Old Wounds Help Fuel Knolls over Mount Olive

The insult is four years old, but some of the Morris Knolls football players are like elephants. The kids who grew up playing for Denville have long memories – and they don’t forget a thing.

What some Mount Olive parents told a few referees before a big game has stayed lodged in their minds ever since the current Golden Eagles and Marauders played as eighth graders.

Oh, Golden Eagle senior Gavin Toland remembers – and that’s why Knolls took great pride in their 42-13 dismantling of Mount Olive Friday night.

The win was oh-so-personal.

Let’s go back in time. Mount Olive’s current group of seniors were a powerhouse team in youth football and hadn’t lost in 37 straight games, according to Toland. Denville’s team, meanwhile, was one of the smallest teams in the conference and were overwhelmed by Mount Olive by four touchdowns as seventh graders.

So some Mount Olive parents were feeling particularly giddy leading up to this midget championship game as eighth graders.

“We overheard them talking to the refs before the game,” Toland recalled. “They said, ‘They will never beat us.’”

They will never beat us.

With those five words as a backdrop, picture how fired up coach Bryan Gallagher’s team was with a 28-14 lead on the Marauders at the half.

The enthusiasm skyrocketed at the end of the first half, when Knolls LB Lucas Zuravnsky brought back an interception 32 yards for a stunning touchdown to put his team up by two scores, 27-13.

And throw this into the mix: The experts – all of them – picked Mount Olive over Knolls.

“In the Big State picks … everybody picked Mount Olive,” Toland said. 

No wonder this intermission was a lot more boisterous than others. 

Knolls also draws players from Rockaway’s midget program – one of Denville’s biggest rivalries growing up – but don’t think they didn’t get into the frivolity.

Denville and Rockaway have bonded and have become brothers.

“We would die for one another,” Toland said.

So there you have it: Don’t think the Mount Olive parents’ comments weren’t brought up. 

They most certainly were – and they were having a blast high-fiving and whooping it up at the half. 

“Halftime,” Toland said, “was fun.”

Toland and his teammates knew they still had work to do, but they also knew they were well on their way.

The rallying cry escalated in Knolls’ halftime and they left for the field vowing to finish the job.

“‘Nobody thought we’d be here!’” Toland said. “‘Let’s go out and make a statement! Don’t let up!’”

That they did.

Knolls outscored Mount Olive in the second half, 15-0.

Before anyone gets too carried away with one regular-season win, Gallagher warned that Mount Olive was hobbled and still remains one of Morris County’s best teams. Brayden Longo, one of Morris County’s best overall athletes, was not 100 percent. RB Malcolm Gilyard didn’t play. And WR-DB Justin Bullock, another supreme athlete, was knocked out of the game in the first half.

“You have to understand,” Gallagher said. “Longo played but he was clearly not at full strength. Justin Bullock went down. They have other good players, not to take away from the win, but they were hobbled. And Gilyard didn’t play at all, he is banged up.”

Still, it was a major mid-season statement for Knolls (4-1) in a battle that seemed more like late November than late September.

“We prepared spectacularly,” Knolls QB Ryan McDonald (8 for 101 rushing, 1 TD) said. “We knew we needed to get a good jump right out of the gate.” 

They did just that, with McDonald getting the ball rolling early with a stunning 78-yard touchdown run, aided by WR Brett Szurko’s downfield blocking.

“The emphasis for them was to stop me and Nick (Wong) on the perimeter and that opens up things for Ryan,” Toland said. “The 78-yard run by Ryan proves my point.”

Knolls was tied at 7 before the speedy Wong got into the act (6 for 68 rushing), racing to the left sideline for an 18-yard touchdown. After the Marauders tied it, McDonald connected with Brayden Hallik for a 30-yard touchdown, making it 21-14.

“We are all playmakers,” McDonald said. “I feel confident when I give the ball to whoever because I know they’ll make a play. Even in the passing game, we have playmakers who can catch the ball.”

More big plays incoming: Late in the first half, Zuravnsky stepped in front of a Justin Reed pass and returned it for a stunning TD. Toland hit Reed on the play, which led to the INT, which led to halftime bedlam.

Another huge play in a game full of them for Knolls.

Said Toland, “Lucas did a great job getting into the passing lane and turned defense into offense with some great downfield blocks.” 

Knolls sideline went nuts during and after the play and carried that enthusiasm right into the half. 

“What other kind of motivation do you need?” McDonald said. “Lucas rolled left with the quarterback and then he came out of nowhere and picked it off and the crowd went crazy.” 

“We had them on the ropes last year and lost, and the theme of the week was finding out about ourselves and finishing the job,” Toland added.

They sure did.

In the third quarter, Toland (8 for 58 rushing) scored a 3-yard touchdown run and, in the fourth, Zuravnsky (13 for 89 rushing) scored a 35-yard touchdown run.

Knolls rushed 35 times for 316 yards.

“It all starts with the O-Line,” McDonald said, referring to a group that includes Joey Knaack, guards Anthony Evaristo and Patrick Neary, and tackles Greg Antal and Anthony Wagner. “They were fantastic. All credit to them. We have some special players running the ball. It’s fun seeing them run the ball and make plays.

“Mount Olive is a very, very good team. We knew they would be as prepared as we were. During practice, our scout team did a fantastic job representing No. 45 (Jared Martini) on offense and defense. Longo was a little banged up but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t going to play, so we had to prepare for him. We gameplanned for Gilyard but he was wearing a boot on the sidelines. Our scout team was outstanding at recreating what they like to do.”

So one week of great practices led to 48 minutes of great football. Pencil in Knolls as a team to watch come playoff time. 

The Golden Eagles sure are feeling good about themselves, and with good reason.

“We have a special team and are having a blast hitting people and scoring touchdowns,” McDonald said.

Oh, and one other thing: Knolls can remember with the best of ‘em.