Trey Tagliaferri scooted away from the Don Bosco blitz on his final touchdown pass, and then stepped away from the broken bleachers, both just in the nick of time.
After throwing five touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 15 seconds to go to lead a Crusaders comeback from a 24-0 deficit, the Bergen Catholic junior quarterback was near the spectator stands at The Jack when part of the bleachers collapsed in the postgame pandemonium.
Luckily, he escaped any harm while collecting his plaudits, which include collecting the honor as the North Jersey Male Athlete of the Week, presented by HSS.
“We are having fun, but we are staying humble and focused at the same time,” said Tagliaferri.
Tagliaferri wasn’t born a quarterback, but it was pretty close. His father Francis was a QB at Matawan High School, and the family noticed right away that Tagliaferri had something special in his right arm.
“We have pictures in my backyard of me throwing the ball and my parents were like, ‘he looked pretty good, we might have something here,’” Tagliaferri remembers.
Tagliaferri’s older sister, Frankie, was already the family’s soccer star. She was an All-American at Penn State and Rutgers, and has played professionally.
Growing up, Trey tried soccer but was uninspired. He liked basketball, but baseball was dull.
“I would just be in the outfield just bored,” he said, laughing.
By the age of 7, Trey was already working with a quarterback coach to hone his fundamentals. He would play up two years in his age group to improve his game.
“As I got older and I continued to grow in the game of football, I continued to love it even more, and that’s why I came to Bergen Catholic to play the best competition in the country,” said Tagliaferri.
Last season, Tagliaferri was part of a quarterback room at Bergen Catholic that included a pair of other highly-touted prospects including Walker Snee and Ralph Tristani. Snee transferred to Paramus Catholic, and Tristani left for St. Joe’s after the season.
Tagliaferri was also the subject of a media firestorm in the off-season, when he originally committed to play for Notre Dame, but then withdrew his pledge and committed to Oklahoma a few days later.
“Oklahoma was always my favorite school,” Tagliaferri said. “I had someone who was trying to help represent me and they told me info that wasn’t true about Oklahoma, and that made me want to go to my second option, which was Notre Dame. Basically, I got bad advice. If I had gotten that information to begin with, I would have gone to Oklahoma.”
Every decision Tagliaferri has made lately has been correct. After beating Bosco, the Crusaders are the No. 1 team in the New Jersey Super 25. Tagliaferri is surrounded by a coaching staff that respects him, and a team that follows him.
“When I was young, my dad told me I had to take command of the huddle and take care of the offensive line. I was playing with guys who were older, and might be like, ‘I’m not going to listen to this young kid,’ Tagliaferri said. “Now I am there for my team and I lead by example. In the off-season, I make sure I’m with my team, and during the season I made sure if anyone has questions, I have answers.”
And right when everything is crashing down around him, Tagliaferri finds a way to step out of trouble.
Trey Tagliaferri
Sport: Football
School: Bergen Catholic
Class: Junior
Accomplishment: Threw five touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 15 seconds left to lift Bergen Catholic past Don Bosco, 34-30, after trailing 24-0 in the second quarter.
Also nominated: Christian Senatore of Fort Lee, Nick Haines of Hasbrouck Heights, Nathan Tedesco of Passaic Valley, Jorheny Rodriguez of Garfield and Alex Kramer of Tenafly for football; and Matt Seigerman of Tenafly for boys soccer.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Male Athlete of the Week showing incredible poise under pressure