Video: Preview - No. 20 Bergen Catholic vs. No. 19 IMG AcademyIt's New Jersey versus Florida in the MaxPreps Game of the Week.No. 20 Bergen Catholic vs. No. 19 IMG AcademyWhere: Crusader Stadium
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
How to watch: Live stream;
Play-by-Play here
Photos by MaxPreps photographers/Graphic by Ryan Escobar
has rolled through the first two games on its ambitious 2015 schedule, blowing out both American Heritage (Delray Beach, Fla.) and St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.).
Its matchup on Saturday against No. 19
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) will be its toughest challenge yet, and most likely its most difficult opponent of the season.
No. 20 Bergen Catholic will take on what is perhaps the most talented high school football team ever assembled. According to Bergen Catholic head coach Nunzio Campanile, there's no exact way to gameplan for that.
"The only way to prepare for that [level of talent] is practicing every day, the right way, for months," he said. "We're not going to come up with some magic scheme to beat them. It's going to come down to executing."
IMG Academy's roster is littered with four- and five-star recruits, and it appears the unprecedented collection of talent is starting to gel.
Following a loss to American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) in its preseason kickoff classic game, IMG Academy has looked unstoppable, beating three quality opponents by an average of 28 points.
Every starter for IMG Academy is a future Division I player, so there is talent all around.
The team's leader, however, is Ole Miss commit
Shea Patterson, the nation's No. 1-ranked quarterback
according to 247Sports.
Campanile likened Patterson to another outstanding high school quarterback — Johnny Manziel — and said that Patterson makes plays with both his feet and his arms.
"I think he's fantastic," Campanile said.
He feels similarly about his own quarterback,
Jarrett Guarantano, a 6-foot-4 Tennessee-bound signal-caller who is hitting his stride now that he is fully healthy.
Last week he helped Bergen Catholic exact revenge on St. Peter's Prep, which defeated the Crusaders twice in 2014, by routing the Jersey City school 47-14. Guarantano looked outstanding in the victory, scoring touchdowns through the air and on the ground while limiting turnovers.
"I think he's played great," Campanile said. "He's been really mature. A great leader. Nothing but rave reviews."
For IMG Academy head coach Kevin Wright, Guarantano is not the only challenge that Bergen Catholic's offense poses. The Crusaders' physical, run-heavy approach is something Wright's squad is not fully accustomed to.
"The quarterback is one of the best in the country," Wright said. "It's a good challenge. They're more of a downhill football team, and their running really sets up their passing game."
A game that features a quarterback showdown could ultimately come down to the teams' supporting casts, both of which are banged up.
Multiple IMG Academy players are battling injuries and may not play, while Bergen Catholic freshman
Josh McKenzie could sit out with a hip injury.
Whoever prevails will notch a big resume-building victory and likely stand to rise farther up the Xcellent 25 National Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
