The Westwood Cardinals(7-1) claimed the Bird Bowl Trophy for a second straight year in a 17-14 victory over the River Dell Golden Hawks(6-3) at Westwood Regional High School in the Township of Washington, New Jersey.
River Dell received the opening kickoff and started at their 24-yard line. The Golden Hawks offense was sparked by a 36-yard pass from quarterback Zion Yoon to wide receiver RJ Weiss, which advanced the ball to the Westwood 35-yard line.
A personal foul assessed against the Cardinal’s defense on the fourth drive kept the drive alive. River Dell faced another fourth down play at the 12-yard but capitalized as Zion Yoon fired a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dean Marucci that capped off an impressive 15-play drive that chewed up almost seven minutes of the clock.
Late in the second quarter, Westwood managed to push the ball deep inside Golden Hawks territory but eventually had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Sean Morrison.
The Cardinals had an outstanding field position in the third quarter after returning Troy Giordano, who returned the opening kickoff near midfield.
Westwood’s offense quickly moved into River Dell’s end of the field, culminating in quarterback Sean Morrison plowing through for a 4-yard score that put the Cardinals ahead 10-7.
With six and a half minutes remaining, the Golden Hawks offense started at the Westwood 30-yard line. Facing a third down play at the 13-yard line, quarterback Zion Yoon lofted a touchdown pass to wide receiver RJ Weiss in the left corner of the end zone as River Dell jumped back in front 14-10.
However, the Cardinals responded with a time-consuming drive that commenced with five minutes in change in the third quarter and carried over early into the fourth quarter.
Westwood struck the perfect balance between running and passing plays to swiftly move the ball deeper into Golden Hawks territory. The Cardinals concluded the drive on a one-yard touchdown run by running back Steve Klein, which made it 14-10 with ten and a half minutes left.
River Dell had a golden opportunity with two minutes to retake the lead, but the Westwood defense dug a line in the sand with a goal-line stand that resulted in a turnover on downs. The Golden Hawks had one last gasp in the closing minute, but an incomplete fourth down pass sealed the Cardinals’ victory.