FOOTBALL: BRHS Outlasts Piscataway, 52-48, in Thrilling Shootout

PISCATAWAY, NJ – ‘Cardiac Cats’ may turn out to be a reasonable catchphrase to describe the Bridgewater-Raritan High School football team in 2024, especially given its latest game at Piscataway High School was another high-scoring affair that again came down to the Panthers’ final drive.

This time, the Panthers were not denied.

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Despite Piscataway (1-1) scoring 16 unanswered points in eight minutes beginning with the last of three kickoff return touchdowns by senior Jahai Johnson late in the third quarter, junior quarterback Declan Kurdyla (three total touchdowns) led Bridgewater-Raritan (1-1) on a six-minute, game-winning drive capped off by the go-ahead, five-yard touchdown run by senior Nick DiEsso (two total touchdowns) with 1:39 remaining.

The Panthers then recovered a gutsy onside kick on the ensuing kickoff to seal their first win of 2024 and close out a wild 52-48 win Friday, September 6, at Kenny Armwood Stadium in Piscataway.

“It was a huge team effort,” DiEsso shared after the game – after everyone in the stadium was somewhat able to catch their breath, that is. “In practice, we’re all on each other every day for this situation. It’s just about that last minute drive. The linemen, skills, quarterback, and everyone did great. We just kept driving, pushing, and came out with the ‘W’.”

Back on August 30 in its season opener at Notre Dame High School, Bridgewater-Raritan trailed 34-10 after three quarters before outscoring the Irish 28-6 in the final period and then having a go-ahead field goal blocked in the final minute of regulation. Kurdyla passed for all four of his touchdowns in this fourth quarter and finished with 323 passing yards in his debut as the Panthers’ starting quarterback to go with 75 more rushing yards.

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At Piscataway, he and the Panthers’ offense picked up right where they left off, and Kurdyla finished 11-for-14 with 135 yards in the air: a team-high 63 of them to senior Dylan Tierney. Two of Kurdyla’s touchdowns came on passes, and he also added 66 rushing yards and one more score on the ground.

Bridgewater-Raritan’s defense forced a three and out on Piscataway’s opening drive, and before what was going to be the Chiefs’ first punt, it was ruled that the ball carrier’s knee hit the ground. This gave the Panthers a turnover on downs at the Chiefs 27, and after Kurdyla produced a 17-yard rush on third and long, he tossed his first touchdown pass to junior Mikey Bratus (four receptions, 46 yards, one touchdown) to give Bridgewater-Raritan a 6-0 lead with 7:53 left in the first quarter.

On the Chiefs’ next drive starting at their own 36, Piscataway sophomore quarterback Landon Pernell then converted a third and long with his arm, and senior James Bodley (three total touchdowns) followed that up with a 49-yard touchdown run. Bridgewater-Raritan blocked the extra point, however, to keep the game tied 6-6 with 6:27 left in the first quarter.

Bridgewater-Raritan then took over at its own 20, and on a drive that saw Piscataway commit two personal fouls, Kurdyla needed just under four minutes to lead his offense 80 yards down the field. One of those personal fouls was called after Kurdyla shook a tackle in the pocket, ran towards the sideline, and found a wide-open Bratus, who caught the ball and ran 29 yards down the sideline. What ended up being a late hit then set up the Panthers at the Chiefs 19, and after Kurdyla converted a fourth and short with his legs, he tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to junior Joey Confalone to give Bridgewater-Raritan a 13-6 lead with 2:39 left in the first quarter.

This ended up being the score after one quarter, and this put Kurdyla at a whopping six touchdown passes over his previous 24 minutes of regulation going back to his debut contest.

“To be honest, it all started at practice,” Kurdyla reflected about his growth over his first two varsity games: both on the road. “[Head coach DJ Catalano] gives a great practice plan every week. I think that after the four touchdowns I threw [at Notre Dame], I really was not happy about it. I really wanted to win, so that’s what drove me to play better and keep going.”

After Piscataway pinned the Panthers at their own three-yard line in the final minute of the first quarter, the Chiefs were able to take over at the Panthers 45 with 10:20 left in the second quarter. Facing 3rd and 15 at the Panthers 26 after calling timing, Bodley caught a short pass from Pernell, shook off three tackles, and scored on a 26-yard touchdown reception with 7:56 left in the first half. The ensuing two-point try failed, and the Chiefs continued to opt for two-point attempts the rest of the way after seeing their point-after attempt blocked after their opening-drive touchdown.

On a drive that started at the Panthers 27, Kurdyla then led his offense back inside of the Chiefs 10, but Piscataway’s defense was able to keep Bridgewater-Raritan out of the end zone. Junior Joe Squicciarini managed to boot the resulting 23-yard field goal try with 4:17 left in the second quarter to extend the Panthers’ lead to 16-12. Bridgewater-Raritan then managed to force a turnover on downs deep in Chiefs territory, and after Kurdyla was tackled out of bounds at the one-yard line on a run, junior Denzel Amoafo (19 rushes, 122 yards, two touchdowns) barreled in for a one-yard touchdown run to make it 23-12 Panthers with 1:28 left in the second quarter.

However, the Panthers were assessed a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff, which Jahai Johnson returned 80 yards to the house for Piscataway to cut Bridgewater-Raritan’s lead to 23-18 heading into halftime after the following two-point try failed.

DiEsso then managed to cancel that out with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open up the second half, and Kurdyla flicked a two-point conversion pass to senior Jordan Johnson to cushion his team’s lead back to 31-18. That cushion lasted a total of 10 seconds, as Jahai Johnson answered with his second kickoff return for a touchdown, and Bodley ran in a successful two-point try to get Piscataway to within 31-26 just 26 seconds into the third quarter.

Unphased by what just transpired, Bridgewater-Raritan’s offense marched right back into Chiefs territory, and Kurdyla and Amoafo began the Panthers’ next drive with back-to-back first-down runs before Amoafo moved the chains again with an 11-yard run. Kurdyla then ripped another run of 10 yards, a 27-yard pass, and then a one-yard touchdown run with 9:46 remaining in the third quarter.

Although the resulting two-point try failed, Bridgewater-Raritan extended its lead back to 37-26.

Piscataway then took over at its own 38, and a 49-yard to the goal line by Bodley led to a one-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Horace Thompson with 7:25 left in the third quarter. The Chiefs’ two-point try failed, but Piscataway again made it a one-score game down just 37-32 at this time.

On what then ended up being a 77-yard scoring drive for Bridgewater-Raritan lasting just under four minutes, Amoafo led the Panthers deep into Chiefs territory on the ground. After DiEsso’s 13-yard run then set up a first and goal at the eight-yard line, Amoafo eventually scored on a one-yard touchdown run, and DiEsso’s two-point run made it 45-32 Bridgewater-Raritan with 3:34 left in the third quarter.

“I knew I put in all of the work in the offseason, so I wasn’t really scared of anyone,” reflected after the game by Amoafo, who scored his first two career rushing touchdowns at Piscataway on Friday night. “I know that everyone that lines up across me, we’re all human at the end of the day. [Coach Catalano] trusts me, and I’m going to get the ball and run through someone’s facemask. Every time I get that ball, I’m just giving 100% effort, because I know my team is relying on me.”

But just when it looked like the Panthers finally had an opportunity to exhale, Jahai Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, and Bodley’s successful two-point run cut Bridgewater-Raritan’s lead to 45-40 just 10 seconds later.

Piscataway then forced a turnover on downs at their own 44: the first stop for the Chiefs’ defense in the second half, and the score remained 45-40 Panthers heading into the fourth quarter.

Both defenses then traded stops, but with 10:56 remaining, Piscataway was then set up at its own 37 with an opportunity to take its first lead of the night. That is exactly what happened, as Bodley delivered a 33-yard run on third and short to move the chains to the Panthers 21. Despite a couple of plays resulting in big losses for the Chiefs, including one of a team-high 11 total tackles by Bridgewater-Raritan senior Matt Kronengold, Pernell then tossed a 34-yard pass to set up first and goal.

Bodley ran in the go-ahead four-yard touchdown with 7:28 remaining, and a successful two-point keeper run by Pernell made it 48-45 Piscataway: the Chiefs’ first lead of the game.

Piscataway’s kickoff then went out of bounds to set Bridgewater-Raritan up at its own 35 to begin its game-winning drive.

After Amoafo’s seven-yard run on the first play, the Chiefs’ defense forced fourth and short followed by a bobbled snap, but Kurdyla scooped up the ball before being tackled at the Panthers 47 to keep the drive alive. Kurdyla, Amoafo, and DiEsso each then produced big first-down runs deep into Chiefs territory before another run by Kurdyla set the Panthers up inside of the red zone with 3:25 to go.

On 3rd and 3 from the Chiefs 5 and trailing by three points, DiEsso ran in the go-ahead score and the last of 240 total rushing yards for the Panthers, and Squicciarini’s extra point helped the Panthers retake a 52-48 lead with 1:39 remaining.

With Jahai Johnson again waiting to return the resulting kickoff for Piscataway, the Panthers then left no doubt and took matters into their own hands, along with the ball right back.

One week after recovering back-to-back onside kicks in the fourth quarter to fuel Bridgewater-Raritan’s comeback bid at Notre Dame, fittingly and after being on the wrong end of three special teams touchdowns, the Panthers’ special teams successfully executed and recovered another onside kick to clinch their thrilling 52-48 win and get into the win column for the first time in 2024.

“That onside kick was the biggest part,” said of the roller-coaster ride on special teams by DiEsso, who caught an 18-yard pass and had five rushes for 37 yards capped off by his game-winning touchdown run. “We all knew on the sideline that we were in it. There was no giving up.”

Now sitting with a record of 1-1 after their big win at Piscataway, this young Panthers squad has erupted for a whopping 90 total points in their first two games: 80 of them alone in their previous five quarters of regulation going back to the fourth quarter in their 40-38 Week 0 defeat at Notre Dame.

“There is a relief and still an anxiety effect, but I feel like it’s a big weight off of my shoulders right now,” said Bridgewater-Raritan head coach DJ Catalano of his team’s first win of the season. “And it’s for them, because they work so hard and stay motivated every time they hit adversity. In this day and age, for kids to be able to do that, it’s special and special for our community. What we bring here is a mentality of toughness. They have it, and we can just keep getting better and building off of this.”

Even more, these 90 total points scored are the Panthers’ most ever put on the board over their first two weeks of a football season going back to at least 2003: the earliest archived results are available on Gridiron New Jersey.

Bridgewater-Raritan scored 241 total points (24.1 points scored per game) during Catalano’s first year in charge in 2023: slightly more than double the points from the Panthers’ previous season. While there is still plenty of football left on the schedule, the Panthers have opened the 2024 season on a historic pace of 45 points scored per game. The most points ever scored by Bridgewater-Raritan in the first five weeks of a season going back across the aforementioned 21-year stretch was 170 total points to begin 2016, when the Panthers got off to an 11-0 start before then falling to arch-rival Westfield High School in the North 2 Group 5 sectional championship.

No other Bridgewater-Raritan football team in at least the last 21 years has reached the century mark in total points scored before the conclusion of their fourth game.

However, the Panthers are already 10 points away from that milestone heading into game three next at Morris Knolls High School (1-0, 1-0), which opened up their season with a 27-26 overtime win at Super Football Conference Liberty White Division rival West Morris Central High School (0-1, 0-1) Friday night in Chester.

“A lot of credit has to go to our offensive staff,” praised Catalano. “They prepare like no other and spend time away from their families. They care about our kids so much. What I was really proud of was the communication that they had on the field, knowing what the situation was, and how we were going to handle it. They kept our kids calm, made great calls, and then our kids executed them. That’s just what it’s all about. I’m really happy for our staff and happy for our kids.”

Kickoff for the Panthers at Morris Knolls will be 1 p.m. Saturday, September 14, in Rockaway.

Piscataway (1-1, 0-0) will try to bounce back in its Big Central Conference National Gold Division opener next at Old Bridge High School (0-1, 0-0) Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. in Old Bridge.

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