BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ — Kershaw.
LaRocca.
DiBiasi.
Metroka.
Guenther.
These are the young men who are moving mountains for the Crusaders, who are the only undefeated football team (5-0) remaining in Union County and just one of two in the section they are in: South, Group 2.
“Without them, we’re nothing,” Arthur L. Johnson High School football head coach Anthony DelConte said. “They are the reason we’re 5-0.
“They are physical and do whatever it takes. They have fully bought into what we’re teaching them.
“This is the best offensive line in the state.”
From left is No. 57, sophomore TJ Kershaw (5-11, 180); No. 65, senior Michael LaRocca (6-3, 230); No. 52, junior center CJ DiBiasi (5-9, 240); No. 60, senior Daniel Metroka (6-0, 245); and No. 54, senior Raymond Guenther (5-9, 165), giving plenty of protection for three-year varsity starting quarterback Robert Gallagher and creating the holes for Arthur L. Johnson’s running backs to sprint through.
That line helped Arthur L. Johnson score on all four of its first half possessions in a convincing 41-13 triumph on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Union County rival Governor Livingston High School.
“We were fortunate to move the ball effectively,” said DelConte, a 2006 Arthur L. Johnson graduate who has been at the helm of the Crusaders now since 2014. “I felt we made a lot of mistakes in the first half. We can do better.”
Five different Crusaders scored touchdowns in the first half against the Highlanders: Joshua Maltez-Torres first on a 24-yard run, Ryan Volmut from four yards out, Anthony Ayer on a 10-yard run around right end, Ryan Malcolm using his height advantage on a 17-yard pass reception from Gallagher in the right corner of the end zone and then Gallagher on a 35-yard pick-6 interception return for a touchdown untouched with three minutes to go before the break.
Gallagher scored Arthur L. Johnson’s final points on a 17-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Ryan George successfully kicked five extra points.
“We executed when we needed to execute,” DelConte said.
Arthur L. Johnson rushed for more than 300 yards without a 100-yard rusher. Nine players had at least one carry.
“We pride ourselves on our offensive line play,” DelConte said. “We won the game because of the way they played. They paved the way.”
Arthur L. Johnson is 5-0 for the first time since 2017.
The Crusaders are now seeking to get to 6-0 for the first time since 2006.
This is not to say that it’s been a long time since Arthur L. Johnson has finished better than .500 or made the playoffs. The 2022 and 2023 versions both finished 6-3 after falling at Pleasantville High School in playoff action out of South, Group 2.
Pleasantville (0-6) moved up to South, Group 3, so there is no chance of Arthur L. Johnson traveling all the way to Atlantic County to play the Greyhounds a third straight year.
At the present time, Arthur L. Johnson is third in the United Power Rankings in South, Group 2 at 5-0. First is Camden High School (4-2) and second and third are the only undefeated teams, with Rumson–Fair Haven High School (5-0) second and Arthur L. Johnson (5-0) third.
That sets up the big home game on Friday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., at Nolan Field in Clark vs. 4-1 Delaware Valley, which presently ranks 11th in the UPR in South, Group 2.
Arthur L. Johnson and Delaware Valley last clashed in 2021, with the visiting Terriers coming away with a 26-0 triumph on Oct. 8, 2021. Delaware Valley also defeated Arthur L. Johnson in 2019 and 2018. Arthur L. Johnson last beat Delaware Valley, 49-21, at Delaware Valley in 2017.
“This is huge,” DelConte said. “It’s always a tough, physical battle when we go up against them.”
Delaware Valley’s only setback was in its home-opener against Bernards High School by the score of 7-0 on Friday, Sept. 13. Bernards is 6-0, a defending sectional state champion for the first time and has one of the best public-school records in the state the past 10 years.
Delaware Valley has won three straight and given up only 14 points total in those victories. The Terriers have yielded only 21 points total thus far and have two shutout victories. They have yielded but three touchdowns in five games under second-year head coach Ben Ibach. At 3-1, Delaware Valley finished second to 4-0 Bernards in the final Big Central Conference–Patriot Gold Division standings.
“Look at how they played against a really good team like Bernards? It’s usually a big game when Johnson plays Delaware Valley,” DelConte said. “We’ve established a rivalry with them.”
Arthur L. Johnson’s final two regular season games are at home against North Plainfield Middle/High School (1-4 and only win against winless New Brunswick High School) and at Old Perth Amboy High School (1-5).
Prior to beating Governor Livingston, Arthur L. Johnson captured the BCC’s four-school Patriot Silver Division championship outright by beating New Providence, Metuchen and Abraham Clark high schools.
“We’re proud of winning our division title, but that’s not what we’re hanging our heads on,” DelConte said.
The Crusaders are averaging 33 points and handed 5-1 New Providence its only setback, which was a 28-24 Arthur L. Johnson triumph in Clark in its home-opener on Friday, Sept. 13.
“It’s nice to be 5-0, but we have played nowhere near our potential,” DelConte said. “There is still a lot of room to grow and plenty of improvement to show. No one has seen us at our best yet.”
Photos by JR Parchini