Sunday, October 6, 2007

By Jim McConville
NJS.com Staff Writer

River Dell quarterback Blake Crouch was 4 of 8 passing for 196 yards as the Hawks improved to 5-0 on the season.

ORADELL -- River Dell started last football season 4-0 before running into an also undefeated Tenafly team that pinned a 35-0 loss on the Golden Hawks and began their skid that cost them a playoff berth.

The Hawks took the field on Friday night in the rematch with the Tigers, again 4-0. With 15 players who have at least 15 varsity starts to their credit, this was an experienced River Dell club that may not have been looking for revenge, but was prepared to get it.

Dan Chiarello took a punt back 66 yards for a touchdown just 1:22 into the game, sending the Golden Hawks on their way to a 41-7 defeat of the Tigers (3-2), enhancing their playoff hopes and keeping them in first place in the BCSL-American Division.

“(Tenafly’s) a program that you want to be in terms of winning or losing,” said River Dell head coach D.J. Nimphius. “We hope we’re starting to climb that ladder.”

Tenafly's Brian Sherman totalled 39 rushing yards on 12 runs.

Chiarello sent them up the first rung after the Hawk defense held the Tigers three and out. He fielded the punt, went to his right and found a seam near the 40-yard line before outrunning the Tenafly return team to the end zone.

“I was going to let it go by me, but it came right to me,” Chiarello recalled. “I made a few cuts and got great blocking. That got everybody excited and we took it from there.”

“Ryan O’Neill had a great block on it, and they overran it a bit,” added Nimphius. “Danny got in the seam. He makes plays. He a heckuva football player.”

It was the first of three big-play scores for Chiarello, the others being an 87-yard run and a 46-yard touchdown reception with 23 seconds to go in the first half that made it a 35-7 game.

“Win the play, win the quarter, win the half, win the game, it never changes,” Nimphius said. “We never even talk about who we’re playing, we approach them all the same way.”

River Dell's Shane Fowler running a sweep in the third quarter.

“That was perfect,” quarterback Blake Crouch said of the return, “and Ryan helped me out with that awkward pass. He read it perfectly, caught it and scored.”

O’Neill ran a fly pattern with Crouch throwing up a wobbly floater down field. Two Tenafly defensive backs were there, but O’Neill became back and literally stole the ball away from one near the 2-yard line before breaking the plane in front of the other.

The 87-yard TD was a sweep of the left side, with Chiarello (9 carries, 122 yards rushing) getting the corner and speeding past the defense down the sideline, and after John Francin’s third extra point kick, it was a 21-0 lead with 1:04 left in the opening quarter.

Tenafly got one score back on an 8-yard pass from Greg Shadek to Chris Brown and a Mike Shin PAT, but River Dell struck again on a 69-yard yard Crouch to Matt Connolly touchdown pass down the left sideline and the Chiarello TD grab, followed by a two-point conversion pass to Kevin Sonnet.

Tenafly QB Greg Shadek was 9 of 23 for 132 yards, with a TD and 2 interceptions.

The Tigers had nothing go their way in the second half, with their first five possessions ending in turnovers (two interceptions, three lost fumbles). One of the takeaways came at the Tenafly 9 and led to the final touchdown, a Connolly fumble recovery in the end zone after Shane Fowler’s fumble at the goal line.

“The defense plays a huge role in our offense,” Crouch remarked. “They give us the ball where we need to get it, and we just have to do what we have to do. Score. It all starts with the defense.”

Anthony DiBella topped River Dell with 11 tackles, including a sack, and Devin Hudson added six stops. Sonnet made five tackles and had a sack and a fumble recovery. Crouch was 4 of 8 passing for 196 yards and Connolly had 116 yards on 2 catches.

Shadek was 9 of 23 for 132 yards, with a TD and 2 INT, while Brian Sherman was held to 39 rushing yards on 12 runs. John Suh led Tenafly with 7 tackles.

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