Verona-Cedar Grove Times from Verona, New Jersey • B3

Red Black THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2001 THE VERONA-CEDAR GROVE TIMES B3 VR Pg B3 'Billies Win State Title With Win Over Panthers yards and 284 total offensive yards on Thanksgiving, also turned in improved performances. The VHS defense limited the Panthers to only 143 rushing yards and 207 total yards on Saturday. "Everyone talks about our offense, but our defense won the game for us today. I've never seen our defense play like that. This was the best they've ever played," said Corrado.

"We were fired up. We were hungry," continued Corrado. "We thought that in the first game we gave them great opportunities." After yielding a season-high 42 points on Turkey Day, it was obvious Verona's defense had to play better if the team was going to win its rematch with Cedar Grove. Racioppe said seeing the Panthers once, then having 10 days to prepare before seeing them again, certainly helped his team. "We wanted to win the Thanksgiving Day game and I'm not saying we took it lightly, but we didn't put the preparation into it that we could have and then with that extra 10 days we made some adjustments and it just showed," said Racioppe.

Said Fasano, "Just seeing those plays for almost 14 days in practice -out of those same formations you really know what's coming at you. The coaches did a great job adjusting and we just put people in the places we needed to." Cedar Grove, the 2000 North Jersey Section II, Group I champion, meanwhile didn't play exceptionally well, but was obviously still in the game until the end. The Panthers (11-1) fell behind 7-0 when Verona scored on a 16-yard Corrado-to-Fasano catch with 10:58 remaining in the first half, but scored twice before halftime to carry a 14-7 advantage into the break. Junior tight end Robert Carella caught a 15 -yard pass from junior QB Tim Palek for Cedar Grove's first score. After an onside kick, CGHS scored again on a 45-yard pass from senior QB Brian Harrison to junior running back Joe Galazzo.

Verona regained the lead with about eight minutes remaining in the third quarter when D'Alessandro scampered around the right side of his offensive line and ran 35 yards into the end zone for six points. Trailing by one point, at 14- 13, VHS was content to kick the extra point to knot the game at 14 points apiece but the snap was high and Fasano was forced to abort the kick attempt and try for a two-point conversion. That ad-libbed play would prove to be the turning point of the game. Fasano rolled to his right and fired the ball toward the back of the end zone and into the hands of a leaping Matt King, putting Verona ahead 15- 14. Neither team would score again.

"It was a bad snap," recalled Fasano. "We automatically fired because it was a bad snap and we couldn't get it down. I couldn't see anybody to the right where we had kids rolling out and I knew Matt King was supposed to be in the middle of the end zone so I just threw it Continued From Page Al "Unbelievable. Unbelievable," said VHS senior tight end Anthony Fasano, after he had made his way through the group of Hillbilly players, coaches and supporters that had gathered near the 50-yard line of the CGHS field. "It's such a fitting end to our team.

I think we deserved it. It's just storybook 15-14, against Cedar Grove, after they beat us. It's incredible." It was a bumpy road towards the Hillbillies' first title since the current system of team rankings was initiated several years ago. Verona, which began the season with back-to-back setbacks to Mountain Lakes and Immaculate, had been ousted from the Section II, Group I tournament after semifinal losses in both 1999 and 2000. The Hillbillies (8-4) had won state titles during the 1960s and 70s, but that was in the days before championship games.

"This is just an unbelievable feeling. I'm so happy for the kids. They've worked so hard and they truly deserve this," said VHS head coach Lou Racioppe. "I've never experienced anything like this. I've been in four finals before, and I lost all four of them.

It's just what you play the game for," continued the Hillbillies' mentor. Ironically, Verona, usually known for its passing game, bested the Panthers largely through its running game and a gutsy, determined performance from D'Alessandro. Meanwhile, the Panthers, who had averaged 293.9 yardsgame on the ground entering Saturday's game, could not establish their running game like they would have liked against a VHS defense that turned in one of its best performances of the season. "All year we've said we've been on this journey for a real long time -since third grade for the seniors -and this has been our story, and we wanted to write our own ending. And I don't think we could have written it any better," said VHS senior quarterback Dan Corrado as he clutched the North Jersey Section II, Group I championship trophy on an unseasonably warm December Saturday.

"I knew we could win, but I knew we would have to execute," continued Corrado. "I thought we wanted it more from the beginning because we've never been here and they won it last year. We were hungry for this game." Verona looked like an entirely different team than the one that took to the VHS field on Thanksgiving. The 'Billies did indeed look hungrier, but they were also very improved. On Turkey Day, when VHS lost 42-20, Corrado threw five interceptions and Fasano made just four catches.

But, with the section title on the line on Saturday, those two marquee players and fellow VHS triumvirate member D'Alessandro stepped up. The rest of the team, especially the defense, which had allowed the Panthers to rack up 244 rushing CO. LEAKAGE) Key Plays In The Game Second Quarter VHS senior quarterback Dan Corrado rolls to his right and finds senior tight end Anthony Fasano at the goal line for the first six points of the game with 10:58 remaining in the second quarter. Fasano's kick gives the visiting team a 7-0 lead. The 89-yard scoring drive was helped along by a 16-yard middle screen pass to Fasano and also by a pair of plays by junior running back Jerry DeLuca.

He caught one pass for a gain of nine yards and also had a 15-yard run during the drive. Junior tight end Robert Carella puts CGHS on the board when he hauls in a 15-yard pass from junior quarterback Tim Palek with 7:18 remaining in the second quarter. The kick failed, leaving CGHS down by a point. Carella's touchdown was made possible, in part, by a 34-yard scamper by senior fullback Mark Zambrano earlier in the drive. After an onside kick by junior Joe Galazzo, the Panthers take control of the ball with 7:14 left in the first half.

On the third play of the series, senior QB Brian Harrison, while scrambling out of the pocket, dumps the ball to a wide-open Galazzo. The junior running back does the rest of the work, sprinting into the end zone to complete the 45 -yard play. Galazzo finds Carella on the two-point play to give CGHS a 14-7 lead with 5:19 remaining in the half. Dan Corrado's pass on fourth down in the final minute of the half is tipped by Fasano at the back of the end zone, but then falls harmlessly to the ground, keeping the score at 14-7. Verona had had a first-and-10 at the CGHS 10-yard line, but could not punch the ball in and still trailed at the break.

Third Quarter Facing a third-and-five from the CGHS 35, Verona hands the ball off to senior running back Greg D'Alessandro. He cuts to the outside and scoots into the end zone to reclaim the lead for his team with about eight minutes left in the third quarter. Dan Corrado had changed the play at the line of scrimmage, opting to run the ball to the right instead of the left, after reading the CGHS defense. Kicker Anthony Fasano is forced to scramble after a bad snap on the extra point following D'Alessandro's touchdown run and eventually throws the ball to the back of the end zone. Junior Matt King comes down with the ball, giving his team a 15-14 lead.

The broken play turns out to be the difference in the game. Fourth Quarter Junior defensive back Ryan Rooney keeps his team in the game when he picks off a Corrado pass in the end zone with 10:02 left in the game. Verona had marched from its own 44 to the Cedar Grove five on seven plays. After three straight running plays, Corrado looks to the end zone on fourth down. He throws the ball, but Rooney dives in front of D'Alessandro and comes up with the ball.

The score remains 15-14. Verona's defense continues its fine effort and forces CGHS to punt twice in the final quarter. However, a good punt by senior Walter Gonzalez pins Verona on its own eight-yard line with 5:16 remaining in the game and gives CGHS some hope. If the Panthers can stop Verona deep in its own territory, they would have good field position and an opportunity to win the game. After Carella sacks Corrado, the 'Billies are facing a fhird-and-13 from deep within their own territory with less than five minutes left in the game.

Corrado naturally looks to his favorite receiver, Fasano. The big tight end comes down with the ball at the VHS 29, allowing his team to continue to run time off the clock, rather than punting the ball back to the Panthers. In a similar situation facing a third-and-five near midfield with 2:07 left in the game Corrado gives the ball to his running back, D'Alessandro. The senior is hit near the line of scrimmage, but manages to break free and get past the first down marker. Again, the drive continues and the Panthers hopes begin to fade.

Knowing it's their last chance to get the ball back, the CGHS defense looks to get a good push with Verona facing a third-and-four inside Panther territory. The Panthers however jump offside, giving the 'Billies a first down. The Panthers have already used their timeouts and now nothing stands between Verona and its first-ever North Jersey Section II, Group I championship. up and he came down with it. It was a great catch.

I was glad for him. He's a player that did so much for us this year and really didn't get credit." CGHS, which failed to move the ball into Verona territory in the second half, had the ball twice in the fourth quarter, moving just seven yards before punting from its own 27 on its first series. On its second possession of the quarter, the Panthers punted the ball away from their own 20 after failing to gain any ground. Verona was able to kill the remaining 5:16 off the clock thanks in part to a big 24-yard catch by Fasano on a third-down play and then on D'Alessandro's second effort on a third-down play later on in the drive. Cedar Grove, which lost 83 yards because of 10 penalties in the game, was ruled offside on the final play.

"When Greg made that third down run, which was just a tremendous second effort on his part, to get us that first down, then I could finally feel like it was there," said Racioppe. Racioppe said he believed his team could win the title even after it started the season with a pair of losses. Verona's four losses were to Mountain Lakes, Immaculate, Boonton and Cedar Grove. But, the Hillbillies bested Mountain Lakes, Boonton and Cedar Grove in the postseason to avenge those earlier losses and claim the state crown. "I never wavered," Racioppe said.

"We knew what we had to do to get into the playoffs and it was just a matter of us maturing, and we certainly did." On the other side of the field, CGHS head coach Ed Sadloch knew that his team's glorious 12-game winning streak was about to come to an end once D'Alessandro reached the first down marker. "Their three players (Fasano, Corrado and D'Alessandro) played outstanding and the rest of the team played better than we did. They deserve it," said Sadloch. "We had our opportunities, but we missed it. Senior fullback Mark Zambrano was Cedar Grove's rushing leader.

He had 73 rushing yards, but his team managed only 143 total rushing yards. CGHS also had 69 passing yards, for a total of 207 offensive yards. Verona finished the game with 296 total offensive yards. The Hillbillies' passing game was efficient, although its numbers were not as great as in previous games. Corrado was 8-14 for 104 yards while Fasano led the receivers with six catches for 91 yards.

The difference came in the running game though. Rather than test the Panthers pass defense, which excelled on Thanksgiving, VHS tried to run the ball more and it worked. D'Alessandro led the ground attack, collecting 135 rushing yards on 25 carries. As a team, Verona rushed for 192 yards. Defensively, Verona was led by its linebackers.

Fasano notched seven tackles, junior Bryan Clarke, playing in place of the injured Phil Landolfi, also played well and made six stops. D'Alessandro too had six tackles while senior inside linebacker Tom Comer made five. Senior defensive end Tom DiTrani chipped in with four tackles. "Greg played his heart out," said Corrado, speaking of his long-time teammates, D'Alessandro. "These seven seniors Anthony, myself, Mike Miscia, Tom Comer, Deo DiTrani, Dan Aldworth, Greg -we've been together since third grade and you could look into each others' eyes in the huddle and we knew we were going to get it done.

We wanted to win this game for all the teams that worked hard but didn't make it, all the players, all the coaches, our parents and this whole community." Said Aldworth, "This is the only way we saw ourselves going out." IN THE POCKET. Cedar Grove's Tim Palek looks for an open receiver on Saturday afternoon. Palek hit junior tight end Robert Carella with a 15-yard strike for Cedar Grove's first score of the game. Times Photo by Mike Gesario CGHS Suffers One-Point Loss Continued From Page Al The Panthers' domination continued in the first round of the playoffs. Although Roselle Park finally broke the Panthers' shutout streak, returning a punt for a score, Cedar Grove had little trouble moving onto the next round.

In round two, a very solid Belvidere team presented a big challenge, but the locals were able to extend their winning streak thanks to an overtime touchdown catch by junior running back Joe Galazzo. Days after slipping past the County Seaters, the Panthers fell behind for the first time all season. But they rallied and bested Verona in the traditional Thanksgiving Day contest, 42-20, to move to 11-0. Then, finally, someone got the best of the locals and once again, that someone turned out to be their rivals from the next town over. With a 15-14 loss on Saturday in the North Jersey Section II, Group I title game, this year's Cedar Grove team just missed becoming the first CGHS squad ever to notch a perfect season.

They also were kept from becoming the first team to repeat as Section II, Group I champs since Butler won four straight titles from 1994 through 1997. "It would have been great to have two," Zambrano said, after walking off the CGHS field for the final time. "They just played harder and you have to compliment them on that." While the older members of the Panthers were obviously quite upset by Saturday's loss, their head coach tried to comfort them by reminding them of the successful careers they had enjoyed. As sophomores in 1999, CGHS's current seniors helped their team put together a 9-2 season. The Panthers reclaimed the Hills Division title that year with a 6-0 record against division foes.

A playoff loss to New Providence and a defeat to Verona on Turkey Day were the team's only defeats. Last year as juniors the players enjoyed their crowning achievement, capturing the state title. They also won the Hills Division title again while posting an 11-1 overall mark. Finally, this year, the team again went 11-1 and again won the Hills Division. The team even managed to score more points this season than it did last year, when it featured a much more balanced offense.

However, the magic ran out just a little too early. Still, a three-year record of 31-4 and three division championships is nothing to laugh at. Over the last three years, the team has outscored its opponents by 914 points, 1,146 to 232. "I told them we were very fortunate we came away with one championship," said CGHS head coach Ed Sadloch. "We had an opportunity to win two, but it didn't work out.

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