BC Coach Nunzio Campanile “Guarantees" Team Will “Play to Win”

Bergen Catholic football head coach Nunzio Campanile, a longtime assistant at arch-rival Don Bosco Prep before taking the reins of the BC program last season, says he can “guarantee we are going to play to win on Friday night” when the two long-time rivals face off for the state championship for the second time in two years in the New Jersey Non-Public Group 4 state final at Met Life Stadium.

 Campanile, recently interviewed by MSG Varsity’s Steve Levy (himself a former Don Bosco quarterback) where the head coach noted that while “there is a tremendous intensity” to the rivalry, one he has uniquely experienced from both sidelines, “I think our kids know…that I have tremendous faith in them, I believe in their ability to make plays and we are going to try to put them in a position to win."

Some of Campanile’s other insights:

(On Bergen Catholic’s rivalry with Don Bosco): “There is tremendous intensity in it. When you talk about the great rivalries around the country in say college football I think for a high school version it kind of mimics that. I think there is great intensity, great respect for one another. I know for me I have nothing but respect for those guys, I mean all the time I spent there and the people I know there. I think that makes it great, and as a coach you look at it and say what's a better challenge than to play the best team in the country? 

“I think what's great the rivalry is that our kids relish that opportunity. I think they are going to take full advantage of the opportunity to play against such a great team. I think they respect that fact they know we are going to come out and play as hard as we can every single play and I think that's what makes for great games.

(On Bergen Catholic QB Jonathan Germano, who is battling through an ankle injury): "He is one of those players you know that he is about as tough as they come. He is the type of guy you want under center. You know exactly what I am looking for in a quarterback and he is that. I know that we can count on him to go out there and give us everything he's got come Friday night."

"I think the best stat we have on offense is that our quarterback has thrown 30 touchdown passes to 12 different guys. I don't know if there is another high school in the country that can say that. And that is really the nature of the number of good players we think we have. We trust those guys so we are going to try to spread the ball out and make them defend the whole field."

The following was provided by MSG Varsity.