BCG Game Preview – Delaware Valley @ A.L. Johnson – October 11, 2024

Delaware Valley travels up to Clark Township to play A.L. Johnson in a BCC Crossover on Friday night.

Crusaders Host Terriers in a BCC Crossover on Friday Night

BCG’s 20-minute movie of A.L. Johnson’s loss to arch-rival Governor Livingston in August 2023.

CLARK, NJ – On Thursday evening, Big Central Gridiron will be taking a relatively shorter trip to Arthur L. Johnson in Clark Township to see the Crusaders of the Patriot Silver Division take on Delaware Valley of the Patriot Gold Division in a BCC Crossover.  BCG will be seeing both teams for the first time this season tonight.  BCG saw each team once a year ago. 

These teams began playing each other in 2011.  Delaware Valley won that first meeting played at A.L. Johnson (32-27).  The Terriers and Crusaders have played each other 9 times since.  Delaware Valley has won 7 of the 10 meetings all-time between the schools.  The schools have only played once since the Big Central Conference formed.   The Terriers won that 2021 meeting 26-0.

Over the ten meetings between these two schools, Delaware Valley has outscored A.L. Johnson by a margin of 251 to 211, or by an average of 25 to 21.  Only three of the contests have been decided by 8 points or less, and there has only been one shutout.  The shutout came in the aforementioned 2021 meeting.  In its three wins, the Crusaders have averaged nearly 42 points per game, but only 14.3 per contest in their seven losses. 

Delaware Valley has averaged 27.1 points per game in its seven victories while only scoring 20.3 per contest in its three defeats.  The most points the Terriers have scored in the series was 47 in 2012 (a 47-6 win).  The most points scored by the Crusaders in the series was 49 in 2017 (a 49-21 victory).  The most points scored combined by the two teams was 70 in 2017.  The fewest points scored by both was 20 in 2019 (Delaware Valley won, 14-6). Take a look below at the rivalry’s brief history.

YearWinnerWinning ScoreLoserLosing Score
2011Delaware Valley32A.L. Johnson27
2012Delaware Valley47A.L. Johnson6
2013A.L. Johnson37Delaware Valley28
2014Delaware Valley21A.L. Johnson20
2015Delaware Valley24A.L. Johnson13
2016A.L. Johnson39Delaware Valley12
2017A.L. Johnson49Delaware Valley21
2018Delaware Valley26A.L. Johnson14
2019Delaware Valley14A.L. Johnson6
2021Delaware Valley26A.L. Johnson0
A look at the brief rivalry between A.L. Johnson and Delaware Valley

Both teams are at or near the top of their respective divisions in the BCC.  The Crusaders won the Patriot Silver Division with a perfect 3-0 mark while Delaware Valley finished second to Bernards with a 2-1 record in the Patriot Gold.  Both teams are contending for playoff spots in the South Jersey Group 2 Supersection.  So the winner here will have an advantage in terms of head-to-head competition. 

Currently, Johnson is in a little bit better shape in South Group 2.  The Crusaders, are ranked 3rd in the Supersection behind Camden and Rumson-Fair Haven.  A.L. Johnson and Delaware Valley are two of 9 teams from the Big Central Conference in this region.  The Crusaders are the highest-ranked BCC team in this group.  Metuchen, Delaware Valley, and Hillside all have a good chance of getting in.  Spotswood is presently 17th.  Johnson currently ranks 9th in the BCC in UPR, 12th in Strength Index, 11th in OSI, and 4th in Power Points.

Meanwhile, Delaware Valley is ranked 11th behind Metuchen and ahead of Hillside in the South Group 2 Supersection.  The Terriers are the third highest ranked BCC team in this group.  The Terriers could move into a top eight seed with a win in Clark Township tonight.  Delaware Valley currently ranks 18th in the BCC in UPR, 14th in Strength Index, 31st in OSI, and 15th in Power Points.

Entering Friday’s contest, A.L. Johnson is 5-0 overall including a 5-0 mark in conference.  Meanwhile, Delaware Valley is 4-1 overall and in conference play.  The Crusaders come into tonight with the 4th ranked scoring offense in the BCC with a 34.6 points per game average.  Delaware Valley is currently ranked 14th in scoring offense with a 26.4 points per game average.

The Terriers defense has been their strongest asset in 2024.  Over its first five games, Delaware Valley is yielded an average of only 4.2 points per game with two shutouts.  The Terriers are ranked first in the BCC in scoring defense and ranked 4th in shutouts behind Belvidere, Watchung Hills, and Spotswood with two.  On the other hand, the Crusaders aren’t too shabby on defense either.  A.L. Johnson ranks 9th in the BCC in scoring defense with an average of 12.2 ppg given up.

A.L. Johnson is tops in the Big Central Conference in terms of point differential.  The Crusaders have outscored their foes by an average of over 22.4 points per game so far this season.  Meanwhile, Delaware Valley ranks second with a 22.2 ppg average.  Both teams have only played one game this season that was decided by 7 points or less.  A.L. Johnson defeated New Providence, 28-24 on September 13th while Delaware Valley lost at Bernards, 7-0 on that same night.

Even though the Terriers lost their only game of the season to Bernards their defense still shined.  Following last night’s dramatic 29-22 come-from-behind victory over a solid Summit squad, the Mountaineers are averaging 28.1 points per game.  In the loss to Bernards, the Terriers held the Mountaineers to 21 points below their season scoring average.  Delaware Valley is quite capable of shutting down A.L. Johnson.

New Providence was perhaps the best team that A.L. Johnson played all season coming into Friday.  The Crusaders only managed to hold the Pioneers to slightly below their season average in a 28-24 victory.  New Providence also ranks 18th in the BCC in terms of scoring offense.  A.L. Johnson is 2-0 at home while Delaware Valley is 2-0 on the road.

A.L. Johnson’s offense is directed by dual-threat QB, Robert Gallagher.  So far this season, Gallagher has been more apt to run with 43 carries for 459 yards and 5 TDs.  He has completed only 5 of 10 passes for 144 yards and 3 TDs.  Senior RB Ryan George is the Crusaders’ biggest weapon.  George accounts for almost a third of Johnson’s rushing yards and nearly half of the team’s rushing scores.  

Also helping out in the backfield is senior Joshua Maltez-Torres with 35 touches for 403 yards in rushing, receiving, and returning for an average of 11.5 yards per touch.  Anthony Ayer, Ryan Malcolm, and Ryan Volmut are also contributors on the offense.  11 different players have carried the ball this season on offense for the Crusaders.  

Vincent Cilento is the leading tackler for the Crusaders on defense with 43 total tackles and he has the team’s only kick block.  Volmut leads A.L. Johnson’s defense with two interceptions.  George is 2nd on the team in total tackles with 27 but has team highs in both tackles for loss and sacks with 5 and 2.5 respectively.  George has also converted 15 of 18 extra-point attempts and scored on a couple of two-point conversions.  

For Delaware Valley, junior QB Kelton Ibach leads the offense.  Ibach has completed 54 percent of his 63 passes for 708 yards or about 20.8 yards per completion with 8 TDs.  Ibach has also rushed for three more scores.  Christian Jensen is the Terriers’ leading rusher with an average of 4.6 yards per carry and a TD.  Senior wideout Eric Klemmer is the leading receiver with an average of 21.5 yards per catch and 6 TDs.

Also contributing on offense is Will Weckesser with 9 catches for 209 yards while tight-end Patrick O’Boyle has caught 7 passes for 118 yards.  The Terrier receiving trio has caught a total of 30 passes for a combined 628 yards and 7 TDs.  On defense, Will Fritsch leads the team in tackles with 46 including 18 solos and 5 for loss.  Justin Kollmer is 2nd with 42 total tackles.  Eight different Terriers have an interception this season.  Kicker Brayden Costello has made both of his FG attempts and 15 of 16 extra points.

Something will have to give here.  One of the league’s top-scoring offenses against the league’s top defense.  Both schools are the two top teams in the BCC in terms of point differential.  The home team is 2-0 this year at home.  The visiting team is 2-0 on the road.  However, A.L. Johnson is tied for 9th in scoring defense and has won their only game decided by 7 points or less.  This could be one of the better games BCG has covered this season.

Prediction:  A.L. Johnson wins, 20-14.