By Tom Szieber
Posted: Monday, December 7, 2015 8:45 am
Check out Brian Carr's photos from Madison's win over Rutherford.
Madison and its terrific running back corps kicked off finals weekend with a bang, as, behind P.J. Mulcahy’s 87 yards and two touchdowns, it rumbled to a 27-6 victory over Rutherford in the North 2, Group 2 championship game. The Bulldogs had taken the lead on its first offensive play when Tom Reid hit wide receiver Laris Mulic for a 68-yard score, but Dodgers back Joe Mobley made sure they would not extend it. Mobley played a bit of defense on offense late in the first half, knocking down a short Madison pass that was nearly intercepted. The heads-up play by Mobley saved Madison’s drive from being terminated, and running back Dom Luppino converted a go-ahead eight-yard touchdown moments later. From his linebacker spot, Mobley also converted a 35-yard pick-six in the third, before Mulcahy’s two sprints to pay dirt.
Westfield’s biggest playmaker, running back Jack Curry, left the North 2, Group 5 final with an injury in the second quarter, but the Blue Devils proved they are far from a one-man show, beating Bridgewater-Raritan, 10-7. Already having accumulated 81 yards on the ground, Curry exited in the second quarter with an ankle injury, and Westfield clung to a three-point lead for most of the game. But tight end Kyle Dombrowski caught pass at the Bridgewater 5 with just over ten minutes to play, and running back Matt Varano scored a one-yard TD on the ensuing down to give Blue Devils a 10-0 lead about 90 seconds later. The Panthers’ Cole Harper blocked a punt and fell on the ball in end zone to make it a three-point game with :14 on the clock, but Bridgewater failed to recover the subsequent onside kick, and the Blue Devils’ celebration commenced.
Mahwah quarterback James Ciliento did a little with his arm and a lot with his legs as he led the Thunderbirds to a 38-13 rout of Glen Rock in the North 1, Group 2 title game. Ciliento’s 45-yard scoring sprint early in the third put the T-Birds up by 31, and seemed to take the last bit of air out of Glen Rock’s sails. It was his second of three rushing scores of the day. The Panthers would score twice, but it was too little, too late, as Mahwah clinched its first championship since 1981.
After coming up one win short of a sectional title last year, Cranford made it clear that it would not settle for anything less than a North 2, Group 3 championship in 2015. The Cougars rolled over Chatham, 50-23, in that section’s final, powered by quarterback Jack Schetelich, who was on a mission all evening. The senior went 12-of-15 for 239 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for 41 yards and two scores, as well. No matter what Chatham did, Schetelich had an answer. Even when Alex Sands found receiver Luke Sukiennik for a three-yard touchdown to pull Chatham within 12 points, Schetelich helped Cranford answer, rushing for a two-yard TD to once again extend his team’s lead. Cranford is now 23-1 over the last two seasons.
It took Don Bosco Prep four years, but it is once again the measuring stick in Non-Public, Group 4. The Ironmen downed a St. Joseph (Mont.) team to which it lost on opening day, winning 21-10 with tough defense, hard-nosed running and an efficient passing game. Running back Malik Bakker was the workhorse, rushing for 99 yards, while quarterback Tommy DeVito threw two touchdowns. Bosco earned the victory, though it’d be impossible to talk about this game without mentioning the controversy that arose when an inadvertent whistle allowed the Ironmen to retain possession on a fourth quarter muffed punt that had been recovered by the Green Knights. Without the error, Joe’s would have gotten the ball at the Bosco 26 with a chanced to cut its deficit to 4. But it was not to be, and the Bosco defense (led by defensive end Brandon Simon’s three sacks) prevented Joe’s from getting on the scoreboard again.
For the second time in a month, Ramapo picked up a victory over a talented River Dell squad. But after beating the Golden Hawks by just eight in their meeting on Nov. 6, this weekend’s final score was far more demonstrative, as the Raiders dominated, 45-15, to win the North 1, Group 3 championship. Quarterback Keith Woetzel and running back Joe O’Hagan each ran for over 100 yards, and the former threw two TDs, but their biggest contributions may have been on the defensive side of the ball. Both defensive backs, each produced a key takeaway (O’Hagan a fumble recovery, Woetzel an interception) that allowed Ramapo to maintain a two-touchdown advantage at the half. Ultimately, the Raiders defense slowed down an offense that averaged 21 points in their two meeting, but 34.5 against everyone else. The loss resulted in River Dell’s third-straight finals loss.
On the legs of Mark Riggio, Verona ground out a second North 1, Group 1 championship in a row with a 21-14 victory over Cedar Grove. Riggio carried the ball 32 times for the Hillbillies, picking up 127 yards and scoring once as Verona pounded away at the Panthers D. Cedar Grove made it clear early that it wouldn’t go quietly, though, and the Hillbillies had a mere 14-7 lead after one quarter. But quarterback Zack Zaccone extended Verona’s advantage in the second when he converted a 30-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dave Gautieri, and the Hillbillies defense did the rest.
Against a St. John Vianney defense that had allowed just 74 points in its first 11 games, DePaul lit up the scoreboard with a 40-17 victory in the Non-Public, Group 3 final. Running backs Kareem Walker and Nasir Hooker were simply too much for the Lancers, who combined for four touchdowns for the Spartans. Walker (195 yards) and Hooker (106 yards) allowed DePaul to pull away from what was just a 20-17 game in the third, as the two combined for the games’ final three touchdowns in the second half. The victory was DePaul’s fifth in seven games, allowing it to bounce back from a 1-4 start to finish at .500 for the year. It also gave the Spartans their third consecutive title, with the previous two coming in Non-Public, Group 2.
Pennsville defeated Clayton, 28-6, for the South, Group 1 championship, in a game that meant so much more due to the presence of senior wide receiver Kyle Pszenny, who missed the entire 2015 season after being the victim of a hit-and-run accident in June. Pszenny -- who caught 45 passes for 538 yards and four touchdowns last season -- was an inspiration for the Eagles all year, and made his first appearance at a Pennsville game since the accident to watch his teammates take on the Clippers. Wide out Jeremy Boucher caught four balls for 105 yards and a touchdown, and four different Eagles (Logan Johnston, Nick Bard, Brennan Rieco and Boucher) reached the end zone. The win marked Pennsville’s first championship victory since winning South, Group 2 in 1981, and prevented Clayton from bringing home its first outright title since 1944 (it shared the crown with Florence in 1950).
For the third time in four seasons, Hoboken hoisted the North 2, Group 1 championship trophy, this time coming as a result of its 34-12 victory over Brearley. Before the Bears -- who scored at least 20 in each of their 11 wins -- even got on the board, Hoboken had already broken two long touchdown runs (a 51-yarder by Marquis Roberts and a 40-yarder DiQuill Neal). Roberts’ score was just one of two he punched in on the day, as the senior running back had a big, 170-yard day.
South Brunswick had come up short of Central, Group 5 titles in 2013 and 2014, but it was clear the Vikings were on a mission this past weekend, as they cruised to a 42-0 victory over GMC Red rival Old Bridge. Free safety/running back Jaier Garrett had a big day on both sides of the ball, tallying five tackles and rushing for two touchdowns. Strong safety Mohamed Jabbie was a big contributor in the shutout, as well, picking up four tackles and returning an interception 30 yards to pay dirt halfway through the third.
For the first time in 14 years, Passaic County Tech won a state sectional title, overwhelming Ridgewood in the North 1, Group 5 final, 27-0. The Tech defense was on point in gaining some retribution against a Maroons team to which it lost in overtime the night before Halloween. But things could’ve gone differently if not for one huge play by wide out Yasir Thomas. PCT had turned the ball over on downs while up 7-0 midway through the third, blowing a chance to go up by two touchdowns. But after the Bulldogs D forced a punt, Thomas managed to catch a 60-yard bomb from QB Derrick Cuavers, shaking double coverage and some pass interference to extend the Tech lead to two possessions. Thomas caught four passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns on the evening.
Tom Szieber can be reached by emailing tom@gridironnewjersey.com.