Eustace seniors want to close out with win over Pennsauken

The team can't match up with Pennsauken.

It's too small, too slow, undermanned.

Even its coach was quick to concede that much. Its star linebacker said so, too.

Is it possible to admit all that and still be confident? Is it crazy for a defense to look forward to one of the most unenviable assignments in South Jersey?

"Definitely," Bishop Eustace senior linebacker Nick Batastini said. "All season, we've been the smallest team, the weakest team. But we come out with heart and character, and none of us quit."

Batastini, at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, is the leader of a defense that has not yielded more than 14 points in any of its nine games this season.

A heartbreaking 14-13 postseason loss to Holy Cross last week means the Crusaders' annual Thanksgiving-week matchup with Pennsauken (9-1) is the last time the Bishop Eustace defense, with nine senior starters, will take the field together.

And regardless of how dynamic Pennsauken's offense might be, those seniors have every intention of ending their careers on a high note.

"Chemistry and experience is one of the biggest reasons why our defense has had so much success," said Crusaders coach Rob Cormier, whose team (4-5) will be at home against Pennsauken at 6 p.m. Wednesday. "We don't play the same defense week-to-week. With these kids, we can adapt our defense every week to the offense that we're going to see. And having so many seniors allows us to do that.

"They've played together for all these years. They've worked out together for all these years. They have a bond. And they want to win their final game."

Stopping Pennsauken quarterback Manny Cortez, of course, is the most pressing issue facing Bishop Eustace. The dual-threat quarterback enters the game with 36 touchdown passes, just four shy of the South Jersey single-season record of 40 set in 1999 by Holy Cross' Jason Amer.

"We have to watch him all game, make sure he doesn't break contain, which is easier said than done," said Batastini, who is Bishop Eustace's career leader in tackles with 195 - 80 this season - despite being a varsity starter for just two seasons. "It would mean everything for us to do well. It would make our season worth it."

Batastini pointed out that his team was in this same position at the end of last season but pulled off a 12-7 upset of Pennsauken.

"We've played top-ranked opponents all season and we've been in every game that we've played," Batastini said. "Of course, it would be better if we were winning games. But the fact that we do have a great defense and we don't give up many points, that is kind of special for us."

Expect Batastini and fellow senior linebacker Vince Paola to do all they can to contain the Indians' run game. The secondary will have a similar challenge, and Cormier indicated that senior cornerback Anthony Marcozzi, as usual, will match up with the opposing team's top receiving threat, which this week is Amar Williams (826 yards, 14 touchdowns).

Pennsauken's offensive statistics alone can be intimidating for an opposing defense.

And maybe Bishop Eustace, like so many other teams, won't be able to overcome those numbers. But in their final game as a unit, the Crusaders' defense will rely on what's brought it so much success in the past: If it goes down, it will go down swinging.

"We want to make sure that our season ends on a high note regardless of any game that's happened before," Batastini said. "All of those games don't matter any more. We have one more game left."