Bergen Catholic defeats Massillon in nationally ranked high school football game: 4 takeaways

Bergen Catholic wide receiver Quincy Porter showed shy he is one of the best players in New Jersey in a win over Massillon

Bergen Catholic wide receiver Quincy Porter warms up before taking on Massillon on September 6, 2024. / Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports

On Friday night, Paul Brown Tiger stadium was the site of one of the biggest high school football games in the country as Ohio and New Jersey collided when Massillon hosted Bergen Catholic.

Bergen Catholic left Ohio as a 35-21 winner.

Massillon entered the game ranked No. 9 nationally and the No. 2 team in the SBLive Ohio Power 25, while Bergen Catholic is ranked No. 15 nationally and the top team in New Jersey.

FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THE MASSILLON WIN OVER BERGEN CATHOLIC

1. Quincy Porter is as good as advertised

The Bergen Catholic wide receiver who is committed to Ohio State showed why he is the No. 2 overall recruit in New Jersey’s 2025 class according to 247Sports, even in warmups.

Watching the Crusaders wide receivers warm up prior to the game, Porter stood out even if the players were not wearing jerseys or anything indicating which number they wear. His breaks on routes and his hards made him easy to spot.

Then in the game, the 4-star Ohio State recruit made a double move on Bergen Catholic's second possession of the game and broke away for an easy touchdown. He finished the game with six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.

He also showed his ability and willingness to block on multiple occasions during the game.

2. Bergen Catholic two-headed monster at running back tough to contain

When Bergen Catholic runs the football, Crusaders quarterback Dominic Campanile has a pair of running backs he can hand the ball to in juniors Najee Calhoun and Dante Kain.

Calhoun, the No. 2 running back in New Jersey's 2026 class according to 247Sports, ran the ball 42 times for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Early in the second quarter, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back broke through the middle for a 45-yard touchdown.

Kain finished the game with six carries for 37 yards and a touchdown. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back tied the game at 14-14 on the final play of the first quarter as he scored from four yards out, keeping his legs pumping as multiple defenders joined the pile trying to tackle him.

3. Jalen Slaughter showing signs of sophomore season for Massillon

Jalen Slaughter was the starting quarterback for the Tigers during his sophomore season in 2022 and helped lead Massillon to the state semifinals, completing 54.7 percent of his passes for 2,043 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Last season, Slaughter was the backup to DaOne Owens as Massillon won the OHSAA Division II state championship. In limited duty during his junior campaign, Slaughter completed 34 of his 60 pass attempts for 685 yards and nine touchdowns. That included a start against Middletown (Delaware) when he was 15-of-29 for 293 yards and three scores, the first of those a 53-yard strike on the first possession of the game in a 41-7 victory.

Slaughter is back as the starter this season and on Friday night, he went 18-of-32 for 132 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was 8-of-13 for 78 yards and a touchdown in the first half, playing better before the rains came down hard later in the game.

Slaughter also showed his patience in the game, checking down to running backs out of the backfield when plays downfield were not available.

In three starts this season, he is now 59-of-96 for 709 yards and six touchdowns. In the opener against NFL Academy, Slaughter completed 29 of 44 passes for 403 yards, all three of those numbers being in the Top 10 in the Massillon record books.

4. Ja'Meir Gamble more than holding his own in Massillon backfield

After running for 178 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries in the first two games of the season, senior running back Ja'Meir Gamble carried the ball 13 times for 98 yards and a score on Friday night. He also caught six passes for 20 yards, bringing his season total to 10 catches for 89 yards.

Last season, Gamble emerged on the scene as the lead running back for the Tigers, running for 977 yards and 15 touchdowns on 142 carries.

-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh

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