2025 BERGEN COUNTY TOURNAMENT FINAL
Monday, May 12, at Mahwah, 7 p.m.
3-Bergen Catholic (9-7) vs. 1-Don Bosco Prep (10-4)
Top 20 Ranking
Don Bosco Prep No. 2
Title History
Don Bosco Prep 6, including the last four; Bergen Catholic 3, its most recent in 2015
Final Appearances
This is Don Bosco Prep’s 9th final; this is Bergen Catholic’s 7th
Head-to-Head in Final
Don Bosco Prep defeated the Crusaders, 10-6, in their only championship meeting in 2013. Max Allen scored four goals and assisted on one and Brady Wuster scored three times and assisted on two goals. Tucker James and Christopher Blewitt each netted two goals for Bergen Catholic.
How they got here
Don Bosco Prep: Defeated 8-seed Glen Rock in the quarterfinals, 14-4; defeated 4-seed Ramapo in the semifinals, 9-6.
Bergen Catholic: Defeated 6-seed Ramsey in the quarterfinals, 14-7; defeated 2-seed Ridgewood in the semifinals, 7-4.
Players to watch
Don Bosco Prep: Brady Scioletti, Sr., A (44G, 15A); Scott Conte, Sr., M/FO (3G, 2A, .692 win percent.); Johnny Devir, Jr., M (21G, 8A); Ben Linder, Sr., D (8GB); Mikey Marino, Jr., D (7GB); Hudson Villaruel, Jr., A (15G, 10A); Dashiell Lane, So., A (15G, 6A); Carson Cherven, Sr.,D (1G, 16GB); David Corb, Sr., D (15GB); Brady Kushner, Jr., A (19G, 9A; Brody Corey, Jr., G (.568 save percent.); James Greenhut, Sr., DM (4G, 2A, 26GB); Jason Koo, Jr., M (9G, 14A); William Lugo, Jr., FO (1A, .718 win percent.); Heston Halesworth, So., M (3G, 7A); Justin Bossolina, Jr., D (2G, 6GB); James O’Hara, Sr., G (.622 save percent.).
Bergen Catholic: Eamonn Twomey, Sr., M (12G, 30A); Easton Tedesco, So., A (33G, 5A); Jack Walker, Sr., D (3G, 2A, 38GB); Nahan Johnston, Sr., D (1G, 39GB); Peter Gallo, Sr., M (22G, 11A); Alexander Tsay, So., M/FO (2G, .572 win percent.); Trey Taromina, So., A (21G, 11A); Rocco Venezia, Sr., G (.534 save percent.); Dylan Carrick, Jr., DM (3G, 2A, 39GB); Joseph Angeli, Jr., D (1G, 19GB); Owen Anderson, So., LSM (15GB); Chris Ricciardi, Jr., M (9G, 8A); Liam Erickson, So., M (7G, 2A); William Borg, Sr., M (6G, 3A); Nathaniel Johnston, Sr., G (.651 save percent.); Ian Holmes, Sr., D (1G, 18GB); Jack Gonzalez, Fr., M (6G, 2A); Jack Kiernan, So., M/FO (.527 win percent.).
Key factor: A new, old player in town
Bergen Catholic has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride this season, though it’s been more like one from the kiddie park than the height-requirement area.
The bumps and twists have been very gradual and have been more like learning curves than impediments for the Crusaders, under second-year head coach Frankie Feaster.
Other than a 15-7 loss to Cardinal Gibbons (NC) early this season, Bergen Catholic has competed hard and impressively with everyone else on the schedule - including Don Bosco Prep in their April 8 NJILL Gibbs Division clash.
The Crusaders trailed only 3-2 at the half and wound up falling, 7-3. The defense hung tough against the explosive Ironmen, but the offense was just unable to rattle Ben Linder, David Corb, Carson Cherven and the rest of Don Bosco’s talented defense. Also, junior goalie Brody Corey was outstanding that day for the Ironmen.
Don Bosco is no doubt now scouring the smallest of details from that first encounter with Bergen after seeing how the Crusaders learned from another loss this season.
That would be Ridgewood, of course, which edged BC, 10-9, on April 3, but fell, 7-4, on Friday in the semifinals. Jack Walker, Owen Anderson, Joseph Angeli, Ian Holmes led a BC defense that was close to brilliant, and Peter Gallo, Easton Tedesco, Trey Taromina and Jack Gonzales provided the timely offense against the stubborn Maroons.
This is definitely not the Bergen Catholic team that lost to Don Bosco twice last season by a combined score of 24-7. But that Bergen team did make improvements in the final weeks of the season and carried the better qualities it had gained into this season.
Not a big surprise, considering who’s been orchestrating this upward movement. Feaster was a junior middie on the last Bergen Catholic team to win a BCT title, 2015. The Crusaders won the previous year.
Feaster was a versatile middie who could face off, score, defend and chase down ground balls with ferocity. This team has been displaying similar traits more and more consistently as the season develops.
All that being said, Don Bosco is still under the smart, well-organized direction of second-year head coach Matt Lane. He guided the Ironmen to a fourth straight BCT title and to the Non-Public A championship in his first season, and his team has not lost to a New Jersey team yet under his leadership.
Along with that stubborn Don Bosco defense, Bergen Catholic has to deal with ever-steady Scott Conte at the faceoff X and experienced playmakers Brady Scioletti, Johnny Devir, Hudson Villaruel, and up-and-coming Dashiell Lane.
The Pick: Don Bosco Prep
Mike Kinney can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com.
The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now!
Follow us on social: Facebook |Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)