Students at Bergen Catholic High School won’t see their three-time defending state-champion football team play a home game this season until late September, when historic rival Don Bosco Prep comes to Crusader Stadium.
By then, Bergen Catholic will have played four times, including an opener in Ocean City against Florida’s mighty IMG Academy—which Bergen Catholic lost 24-17. Senior quarterback Dominic Campanile knows exactly what will happen. “During Bosco week, the whole campus will be going crazy,” he says. “The freshmen will be like, ‘What is this?’”
“This” is the latest standard in New Jersey prep football. Under coach Vito Campanile—Dominic’s father—the Crusaders have won back-to-back-to-back Non-Public A state titles and are trying for a school-record fourth straight. Although some argue that the state’s seven classifications (five public, two non-public) make it impossible to determine Jersey’s best team, a strong argument can be made for Bergen Catholic, thanks to the top-notch level of competition in the state’s A group and in Bergen Catholic’s league, the Super Football Conference (United Red Division). That aggregation of powerhouses has produced five state title winners—including Don Bosco—over the last decade.
“[Bergen Catholic has] been a New Jersey superpower for a long time, along with Bosco and a few others,” says Don Bosco coach Dan Sabella. “They were one of the first teams to play against out-of-state powerhouses, and the amount of success they have had and the championships they have won is impressive. They’ve had a great stretch the last couple years.”
Bergen Catholic succeeds for a variety of reasons, most notably, an institutional belief that winning football benefits the entire school community. The Oradell-based, all-boys high school, with an enrollment of 750, will celebrate its 70th birthday next year and boasts strong academics and “a pursuit of excellence in all aspects of student life,” according to its website. That’s standard among the state’s private Catholic schools.
What makes Bergen Catholic different on the gridiron is a top-down alignment that produces tremendous success. The school’s board, president, admissions staff, faculty and parents work in concert to create an environment in which top athletes can get into the school and, once there, receive the support necessary to succeed in and out of the classroom. If one part of that continuum falters, it becomes nearly impossible to win championships. Bergen Catholic has won seven titles this century and 17 since 1979. The payoff is not just trophies.
“When the football team wins, because it’s a fall sport, it sets a tone for the rest of the year, not only for athletes in winter and spring sports, but also for admissions and fundraising and alumni relations,” says Brian Mahoney, who took over as president in 2018. “It strengthens relationships with current families and brings back alumni. They become more engaged because of football.”
When Don Bosco visits on September 28, nearly 6,000 people will jam Crusader Stadium, creating multiple engagement opportunities. The team helps drive admissions, annual giving and school pride. Bergen Catholic’s other activities are important—and successful—but none creates the sense of excitement as does the championship gridiron squad.
“When you talk about what makes Bergen Catholic special, winning helps,” says athletic director Brendan McGovern, ’10, a former all-state football player at the school. “We want to make sure we are always putting our best foot forward.”
To say Vito Campanile comes from a football family is a ridiculous understatement. His dad was a coach. So are his three brothers. One, Nunzio, was Bergen Catholic’s head coach until 2018, when he joined Rutgers’ coaching staff, and Vito replaced him. Since then, Vito has returned the Crusaders to the heights they reached under the legendary Fred Stengel, who in 22 years at the helm (1988-2009) won nine state titles.
A former all-state QB at Paramus Catholic who at one time held the New Jersey record for career passing yards, Campanile values the “top-to-bottom” agreement on football’s importance at the school.
“Everybody is very like-minded,” he says. “You can feel it.”
Bergen Catholic’s summer football camp helps introduce potential players to the school, and Campanile estimates former campers comprise 70 percent of this year’s team. He stresses the importance of bringing “like-minded people” to campus. Bergen Catholic’s tuition is $20,000, and the school provides financial aid but not full rides. “We want families to have some commitment to the school,” Mahoney says. At Bergen Catholic’s core is a strong academic program, and, according to
Campanile, for four straight years the Crusaders have had the most alumni of any school playing Ivy League football.
“If you’re just coming here because you want to go to Notre Dame or USC, you’re in the wrong place,” Campanile says. “If you want to be around people who want to help you be the best version of yourself, that’s awesome.”
That “best version” includes four alumni who have reached the NFL, including Brian Cushing, a linebacker who spent nine years with Houston. This year’s squad boasts all-state wide receiver Quincy Porter, who has committed to play at Ohio State next season. Dominic Campanile is being recruited by Division I schools, as are other team members.
Bergen Catholic’s national non-conference schedule is designed to prepare it for league and post-season play—and to gain attention for the school. In addition to playing Florida’s IMG Academy, Bergen Catholic will visit traditional Ohio powerhouse Massillon and Iona Prep, a strong New York City program. The Crusaders expected to beat all three teams.
“It’s not an easy environment,” Campanile says. “It is survival of the fittest. It’s 100 percent about being accountable. We coach toughness in every way.”
The coaches are demanding, but the successful teams are player-led. Upperclassmen create a culture of accountability across the roster. “It’s implemented through the older players that lived through it,” Dominic Campanile says. “When younger guys are coming in, they fall in and follow in the older players’ footsteps. When they get to be juniors and seniors, they do it for the younger players.”
A fourth straight title is not guaranteed. Vito Campanile describes Bergen Catholic’s league as “the SEC of high school football,” a reference to the highly-competitive college conference. Should the Crusaders survive that gauntlet, they must navigate a 16-team state-wide playoff. It’s a lot. But the roster is strong. Campanile is a proven coach. The school has provided the resources needed to thrive. Matching results with high hopes is the big challenge.
“It’s hard. You’re not going to win every year,” McGovern says. “But if you do the right things with the right kids and culture, you should be able to have success.” And plenty of it.
Michael Bradley is a writer based in suburban Philadelphia and an assistant instructor at Villanova.
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