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2002 SCIL All Star Teams |
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Honorable Mention |
| Patsy Ciccone (Hopatcong); Jason Cook (Sparta); Ryan Crespi (Pope John); Jerry Grenewicz (Newton); Sean Groome (Lenape Valley); Dave Kroen (Wallkill Valley); Brandon McConnell (Jefferson); David Nicomini (Kittatinny); Kyle Nyhuis (Wallkill Valley); Tom Spangenberg (High Point); Mike Thorman (Vernon) |
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2002 SCIL Player of the Week |
2002 SCIL Final Standings |
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SCIL Football Records |
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Sussex County Interscholastic League Football Records |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 11/24/02 |
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And then there were two |
| When pre-season camps opened, the objective of every coach and player was
the qualify for the NJSIAA state playoffs and gain a shot at winning a sectional title. In the Sussex County Interscholastic
League, parity became a factor and every team lost at least once with Sparta capturing the SCIL crown. On Saturday in the state semifinals, four SCIL teams battled for berths in the championship finals in two weeks. For Jefferson and Pope John, hopes for sectional championship plaques remain alive while those of Lenape Valley and Sparta were extinguished. Jefferson pulled off a major surprise in routing defending Group IV champion Phillipsburg by a 27-7 score in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group III semifinals. Pope John jumped out to a 30-0 halftime lead in a Parochial Group II semifinal rout of Montclair Kimberley, finishing with a 42-0 rout of the Cougars from Essex County. Lenape Valley was blanked 21-0 by Ramsey in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group II playoffs while Sparta fell to state-power Wayne Hills 27-14 in a Section 1, Group III confrontation played in Passaic County. Senior Rich Wroblewski touched the pigskin 23 times, rushing for 100 yards and scoring three TDs on runs of 1, 5 and 5 yards against the eighth-seeded Stateliners' defense that had shut down top-seeded West Morris a week earlier. Wroblewski's first six-pointed opened the scoring with Wayne Guarino splitting the pipes with the first of three straight extra point placements. Senior quarterback Tony Irizarry flipped an eight-yard TD strike to wide receiver Shaun Guider to boost the Falcons into a 14-0 lead by the end of the opening quarter. Phillipsburg cut the margin to 14-7 before Wroblewski, who was selected the sportsinthegardenstate.com/SCIL Player of the Week, bolted into the end zone to make it 21-7 at the intermission. His third TD came in the third quarter and iced the decision as the Falcons upped their overall record to 9-2 and will send the fifth-seeded Falcons against third-seeded Mount Olive for the sectional title. Ryan Pepe totted the pigskin 15 times, churning out 143 yards with touchdown runs of 3 and 60 yards. He has rushed for 1,848 yards this fall, leaving him just 237 yards shy of the SCIL and Pope John single-season mark set by former Lions' star Hank Trogani of 2,085 yards in 1997. The Lions will battled Queen of Peace of North Arlington for the Parochial 2 championship after the Golden Griffins rallied to defeat Paterson Catholic by a score of 30-26 on Sunday. Second-seeded Ramsey won the battle in the trenches as they defeated the Patriots at De Puyt Memorial Field in Bergen County on Saturday. The Rams limited the LVR ground attack to a mere 27 yards on 25 attempts and sacked quarterback Dan Guarino nine times for losses of 24 yards. Lenape Valley finished the season with an 8-3 record. Wayne Hills is ranked No. 2 in the state in this week's sportsinthegardenstate.com poll, one of three state-wide ranking systems. The Patriots from Passaic County earned their sixth straight trip to the sectional final by forcing five turnovers and icing the decision with two TD passes to senior Greg Olsen, arguably the premier tight end in the State of New Jersey. Adam Lavalley split the pipes with a 26-yard field goal to boost the Spartans into an early 3-0 lead. Wayne Hills rallied to go in front 7-3 by the end of the opening quarter. Lavalley connected from 34 yards out to cut the deficit to 7-6 in the second quarter before Wayne Hills upped its lead to 13-6 by intermission. The Patriots bridged the third and fourth quarters with the Olsen TD receptions before quarterback Eric Reese tossed a four-yard TD strike to Tom Zanetich for the Spartans' final six-pointer of the season. Reese dashed three yards into the end zone for a two-point conversion to cut the final margin to 13 points as the Spartans concluded their season with a 9-2 mark. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 11/17/02 |
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Falcons, Patriots, Spartans advance in state playoffs |
| Jefferson, Lenape Valley and Sparta displayed winning traits on sloppy fields
under rainy conditions as the SCIL trio advanced into the semifinal rounds of the NJSIAA post-season football playoffs
on Saturday. Pope John received a bye making it four SCIL teams who will play on Saturday. Sparta, the SCIL champions, enjoyed the advantage of playing at Richard S. Cassels Memorial Field and posted a 40-7 rout of Lakeland Regional as Adam Lavalley and Curtis Taylor scored two touchdowns apiece. Lavalley bolted 31 yards to paydirt to open the scoring and added the extra point conversion to cap off a 77 yard drive. Lavalley then hauled in a 35-yard TD pass from quarterback Eric Reese and the advantage jumped to 14 points before the Lancers from Passaic County scored their only points of the game to trail 14-7 entering the second quarter. Steve Leonard blasted two yards into the end zone giving the Spartans a 21-7 lead at intermission. In the third quarter, Reese hooked up with Taylor on TD aerials of 65 and 10 yards before Tony Mauriello picked off a Lancer pass and returned it 25 yards to paydirt to complete the scoring parade. Lenape Valley’s "D" unit stole the spotlight as the Patriots edged Kittatinny 7-0 in an NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group II quarterfinal matchup played Saturday in Stanhope. LVR limited the Cougars to 96 yards of total offense in posting its fourth shutout of the season. The third-seeded Patriots travel to Bergen County on Saturday to clash with second-seeded Ramsey in the semifinals. The defensive front wall of Tony Gallagher, Keith Kaskie, Dave Korver and Frank Spina held the Cougars to 42 net yards of rushing in 28 attempts. Quarterback Dan Guarino plunged over the goal line from two yards out with 4 minutes, 27 seconds remaining on the first quarter clock to complete a 70-yard march in 15 plays on the Patriots’ first possession of the game. Brent Freda split the pipes with his extra point placement and that was the end of the offensive displays for the afternoon. Trailing 6-0 at halftime, Jefferson rallied to defeat Scotch Plains-Fanwood 14-6 on Saturday in Union County as the Falcons recorded their first playoff win since 1994. Quarterback Tony Irizaary tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Wayne Guarino and Guarino then split the uprights with his extra point placement to give the Falcons a 7-6 lead in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Rich Wroblewski bolted 13-yards into the end zone as he finished with a game-high 109 yards rushing on 19 tries. High Point closed out its season with a 31-0 rout of Paramus in Bergen County on Saturday. Jordan Ellefsen hooked up with senior tight end Chris Rudanovic on a 14-yard TD strike to open the scoring in the first quarter as the Wildcats never looked back. Ellefsen rushed one yard into the end zone as High Point led 14-0 going into the second quarter. Neil Phillips bridged the second and third quarters with TD runs of 5 and 3 yards with Bruce Russell booting a 21-yard field goal in addition to his four successful PAT conversions to complete the scoring as the Wildcats finished with a 3-7 record. Ryan Brennan rushed for three touchdowns, including the game-winning six-pointer in the second overtime period as Vernon toppled Paterson Eastside 27-21. Brennan churned out 195 yards rushing on 31 attempts, scoring from six, seven and 44 yards. Quarterback Matt Walsh completed eight of 17 aerial attempts for 126 yards, including a TD pass of 40 yards to Rich Pinck. Newton snapped its nine-game winless streak, defeating Sussex Tech 36-0 at Palmer Field in Newton on Saturday. Jim Wilton was moved from his offensive line slot to play fullback, scoring two touchdowns and rushing for a pair of two-point conversions to power the Braves attack. Quarterback Ross Kithcart scored a touchdown and tossed a TD strike to tight end Michael Walker and Athony Caroleo, who intercepted three passes, scored the other six-pointer. Hopatcong completed its season with a 4-6 record when Nelson Griffith split the uprights with a 28-yard field goal as the Chiefs rallied to defeat Indian Hills 17-15 in Oakland on Saturday. It was the first field goal of Griffith’s career and he added two extra point placements. Quarterback Mike Andrikanich connected on TD passes of 76 and 30 yards to Ricky Nwosu. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 11/10/02 |
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Hail to the Spartans, thanks to the Cougars |
| Unlike King Leonidas who could not hold off the Persians at Thermopoylae,
head coach Pat Shea kept his Spartans focused after a mid-season setback to the Lions of Pope John. On Saturday
at Richard S. Cassels Memorial Field in Sparta, the dedication and hard work paid off as Sparta claimed its first
outright SCIL gridiron crown since 1982. In 2000, the Spartans shared the title with Pope John and Vernon. Sparta rolled to a 49-15 victory over Hopatcong to finish with an 8-1 record. In Hampton, Kittatinny remained unbeaten on its own turf when the Cougars defeated Pope John 21-17. The victory not only gave the league title outright to Sparta, it was the first victory the Cougars ever gained over the Lions since they began playing football in 1976. Kittatinny began the year 0-2 but has rebounded to win six of its last seven and will look to avenge a 20-0 opening day defeat. On Saturday, the sixth-seeded Cougars travel to play the No. 3 seeded Patriots of Lenape Valley in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group II playoffs in Stanhope. In other games, Jefferson routed Newton 44-0 and Lenape Valley rolled to a 33-7 victory over Wallkill Valley as the Falcons and Patriots shared second place with Pope John as all three finished at 7-2. Adam Lavalley put the Spartans on the board in the opening quarter when he bolted 10 yards into the end zone. The Spartans scored 28 points in the second quarter to build a 35-7 lead by the halftime break. Ryan Pepe, who toted the pigskin 40 times for 229 yards, scored from 29 yards out as Pope John led 7-0 going into the second quarter. Kittatinny put all 21 points on the board in the second quarter as Ryan Schwester scored twice on runs of 2 and 52 yards. Sandwiched in between was a seven yard return of a blocked punt by Andrew McGinniss. Lenape Valley rolled to a 33-7 victory as T.J. Cereza and Bill Salvas scored twice for the Patriots while Brent Freda booted field goals of 38 and 32 yards. Jefferson hammered Newton 44-0 ad Rich Wroblewski scored three times in the third quarter on runs of 35, 14 and 55 yards to ice the decision. Wayne Guarino opened the scoring when he split the uprights with a 35-yard field goal and later raced 22 yards to the end zone with a blocked punt. Quarterback Tony Irizarry tossed TD strikes of 22 and 66 yards to Ryan McCarney. McCarney, the sportsinthegardenstate.com/SCIL Player of the Week, hauled in 15 aerials for 223 yards as he set a new SCIL career record with 85 receptions. Vernon rallied to defeat High Point 12-7 when Ryan Brennan raced six yards to paydirt in the fourth quarter with the Vikings trailing 7-6 at the time. Brennen finished with 105 yards on 28 carries. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 11/03/02 |
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Falcons drop Patriots out of first place |
| Tony Irizarry was consistently on target with his passes as Jefferson edged
Lenape Valley 17-14 to pull into a tie with the Patriots for third place in the SCIL standings with 6-2 records.
Pope John routed High Pojnt 35-0 and Sparta rolled to a 42-6 victory over Vernon to remain deadlocked for first
place at 7-1. Irizarry completed 18 of 25 aerial attempts for 190 yards, including a 10-yard TD strike to Paul Plunkett that opened the scoring in the first quarter. Irizarry has been chosen as the sportsinthegardenstate.com/SCIL football player of the week. Rich Wroblewski powered the ground attack for the Falcons, rushing for 105 yards on 23 attempts that included a two-yard blast into the end zone of the second quarter when the Falcons upped their lead to 14-0 by the halftime break. Wayne Guarino split the uprights with a 38-yard field goal to provide the margin of victory. Bill Salvas put the Patriots on the board in the third quarter when he bolted three yards into the end zone. Dan Guarino plunged one yard over the goal line in the fourth quarter to bring LVR within three points of the lead. Last year, High Point surprised Pope John 24-14 so the Lions were up when they walked onto their own turf on Saturday. When the final whistle had blown, Pope John enjoyed a 35-0 victory as Ryan Pepe scored three times of runs of 6, 2 and 88 yards while rushing for 213 yards on 26 carries. Eric Reese connected on 13 of 16 aerial attempts for 154 yards and TD strikes of five yards to Tom Zanetich, two yards to Rich Mendes and 14 yards to Jimmy Kevil while dashing six yards over the goal line. The Spartans exploded to a 35-0 lead by intermission as Zanetich added a 12 yard TD run and Adam Lavalley a four yard blast into the end zone in addition to splitting the pipes with all six of his PAT attempts. Kittatinny blanked Wallkill Valley 33-0 as the Cougars front wall of Mike Abruzzo, Brian Boehm, Dan Sylvester and Mark Tully limited the Rangers to 24 yards rushing on 18 attempts while Wallkill Valley managed only 53 yards of total offense. Bryant Wanamaker scored three touchdowns on runs of 15 and 24 yards plus a kickoff return to 87 yards to start the second half. Hopatcong won its third straight after opening with five losses as the Chiefs edged winless Newton 7-0. It was a scoreless stalemate until five minutes remained of the game clock. Quarterback Mike Andrikanich hooked up with tight end Patsy Ciccone on a 44-yard TD bomb and Nelson Griffith booted the extra point placement for the onlt points of the game. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 10/27/02 |
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Paternosto steals the spotlight |
| No matter what any offensive player or defensive stalwart achieved on the
SCIL gridirons over the weekend, it paled to the recognition heaped up Vic Paternostro on the Pope John sidelines’
in Vernon when the clock ran down to zero and the Lions had recorded an 18-0 victory over the Vikings. Starting 35 years ago, Paternostro had notched his first career victory with a similar 18-0 win over the old Morristown School that is known today as Morristown-Beard. On Saturday, the win was the 300th of his storied career against 52 setbacks and 5 ties. Only Warren Wolf who still walks the sidelines at Brick Township, has recorded more wins, sporting a 326-94-11 record over 41 years and his winning percentage pales in comparison to that of Paternostro. Paternosto’s teams have won or shared 14 SCIL championships and 19 NJSIAA Parochial titles during his tenure as the Lions’ mentor since 1968 after he graduated from the University of Notre Dame where he experienced the winning tradition of the Fighting Irish. Pope John got on the board in the opening quarter when Ryan Crespi picked off a Viking aerial and returned the ball 55 yards into the end zone. Ryan Pepe, the Lions’ workhorse on the ground attack who churned out 136 yards rushing on 30 carries, bolted 31 yards over the goal line in the second half to give Pope John a 12-0 lead the the halftime break. Pepe iced the decision with a four-yard blast into the end zone in the fourth quarter as the Lions improved to 6-1. Lenape Valley exploded for 27 points in the second quarter to defeat Newton 27-7 and remain part of the three-way tie for first place at 6-1 with the Lions and Sparta, a 16-3 winner over Kittatinny. Four Patriots found the end zone for head coach Don Smolyn’s Patriots starting with a five yard TD blast by Paul Bagordo. Brent Freda split the uprights the first of his PAT successes to make it 7-0. Bill Salvas followed with a one-yard plunge over the goal line before T. J. Cerzo scored from 10 yards out. The final TD came through the air when Dan Guarino tossed a 10-yard TD strike to Rob Pauli. Sparta’s "D" rose to the occasion on Saturday, limiting Kittatinny to 70 yards of total offense in a 16-3 victory over the Cougars. Adam Lavalley’ booted a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter and the score remained 3-0 until the final quarter. Tony Mauriello grabbed a punt and raced 60 yards to paydirt to up the score to 10-0 before the Cougars; got on the board with a 25-yard field goal from Bo Lawson. Steve Leonard iced the decision when he bolted four yards into the end zone as he finished the day with a game-high 82 yards rushing on 22 attempts. Jefferson rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat High Point 21-10 in Jefferson. Rich Wroblewski, who rushed 18 times for 133 yards, bridged the first and second quarters with TD runs of 59 and one yard as the Falcons led 13-3 at halftime. Wayne Guarino scored from one yard out in the third quarter as the Falcons built their advantage to 21-3. Bruce Russell, who booted a 24-yard field goal in the opening quaretr, hauled in a 36-yard TD aerial from Jordan Race in the fourth quarter and added the PAT to account for all the Wildcats’ points. Hopatcong blanked Wallkill Valley 14-0 as the Rangers managed 70 yards rushing and finished with 58 yards of total offense when they recored minus 12 yards in the air. A.J. Agnor picked off two interceptions for the Rangers. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 10/20/02 |
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LVR win produces three-way for 1st |
| Lenape Valley handed Pope John its first setback of the season, setting
up a three-deadlock for first place in the Sussex County Interscholastic League Football Standings with the Lions,
Patriots and Sparta, all of whom possess 5-1 records. While there are many outstanding coaches in the SCIL in all sports, there is no rivalry that has stood the test of time like Don Smolyn versus Vic Paternostro. These two individuals rank with the greatest gridiron coaching legends the Garden State has ever produced. The annual meeting between the Lions and Patriots is not just a test of players, it is a demonstration of coaching prowess and Saturday in Sparta was no exception. Paternostro's Lions entered the game unbeaten and intent on presenting their coach with his 300th career victory. LVR entered the game with a 4-1 record and needed a victory to keep its hopes alive for not only a shot at the SCIL title but also a top-seeding in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group II post-season playoffs. When the final whistle was blown, Lenape Valley posted a 16-13 victory after jumping out to a 16-0 lead in the second quarter. Dan Guarino plunged one yard into the end zone and Brent Freda split the uprights with a 27-yard field goal as the Patriots led 9-0 after one quarter. T.J. Cerezo bolted 32 yards to the end zone in the second quarter and Freda's PAT made it 16-0 before the Lions got on the board with Ryan Pepe's three-yard run over the goal line before intermission. Pepe would score from five yards out in the third quarter but that it for both offensive units as the "D" took over on both sides for the remainder of the game. He ran once for 11 yards and threw four times, connecting each time for a total of 107 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first quarter. Eric Reese, the sportsinthegardenstate.com/SCIL Player of the Week ignited the Spartans to a 28-point explosion in the opening quarter. The Sparta defense took over as the Spartans crushed Newton 41-0 to join the Lions and Patriots in first place. Reese connected on a 46-yard TD pas to Curtis Taylor to open the scoring and followed with a two-yard TD strike to Tom Zanetich. He then tucked in the pigskin and scampered 11 yards into the end zone before hooking up with Jake Lupo on a 17-yard TD pass to complete the outburst. Rich Mendes blasted two yards to paydirt in the second quarter and Thomas Lindsey tosses 12-yard touchdown pass to Derek Sotherdan in the fourth quarter. Jefferson rolled to a 53-19 victory over Wallkill Valley after leading 21-0 at the end of the opening quarter and 40-6 at the halftime break. Rich Wroblewski turned in an impressive effort as he rushed 15 times for 197 yards, scoring three times on TD runs of 79, 12 and 31 yards. Wayne Guarino rambled 39 and 27 yards into the end zone while Shawn Guider scored from nine yards out in the first quaryter and raced 85-yards with a kickoff return on the final play of the game. Kittatinny blanked Vernon 21-0 as Rich Schwester scored twice on runs of 66 and 28 yards while churning out 160 yards rushing on 20 carries. Sandwiched in between these TDs, Joe Zdaniewicz raced 47-yards to paydirt on a punt return. Hopatcong posted its first win of the season when the Chiefs pulled a minor upset in beating High Point 13-0. Ricky Nwosu hauled in a 44-yard TD aerial from Matt Hill in the first quarter and Hill tossed a five-yard TD strike to Matt Boccadri in the second half. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 10/13/02 |
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Mauriello, Reese propel Spartan rout of Falcons |
| Sparta rolled to a 42-8 rout of Jefferson as the Spartans accumulated 398
yards of total offense in upping their record to 4-1. Quarterback Eric Reese connected on four seven passes for
155 yards that included TD passes of 45 yards to Adam Lavelley and 44 yards to Rich Mendes. Terry Mauriello rushed
five times for 85 yards, scoring the first TD of he game on a 44-yard run in the opening quarter. He concluded
the scoring parade in the third quarter when he picked off a Falcon aerial and returned it 88-yards to paydirt.
Pope John remained unbeaten by routing Newton 46-0 in Sparta. Ryan Pepe powered the Lions' attack, rushing for 205 yards on 22 attempts as he scored three times from one, 33 and 16 yards. Tim Osbourne, who gained a 100 yards on six carries, scored form 24 and 53 yards out in the fourth quarter. Brian Rogers split the pipes with a 26 yard field goal in the second quarter. Lenape Valley rebounded from a loss to Sparta by blanking Hopatcong 28-0 at the John W. Auwerda Sports Complex in Hopatcong on Saturday. Bill Salvas powered the Spartans attack, toting the pigskin 11 times to churn out 111 yards rushing while scoring on TDs of 80 and two yards. Quarterback Dan Guarino, the sportsinthegardenstate.com/SCIL Player of the Week, connected on 5 of 6 aerial attempts for 118 yards, including a 28-yard TD strike to Sean Groome. Guarino rushed three times for 10 yards including a TD plunge of one yard while picking off an Hopatcong aerial from his slot in the defensive secondary. Kittatinny edged High Point 10-7 in overtime in Hampton. Steve Green flipped a 24-yard TD pass to Bryant Wanamaker in the second quarter as the Cougars took a 7-0 lead off the field at the halftime break. Neil Phillips, who carried 21 times for 86 yards, tied the game for the Wildcats when he bolted 30 yards into the end zone in the third quarter. Bo Lawson split the uprights with a 25-yard field goal in OT to win the game for the Cougars. Vernon blanked Wallkill Valley 21-0 as Ryan Brennan put the Vikings on the board in the second quarter when he busted one yard into the end zone. The "D" accounted for the other two TDs as Joe Tamburo picked off a Ranger aerial in the third quarter and raced 50 yards into the end zone. Rich Pinck completed the scoring in the fourth quarter when grabbed a Ranger aerial and dashed 16 yards over the goal line. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 10/06/02 |
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Lions in first by themselves |
| Ryan Pepe bolted into the end zone four times to propel Pope John to a 36-12
victory over Jefferson as the Lions took total control of first place in the SCIL standings over the weekend. Sparta
rebounded from a loss to the Lions a week earlier and edged Lenape Valley 16-13 as the Patriots tasted defeat for
the first time. In other games, Vernon edged Hopatcong 28-26, Kittatinny erupted for 20 points in the fourth quarter to bury Newton 44-0 and High Point blanked Wallkill Valley 28-0. In a non-league encounter, Sussex Tech fell to Princeton Day by a score of 27-6. Pepe scored twice in the opening quarter on runs of 7 and 21 yards and the Lions never looked back. His 39-yard TD run in the second quarter upped the Lions’ advantage to 21-0 before the Falcons got on the board before halftime on Shawn Guider’s 92-yard kickoff return . Pepe scampered 54 yards to paydirt in the third quarter and Mark Meehan added a 15-yard TD run. On Friday evening, Sparta rallied twice to edge the Patriots by three points. Trailing 7-0, Adam Lavaley booted a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter before junior quarterback Eric Reese dashed 16-yards to paydirt in the third quarter to give the Spartans a 9-7 lead. LVR quarterback hooked with Bill Salvas on a 17-yard TD strike later in the quarter as the Patriots regained the lead at 12-9 and set the stage for Reese to dart two yards into the end zone with the game-winning six-pointer in the fourth quarter, In a see-saw game, Vernon pulled out a two-point victory over Hopatcong when Rich Brennan scored his third TD of the game with a little more than two minutes remaining on the game clock. Brennan, who rushed 31 times for 190 yards, scored form 2, 4 and 2 yards out. Kosmos Themelakis scored on runs of 54 and 32 yards while High Point’s defensive unit pitched a shutout against the Rangers. Dave Collason put six points on the board for the "D" in the second quarter when he picked off a Ranger aerial and returned it 32 yards to paydirt. Jordan Rice plunged one yard over the goal to complete the scoring in the fourtb quarter while Bruce Russell split the pipe with his four extra point placements. Newton managed only 55 yards of total offense in falling to the Cougars. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 09/29/02 |
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Lions topple Spartans |
| Pope John versus Sparta matched two of the SCIL's elite teams on Saturday
and when the final whistle blew, head coach Vic Paternostro's Lions walked off the gridiron at Santo Paternostro
Memorial Field with a 21-7 victory. Statistically it turned out to be what everyone figured, a dog-fight between two outstanding teams. Sparta piled up 231 yards of total offense while the Lions finished with 201. Pope John's Ryan Pepe churned out 157 yards rushing on 34 touches including a TD run of seven yards in the third quarter. Sparta's Eric Reese connected on 11 of 16 aerial attempts for 110 yards while tossing a four-yard TD strike to Curtis Taylor in the second quarter that elevated the Spartans into a 7-0 lead at the halftime break after Adam Lavally booted the PAT. Pope John's "D" got the Lions on the board in the third quarter when Shawn Barrett picked off a Reese aerial and raced 39 yards to paydirt. The Lions took the lead for good later in the quarter on Pepe's run into the end zone. Barrett hauled in an eight-yard TD strike from quarterback Billy Lockwood to ice the decision in the fourth quarter. Wallkill Valley snapped an 11-game losing streak in SCIL competition dating back to the final game of the 2000 season when the Rangers ripped Newton 35-8 on Saturday at Rangers Field on Hardyston. Kyle Nyhuis powered the attack, rushing for an amazing 206 yards on only five carries as he scored three touchdowns on runs of 88, 29 and 76 yards. Mark Castiglione hauled in three aerials from quarterback Scott Nordlund for 101 yards and TD strike of 40 yards in the second quarter. The Rangers' "D" put the final TD on the board in the fourth quarter when R.J. Baumgartner picked off an interception and raced 20 yards into the end zone. Kyle Selepouchin was a perfect five-for-five in splitting the uprights with his extra point placements. A 65-yard return of an interception to paydirt gave Lenape Valley a 13-7 victory over High Point as head coach Don Smolyn's Patriots stayed undefeated in Wantage on Saturday. High Point got on the board first in the second quarter when Neil Phillips dove one-yard into the end zone and Bruce Russell booted the extra point. Quarterback Dan Guarino hooked up with Brent Freda on a 19-yard TD pass and Freda booted the PAT to knot the score at 7-7 by intermission. Jefferson remained unbeaten as the Falcons rallied from a 13-11 halftime deficit to defeat Vernon 39-13 on Friday night in Vernon. Rich Wroblewski was the workhorse on the Falcons' ground attack, churning out 236 yards rushing on 36 carries, including a three-yard TD blast in the second quarter. Shawn Guider, who carried a dozen times for 70 yards, scored twice from nine and one yard out while Chris Hansen bolted 16-yards for the final TD of the game. Quarterback Tony Irizaary, who completed 12 of 23 passes for 174 yards, hit Ryan McCarney with a 36-yard TD toss in the third quarter and Wayne Guarino booted field goals of 31 and 37 yards. Kittatinny defeated Hopatcong 28-13 on Saturday as four Cougars pasted six-pointers on the scoreboard. Ryan Schwester started the scoring with a three-yard bolt into the end zone and Joe Whitesell plunged two yards over the goal as the Cougars moved out to a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter. Andrew McGinnis recovered a fumble in the end zone in the third quarter and Steve Green dashed three yards to paydirt in the fourth. Clint Lawson split the pipes with all four extra point placements. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 09/22/02 |
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Rogers boot FGs of 52, 42 yards |
| Brian Rogers put the "foot" into the game as he split the uprights
with a pair of field goals to spur Pope John to a 33-6 rout of Hopatcong on Friday night. In other SCIL gridiron
action, Sparta rolled to a 40-0 romp over Wallkill Valley, High Point coasted to a 28-6 decision over Newton, Lenape
Valley edge Vernon 3-0, Jefferson blasted Kittatinny 36-14 while Sussex Tech came close to tasting victory before
losing to Morristown-Beard by a score of 16-13. Rogers ties the SCIL record when he kicked a 52-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to give the Lions a 21-6 lead at intermission. In the third quarter, he added a 42-yard field goal. Ryan Pepe was top gun on head coach Vic Paternostro's ground attack, churning out 167 rushing on 30 attempts, including three touchdowns. Sparta pitched its second straight shutout while steamrolling past the Trangers. The Spartans front wall alllowed the Rangers only 46 yards on the ground while surrendering a mere seven yards in the air. The Spartans scored at will, beginning in the first quarter when quarterback Eric Reese hooked up with Curtis Taylor on a 10-yard TD strike to open the scoring. The same combination connected for a 12-yard touchdown aerial in the secon quarter. Wayne Guarino scored on runs of 20 and two yards, booted a 41-yard field goal, hauled in a two-point conversion aerial from Tony Irizarry and kicked a point after touchdown to ignite Jefferson to its win over the Cougars. Michael Tanis put the first TD on the board in the opening quarter when he scooped up a fumble and returned it 61 yards to paydirt. Rob Vesper raced 51-yards to open the scoring in the first quarter and added a 14-yard TD run in the second to propel High Point past the Braves. Fullback Neil Phillips was the workhorse of the Wildcats' ground attack, carrying the ball 19 times as he rushed for 110 yards, including a six-yard TD run in the second quarter that gave High Point a 21-6 lead at the halftime break. Lenape Valley and Vernon hooked up in a defensive battle with the only points put on the board by the Patriots who marched 77 yards in 14 plays to start the second half with Brent Freda booting the pigskin through the pipes from31-yards out. Sussex Tech got on the board first in the opening quarter on a 10-yard TD run by Brandon VanLuvender. The Mustangs increased their lead to 13-0 in the third quarter when Joe Hickey bolted 15-yards to paydirt but the Crimson rallied down the stretch to pull out a three-point victory. |
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SCIL Football Highlights for Week ending 09/15/02 |
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Lions, Spartans explode out of gate |
| Pope John and Sparta exploded out of the gate to open the 2002 SCIL football
schedule. The Lions crushed Wallkill Valley 63-7 while the Spartans blanked High Point 41-0. Jefferson romped to
a 45-6 decision over Hopatcong, Vernon shut down Newton 28-0 and Lenape Valley shut out Kittatinny 20-0. One thing is for certain after the completion of the first week of SCIL gridiron confrontations - the champion or co-champions posted a "W" over the weekend. Sparta looked powerful in routing the Wildcats. The defense was solid, giving up only 12 yards in the first half while the offensive unit rushed for 242 yards, with Chris Mullen churning out 69 yards on seven carries and Adam Lavelley grinding out 62 on five tries. Signal caller Eric Reese completed five passes for 33 yards but there was no need for the Spartans to air it out. Pope John exploded out to a 29-0 lead by the end of the opening quarter and led 57-7 at intermission. Senior tailback Ryan Pepe crossed the goal line five times while rushing for 191 yards on 16 attempts. Cornerback Ryan Crespi came up with the defensive gem of the game when he picked off an interception and returned it 91 yards to paydirt to close out the first half scoring. Trailing 6-0 early in the first quarter, the Falcons exploded for 45 straight points to crush the Chiefs. Rick Wroblewski carried 14 times for 111 yards and Shawn Gulder churned out 105 on just seven tries as head coach Jim Matsakis' run-and-shoot attack piled up 287 rushing on 34 plays. Junior defensive tackle Dan Weisenfluh put two points on the board for the "D" when he tackled Hopatcong signal caller Mike Andrikanich in the end zone for a safety in the second quarter. Vernon's defensive unit limited Newton to 93 yards of total offense while running back Ryan Brennan rushed for 100 yards on 16 carries and quarterback Matt Walsh tossed for 96 yards including a 15-yard TD aerial to Travis Newarski in the opening quarter and a 21-yard TD strike to Pat Dunnigan in the second quarter, Lenape Valley had two growing years and now appears to be a traditional ball-control team for head coach Don Smolyn. With T.J. Cerza piling up 109 yards rushing on a dozen carries and Bill Salvas adding 94 on 16 tries, LVR rushed for 247 yards on 42 plays while throwing only four times with two completions for an additional 56 yards. |
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