Hanover Park 24 Glen Rock 3
November 16, 2024
Hanover Park jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and controlled the game to record a 24-3 victory to win the North Jersey Section 2 Group 2 championship, their first in 34 years.
First Quarter: Glen Rock picked up two first downs when Nick Atme completed passes of 10 yards to Robert Lopez and 15 to John Iachetti. But the Panthers were forced to punt and Hector Lopez blocked it for Hanover Park and had the ball on their 47. The Hornets faced a third-and-14 when Joey Borrello found a wide-open Jack Kovacs for a 57-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Hanover Park struck again when Azmir Parks intercepted and returned to the Hornet 48. They went eight plays and scored on a 1-yard run by Borrello at the beginning of the second quarter. The big play was a 30-yard run to the 1 by Borello three plays earlier.
Second Quarter: Hanover Park began their next drive on the Glen Rock 43, picked up a first down, but turned it over on downs when Borrello’s fourth-down pass was deflected. Their next drive began on their 40 and went seven plays, but a pass to Joey Tantawi was fumbled with Glen Rock recovering on their 10.
Third Quarter: Joey Filippone returned the second-half kickoff to the Glen Rock 34 and the Hornets moved the ball to the 4 and added to the lead with a 21-yard field goal by Ryan Galioto to make it 17-0. Glen Rock kept plugging and a 33-yard completion from Atme to Brendan Burkhardt brought the ball to the 23. The Panthers got on the board when Mike Flaccavento kicked a 34-yard field goal. Glen Rock tried an onside kick that Hanover Park recovered on their 49. Borrello completed a 7-yard pass to Filippone for a first down and the two connected for an 11-yard score two plays later.
Fourth Quarter: Hanover Park drove into Glen Rock territory, but Iachetti intercepted to end that drive. The Hornets began their next drive on the 50 and stayed on the ground before turning the ball over on downs with 1:33 left.
Comments: There was never a point when Hanover Park was in danger of losing this game. While it was 14-0 at the half, it could have been 28-0. The Hornets started with good field position throughout the game, starting possessions on the 47, 48, Glen Rock 43, 40, Glen Rock 34, Glen Rock 49, 30, and 50. Their defense made it hard for Atme to run and held Glen Rock to 90 yards in the first half. It was a team effort and they were in control.
It was a good year for Glen Rock; they met a better team and kept competing throughout the game.