Saturday,
October 12, 2013
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
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Quarterback Christian Runza ran for two second half touchdowns as Old Tappan came back from a halftime deficit to improve to 5-0 with a 42-21 win over rival Demarest on Friday night. |
DEMAREST – It certainly had the classic hallmarks of a trap game and through the first two quarters it looked like it just might be. Unbeaten through its first four games and with a chance to really prove itself next weekend against parochial power DePaul, Northern Valley/Old Tappan might not have had its full attention on Friday night's game, even if it was against Northern Valley/Demarest, its traditional rival and sister school.
But when Alex Wasserman returned the opening kickoff deep into Old Tappan territory to set up an Andrew Trumbetti touchdown and then Demarest turned a turnover into another first quarter score, Demarest certainly had its opponent's attention and a halftime lead.
“We killed ourselves the whole first half with penalties and turnovers. I turned the ball over way to much in the first half and we had to correct it because Demarest was here to play,” said Christian Runza, Old Tappan's senior quarterback. “Our coaches always preach that the first drive of the second half is the most important drive of the whole game because it sets the tone for the whole second half. We had to come out and smack them in the mouth.”
Because Demarest was squibbing its kick-offs to avoid putting the ball in the hands of sophomore Jordan Fuller with room to run, Old Tappan only had to cover 48 yards on that opening drive of the third quarter and it ended when Anthony Crasco went over from one-yard out. That gave the Golden Knights their first lead of the game and they went on to dominate the second half in a 42-21 win that keeps them perfect at 5-0 as they get ready to host DePaul on Friday night.
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Andrew Trumbetti scored both of Demarest's first half touchdowns. |
“We have a lot of leadership on this team with guys like Christian [Runza], Zach [AlSharif] Rocco [Giovinazzo] and myself and we thought we could help bring some of these younger guys along because there is a lot of young talent,” said Anthony Saro, Old Tappan's two-way senior lineman. “We knew that if we could do that that we could start out 5-0, but to talk about it and to do are totally different so we are really happy to be where we are at right now.”
Demarest, which had lost three straight games after an opening weekend win over Bergenfield, might have been playing in its last big game of the season and the Norseman came out looking to make it count. Wasserman's opening kickoff got his team going and Andrew Trumbetti, the Notre Dame recruit who was moved from the offensive line into a skill position for this game, scored on a 3-yard run to put his team up 7-0 after Dominick Fazio's extra point.
AlSharif broke one on Old Tappan's first drive to tie the game at 7 and the Knights forced Demarest into a three-and-out on the next possession, but a fumble that was recovered by Anthony Belfert set the Norseman up with a short field at the OT 35. Five plays later, senior quarterback Matt Liparini hit Trumbetti in the flat for a six-yard score that put Demarest up 14-7. Liparini then intercepted a pass near his own goal line to turn away Old Tappan early in the second quarter.
But that was the last of the Knights' two turnovers in the game and they started win the battles up front. Old Tappan went 80 yards in 9 plays with AlSharif carrying the ball on the final three plays, eventually going over from one-yard out with 3:48 to play in the second quarter, but Greg Schwartz blocked the extra point and Demarest clung to a slim 14-13 lead at the break.
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The emergence of sophomore Jordan Fuller has given Old Tappan a legitimate breakway threat. |
“We have not turned the ball over much at all this year, but we had two in the first half and that really hurt us. That was all we talked about at halftime was taking care of the ball and making a few little adjustments that really paid off in the second half,” said AlSharif, the senior running back. “We knew we had to come out with a strong drive to start the second half, Jordan [Fuller] got us good field position for that first drive and we took it from there.”
AlSharif's 34-yard touchdown run, his third of the night, gave Old Tappan a 28-14 lead with 2:27 to go in the third quarter and Fuller picked off a tipped pass on Demarest's next possession to set the Knights up again. Runza scored on a two-yard sneak early in the fourth quarter to make it 35-14 and he had a big hand in the Knights' final score of the night as well. Runza hit AlSharif for a 45 yard gain and then scored from 15 yards away to put the finishing touches on the win with 5:18 to play in the game.
It's been the perfect start for Old Tappan, but it is about to hit the deep water portion of its schedule starting next week against DePaul. After that it is home games against Lakeland and Kennedy heading into the cutoff for the North 1, Group 4 state sectional tournament.
“I think we have a pretty good shot against DePaul. We know they are good and that we are seen as a good little public school team, but I don't think they should take us lightly,” said Runza. “We are not scared of anybody and if we can limit the turnovers and get some long drives going, we think we have as good a chance as anybody to win a game.”
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