By Tom Szieber
Posted: Monday, October 26, 2015 9:10 am
With its big win over St. Joseph of Montvale, Bergen Catholic may have ensured that the Green Knights will start their postseason journey on the road. Tied with St. Peter’s Prep with 101 power points, Joe’s has now played its first eight, while the Marauders finish out the pre-cutoff slate with North Bergen this week. Barring a colossal upset by the Bruins, Peter’s figures to snatch up at least the final home berth in the section, leaving the Green Knights to begin its title quest in either Jersey City, Richland, Ramsey or Oradell.
Hammonton dominated Delsea this past weekend in a WJFL National Division result that few saw coming. The Blue Devils are obviously a fantastic team, but their 34-0 victory was eye-opening against a Delsea squad that has been beating good opposition all season. Even when down, Delsea had shown the ability to rally this year, doing so in wins over Timber Creek, Camden and Paul VI, but it was not to be for them Friday night.
After 18 straight losses, Passaic picked up a win over Demarest this weekend in a high-scoring affair. The game, which ended in a 46-38 score, was the Indians’ first since a 22-21 win over Bergen Tech on Oct. 25, 2013, and was spurred on by a rushing performance that Passaic hasn’t seen in quite a while. Running back Deondre Tosen rushed 20 times for 257 yards and four touchdowns, while quarterback Tyshawn Bunting ran 26 times for 238 and three. The loss dropped the Norsemen -- who went 8-2 last year -- to 0-7.
Sayreville proved that it is absolutely back following the unfortunate lost season of 2014. Kicker Brandon Cencil knocked in a 20-yard field goal for the Bombers with eight seconds to play, giving them a 23-21 win over GMC Red foe and previously undefeated Piscataway. The victory came on a day when Chiefs running back Elijah Barnwell rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns. Sayreville quarterback Jayson DeMild went 15-of-28 for 228 yards, and rushed for two scores, as well.
And they had to rally to do it, but Cranford remained undefeated with a win over another previously undefeated squad, Delaware Valley. In a battle of 6-0 Mid-State 38 teams, the Cougars scored the only touchdown of the second half when running back Sean Leonard reached pay dirt from four yards out, giving his team the 28-21 advantage. Cranford trailed three separate times, but bounced back each of them, and showed the kind of resiliency that will do them well when the playoffs begin in a few weeks.
Tom Szieber can be reached by emailing tom@gridironnewjersey.com.