Joe Hofmann Notes Column: High School Football’s Most Unforgettable Seasons (Pt. 4)

In the 2005 North 1, Group IV sectional championship game, Morris Knolls beat Montclair, 21-6 – but that reveals only the tip of the iceberg. 

We all knew Knolls was very good after it pretty much ran through the rugged terrain known as the IHC-Iron. 

But the day before the Montclair game, Par Hills practiced on the MetLife field and, as the Vikings were leaving the field, coach Dave Albano saw Montclair lined up in the runway ready to take their turn on the field. 

Montclair? Albano thought they were the New York Giants! That’s how imposing the Mounties were physically.

But they were no match for Knolls.

When Albano heard that the Golden Eagles won handily, he was stunned – and so were many other coaches who were familiar with how imposing Montclair looked.

More importantly, Knolls was imposing to play against. 

Quarterback Tommy Hennessy, who I wound up choosing as my Player of the Year for the Daily Record, ran the intricate Veer offense beautifully and was the best to ever do it at Knolls in Coach Bill Regan’s 49 years coaching at the school, which is saying something. 

Hennessy had help that day (and all season) in DE Bobby Hamill (3 sacks) and LB Brigham Farrand (2 fumble recoveries).  Farrand (15 for 117 rushing) also had a big day running the ball.

Hennessy and Farrand were the two best players in Morris County that year and they put their full talent on display against Montclair.

The week leading up to the game, Regan brought out the gameballs for his sectional championship teams from 1994-1995, and 1996. 

“And now,” he said, clutching the ball from the Montclair game,” here is the one from 2005.”

Two summers ago, I talked to many, many area coaches in preparing Hofmann’s All-Quarter Century Top Teams. To a man, they agreed with me: Since 2000, this Knolls is the best team in Morris-Sussex. 

Montclair wouldn’t argue.

At Rutgers, meanwhile, we had an all-Sussex battle (just the second ever until this point, joining Wallkill-Lenape in 1994) when Hopatcong beat Sparta in OT, 20-14. The Spartans grabbed a 14-0 lead and were bottling up Chiefs RB Joe Martinek, who happens to be the best back the SCIL has ever produced. 

But up stepped unsung Hopatcong QB Ian Evans, who threw a 10-yard TD to Tim Stone in the third quarter and a TD pass to Jon Stolarz in the fourth quarter before Joe Anthes ran it in from the 2 to win Hopatcong its second title in five years.

As an aside, I thought that two Sussex teams facing each other over an hour away at Rutgers when they could have kept the game in Sussex made no sense. I know the NJSIAA has to secure playing fields months in advance, but playing at these neutral sites was becoming increasingly senseless.    

2016

Morris Hills relied on one of its own (Coach Mike Sabo is a 1992 graduate) to bring home the school’s first crown since 1975. The Scarlet Knights beat Par Hills, 27-14, with a powerful running game (295 yards rushing). 

QB Daymon Fleming, who started 37 games at the position for Sabo, was 15 for 102 rushing and ran the Wing-T attack beautifully. Sabo said afterwards that he’s been selling the Scarlet Knights his dream for his 13 years on the job and they came through, finally. Sabo grew up in Wharton as a Scarlet Knights fan, having snuck into a 1984 game at Gifford Field with his buddies. 

After that, he was hooked.  

One night earlier, Madison was stuck offensively but came to life just in time to beat Lenape Valley, 13-7, giving Chris Kubik his fifth title since 2010. QB Michael Kearny and WR Matt Mulcahy were both bottled up all game long but combined for two completions for 43 yards, the second a 17-yard TD with under a minute left to put the Dodgers ahead. 

2017

It took Newton exactly 99 years to win a title but Matt Parzero’s Braves pulled it off when they beat Lakeland, 28-14, to complete the school’s first undefeated season. 

The team used Chase Cramer’s running (26 for 149, TD) and the tandem of QB Luke Young (6 of 10 for 130 yards) and WR Jaiden Elliott (5 catches for 100 yards, 2 TDs) to win. 

Parzero, who played for the great Don Smolyn at Lenape Valley, didn’t take long to change Newton’s fortunes. He came aboard in 2016 and guided the team to eight straight divisional championships before finishing “only” second last year. Newton had had its share of struggles 29-61 over 10 years before he arrived. The last time the Braves were even .500 was in 2006 under Tom Brennan. In addition, Parzero was 45-27 in his first job at North Warren from 2008-2015. Before he arrived, NW was 22-38 and has struggled since he went to Newton. The moral of the lesson: The man can flat-out coach.

2018

For just the third time ever, we had an all-Sussex final when Kittatinny beat Newton, 28-19 (for you historians who are interested … Wallkill 22, Lenape 0 in 1994 and Hopatcong 20, Sparta 14 in 2005 are the other two). 

What separated this game? Well, for the first time in researching through many, many, MANY newspaper accounts since 1974, this was the first time I noticed that kids dove headfirst into a snow pile after winning. 

It was Kittatinny’s first championship, so who could blame them for feeling so giddy? 

Cougars coach Joe Coltelli, one of Sussex’s best for a long time, turned the tables on Newton, which beat Kittatinny during the regular season, 28-17. So what changed? Well, Coltelli and offensive coordinator Jeff Gely kicked themselves over using standout RB Jacob Marfaro so little in the first meeting (12 for 55) and decided to ride Mafaro in the rematch. He rushed 24 times – twice the number of carries – for 134 yards and touchdown runs of 10, 37, and 17 yards.  

Butler beat Park Ridge to win North 1, Group I – in Pequannock, of all places. Jason Luciani’s Bulldogs relied on someone named Smith at quarterback. The last name should ring a bell. Evan Smith is the older brother of David Smith, who led the Bulldogs to the past two sectional championships and who literally ran away with Big State Sports’ Player of the Year last year. Evan Smith (13 for 17 for 165 yards, 2 TDs, 29 for 141 rushing, 3 TDs) last year, had three 1-yard touchdown runs and completed touchdown passes to Joey Walsh and Derek Timpanaro.

2019

Boonton had one of the best running games in all of New Jersey (as Casey Stengel used to say, “You could look it up!”). They also happened to have one of the best running games ever in Morris County, which is saying something but it is very, very true. 

In the sectional semifinals and finals, they were absolutely incredible while running the ball for coach Bryan Gallagher.

What a wild run the Bombers had to the sectional title.  In a 34-21 victory over Cedar Grove to win the section, Adrian Ferati had an INT at the Cedar Grove 2 and, moments later, Corey Dempster flew down the field for an 85-yard TD. Dempster rushed for 264 yards and two TDs that night. Backfield mate Jordan DeCosta had TD runs of 49 and 66 yards. 

A week earlier in the semifinals, Boonton beat Cresskill by an incredible score of 59-55. Dempster (13 for 164, 3 TDs), DeCosta (15 for 165, 2 TDs) and QB Danny Portis (13 for 144, 2 TDs) ran wild. 

What a year for the runners: Dempster (1,621 yards, 22 TDs), DeCosta (1,200 yards, 14 TDs) and Portis (1,026 yards, 14 TDs). It is the only time I can think of where a backfield had three 1,000 yard runners. In 2000, West Morris had two runners go over 1,000 yards (Tom Campion and Mike Lublabecki) and a third (Lance Lynch) go over 800. 

Boonton’s running line for the season: 545 for 4,762 yards, 58 TDs).

Par Hills, meanwhile, overcame a 1-2 start to the season and beat West Essex in the sectional final as QB J.D. Breslauer (21 for 30, 239 yards, 5 TDs) connected twice with standout E.J. Comerford (10 for 109, 3 TDs). Interestingly, Albano believed in his heart that Comerford was good enough to play receiver at a Princeton or a Yale but wound up being a standout baseball player at Miseracordia (where he would eventually get a hit off my son Joe, who pitched for FDU-Madison … a story for another time)! 

The Vikings were able to host the playoff final because West Essex went up to Sparta and beat the Spartans and Par Hills went over to River Dell and came out winners. River Dell beat Par Hills in Week 2.

2021

There were two monumental shockers to end 2021.

Has a sectional champion ever lost four straight during a season? Or five of six? That’s what Jefferson did – and Jerry Venturino’s Falcons managed to somehow get it together in time to beat Rutherford, 28-7.  

Jefferson had to beat Kittatinny and Vernon to get into the playoffs and once they did they were on their way. And they did it with standout QB Pete Delaportas (Pope John transfer) sidelined with an injury in the first quarter. Venturino turned to backup Ryan Moran but, after two series, he switched to Erik Garv, who was the starter the previous season. All Garv did was go 15 for 20 for 139 yards and three TDs, two of them to standout Travis Osterhout. Running back Jason Eisele, meanwhile, rushed for 163 yards, including a 79-yard dagger that all but ended Rutherford’s hopes in the fourth quarter.  Defensively, Rory Coyle had a terrific game with three sacks, five tackles for loss, and seven tackles. 

Another amazing thing about what Jefferson was able to accomplish: After losing to Newton in the regular season, 35-12, the Falcons turned the tables on the Braves in the sectional semifinals and won, 27-14. 

I have given out coach of the year awards in many sports for many, many years. What Venturino did is one of the best coaching jobs of all time.

West Morris began the playoffs with a 6-3 record, fourth in the Liberty Red, and a good-not-great season. Somehow, some way, Kevin Hennelly’s Wolfpack defied all logic for the rest of the season. They ran up a season-high 56 points to beat Summit, 56-31 and then scored identical 21-0 victories over Old Tappan and West Essex to win their section. 

Then, they obliterated a powerhouse Cranford team in the Group III Regional championship game at MetLife, 53-14. 

West Morris’ Wing-T led to seven scores in seven possessions against a team that was a true killer squad (ranked Top 10 in the state and deservedly so). For a Wolfpack program that is on a par with any in Morris and Sussex, it was easily the finest moment it has ever enjoyed.

The Wolfpack put forward their best effort in their biggest game, on the biggest stage, with the most at stake.

At the time, I wrote this: “When you get right down to it, it might have been the most astounding, unlikely, unfathomable, unbelievable result in the history of Morris County football.”

I stand by those remarks. And kudos to Hennelly, who had the team humming when it mattered most.

West Morris winning the game was one thing, blowing Cranford out the way it did was another.

The Union County school was 11-0 coming in and considered a huge, huge favorite. Cranford had overwhelmed their opponents by an average score of 41-17. The Wolfpack (9-3 coming in) had merely had a very good year.

Cranford seemed almost invincible. Hennelly’s team was a decided underdog. The Wolfpack were peaking at the right time, after having whitewashed formidable Old Tappan and West Essex in their two previous playoff games.

But Cranford was killing everyone all year and had been much more impressive over the long haul.

The Cougars dismantled a good Sparta team in the North 2, Group III sectional final and was college-like up front with four mountain-like offensive linemen standing an average of 6-5, 280. The smallest lineman was the runt of the litter, standing 5-11, 220. Cranford won its Big Central Conference Division by two games. It also had New Jersey’s leading running back in Colin Murray, who’d been having a season for the ages (2,379 yards rushing, 33 TDs, 777 yards in the playoffs, including 327 against Sparta).

The Wolfpack? Nice, scrappy team — but what’s up with the three losses?

But somehow, West Morris was able to dominate the game – arguably the biggest playoff victory Morris County has ever had.

Next week: Relieving a season and playoff run worthy of a Hollywood script.