The Cresskill/Emerson Cougars(6-3) second-half surge led to a 28-14 victory over the Whippany Park Wildcats(3-6) in a Postseason Consolation Game at Cresskill High School in Cresskill, New Jersey.
Cresskill jumped to a lead in the first quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by William Cusick. The Cougars initially lined up for the extra point kick but caught the Wildcats off guard as Jake Lewin tossed a pass to a wide-open Nick Giella in the end zone, making the score 8-0.
However, Whippany Park responded with an emphatic drive that commenced at their 30-yard line with six and half minutes left that carried over into the second quarter. A 13-play, 70-yard drive chewing up over 8 minutes of the clock culminated in a four-yard touchdown run by running back Jaden Marques.
The Wildcats chose to go for the two-point conversion, which proved to be successful. Dylan Morgenroth lobbed a pass into the end zone, where Anthony Facchino made a nifty diving catch that tied the game up at 8-8.
Cresskill ignited a rebuttal on their ensuing offensive possession, which started at the 35-yard line. A nine-play 65-yard drive resulted in a five-yard touchdown run by Joe Connelly with seven minutes left, putting the Cougars ahead 15-8.
Whippany Park’s defense stepped up, with Anthony Facchino intercepting a pass and returning the ball to near midfield with five and a half minutes remaining.
With the clock ticking down in the first half, the Wildcats offense, led by quarterback Brandon Giangeruso, completed several passes and advanced the ball inside the ten-yard line. Just as the clock hit zero, Giangeruso took the direct snap and barreled into the end zone for the one-yard score, but the two-point conversion attempt failed as Cresskill led at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Cougars quickly extended the advantage. Quarterback Jake Lewin lofted a pass, and William Cusick made a sensational catch while falling backward into the end zone for the 21-yard touchdown with ten minutes left.
Cresskill’s defense kept the team’s momentum going, as defensive lineman Jonathan Matthews recovered a fumble at the Cougars’ 41-yard line with nine minutes to go.
The Cresskill offense, feeding off the energy of the fumble recovery, swiftly pushed the ball into Whippany Park territory. A key fourth-down conversion kept the Cougars’ drive alive.
Faced with a third down at the Wildcats’ ten-yard line, the Cougars quarterback slung a pass to William Cusick over the middle of the field. Cusick muscled his way across for the goal line, widening the Cresskill advantage to 28-14.
The Cougars’ defense was dominant in the trenches, stopping Whippany Park short of the first-down marker on two offensive series in the third and fourth quarters to seal the win.