The River Dell Golden Hawks JV Football Team churned out a 24-6 win over the Teaneck Highwaymen at Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey.
River Dell received the opening kickoff and started with an excellent starting field position at the 40-yard line. The Golden Hawks drove down the field and into Highwaymen territory with a combination of run and pass plays.
On first and ten at the 13-yard line, running back Eric Raimondi took the handoff from quarterback Luke Van Dam. The Raimondi fended off a couple of defensive players, cut back towards the middle of the field, and darted to the end zone for the touchdown.
River Dell elected for the two-point conversion attempt, which worked to perfection. Quarterback Luke Van Dam tossed a pass to a wide-open Jordan Mellaci, making it 8-0.
The Golden Hawks’ defense swarmed all over the place in the first half as they registered back-to-back sacks, first by Luke Van Dam and then by a collective group of players.
In the third quarter, Teaneck was backed up deep inside its own end of the field and unable to advance the ball. On third down at the eight-yard line, a high snap over the quarterback resulted in a safety that extended the Golden Hawks’ lead to 10-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, Luke Van Dam scooped up the ball, broke into the clear, and galloped all the way down to the Highwaymen’s 13-yard line.
Van Dam continued to demonstrate his speed and agility on a 16-yard run that set up a first-and-goal at the four-yard line and capped off the drive by plowing straight into the end zone for the score.
River Dell did not hesitate at all in choosing the two-point conversion, which worked out to perfection. Luke Van Dam took the snap, brilliantly switched the ball from his left to his right hand, and lobbed a pass to Mikey DeGroat, widening the margin to 18-0.
However, the good vibes would last momentarily as Teaneck’s Brandon Meyer returned the kickoff to the house. The two-conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 18-6.
The Golden Hawks offense started a drive from their 40-yard line in the fourth quarter. Facing a fourth down at the 49-yard line, River Dell dialed up some trickery with a fake punt as Jathneel Iyonsi took the handoff on a jet sweep, then turned the corner and gained the necessary yardage for the first down.
The Golden Hawks offense reached the Highwaymen 32-yard line but faced another critical fourth down play.
Once again, River Dell dove into their bag of tricks with a reverse that culminated in Jordan Mellaci taking the ball, driving to the left side of the line, and sprinting toward the end zone.
Mellaci did a nifty spin-around move as the Teaneck defensive player attempted to make the tackle and dashed into the end zone for the score that cemented the 24-6 victory.