The River Dell Golden Hawks(8-3) magical ride in the state football playoffs continued as River Dell upset No. 3 Passaic Valley Hornets(7-3) 22-21 in overtime of the North Jersey Section 1, Group 3 Tournament Semifinals at Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls, New Jersey.
Scoreless after the first quarter, Passaic Valley had a golden opportunity to put points up on the scoreboard in the second quarter. Still, the River Dell defense dug a line in the sand with a fierce goal-line stand, resulting in a turnover on downs.
However, the Hornets’ defense forced the Golden Hawks into a quick three-and-out. A short punt gave the Passaic Valley offense an excellent starting field position at the River Dell 34-yard line.
On first down, quarterback Anthony Bagnuolo hurled a pass down the middle of the seam, where wide receiver Vincent Berardi hauled in for the 32-yard reception.
With first and goal at the two-yard line, running back A’Miere Simpson took the handoff then plowed straight ahead into the end zone for the score with six and half minutes remaining.
The Hornets received the second-half kickoff and marched down the field behind the potent running tandem of A’Miere Simpson and Dante Benvenuti.
On second and goal at the three-yard line, Benvenuti took the handoff and barreled into the end zone for the touchdown that extended the Passaic Valley advantage to 14-0 with nine and half minutes left.
The Golden Hawks offense started their ensuing offensive series at their 38-yard line. River Dell relied on its own running attack to pick up chunks of yardage on the ground, which was highlighted by a 29-yard run by Cain Lanza.
The Golden Hawks faced a critical fourth and goal at the Hornets’ three-yard line, but quarterback Zion Yoon managed to surge forward to the two-yard line.
Yoon finished the impressive drive by plunging behind a stacked offensive line across the goal line for the one-yard touchdown as River Dell trimmed the deficit to 14-7 with five and a half minutes to go.
Passaic Valley managed to regroup and went back to its basic running scheme, which worked to perfection. The Hornets’ offensive line opened a wide swath of field for A’Miere Simpson and Dante Benventui to run straight through into the Golden Hawks’ territory.
Passaic Valley appeared on the verge of widening the margin to double digits again. Still, on Simpson’s run from the two-yard line, River Dell linebacker Mason Nagle delivered a jarring hit that knocked the ball out, and defensive lineman Youssef Ibrahim fell on the ball for the fumble recovery with a minute left.
In the fourth quarter, the Golden Hawks offense had the ball near midfield when running back Chris Kelm broke free for a 19-yard run that moved the ball into Hornets territory.
A crucial pass interference penalty assessed against pushed the ball down to the Passaic Valley nine-yard line. On second and goal at the six-yard line, quarterback Zion Yoon took the snap, rolled out to his left, and fired a pass to wide receiver RJ Weiss in the back of the end zone that evened up the score at 14-14 with less than four minutes remaining.
The Hornets’ offense followed their blueprint of smashmouth football by pounding the ball on the ground. Dante Benvenuti amassed 38 yards, including a 28-yard scamper that advanced the ball to the River Dell 17-yard line.
The Golden Hawks’ defense dug a fort in the trenches, preventing Passaic Valley from moving the ball closer to the goal line. In the waning seconds, the Hornets were forced to attempt a long field goal from 34 yards out, but the River Dell special team’s unit rose to the occasion by blocking the kick that sent the game to overtime.
In the extra session, Passaic Valley had possession of the ball on offense and carved out yards on the ground, with A’Miere Simpson and Dante Benvenuti taking turns carrying the ball. Benvenuti capped off the drive by popping just across the goal line for the one-yard score that put the Hornets up 21-14.
The Golden Hawks’ offense answered right back, just as it did the week before. Quarterback Zion Yoon connected on a pass to wide receiver RJ Weiss, this time a 26-yard pass.
On first and goal at the four-yard line, River Dell dug into the bag of tricks as Chris Kelm corralled the ball on a jet sweep and darted into the end zone for the touchdown.
Golden Hawks Head Coach DJ Nimphius rolled the dice, as he did the week before, electing for the two-point conversion attempt and going for the win.
Zion Yoon took the snap and quickly slung a pass to a wide-open Dean Marucci as Marucci glided into the end zone. This set off a euphoric celebration amongst the players and a thrilling 22-21 win for River Dell.
The Golden Hawks will face the No. 1 seed Pascack Valley Panthers(9-1) in the North Jersey Section 1, Group 3 Tournament Final on Friday, November 15th, at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, New Jersey. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.