I watched all three games at Rutgers yesterday; some of it was upstairs in the press box and some was on the field. I did not take any notes and this will be all memory. I will return with the other two games later. Stats come from nj.com.
Woodbury-Mountain Lakes
Trailing 7-0 at the half, Woodbury scored 31 unanswered points in the second half to beat Mountain Lakes, 31-7 in the first-ever state championship game in New Jersey history.
I spent the first three quarters upstairs and went down to the field for the fourth quarter when it was no longer raining.
What stood out immediately and throughout the game was the Woodbury defense: How good they were, how disciplined they were, how sound they were, and how fast they were.
Every person I spoke to – and most were from the north – raved about how good middle linebacker Derron Moore was. He was all over the field, including special teams. He plugged the middle, hit hard, and ran to the edges. Long-time North Jersey football coach Greg Toal would say he is a heck of a football player. He had 11 tackles, including 10 solo, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles. He will be attending Duquesne and that is a good get for them.
But Moore had plenty of help.
The defense held Mountain Lakes to 84 yards rushing on 42 carries and 30 yards passing. The Thundering Herd had 13 tackles for loss with eight players being involved. Five of those players had at least two tackles for loss with Nyrell Redrow with 2.5 and Moore, Dominic Abbatelli, Jasuan Solomon, and Avari Morton with 2 each.
On the offensive side, Anthony Reagan Jr. gained 211 yards on 27 carries and his 39-yard run very early in the second half got Woodbury rolling when they were still trailing, 7-0.
Mountain Lakes had a very good year, but they came up against a better team. There is nothing to be ashamed about. Defensive end Marco Dzamba had a big game with 12 tackles, including 9 solo, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble.
*Stats courtesy of nj.com