Bergen Tech football hopes experience equal success | State of the Program

Bergen Tech utilized plenty of underclassmen last season and that should pay some dividends for this academic powerhouse.

The Knights return a majority of starters, as well as several reserves who saw regular action, and that should help improve on last season’s 1-8 record in the Super Football Conference’s developmental Ivy Division.

“Last year, there were a lot of freshmen playing, a lot of sophomores who had never played before,” said coach Pete Barno, in his second season leading his alma mater. “They all have that time under their belt, and we’re excited to see what we can do on the field.”

Bergen Tech has more than 40 players on the roster, about the same as the previous two seasons, including 11 seniors.

This group might have the most game experience since Barno arrived seven seasons ago as an assistant. That’s because this group arrived the year after the pandemic led Bergen Tech to shut down the program in 2020 after just two games, the fewest games of any varsity team in Bergen or Passaic counties.

“When you have kids in the program who are able to play four complete seasons, they learn football, they get more experience, more exposure, more reps – everything – when you don’t lose years,” said Barno, a 2009 graduate.

Senior two-way standout Aidan Peterson is the most experienced player in a program that last season had more combined freshmen and sophomores than juniors and seniors. The running back/linebacker has played on varsity all four years and, Barno said, “We’re really looking for him to have a nice season.”

The tradition

Bergen Tech draws students from across Bergen County and has a limited gridiron tradition. The Knights have made two playoff appearances since the NJSIAA introduced sectional playoffs in 1974.

Bergen Tech has been in the Ivy Division since it debuted during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and has a four-year record of 7-21. In 2022, they Knights went 5-4.

As a member of the Ivy, they are eligible for the division playoffs but not eligible for the NJSIAA playoffs.

The challenge

The defense needs to improve, one season after Bergen Tech allowed 36.2 points per game and lost its first eight games before a season-ending 31-21 victory over Kearny.

Peterson and junior Bohdan Fedorko are the key returnees at linebacker to a 4-4 defense. Senior Re’em Avda anchors the secondary.

“We had a lot of youth last year and that youth is growing and learning football,” said Barno, whose Knights travel to play their home games at Riverside County Park in Lyndhurst. “So that’s the fun part, is seeing them actually develop.”

Expectations

Bergen Tech can win multiple games if its Wing-T attack can control the ball. The Knights are auditioning two quarterbacks: senior newcomer Calvin Flores and sophomore Daniel Yu.

The offense’s strength comes from a plethora of veteran running backs: Peterson, fellow seniors Caleb Lee and Raghav Mehta, and junior Bohdan Fedorko.

“We were very young last year,” Barno said. “We were blessed with a young incoming class and they took their licks a little bit last year. They’re still growing a little bit this year, but we look to get better.”

Schedule

Sept. 6: at Demarest

Sept. 12: vs. Ferris

Sept. 19: vs. Tenafly

Sept. 26: vs. Fort Lee

Oct. 5: at Indian Hills

Oct. 10: vs. Ridgefield Park

Oct. 17: vs. Fair Lawn

Oct. 25: TBD

Nov. 1: TBD

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen Tech football hopes experience equal success | State of the Program