Chatham 24 Wayne Valley 7
November 2, 2024
Chatham dominated the last three quarters of play, controlling the clock for over 21 minutes in the second half to defeat Wayne Valley, 24-7, in the first round of the North Jersey Section 2 Group 4 playoffs. The Cougars rebounded after Wayne Valley had a 7-0 lead after one quarter when the Indians had just over ten minutes of possession.
First Quarter: After the teams traded three-and-out possessions and punts, Wayne Valley drove over five minutes, capping things off on a 1-yard score from Elizer Estevez for a 7-0 lead. Valley had a good opportunity when Anthony DeStefano intercepted on the second play of the ensuing Chatham drive on their 37. But the Indians did not take advantage and punted after three plays. Chatham took over on their 26 with five seconds left in the quarter.
Second Quarter: After running only six plays in the first quarter, Chatham drove nine plays and showed signs of life when Will Allen completed passes to Michael MacAniff for 19 yards and Tommy Douglas for 20. The Cougars turned the ball over on downs, but the tide in the game was turning. A pass interference penalty on Chatham on the following play gave Valley the ball on the Chatham 48. Ryan Carey broke up a pass on the following play, followed by a 7-yard completion from Danny Farrauilo to Bryce Flower, which was fumbled and Chatham recovered on their 41. The Cougars had a fourth-and-1 on the 50 when Allen ran 37 yards to the 13 and connected with Nick Lagunowich on the following play for a touchdown, tying the score with 6:13 left. Wayne Valley picked up a first down on the ensuing drive before Farrauilo found Flower for 21 yards on a play almost intercepted by Chatham. Valley ended up punting. Chatham began on their 20 and Allen found Lagunowich for 36 yards and a wide-open Sonny Arden for a 44-yard score, giving them a 14-7 lead, one they would not relinquish. Valley drove late in the first half, but Michael Stackhouse’s 32-yard field goal attempt went wide to the left, as time ran out.
Third Quarter: The story was Chatham having the ball for 9:43. The Cougars drove twelve plays and added to the lead with a 38-yard field goal from Alex McWilliams to make it 17-7. A pass to Jeriah Cabrales was fumbled on a hit by Douglas, who recovered on the Valley 31. Allen dropped back and took off for 12 yards for a first down before Chatham turned it over on downs. The Cougars had the ball on the Valley 42 after the defense forced a three-and-out. Allen found Lagunowich for 10 and 20 yards and scored when Allen found Arden for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 24-7 with nine minutes left in the game.
Fourth Quarter: Hunter Bigham intercepted for Chatham after a 27-yard completion from Farrauilo to Flower with 8:36 left. Valley never saw the ball again because Chatham ran out the clock. The most notable play was a 20-yard reverse by Lagunowich.
Comments: Chatham hung in there; they absorbed Wayne Valley’s control of the first quarter and turned things around, imposing their will. The Cougars ran six plays in the first quarter before scoring twice in the second quarter and dominating the second half. They had the ball for 21:11 out of a possible 24 minutes. Allen was a two-way threat at quarterback, passing for 216 yards and three touchdowns, completing 14-of-26, while rushing for 59 yards on 14 carries. His chief target was Lagunowich, who had 6 receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown, while Arden had 3 receptions for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defense also did its job, limiting Wayne Valley to seven offensive plays in the second half. Head Coach Evan Picariello commented how proud he was of the defense and how well Allen played. He also mentioned how the program has higher expectations. Picariello deserves credit at the end of the first half when he called two consecutive timeouts to ice the Valley kicker before missing.
The Cougars travel to Phillipsburg next week.
Wayne Valley had an outstanding first quarter but died after that. After having the ball for ten minutes in that quarter, they only had possession for 9:01 in the last three quarters. They had six drives that ended with a fumble, punt, missed field goal, fumble, punt, and an interception. Chatham took the game away from them by changing the momentum in the second quarter, then a second-half combination of the stingy Chatham defense and the Cougar offense making timely plays to keep the ball away.