HS Game of Week: Bergen Catholic's New Jersey football legacy rebuilt by Campanile brothers

After Nunzio Campanile led Bergen Catholic to the New Jersey championship in 2017, he handed the program off to his brother Vito.

Four years later, Vito not only led the Crusaders to the state championship, but to a No. 3 national ranking by MaxPreps with a 12-0 record, one of the hardest achievements that can happen in the the Non-Public A league.

They beat rival Don Bosco Prep 28-7 at MetLife Stadium, where the NFL Jets and Giants play home games.

On Friday, Campanile brings his No. 9 nationally ranked (by USA Today) team (1-0) to Scottsdale Saguaro to play the No. 14 and defending Open Division state champion Sabercats. It's Saguaro's season opener.

"I think in our league it was the first time in 11 years that someone in our league went undefeated," Campanile said. "I'm really proud of what we did. I think our program is in a good position. We'll be a team that will be competing to be the best team in our state over the next few years, for sure. As long as we can stay consistent through our work. But in our league, anybody can beat anybody. There's a lot of parity. But the goal is win every one.

"But we're going to focus on these guys right now, because we're playing a heck of a football team Friday."

With Nunzio joining Rutgers' football staff, Vito, the older brother at 47, came over from Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, New Jersey, to lead the Oradell, New Jersey, program. Bergen has won 18 state championships in its storied football history.

Campanile won back-to-back state titles at Westwood in Bergen Country in 2013 and '14, before going to Seton Hall Prep, which is in the same conference as Bergen Catholic.

"I had a pretty good run at a public school," he said. "We won a couple of state titles there. In our area, it's like the private schools are the most talented, like the creme de la creme. The best teams in New Jersey are in this conference.

"Bergen was something I couldn't pass up."

Vito comes from a big football family.

His father Mike Campanile, a former head coach, now helps his son's program at Bergen. Two of Vito's other brothers, Anthony and Nicky, are football coaches. Anthony is the NFL Miami Dolphins' linebacker coach, while Nicky is the head coach at DePaul Catholic in Wayne, New Jersey.

New Jersey high school football titles are tied to the Campaniles with 18 of the last 21 championships having a Campanile associated with one.

Vito was the star quarterback for his father's Paramus Catholic team in the early 1990s. He finished his prep career in 1992 with 6,702 yards passing and 55 touchdowns, before playing at Massachusetts.

Now Vito's son, Dominic, is a sophomore quarterback at Bergen Catholic, splitting duties with senior Jack Duffy. In last week's Bergen opener, a 49-14 win over North Carolina's Cardinal Gibbons, the young Campanile was nine of 11 passing for 178 yards.

Bergen Catholic relies on its defense, which is led up front by defensive end D.J. Samuels and defensive tackle Sydir Mitchell, who is 6-foot-6, 330 pounds. Samuels, who has  22 career sacks and has committed to Maryland, will sometimes be featured in the backfield on offense to run the ball.

Mitchell, committed to Texas, had two sacks and recovered a fumbled and returned it 25 yards in last week's opener.

Most of Bergen Catholic's games are in New Jersey but it is not afraid to leave the state to find good competition.

In 2017, a year the Crusaders won the state championship, they playee Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and lost 62-14, as J.T. Daniels riddled the Bergen secondary for 301 yards and five TDs.

Bergen won its next nine games to take the New Jersey title.

Saguaro coach Jason Mohns knows what is waiting Friday.

"They've got some monsters up front," he said. "They're big and physical and they're well-coached. There's a reason why they're the No. 3 team in the country last year. It wasn't a fluke."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bergen's New Jersey football legacy rebuilt by Campanile brothers