The River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Football Team rolled past the Nutley Maroon Raiders 42-7 in the 2024 regular season opener at Nutley High School in Nutley, New Jersey.
River Dell junior quarterback Zion Yoon tallied three rushing touchdowns and threw for another score in the victory. Yoon finished with 80 yards on 14 carries and completed 5 out of 7 passes for 174 yards.
The Golden Hawks jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 20-yard touchdown from Tyler Datz. River Dell’s defense came up with a massive stop after a lengthy Nutley offensive drive, with Kevin Hart breaking up a pass in the end zone.
In the second quarter, the Golden Hawks extended their advantage to 14-0 as Zion Yoon took the snap and plowed into the end zone from four yards out.
The River Dell defense continued to excel as Dean Marucci and Youssef Ibrahim registered back-to-back sacks to end the first half.
Once the third quarter commenced, the Golden Hawks offense pounded the rock by running the ball 13 out of 14 times, culminating in Zion Yoon churning ahead into the end zone for a one-yard score.
Nutley quickly trimmed the margin on a kickoff return touchdown. However, River Dell answered immediately on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Zion Yoon to wide receiver RJ Weiss.
Zion Yoon tallied his third rushing touchdown of the game on a two-yard score as the fourth quarter ended. Running back Cain Lanza provided the final dagger with a one-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.