis blocked a 33-yard field goal attempt, the Flyers' Jabarri Lofton eventually secured the ball around his own 46 and returned it all the way for a touchdown to tie things up. This is a game that Bergen Catholic led 14-0 early, but they haven't shown much of anything since then. That one play, however, was a potential 10-point swing if the Crusaders had managed to convert the field goal.
End of 3rd Qtr — BERGEN CATHOLIC 14, EAST ST. LOUIS 14
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|| SECOND QUARTER ||
No real big fireworks in this one, yet. Three decent drives that chewed up a lot of clock quickly, and these two teams look pretty evenly matched. It's Bergen Catholic in front at the half by a score of 14-7.
Halftime — BERGEN CATHOLIC 14, EAST ST. LOUIS 7
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In a quick moving first half, we get another substantial drive chewing up the clock. But this time, it's the East St. Louis Flyers that drive the field. Junior Ahmad Coleman does the honors, carrying the ball in with a physical run up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown run to cut the Crusaders' lead in half.
2nd Qtr, 5:16 —BERGEN CATHOLIC 14, EAST ST. LOUIS 7
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It's all Bergen Catholic early on. They get the ball back after another fruitless possession by East St. Louis, and they drive back down the field again. Senior RB Najee Calhoun carries it in from a yard out, and suddenly, New Jersey's top team is up two touchdowns on the top team from Illinois.
2nd Qtr, 9:22 — BERGEN CATHOLIC 14, EAST ST. LOUIS 0
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|| FIRST QUARTER ||
The first quarter ends there with Bergen Catholic in front, 7-0.
End of 1st Qtr — BERGEN CATHOLIC 7, EAST ST. LOUIS 0
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After a quick three-and-out to open the game, East St. Louis is forced to punt, and Bergen Catholic gets good field position at their own 46. The Crusaders steadily drove down the field, and on a third and goal from the Flyers' 3 yard line, Bergen Catholic sophomore QB Trey Tagliaferri finds junior WR Bryan Porter for the first touchdown of the 2025 season.
1st Qtr, 4:18 — BERGEN CATHOLIC 7, EAST ST. LOUIS 0
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The Battle at the Beach between the No. 17 East St. Louis [IL] Flyers and the No. 18 Bergen Catholic [NJ] Crusaders has kicked off in Ocean City, NJ!
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TOP 25 AND THE GAME OF THE WEEK ...
While you're getting ready for tonight's big game, get yourself up to speed on the preseason edition of The Sporting News High School Football Top 25.
Then check out Last week's Top 25 Roundup to see how the rest of our Top 25 fared in National Week 2.
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OUR PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAMS ...
Finally, don't miss out on The Sporting News Preseason All-American Teams that just debuted today!
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Offense 2025
The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Defense 2025
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We'll check back in here in a while with a look at some more storylines and an update on the weather.
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