Old Tappan 14 Northern Highlands 7
October 3, 2025
Old Tappan broke a tie game in the third quarter with a long drive to go in front and hold off Northern Highlands for a 14-7 win in a battle of undefeated teams.
First Quarter: Highlands opened the game, moving the ball quickly on the ground, gaining 42 yards on four plays on runs: three by Chase Calarco and one by Tucker Kanning. But they turned the ball over on downs, and Old Tappan had the ball on their 29. A key play was a 7-yard sack on third down by Ryan Miceli, John Bilali, and Shane Small – all coming in at once. After picking up a first down, the Golden Knights were faced with a fourth-and-2, but a pass to Joe Crescitelli only gained one yard, giving the ball to Northern Highlands on the 50. All it took was one play for Highlands, with Kanning bursting through the middle and outrunning everyone for a touchdown. On the ensuing kick, Leo Etter initially bobbled the ball at the 20, and took off across the field and down the left sideline to the Highlands 31, setting Old Tappan up in good field position. Damian Du Toit picked up 13 bruising yards to the 16 for a first down. They struck gold when Zach Miceli found Shane Small, who just got over the goal line to tie the score with 47 seconds left in the quarter.
Second Quarter: Highlands moved the ball into OT territory behind the running of Calarco, but the drive stalled again when a fourth-down pass fell incomplete. After an Old Tappan punt, Highlands’ ground game moved the ball as far as the 24, but OT’s defense stiffened, as a pass on fourth down again was incomplete.
Third Quarter: Old Tappan came out and consumed over six minutes of the clock. Two passes to Small brought first downs to the Highlands 29. After an 8-yard run by Du Toit to the 14 for another first down, Miceli found Etter in the back of the end zone for a touchdown, and the Golden Knights were in front, 14-7. A Highlands punt gave Old Tappan the ball on their 23 with 1:33 left in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter: Old Tappan bridged the two quarters with a seven-minute drive. After Miceli picked up 8 yards on a keeper, Du Toit picked up three first downs, running and receiving. But a pair of penalties on third down forced an OT punt to the 4-yard line with 6:23 remaining. The Highlanders were faced with fourth-and-one on their 13 with four minutes left, when Kanning cut left and gained 15 yards to keep possession. Calarco ran 14 yards to their 48, and a horse-collar penalty added 15 yards to Old Tappan’s 37 with three minutes left. Kanning ran 14 yards to the 16 to put the Highlanders in good shape. But a fourth-down pass was incomplete with just over a minute left, and Old Tappan ran out the clock.
Comments: Old Tappan came out on top with a banged-up team, missing several starters, especially the offensive line, to win the game. One of those who stepped up was Du Toit, filling in for Devyn Radoian, rushing for 71 yards. Small had a touchdown reception, and two others picked up first downs in the pivotal third-quarter drive. The reshuffled offensive line, through injuries, did an admirable job and was instrumental in two long second-half drives. The defense came up big when needed to stop drives well into their territory, especially on the first drive, when Ryan Miceli, Bilali, and Small had a big sack.
Highlands was able to run the ball, rushing for 255 yards. Calarco had 130 yards on 17 carries, and Kanning had 132 and a touchdown on 16 carries. But they only had two possessions in the second half, as opposed to four in the first. That limited the damage they could do because of Old Tappan’s long drives.
It was a battle between two good teams. If they played ten times, each team would have some wins. Old Tappan came out on top tonight.