Waldwick/Midland Park 43 Rutherford 42 in Double OT
October 10, 2026
Waldwick/Midland Park won a thrilling double-overtime classic when quarterback Will Dell’Aglio scored past the right pylon on the two-point conversion, 43-42.
First Quarter: Rutherford came out of the gate on the first play, a 65-yard touchdown pass from Myles Balchan to Will Holman on the post pattern. Holman got behind the defense, leaving him wide open.
Waldwick’s first possession was a 15-play, 85-yard, seven-minute drive. Luciano Mayer broke off a 30-yard run on the first play, followed by runs of 9 and 5 yards. The Warriors ground out yards and scored on a 1-yard run by Mayer.
It was Rutherford’s turn. After picking up two first downs, they faced a 2nd-and-17 when Balchan and Holman connected again for a 52-yard touchdown pass; Holman was wide open past the W/MP secondary for a second time.
Second Quarter: W/MP went on a 16-play, 73-yard, 8:22-minute drive. They picked up six first downs, including the touchdown, and scored on another 1-yard run by Mayer. The longest plays were a 16-yard run by Mayer and a 10-yard run from Aidan Maher.
W/MP the ball on their 44 after a fourth-down pass fell incomplete, and they went on a 12-play, 56-yard, 3:54 drive. The Warriors went ahead, 21-14, on a 3-yard pass from Dell’Aglio to EJ Cozzupoli with three seconds left. Key plays were a 16-yard Mayer run and passes to Jake Wonsowicz for 16 and 10 yards.
Third Quarter: A Waldwick punt gave Rutherford the ball on their 25. An option pitch to John Gioia gained 25 yards to the 50. They faced fourth-and-2 when Balchan found AJ Nunziato in the flat, as he raced down the right sideline for a 42-yard score to tie the game at 21. It was a well-designed play, Nunziato lining up as a tight end, letting the edge rusher through, proceeding to the flat past the cornerback, and down the sideline.
W/MP moved the ball into Rutherford territory, but Leo Kim intercepted on Rutherford’s 8-yard line.
Fourth Quarter: A Rutherford punt gave W/MP the ball on their 49. They made it to the 16-yard line, but a fourth-down pass fell short of the first-down marker.
The Warriors had the ball on the Rutherford 46, and Mayer picked up 22 yards to the 20. Two runs by Maher gave them a first-and-goal on the 8, before he scored on a 2-yard run past the left pylon. It was 28-21, W/MP, with 2:56 to go.
Rutherford started on their 27 after a W/MP offside gave them a first down on the 38, and Balchan found Holman again, getting past the defender for 50 yards to the 14. The pair hooked up three plays later for a 12-yard score, with Balchan open in the end zone. That tied the score at 28.
First Overtime: W/MP had the ball first and scored on eight plays, with Mayer getting in between left guard Chase Cozzupoli and left tackle Logan Feehan for a 1-yard touchdown.
Rutherford went four plays and scored on a 5-yard run by Gioia, as left tackle Troy Waddell and left guard Vin Urgola moved their men back, opening a hole for Gioia to get through.
Second Overtime: Rutherford had the ball first in this round. After Gioia gained a yard, Balchan and Holman did it again: a 24-yard touchdown pass to make it 42-35.
On W/MP’s first play, Cozzupoli took the jet sweep handoff to the left and cut upfield for 17 yards to the 8. Cozzupoli struck again three plays later on the same play, this time racing past the left pylon for the touchdown. A key block on the play came from tight end Rocco Marquis.
This made the score Rutherford 42, Waldwick/Midland Park 41. Would they kick an extra point or go for two? They lined up for the two-point conversion. Dell’Aglio took the snap, rolled out right, and went past the pylon to give W/MP the win, 43-32.
Comments: Waldwick held the ball for 36:31 in regulation, with 19:07 in the first half. Including overtime, they ran 91 plays, 72 on the ground. Mayer gained 226 yards and 3 touchdowns on 46 carries. The Warrior offensive line was a big reason for their success: left tackle Logan Feehan, left guard Chase Cozzupoli, center Matthew Buttino, right guard Luke Fairchild, and right tackle Trevor Sandberg.
I spoke to Dell’Aglio after the game about the winning two-point play; he said he didn’t want to let his teammates down. He also said he told the coach he wanted to go for two if they scored. However, he did not remember much of the winning run.
Balchan became Rutherford’s all-time passing-yard leader today. He and Holman were lethal; Balchan completed 12 of 19 passes for 323 yards and 5 touchdowns. Four of those touchdowns went to Holman, who caught 7 for 254 yards. In addition to 323 yards passing, they rushed for 84 yards for a total of 407.