Joe Hofmann Notes Column: Chatham/SidelinesNJ Take Area By Storm + State Playoffs Lookahead

Every once in a while, Chatham football coach Evan Picariello has to take on the role of a psychologist.

His patients? They are the Chatham Cougars.

And he needs to remind them of a few things:

You’re not just a lacrosse town.

You are tough and physical.

Maybe now they’ll believe him.

Picariello’s team scored a surprising 28-21 victory over a Morris Knolls team that was coming off a 57-15 victory (and 434 yards rushing) against Immaculata last week.

But the Golden Eagles found the going a lot tougher against Chatham.

“We pride ourselves in playing good defense,” Picariello said.

That has certainly been the case lately. Two weeks ago, Chatham went to Weequahic and came away with a 28-0 win. A month ago, they kept Roxbury out of the end zone in a 7-3 win.  

“The Roxbury game, our offense didn’t go, but ever since we have come into our own with who we are,” Picariello said. “And the offense has really come together the last three weeks.”

The leader of the attack is do-everything quarterback Ryan Hogan (143 for 225 passing, 1,900 yards, 15 TDs, 3 INTs), arguably the best QB in Morris-Sussex. 

Hogan (15 for 19, 267 yards, 1 TD, 25 for 96 rushing, 3 TDs) controlled the Knolls game and has offers from at least three D1 schools: Eastern Kentucky, East Tennessee, and Murray State. He is the team’s leading rusher (121 for 524, 10 TDs rushing).

“He’s a very dynamic player,” Picariello said. “He makes the throws. He is elusive. Colleges nowadays recruit kids who extend plays and that is his strongest attribute. He keeps his eyes downfield.”

One of the startling things about the win over Knolls: Hogan and Chatham moved the ball without the use of standout receiver Ryan Lagunowich (46 for 682, 5 TDs), a Notre Dame-bound lacrosse player who is arguably the best receiver in Morris County.

Those two “make our offense explosive at any moment,” Picariello said.

The story against Knolls was Chatham shutting down one of New Jersey’s best running attacks. The Golden Eagles did rush for 255 yards but needed 49 carries to do it.

“We pride ourselves in playing good defense,” Picariello said. “We knew we had some pieces coming back from last year. It was more about getting guys in the right spot. We have really good team speed and we are a physical group – not something that was ever said about a Chatham team. 

“I talk to the kids about that a lot. Chatham has this rep of being a lacrosse town or kids aren’t tough. It is something we focus on. We want other teams to walk off the field thinking we are a physical club.”

One of the team leaders on defense all season long has been D-Lineman George Pijut (6 ½ sacks, 16 ½ tackles for loss, 61 tackles, 2 forced fumbles), who is joined up front by NG Yousef Ali (1 sack, 2 TFL, 16 tackles) and the platoon of tackles Tyler Alvarez (½ sack,  ½ TFL, 1 fumble recovery) and Cooper Pizonia (2 sacks, 2 TFL, 10 tackles).

The inside linebackers are another team strength, with ILBs Will Ritchie (½ sack, 5 TFL, 95 tackles, 1 fumble recovery), Colby Stratemeier (3 sacks, 9 TFL, 46 tackles) and the platoon of Adam Lazzeri (1 ½ sacks, 5 TFL, 31 tackles), and Bennett Doroski (½ sack, 3 ½ TFL, 49 tackles).

The outside linebackers are Yuki Stevenson (1 TFL, 27 tackles) in one spot and Gavin Pruss (8 TFL, 53 tackles, 1 forced fumble) and Charlie Stanley (2 ½ TFL, 55 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovered fumble, 1 INT returned for a TD) platooning in the other.

Milo Semioli (8 ½ TFL, 74 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 INT operates at free safety and Lagunowich (½ TFL, 25 tackles, 1 INT) joins Asher Lockwood (23 tackles, 2 INTs) at corner. Aidan Tornberg (10 tackles, 1 forced fumble)  has played in Lagunowich’s place while he recovered from a hamstring injury.

So, how did Chatham pull off the win over Knolls? 

“First off, they only punted the ball one time in their first eight games,” Picariello said. “We told our kids they are very well coached and will do what they do very well. (Knolls coach) Bryan Gallagher does an incredibly good job running the triple option. They live in a 3-yard world. If they get 3 yards a clip they will move the chains. 

“So for us, we had to get five stops. They average 7-8 series a game. So a stop could be a punt, fourth down stop, or turnovers. They punted twice, we forced two fumbles and we had a fourth down stop.

“So you’re not going to consistently shut them down, but you do need to create havoc and then maybe you can get a big loss. We couldn’t afford to ever panic. They’ll get their’s, so we had to stick to the gameplan and do our best to hold up.”

Several defenders had incredible games, namely Richie (18 tackles), Semioli (14 tackles), and Stanley (12 tackles, 1 ½ TFL). Pujit (1 sack, 2 TFL) also played a big game. Semioli, Stanley and Tornberg also forced fumbles, with Stanley and Richie recovering one fumble apiece. 

“The defense, as a whole, is playing well together,” Picariello said. “They are fast and physical. We had multiple hats to the football.”

Chatham will host Montomery in the first round of the state tournament Saturday. It is the team’s first home state playoff game since 2015, when the Cougars beat West Essex and reached the sectional finals at Kean before losing to Cranford. 

“I’m excited for this group,” Picariello said. “We are looking forward to the matchup with Montgomery but we have a lot of work to do. We’re excited for the challenge.”

Chatham High has never won a sectional championship. Chatham Boro won one in 1984. The 2005 and 2015 teams are the only two to have been to a sectional final.

“We want to be competitive every year and raise the bar,” Picariello said. “We have the pieces.”

You’ll get no argument from Morris Knolls.

TAKING NEW JERSEY BY STORM

The demise of the beloved Gridiron New Jersey site has set the stage for the fabulous Sidelinesnj.com site.

In case you missed, the site was 160-for-160 in its playoff prognostications over the weekend.

I know this might sound blasphemous (sorry to my good buddy, Jon Fass, the founder of Gridiron) but Sidelinesnj.com has a chance to be an even better site than Gridiron.

Three reasons:

1. Sidelinesnj.com posts statewide scores as they happen. This is a monumental game changer. For you old-timers out there, think about how far we have come. Back in the pre-cell phone days, no one knew about final scores until the next morning’s newspaper (one of the many reasons why newspapers have become obsolete). 

Next thing you know, we’ll hear about scores BEFORE they happen.

2. The site is planning on putting up histories of schools’ year-by-year results. WOW! So if you’re interested in how Mountain Lakes did against Butler back in the 1960s, Sidelinesnj.com will have ‘em. They have results all the way back to when Lawrenceville Prep began playing football in the 1880s.

3. Are you a high school football history buff? Sidelinesnj.com has you covered. The site will soon publish old All-County teams, All-Area, etc., from such newspapers as the Daily Record (when it covered high school football properly before Gannett ruined everything), the late great Star-Ledger, Bergen Record, etc. And there will be old conference standings as well. Who won the old Skylands Conference championship in 1970? It’ll be on sidelinesnj.com. 

“At this stage, it is all experimental,” said Parker Gordon, the site’s founder. “We are confident in what we are doing. We prefer to stay low on the radar and get feedback.”

The Roxbury graduate, who quarterbacked the sectional championship team in 2009, said, “This was my idea. I was laid off from a corporate job in August. I’ve tried to keep up when Gridiron folded. I knew we could get the analytics down. If I wasn’t laid off, this would not have happened.

“A lot of career and corporate frustration went into this. Posting the scores as they happen … we are happy with that. The more engagement from coaches, the better. What I have been told, even going back to the (coach) Cosmo Lorusso days at Roxbury of 2009, coaches have had to submit their scores via email. But we have a process. It is one link, so you don’t even have to type anything. We have tried to create convenience.”

So what if some crackpot reports a crazy score?

“We have a system for fans and coaches; We have safeguards,” Gordon said. “Everything is up for review. There are dark forces out there that want to screw with our system, but we have guardrails in place.

“We are happy where we are and know what we can innovate on. We also know we are not a finished product.”

PLAYOFF LOOKAHEAD

The Morris-Sussex area could be in for some rough sledding in the coming weeks. North Jersey is loaded in all four sections (five, if you include Group 5, but Morris-Sussex is not represented in Group 5).

Newton is far and away the best chance Morris-Sussex has of bringing home a sectional championship. 

Here is a look at each first-round game involving local clubs:  

Montgomery at Chatham – Be honest: No one could have foreseen Chatham keeping high-powered Knolls in check one week after the Golden Eagles put up 57 points and rushed for about 450 against Immaculata. It is not ridiculous to say Evan Picariello’s Cougars could bring home the first sectional title in school history. Chatham is very good, and no team on its side of the bracket is a killer.

Mount Olive at Rahway – It would shock no one if Brian O’Connor’s Marauders traveled down to Union County and beat the No. 2 seeded Indians. Mount Olive RB Brayden Longo is rounding into form and could take this game over. A Mount Olive-at-Chatham sectional semifinal is a distinct possibility. Olive won the first meeting this year, 21-14. That would be a fascinating rematch.

Carteret at Roxbury – The Gaels entered 2026 with one surefire weapon (the running of QB Frankie Falco). But his midseason injury forced coach Ryan Roumes to use RB Roy Alvarado over a two-week stretch and Alvarado showed that he, too, can break off long runs. Now, the team has two gamebreakers in the backfield, not to mention unheralded Jimmy Murphy.

Summit at Morris Knolls – Knolls’ loss to Chatham got coach Bryan Gallagher’s and the Golden Eagles attention, so look for them to go on a run in the state playoffs … literally and figuratively. Knolls’ running game will give unfamiliar opponents fits. Check all the way back to the Bill Regan Era, when the Golden Eagles would move the ball against out-of-area powerhouses such as Elizabeth, Montclair, etc. Scout teams cannot prepare starting defenses for the real thing. 

Morris Hills at West Morris – Bruce Campbell’s Scarlet Knights have had one of their best seasons in many years, but they struggled mightily when they lost badly to Roxbury, which was far-and-away the best club on their schedule in 2026. The Wolfpack are in the same class as the Gaels and should win comfortably here. Now can they travel to Old Tappan and win there once again if they get past Morris Hills? Kevin Hennelly’s team, sectional champions in four of the last five years, has pulled that off in the recent past, so it’s not as out of the question as some have made it out to be. 

Montville at River Dell – Clement Hofbauer and Andrew Baginski give Rick DeBonta’s Mustangs a terrific 1-2 punch in the backfield. The Mustangs won their first divisional title since 2006 and are searching for their first-ever sectional crown. The road to that title is a brutal one with the likes of Wayne Hills and West Essex in their bracket.

Parsippany Hills at Wayne Hills – Did anyone have the Vikings making the playoffs on their Bingo card this fall? Didn’t think so. Kudos to coach Ross Tarlowe and his staff for bringing Par Hills back to relevance. The Vikings were 2-18 combined the last two years and seemingly have sprung up out of nowhere. 

Vernon at Lakeland – Don’t ever count out the Vikings, who came back from the dead to stun High Point in a classic last week. The team has a great 1-2 punch now that QB Nate Kimkowski has returned from injury and RB Andrew Geisen has found a home in the backfield after starting out the season at receiver.

High Point at Caldwell – The Wildcats have a terrific QB in Joey Elko (1,800 yards combined passing and running) but High Point has faced no one nearly as strong as Caldwell, one of the best Group II teams in all of New Jersey this year. This is a very difficult first–round assignment.

Hackettstown at Westwood – QB Carter Grant has given Mike Arakelian’s Tigers a lift. Westwood is down from previous seasons but still a formidable foe and one of the best Group II programs in the state.

Hanover Park at Bernards – Nick Liberato’s streaky Hornets won two straight to start the year, lost four straight in the middle but have won their last three. Have they found the right formula? Can they continue their winning ways? 

Dayton at Butler – Jason Luciani’s Bulldogs can sling it with QB Evan Croker (10 TD passes, 7 rushing TDs) and run it with Ethan Diaz (20 TDs rushing). They are the defending two-time sectional champion in North 1, Group I and will be a tough out.

Mountain Lakes at Wood Ridge – RB-LB Jack Bronico has had a big-time season for Darrell Fusco’s Herd, which had an unfortunate draw. If they win here, they run into top-seeded Cedar Grove next week.

Verona at Newton – The Braves have been nearly flawless for most of the year and are a heavy favorite to win this game and this section. They have scored at least 35 points in every game except one (Asbury Park in the season opener), and that was only because of Mother Nature. Lightning postponed the season-opening game at the half with Matt Parzero’s team ahead, 27-0.

Hawthorne at Wallkill Valley – Jim Hamill’s Rangers beat Lenape Valley the other day and won the National Blue to win their first outright division crown in school history. Wallkill is 9-0 and without a superstar – but it does have more good players than most teams.

Kinnelon at Boonton – If you love ground-and-pound football, this is your dream matchup. The Bombers won the regular-season meeting between the two, 35-30. Kinnelon rushed for 366 yards in a losing effort (but that was with Matthew Siciliano and his 187 yards in the lineup; he has been out). Boonton, which won the National White, rushed for 249 that night.

STATE CHAMPIONS

The NJSIAA instituted sectional championships in 1974. Here is the last year each school in Morris-Sussex has won a sectional championship

Boonton-2019

Butler-2025

Chatham-1984

Delbarton-1998

Dover-1996

Hackettstown-1981

Hanover Park-2024

High Point-None

Hopatcong-2005

Jefferson-2021

Kinnelon-2012

Kittatinny-2018

Lenape Valley-1999

Madison-2016
Mendham-1975

Montville-None

Morris Catholic-None

Morris Hills-2016

Morris Knolls-2005

Morristown-Beard-None

Morristown-2010

Mount Olive-2023

Mountain Lakes-2023

Newton-2017

Parsippany-None

Parsippany Hills-20219

Pequannock-2000

Pope John-2002

Randolph-2010

Roxbury-2012

Sparta-2014

Sussex Tech-None

Vernon-None

Wallkill Valley-1994

West Morris-2025

Whippany Park-1980