Ridgewood falls to Montclair in North 1, Group 5 final
Sunday, December 8, 2013
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
The Record
EAST RUTHERFORD – For a full year Ridgewood has been waiting and anticipating a rematch with Montclair. After a 24-0 playoff semifinal loss in 2012, the Maroons and their 31 seniors wanted another crack. Be careful what you wish for.
The Mounties won last year by being more physical than Ridgewood. They won the North 1, Group 5 final again this year using the same formula. The most surprising aspect of the 33-0 Montclair win Saturday was the zero on the Maroon side of the scoreboard.
Two early turnovers didn’t help the Ridgewood cause, but this was a game that saw Montclair dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On a handful of occasions, Montclair running back Shaquan Oliver and quarterback Elijah Robinson could be seen moving a pile four and five yards after contact.
“We didn’t play our game,” Maroon quarterback Jamal Locke said. “There’s not much we can do about it now. They took it to us.”
Congratulations to Coach Johnson, his entire staff, and the boys on the team for a great season. A team with 30+ seniors says a lot about a program. It was a group of boys who played hard, played together, and played with great sportsmanship. They set a great example for all the youth football players in town who hope one day to follow in their footsteps.
Tough way to end the season but as the years go by they will be able to look back and remember the night they played on the same field that will host the Super Bowl. Best of luck to them all.
Lets be honest guys………11-0 playing against mismatches. (ridiculously easy schedule).
0-1 when they played a real team.