Sunday,
October 4, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Park Ridge QB Evan Matthews was 11 for 17 in the passing game for 141 yards and two scores for Park Ridge, which improved to 4-0 on the season with a 24-15 win at Saddle Brook on Saturday afternoon. |
SADDLE BROOK – Coming into this season, not much was expected of Park Ridge. After the sudden passing of longtime head coach Gary Mioli just before the start of the season and a .500 record in 2014, the Owls had to regroup emotionally before they could even think about competing on the field. Mioli was not just a fixture on the sidelines at the Group 1 school, but a Bergen County legend, a guy so closely associated with the program that it was hard to separate one from the other.
Into the breach stepped Tom Curry, Jr., the new head coach who has injected a new energy into program the Owls and rallied the town around his team. The players have followed in lockstep and the results so far have been nothing short of impressive. Curry and his staff have developed the mindset that the most physical team on every play will win that down and good things will happen.
It was a mindset that the Owls got to see first hand from the opposite point of view on Saturday. Saddle Brook opened the game by putting together a long scoring drive and then it was the Owls turn to respond.
Josh Lewis returned the ensuing kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown. Senior quarterback Evan Matthews followed with touchdown passes on the next two drives and Park Ridge pulled ahead en route to a 24-15 victory over Saddle Brook in a battle of previously unbeaten teams in the North 1, Group 1 state sectional tournament race.
“We wanted to go out and execute the way we knew we could,” said Matthews. “That kickoff return gave us the confidence we needed to realize that we were in a big game and we could get the 'W'.”
Saddle Brook got the ball to start the game and made a statement with its best drive of the day. Methodically moving the ball down the field, including a nice touch pass from quarterback Robert Lazzaro that got the Falcons deep into Park Ridge territory. On a third-and-goal from the 1, Lazzaro bulled his way into the end zone to cap the 11-play, 85-yard scoring drive in 5:51. David Sura tacked on the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
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Saddle Brook QB Robert Lazzaro scored the game's first TD after a long opening drive. |
The momentum the Falcons had built lasted a mere 15 seconds. Lewis took a short kickoff and saw a hole open up to his right. He busted through it and went untouched 74 yards for the TD to cut the lead to 7-6.
The Falcons embarked on another time consuming drive before turning the ball over on downs. Saddle Brook was winning the possession battle by such a large margin that by the time Park Ridge offense took the field for its first snap, it was nearly two minutes into the second quarter. Standing on the cold sidelines for so long, did not appear to have any effect at all on Matthews, who showed his fearlessness on the Owls' very first play from scrimmage. He pump-faked on an out-and-up route to Lewis for a 31-yard gain. Five plays later, he hit Gabriel Robles on a quick slant. Robles split the two safeties and raced 35 yards to paydirt for a 12-7 PR lead.
“The O-line does a great job of protecting me and I have great receivers that can make literally any catch that I throw,” added Matthews. “I didn't get a shot to play until the second quarter and we knew it was going to be a tough game.”
The Owls' special teams unit came up big by snuffing out a fake punt to give the offense great field position. Matthews and Co. took advantage with the out-and-up play to Lewis working to perfection again. Lewis leaped over the Falcons' defensive back in the end zone to haul in the ball for a 12-yard scoring strike. But a third straight missed conversion try, this one a two-pointer, along with a late interception by Lazzaro gave Saddle Brook some life down 18-7 at the half.
Just as they did on their first drive of the game, the Falcons marched down the field on their first possession of the second half. Lazzaro hit tailback Joe Ferri on a screen pass for a 28-yard gain then the quarterback capped the drive with a 13-yard scamper and a two-point conversion to Ryan Lortz to slice the lead to 18-15.
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Gabriel Robles gave Park Ridge the lead for good by taking a quick slant 35 yards for a score that made the score 12-7. |
Park Ridge got several big plays throughout the game from offense and special teams to open up the lead. But when it mattered most, the Owl defense buckled down and caused turnovers on three consecutive drives.
Michael Lisa recovered a fumble to stop one drive near midfield. Then a Lazzaro screen pass went off the receiver's hand, and since the ball was thrown behind the line scrimmage, it was considered a backward pass and the ball was live. Shane Kiley alertly raced after and pounced on it at the Saddle Brook 14. The Owls cashed in with a QB sneak from Matthews for a touchdown to make it a two-possession game, 24-15.
Any hopes Saddle Brook had of a comeback were thwarted when defensive lineman Mitchell Abraham, who was all over the field making plays all game along with linebackers Glen Hafemeister and Brandon Hall, picked off a screen pass over the middle to seal the victory for the Owls.
Matthews was efficient with his arm going 11 for 17 for 141 yards with two touchdowns and an interception along with 42 yards rushing and another score for Park Ridge (4-0).
Saddle Brook (3-1) will have a chance to bounce back next week when they travel to play Emerson on Friday night.
The transformation this Owl team has gone through has been a roller coaster ride of emotions. but with things clicking on all cylinders, they are not only eyeing their first playoff berth in five years but possibly a berth in a section final for the first time since 2008.
“All year we've talked about knocking adversity in the face and coming through when we get punched in the mouth,” said Park Ridge head coach Tom Curry Jr. “We had the bend, don't break type of attitude. I thought we took away their running game and whoever wins the line of scrimmage was going to win this game.
“We try not to break down the whole season, but just break it down game by game. This is great to be 4-0, but next week we're going to be at 0-0.”
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