Hanover Park 35 Mountain Lakes 21
Hanover Park beat Mountain Lakes 35-21, with 21 points in the second half, breaking open a game that was tied at the half. The key play was a 74-yard scoop-and-score touchdown that gave them a lead they would never relinquish.
First Quarter: Hanover Park scored on the game’s seventh play when Dante Rosato went 21 yards through the middle and into the end zone. The big play on the drive was a Jack Kovacs-to-Luke Morgese pass of 22 yards to the Mountain Lakes 26. Mountain Lakes drove to midfield, all on the ground, picking up two first downs. But the drive stalled, and the Herd was forced to punt. After a Hanover Park punt, Mountain Lakes bridged the two quarters on a seven-play drive. Billy Barrett got things going on the first play when he went 20 yards. Lawson Fagan found Carson Fitch, who went 23 yards down the right sideline to the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Massimo Corvelli scored, going past the left pylon to knot things at 7-7.
Second Quarter: After picking up a first down, Hanover Park struck when Kovacs found a wide-open Darien Iannacone for a 62-yard touchdown. Barrett returned the ensuing kickoff to the 50, but the Herd was three-and-out and punted. After picking up a first down when Kovacs found Morgese for 16 yards to their 45, the Hornets had to punt. The punt snap sailed over the punter’s head, and he tried to run for the first down, but was tackled short, giving Mountain Lakes the ball on the Hanover Park 29. Fitch immediately went 10 yards for a first down to the 19, and he finished the drive six plays later on a 1-yard score, tying it 14-14 with three minutes left.
Third Quarter: Mountain Lakes came out with the ball and moved quickly down the field, with Barrett going 24 yards on the first play out of the wildcat. The Herd followed with Fitch gaining 17 and 11 yards, and Barrett going 13 to the 8 for a first-and-goal, but disaster struck two plays later.
The shotgun snap went past the players in the backfield, and Greg Glodek picked up the ball to go 77 yards for a touchdown, and the Hornets went ahead, 21-14. Mountain Lakes had been in the wildcat the entire drive, with a running back replacing the quarterback, Fagan. Three running backs lined up together, and something went awry for them because nobody took the snap. The ball was on the 9, and Glodek picked up the ball on the 23. Big State Sports has the game broadcast. Go to the 1:38:40 mark and the play can be viewed.
The Herd tried to rebound, but Iannacone intercepted for Hanover Park to kill that drive. Rosato went 18 yards, followed by a 14-yard run by Kovacs, and another Rosato run for 11 yards, advancing the ball to the 24. They ended things with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Iannacone on a fade in the left corner of the end zone to make it 28-14 with five minutes left in the quarter. The Herd moved the ball, but had to turn it over on downs.
Fourth Quarter: Kovacs found Morgese again for 51 yards to the 14, and Garrett Walters two plays later in the end zone to extend their lead to 35-14. Mountain Lakes got things going when Jack Bronico ran for 38 yards to the 37 and scored on a 1-yard sneak by Fagan to make it 35-21 with over four minutes remaining. But the drive consumed six minutes, and they were still down two touchdowns. A 21-yard pass to Morgese brought Hanover Park a first down, which enabled the Hornets to run out the clock.
Comments: Hanover Park took advantage of the turnover in the third quarter to go ahead, and they never looked back with 21 points. When reached for comment, Glodek, who scored the touchdown, said, “They practice the scoop-and-score all the time in practice. When the moment arrived, I knew what to do. I believed I would score the touchdown, but I had to run my hardest. I thought it was taking forever to get across the goal line, but I made it.”
The Hornets had good performances. Kovacs passed for 205 yards and 3 touchdowns on 11-of-13 passing, and he ran for 67 yards on 14 carries. Rosato rushed for 98 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. On the receiving end, Iannacone had 3 receptions for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Morgese caught 4 for 110.
It was a tough loss for Mountain Lakes. They were close to going ahead early in the third quarter, but that muffed snap that ended in a Hanover Park touchdown changed the game. They were able to run the ball with Fitch gaining 81 yards on 17 carries, Barrett 72 on 7, and Bronico 70 on 7. But the missed opportunity that resulted in a Hanover Park score changed the game for them, and not for the better.