Montville Runs to Victory in Division Opener

The Spread passing game never could get off the Pascack Valley runway, so Montville decided to go old-school.

The Mustangs ran the ball.

And they ran it again.

And again.

And …

“We got things going up front,” Mustangs coach Rick DeBonta said.

Oh boy, did they ever. Montville ran up 21 unanswered second-half points and captured a 21-7 victory on the road against a traditionally strong opponent in Bergen County.

“In the first half, we tried to throw and it didn’t work,” Andrew Baginski said. “We adjusted so we tried to run it. We accepted the challenge and did what we had to do.”

Baginski rushed 19 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Clement Hofbauer, a returning starter in the backfield, was 10 for 93 rushing. 

The powerfully-built Hofbauer (5-11, 215) rushed 133 times for 725 and nine TDs last year. He was a known quantity coming into this season.

Baginski? He was not.

DeBonta and the Montville coaches knew about Baginski growing up in town and the kid didn’t disappoint last year as a standout starting safety despite being just a freshman. He also dabbled as a part-time receiver but was not nearly as impactful on offense as he was on D last year. He started this year out at receiver until the PV game.

It’s safe to say Baginski’s days at receiver are over. 

Hello, running back.

DeBonta and his staff decided to put the ball in Baginski’s hands. He rushed just eight times last year for 64 yards, but he showed what he can do against PV – and the Mustangs polished off a brand new weapon in the process.

“Coach put me in position to get the ball,” Baginski said. “It’s great running behind Clement. When I need a block, he does it. We block for each other.”

“Baginski is such a great athlete,” DeBonta said. “You should see him throw! The more touches he gets in the backfield, the better off we are. We put him in the backfield and had Clement block for him, like Andrew is an H back. Clement is a great blocker and runner.”

The O-Line – center Ben Jackson, guards Carlo Mafucci and Gabe Ugda, and tackles Alex Husti and Matt Allen – made its presence felt

“We ran well behind them,” DaBonta said. “The perimeter guys were great: Brett Kunkel, Nick Brant, Pete Matarazzo, Liam Daily, Anthony Galipoli.”

Montville’s defense surrendered a first-quarter touchdown but then stiffened up.

“We made a couple of mistakes, but we were holding them defensively,” DaBonta said. “We thought we could hold them, but we were worried about the offense getting it going. So we said, ‘Let’s get them going up front and we moved the ball solidly. They were slow-moving drives, old-school.

“We like to run the ball. We spread out, but we like running the ball and believe in those two guys. If the box is packed to stop them, we will spread it out.”

Montville QB Jackson Gering (11 for 20, 87 yards, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD) had a rough game against PV but showed what he could do last year, when he was 122 for 203 for 1,636 yards and 13 TDs. Gering came on as the season wore on and remains one of Morris County’s best quarterbacks.

The win stamped Montville as a contender in the five-team SFC-Liberty Gold, which also includes Par Hills, Passaic Valley, Sparta, and West Milford.

The Mustangs have not won a division championship since 2006, when the team went out to Delbarton and beat the Green Wave on the way to winning the old Northern Hills Conference-Skyline Division. The team has only won three division crowns (2006, 2003, 1980). 

“That’s the goal,” Baginski said. “Coach mentions it every practice, every week. That is the goal we are working towards.”

Montville has never won a sectional championship, but that is far off. First things first: Get that division crown.

And thanks to the Pascack Valley victory, it appears well within reach.