The West Milford Highlanders cruised to a 21-3 win over the Paramus Spartans in the Jim Grasso Kickoff Classic at Paramus High School in Paramus, New Jersey.
Scoreless at the end of the first half, Paramus broke the stalemate on a 25-yard field goal by Brandon Durrenberger with less than nine minutes left in the third quarter.
West Milford quickly responded on their ensuing possession. Quarterback Aydin Deane twice connected with wide receiver Jake Kelshaw, moving the ball deep inside Spartans territory. A solid run by Patrick Foley pushed the ball down to the one-yard line.
In the next play, Aydin Deane took the snap and barreled straightforwardly into the end zone for the touchdown. The Highlanders went up 7-3, with six minutes in change remaining.
The West Milford defense cranked up the intensity, forcing back-to-back Paramus punts. A short punt led to outstanding field position for the Highlanders offense at the Spartans 37-yard line.
On second and eight at the 35-yard line, Aydin Deane dropped back in the pocket and heaved a high-arching pass to his favorite target, Jake Kelshaw, in stride as Kelshaw fell to the ground in the end zone for the score, thus extending the West Milford lead to 14-3 with 41 seconds to go in the quarter.
The Highlanders put the game away for good in the fourth quarter as Aydin Deane and Jake Kelshaw hooked up for a second time on a 14-yard touchdown.