By Ross Vocaturo ’25
RAMSEY, NJ – It seems only a few weeks ago that Bosco’s 2023 campaign was all but lost. A 1-4 start was unfamiliar territory for one of the State’s greatest programs. Yet, through weeks of resilience and perseverance, the Ironmen find themselves getting ready for a quarterfinals matchup in Morristown, looking to take out the Green Wave from Delbarton. Let’s take a look at how the Ironmen dug themselves out of an early hole and got their season back on track.
September 22 – Loss vs Bergen Catholic
The 38-15 defeat at the hands of Bosco’s longtime rival from Oradell seemed like rock bottom at the time. Bosco was unable to get much going offensively, and Bergen’s powerhouse of an offense was too much for the defensive unit to handle. Albeit the Crusaders being in a class of their own, Bosco had lost little-to-all room for error at this point in the season.
September 29 – Win vs St. Peter’s Prep
From one-loss Achilles’ heel to a winless program out of Jersey City, Bosco was in desperate need of a get-right game, and the Ironmen did just that. Only one week removed from being shut down offensively, the Bosco offense put on an offensive clinic, led by Devin Sisler’s triple-digit passing yards and 137 yards on the ground from Dante DeLuca. The 37-6 final would put Bosco at a 2-4 record.
October 14 – Win at Seton Hall Prep
Bosco, straight off the bye, was looking to continue the momentum against a 2-4 Pirates team. And after three quarters of 7-7 football, the Ironmen would score 14 unanswered in a crucial fourth quarter and go on to win, 21-7. Notable players included Devin Sisler (128 yds, 2 TDs), Hunter Ditrano (37 yds, TD), and Julian Zimmerman (34 yds, TD).
October 20 – Win vs Paramus Catholic
Bosco’s home finale/Senior Night was a tale of two spiraling seasons; while Bosco’s back-to-back brought them within one game of a .500 record, Paramus saw its 3-1 start quickly downturn into a dubious 3-5 record with 4 consecutive losses. After a scoreless first quarter, Bosco would split 28 points evenly across the 2nd and 3rd quarters and wouldn’t look back, eventually holding on to win, 35-14. Bobby Mays, Dante DeLuca, and Lamont Lester all had touchdowns on the night.
October 27, 2023 – Loss at DePaul Catholic
The Ironmen’s hot streak came to an end in Wayne, as their final matchup of the regular season had them taking on DePaul Catholic’s Spartans. DePaul jumped out to two early possession scores, with the final seconds of the first quarter ticking down while the score stood at 14-0. But, the Ironmen responded with ten of their own in the second, going into the half down by four. Another ten-point quarter suddenly saw the Ironmen up 20-14 at the end of three. However, it was DePaul which took the fourth quarter and eventually the game, with the final score being 28-27.
November 4, 2023 – Win at Pope John XXIII
Despite the final loss, Bosco still managed to slip into the playoff picture, its first matchup being in Sparta against the Lions of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. And after going to halftime tied at 14 apiece, it was Bosco that took the second half and eventually the game, defeating the Lions 28-17 and punching a ticket to the quarterfinals round where they would take on Delbarton, which was coming off a bye.
It seemed almost unimaginable that the Ironmen would find themselves back in contention for a State title despite the slow start. But, Bosco’s making the most of the later stretch of its schedule has the Ironmen preparing for a second playoff game this weekend. It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the bracket shapes up; regardless, Bosco made the most of a season that looked over before it even started.