The Ridgewood News from Ridgewood, New Jersey • 28

)rG 4 Bigger Lenape tops River Dell By TONY ABRUZZO Dreams. That's what state championship football games are made of. For Lenape Valley head coach Donald Smolyn, Saturday's 28-0 victory over River Dell, for the North Section 1 Group 2 championship, was a dream that began some four and a half years ago. "I went to talk to the eighth grade class and I said that our number one goal was to have you play for the state football championship before you leave," said Smolyn. "I told the kids before the game that I wanted this game more than any other game in my life." The victory put the finishing touches on a perfect season for the Patriots (1 1-0), while the Golden Hawks (8-3) sustained their second consecutive loss.

They had not lost two games in a season or in a row since the 1984 campaign. The last two weeks have been disappointing for the Hawks. They lost a 21-19 heartbreaker to Queen of Peace in the BCSL American Division title game and then came up empty in the Group 2xhampionship contest. "Hat's off to them," said River Dell coach Greg Toal. "They've got a hell of a football team and they should be proud of themselves.

Their coach did a fine job." "They controlled the line of scrimmage and that was the difference in the game," Toal said. "They are big and physical. I looked at our kids CK 4 -tS. Jl 71 Xr-''-f 'rrlwn Jf Ui' A JL (lis i j-, 0 I )aiiu iinnwu ai uivii mus ami a uiuuv. it was uuviuua uiai uicic wcic Their offensive line of tackles Bob Pierce (235 pounds) and Chris Photo by Tom Moorkcatl Pascack Valley quarterback Matt Levin drops Pascack's Josh Albert tries to hold off a WV back to pass as Wayne Valley's Joe Camililla defender at right.

Levin completed the past for (50) invades PVs backfield in Saturday's Group Mike Pausz for a first down that helped set up 3 state sectional final won by WV, 19-14. PVs first score. Pascack Valley denied title Traeger (250), guards Mike Milone (235) and Doug Vetter (195) and center Dave Bell (210) were too much for the Hawks. The unit averaged 225 pounds and paved the way for the backs to accumulate 320 yards in offense. Senior running back Mike Yanavok was game leader with 20 carries for 127 yards and 2 TDs.

It was a team effort as Eric Lancaster (10-65), Adam Riggs (10-48), Pete Costanzo (7-33, 1 TD), and Mike Costanzo (9-54, 1 TD) all contributed to the cause. While Lenape Valley's offense was rolling along, its defense made sure the Hawks' didn't. The Patriots held River Dell to 123 yards total By JIM JONES Pascack Valley High's Cinderella football season ended on a losing note Saturday as the Indians fell in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1 Group 3 final at Wayne Valley, 19-14, but it was a campaign to remember. Coach Ed Mullins unheralded Indians put together a seven-game winning streak to reach the state sectional final and wound up with an 8-3 record with a young squad (only seven senior members, six starters). Pascack Valley had a chance to win it late in the.

game, but the home team staged a goal-line stand that left PV less than a yard from a score after four rushing plays on a series that began on the nine. loffense and only 47 yards rushing. Nick Barto led the team with 12 jcarries for 40 yards. Quarterback Brian Dowling completed 6 of 16 for 66 lyards and one interception. I For River Dell, things started out bad and got worse as the game went ion.

The first half was disastrous for the Hawks as their mistakes caused them to trail by 21-0 at halftime. "For us to stay in there with them, we couldn't make those mistakes," Toal said. Their first mistake came with 5: 10 left in the second quarter. With first and 10 from their 43, Dowling hit wingback Doug Messineo on a swing pass in the left flat. Just as Messineo came down with the ball, linebacker Mike Costanzo popped Messineo who fumbled, and defensive end Vetter )icked it up and took it down to the U.

Four plays later, with 3:10 left in the half, quarterback Mike Costanzo carried it in from the one for a 13-0 advantage. The play that was most costly came with 0: 16 left in the first half. With a third and one from their 38, it appeared that Lenape Valley was going run out the clock and be satisfied leading by 14-0. But Toal called a imeout, hoping to get the ball back and make something happen. On the next play Yanavok ran into the left side of the line broke three ackles and scampered 62 yards for the score.

i "I wasn't kicking myself for calling a timeout," Toal said. "When you're down 14-0, you can't look to be conservative. We wanted to hold Earlier Pascack had gone to the air on two scoring bids inside the Wayne 10 and was unsuccessful (penalties hurt), so Mullins went with the power attack that had piled up wins for his team all season. "I've been on a roller coaster ride about that decision" he said later. "We just couldn't put it in," he said.

Jeff Rice, a 6-2, 195-pound sophomore, was stopped on the two on third down and Rice's fourth-down bid was halted by Doug Flowers shy of a score. It was Flowers' 62-yard punt return that set up Wayne's winning score, an eight-yard run by John Klosek, WV's 6-0, 205-pound senior fullback who rushed 24 times for 154 yards and two scores and also caught three passes for 41 yards. The coach had praise for his players, especially Brian Scanlon, a 5-9, 160-pound senior who played an outstanding game at free safety. He had 1 1 first hits, was in on four other tackles and intercepted a pass that would have given Wayne a two-point conversion when it went ahead of PV midway through the third period. "He's been a tremendous player, a leader and an unsung hero all year," Mullins said of Scanlon whose 56-yard kickoff return set up PVs second TD, a 21-yard pass from junior quarterback Matt Levin to junior Steve Weinstein.

Len Stern's second successful PAT kick gave Pascack a 14-13 lead at that point. The first PV six-pointer was tallied by junior Marc Scher on a four-yard run. Scher, the workhorse of the PV ground game, carried 15 times for 96 yards. He wound up with 10 TDs for the year and about 20 yards shy of 1 ,000. Levin connected on four of eight passes, with one interception.

He tossed a 34-yarder to junior Mike Pausz and twice found junior Wayne Sheppard, 21-and 19-yard throws. Levin also gained 80 yards on six carries, including a 55-yard gainer on a rollout. Although PV will lose players like Scanlon and Tom Fischer, captain and two-way tackle who played every down this season, the large number of underclassmen returning gives the team solid future potential. 1 them on third down stop the clock again and try to block a punt, pick it up and score." "I wasn't happy with my defense letting down like that," Toal said. 'There were too many missed tackles." With the weather conditions being as they were, cold and windy, Lenape Valley won the opening toss, but smartly deferred the choice to River Dell and the Hawks opted to receive.

This forced them to move Wainst the wind. Starting from their 24, the Hawks ran three plays and got as far as the 30. Facing a fourth and four, Dave Stecz punted into the wind and only got a 25-yarder off giving the Patriots excellent field position at their ,45. Yanavok carried it in from from the five with 4:50 remaining in the As Wayne Valley players celebrated, Pascack Valley coach Ed Mullins lectured but gave encouraging words of praise to his losing players. quarter.

Jim Heimbere added the first of four extra points for a 7-0 lead. Defensively Pete Hastings led the Golden Hawks in tackles with 12. jMatt Vernieri was right behind him with 11..