Skip to main content
The largest online newspaper archive
A Publisher Extra® Newspaper

Daily Record from Morristown, New Jersey • Page 34

Publication:
Daily Recordi
Location:
Morristown, New Jersey
Issue Date:
Page:
34
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

4 Dally Record. Northwest N.J. Sunday, December 7, 1986 B13 SCHOLASTIC FOOTBALL tradition 5 to a Parochial State scores By SANDY SEEGERS Dally Record Staff Writer School football team's strategy. The plan worked to perfection as evidenced by the Lions 35-0 victory against Phillipsburg Catholic for the b' 6 SPARTA TWP Thev are teart Jiisyssassr vt. laneuaee The time-tested defense that a kA i i FT neiPea win games 19 years amtMJL uie opposing onensive nne wouia De the focal Point of the PoPe John Hi8h LJ wV itll'll state title in six years.

"We knew what we were up against," said Lions coach Vic Paterno-stro. "We didn't want to make defensive adjustments or changes. I've had the same defense for 20 years. When people talk about us, they talk about defense so it was great to see an effort like that." What the Lions faced was a pass-oriented attack led by one of the best underclassmen quarterbacks in the state, junior Terry O'Hare. In 10 games this fall, O'Hare had passed for 1,124 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Pope John's trademark 4-4 defense and a blitz cured the potential problem, recording 11 sacks, scoring a touchdown and setting up two others. Senior defensive end Chris Whelan was the main tormenter, throwing O'Hare on his back five times. Preparation for the title contest began weeks ago as Paternostro and his No. 1 assistant, Bob Urwin, watched films of the Terriers and attended their games. Naturally, they were impressed with the accuracy of O'Hare but noticed his inability to scramble.

They also detected the line's tell-tale gestures. "We felt if we pressured from the outside, we could get to O'Hare," said Urwin, the defensive line coach. "We wanted to keep him inside the pocket. "The keys were looking at their linemen to tell if it would be a pass or run. On the run, their tackles had their hands down and on the pass, the linemen sat back on their heels." While Phillipsburg crouched, Whelan and his teammates hustled.

Ralph DeFazio, Robert Flynn, Rich Labar, Andy D'Onofrio and John Healey continually pressured O'Hare and limited him to little more than 100 yards. It was an important achievement for a unit that appeared destined to be a doormat. One starter returned and according to Urwin, they were eaten alive by Hackettstown in a preseason scrimmage. "We instill the tradition in our kids," said Paternostro. "I thought it would be a long, hard year.

We didn't have anyone over 200 pounds. For a while, I felt like a guy in his first year of coaching." Paternostro felt more like a veteran early in the season when the pulled together and junior tailback Larry Arico emerged as an outstanding rusher. Arico powered the offense again yesterday, scoring twice and gaining 130 yards to go past the 1.000-yard mark. Pope John probably felt like it was back in the pre-season when quarterback Mike Mammon threw an interception on his first attempt in the opening period. The Lions regained possession on a short, out-of-bounds punt and two plays later, Arico went 20 yards around left end for a touchdown.

Bill Connelly kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead. "Mike takes a while to settle down," said Paternostro. "I thought we could have been in a little trouble but as usual, he did the job." With 52 seconds left until halftime, Mammon expanded the lead to 13-0 when he hooked up with tight end Kevin Reardon for a 30-yard pass. The 86-yard drive was set up by Glen Campbell's fumble recovery. Mammon rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter.

After Arico's 10-yard touchdown run, Connelly returned a fumble 30 yards to widen the advantage to 35 with 6:46 left to play. Pope John's North Jersey Section 1 Group IV Passaic Valley 14, Bergen 10 Group III Bergwilielt) 92, Hoboken 8 Oroup II Hrrlon 19, Hawthorn 0 Group I Naw Milford 13. Haibrouck mights 7 Parochial Group A Bargan Catholic 33. St Peter a 0 Parochial Group Pope John 35, Phillipsburg Catholic 0 North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Union 15, RoxburyB Group Ml Randolph 12, Summit 7 Group II Jefferson 20, Dover 14 Group I Kanilworth 28, noielle Park 7 Central Jersey Group IV Middletown North 27, J.P. Stevens 12 Oroup III Long Branch 30, Ocean 0 Group II Somerville 10.

Manaaquan 0 Group I Highland Park 16, Keyport 14 South Jersey Group IV Pennaauken 29. Toms River South 8 Group III Lakewood 7. Bridgeton 6 Group li Delsaa 16, Clearvlew 13 Group I Paulaboro 10, Haddonlieid 0 Parochial Group Bishop Eustace 7, St. Joseph 0 Mike Guerrini insured the shutout when he picked off an O'Hare pass on his team's 10-yard line. "We had absolutely no right to be here," said Paternostro.

"We had few returnees and no size. All we have is heart. The growing pains brought us together. The kids learned a valuable lesson this season. They learned that if they want to achieve a goal, all they have to do is give it their heart and soul." Phillipsburg Cethollc (9-2) 0 0 0 00 Pop John (10-1) 7 6 8 1635 PJ Arico 20 run (Connelly kick) PJ Reardon 30 pass from Mammon (kick failed) PJ Mammon 1 run (kick failed) PJ Connelly 20 FQ PJ Arico 10 run (kick tailed) PJ Connelly 30 fumble return (Connelly kick) till 1' LIS T1 11 1 1 I Pope John's Chris Whelan records Daily RecordCOLLEEN HARRINGTON one of his five sacks of Phillipsburg Catholic QB Terry O'Hare.

Union prone Roidbury fall i i aw I srsEas 86350,1 31 1H n8 itS fUrth 1 if By Yannotta's admittedly rough estimate, 90 percent of the students who signed up have stuck to their pledge. "Everybody got involved in it," he said. "We couldn't go to any parties where there was alcohol. It brought us close together." That was part of Polito's master plan. He wanted the players to think as a team, not as 30 individuals.

"I believe in a total program," Polito said. "I believe you have to watch the kids' grades, watch them socially, watch them emotionally." And watch them he does. "Every marking period you sit down with him and talk about your grades," Yannotta said, "in football season and out of season." The positive effects were seen even last season. Although the team won just two games, a strong defense kept the Wildcats in most games. This year, after a 2-2 start, -f 1 .1.

'It' II I I i ri i. 4 a 1 Weekend Warriors Best individual rushing performances: Mike Bencivengo, Jefferson, 27 carries for 138 yards; Larry Arico, Pope John, 130 yards rushing; Tony Perhacs, Roxbury, 1 1 carries for 77 yards; Matt Nardolillo, Randolph, 8 carries for 98 yards; Dan Bierals, Randolph, 9 carries 53 yards; Andy Sandler, Randolph, 14 carries for 47 yards. Best passing performance: Ted Ciesla, Jefferson, 10-for-25 for 181 yards. Most points scored, individual: Mike Bencivengo, Jefferson, 20; Larry Arico, Pope John, 12. Longest touchdown pass: Mike Mammon to Kevin Reardon, Pope John, 30 yards.

Longest passing play (not touchdown): Ted Ciesla to Al Gunneson, Jefferson, 52 yards. "Longest touchdown run: Tony Perhacs, Roxbury, 47 yards. Best pass catching performance: Al Gunneson, Jefferson, four receptions for 98 yards. 1 Longest punt: Nick Cerligione, Roxbury, 58 yards. Most points scored, team: Pope John, 35.

I iL 'NJ' I zone. Quarterback Ed Baffige lofted the ball over coverage for an easy completion. Union took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after recovering a fumbled pitchout by Roxbury's Tony Good-game at the Gaels' 10. Three plays later, Baffige powered in from the 2 on a quarterback sneak. The Gaels were held to 3 yards total offense on their first three drives.

But on the fourth, Tony Perhacs broke through the Union line for a 47-yard touchdown and a 7-6 Roxbury deficit. Fiorello decided to try for the two-point conversion, but receiver Dave Moore slipped in pursuit of quarterback Nick Cerli-gione's pass. holder (Bill Taylor) was hurt," Fiorello said, "and our conversions were not consistent this week in practice. So I decided to go for two. It was wide open, but the receiver slipped." The missed point turned out to be a non-factor as Union's defense dominated.

The Gaels were held to 107 total yards including just 15 passing yards on one-of-eight completions. Perhacs led Roxbury with 77 yards rushing. "This was our 90th win in the last 10 years," said Rettino, who has a 90-13-3 mark at Union. "That's the best record any team in the state has ever had in any 10-year period." Rettino was half-right. Union's 90 wins may be the most, but Pope John had a better winning percentage with an 89-10-3 record between 1974 and 1983.

Union (9-2) 7 0 0 815 Roxbury (9-2) 0 6 0 06 Baffige 2 run (Pierce kick) Perhacs 47 run (pass failed) Wilmore 9 run (Wilmore pass from Baffige) field with different colored socks, I get upset." Polito feels his team concept began to sink in after the Bayley-El-lard game, a resounding loss to the eventual league champion. "They realized you can play the best game of your life, but if everybody else isn't playing their best, you can't win." After that game, the Wildcats pulled themselves together and went from strength to strength, knocking off contenders Montclair Immaculate and Cedar Grove. "By the end of the season, I don't think there was a team in the league that could beat them," Polito said. Many of the starters from this team will graduate in June. That means a brand new look next fall.

But all the evidence suggests the Wildcats won't slide back to where they were a few years ago. Polito won't let them. By DAVE BLEZOW Daily Record Staff Writer ROXBURY TWP. Union High School North Jersey Section 2, Group IV champions. For head coach Lou Rettino and his players, the very sound of the word "champions" has a pleasant and familiar ring to it.

With a 15-6 victory over Roxbury yesterday, the Farmers earned their fifth consecutive sectional title and sixth in Rettino's 10 years. This one was special for Rettino because his team did not have a dominant running back, because both Linden and Summit proved Union human with 7-0 victories at Union. The Farmers' almanac of stellar running backs includes former Detroit Lion Dave D'Addio and Tony Stewart, the top scorer in the state in 1985. The key score yesterday was a 9-yard touchdown run around the left end and subsequent two-point catch by DeJuan "Bubba" Wilmore, to allow the Farmers to extend their lead to 15-6 midway through the fourth quarter. Wilmore does not overwhelm with either his size or speed.

But his 90 yards on 20 carries kept the ball moving, the clock running, and solidified his spot as the feature running back on a Union championship team. "It makes me feel real good," said Wilmore. "Tony Stewart is my cousin, and he won it last year when I was just a little part of the team. "I had a goal in the beginning of this year to win the ring to go along with the jacket. Now I have both." The Roxbury offense was plagued by mistakes.

The Gaels lost two Whippany Park won five consecutive games. "After the Mountain Lakes loss we were kind of upset," Yannotta said. "Then we lost to Bayley-El-lard. We said the heck with this. Let's just go out and have some fun." And the Wildcats, left for dead in the CHC race, almost pulled it out, remaining in contention right through Thanksgiving Day when a Mountain Lakes win over Bayley-Ellard would have given them the conference championship.

Nothing could have seemed more unlikely when Polito came to coach Whippany Park in 1985. "Everybody had been down for the last four years," Yannotta said. "He came and put life in us. He was always up, so we were too." What Polito has done at Whippany Park is nothing new. In 1970, he became head coach at Ramsey Group IV fumbles, had one pass intercepted, and had numerous other plays ruined by penalties and fumbles they recovered for lost yardage.

"We made too many mistakes to win in a championship game," said a disappointed Roxbury coach Jim Fiorello. "It was the worst game we played all year. I don't know why." Turnovers were a factor in the Gaels' demise, but when push came to shove, Union pushed and shoved a little harder. Wilmore's touchdown was the culmination of a pure power football drive. "I definitely think we wore them down," said Tony McEnroe, Union's standout two-way lineman.

"We just ran the same play on them right up the field." McEnroe was referring to 37-X, which Wilmore ran time and again, including his touchdown. "Myself and guard Chris Siedelho-fer just exited and took two guys out," said McEnroe, who also headed a defensive unit which yielded just 42 points in 11 games. "The fullback took out the linebacker and Bubba came through the middle of it all." Wilmore's score gave Union a 13-6 lead, and Rettino had no trouble deciding to go for the two-point conversion. "If we don't make it, they can win," said Rettino. "But we had a two-point play we hadn't used all year.

There are four different options on that play and the first one was open." The first one was Wilmore, who came out of the backfield to get open near the left corner of the end High School and immediately ended a barren spell of 16 consecutive losing seasons. His second year the team went undefeated. Similar success followed Polito when he went to Wayne Hills, a school bowing under the weight of eight consecutive winless seasons. The Polito tally was 5-4 the first year, 7-2 the next and three subsequent appearances in the state playoffs. With that kind of track record, Polito isn't bashful about his talents.

In explaining how an unsuccessful team became successful so quickly, he said, "I think the kids had a hell of a lot of confidence in me, because they did whatever we asked of them." And always there was that emphasis on the team. "I'm kind of a stickler for that," Polito said. "I want them to look alike, be alike. I want them to be together. If a kid comes out on the rn, Daily RecordCHRIS PEDOTA Roxbury's Dave Moore (88) and Tony Goodgame (33) share a seat on the bench in the closing minutes of yesterday's game.

iWhippany Park is molding winners on, off field The Whippany Park High School jfociball players weren't out to save (the world. They just wanted a way to bring the team together and do something positive at the same time So they declared war on drugs jand alcohol. Party animals had to migrate. Beer drinkers were reduced to guzzling solo. "There weren't too many parties around town after that," quarterback Glenn Yannotta said.

"We had (activities at school instead." I In a season when the football jteam won seven of nine games, finished second in the Colonial Hills Conference, and turned around a program that was 2-6-1 a year ago, the drug-free, alcohol-free program hay have been the Wildcats' most Significant achievement. "We just got together and said we wanted to fight drugs and alcohol," Yannotta said. FOCUS Mike Tschappat The players didn't just talk about it, they did it, soliciting pledges from students saying they would steer clear of drugs and alcohol for the remainder of the year. In return for signing the pledge, students received a football bumper sticker which said, "Wildcats aren't Pussycats in '86." "They had 675 names the first day," said head coach Ralph Polito, who first brought up the idea with the players..

Get access to Newspapers.com

  • The largest online newspaper archive
  • 300+ newspapers from the 1700's - 2000's
  • Millions of additional pages added every month

Publisher Extra® Newspapers

  • Exclusive licensed content from premium publishers like the Daily Record
  • Archives through last month
  • Continually updated

About Daily Record Archive

Pages Available:
1,037,336
Years Available:
1974-2024