Waldwick/Midland Park 35 Garfield 34 in Overtime
October 23, 2026
The Waldwick defense stopped Jorheny Rodriguez one yard short of the goal line on a potential winning two-point conversion run in overtime to beat Garfield, 35-34, and win the NJIC championship.
First Quarter: Garfield’s first possession faced third-and-9 when Talib McCullough connected with Filip Sadowski for 32 yards to the 32-yard line. But the drive ended with a 37-yard field-goal attempt that was short.
Waldwick/MP went on a 14-play, eight-minute drive that covered 80 yards, mostly on the ground. They scored on a 3-yard run through the middle by Luciano Mayer with 18 seconds left in the quarter: one of his eleven runs on the drive.
Second Quarter: Garfield came back with a 13-play, seven-minute drive and scored on a 1-yard run by Jorhenny Rodriguez to tie things at 7-7. W/MP came back with eight plays, but were forced to punt with 27 seconds left.
Third Quarter: After a Waldwick/MP punt, Garfield had the ball on their 46. Rodriguez gained 5 yards, then ran 49 yards for a touchdown.
Another Waldwick/MP punt gave Garfield the ball on their 34. Talib McCullough picked up 17 yards on the keeper before connecting with Yankely Sanchez for a 47-yard touchdown, and the Boilermakers were ahead, 21-7.
Waldwick/MP answered with a 7-play, 78-yard drive aided by two roughing-the-passer penalties by Garfield. The second one gave Waldwick/MP the ball on the 14, and quarterback Will Dell’Aglio scored on the keeper to cut the deficit to 21-14.
Fourth Quarter: A Garfield punt gave W/MP the ball on their 3-yard line at the beginning of the quarter and went on a 13-play, 6-minute drive, scoring on a 17-yard run by Aidan Maher out of the wildcat. The extra point failed, and Garfield was still ahead, 21-20 with 5:29 remaining. Eleven of those plays were on the ground, with Mayer, Maher, Dell’Aglio, and EJ Cozzupoli getting carries.
Garfield answered, going 64 yards on six plays, behind Rodriguez. He carried the ball five times, including a 25-yard touchdown to put the Boilermakers up, 28-20, with 3:09 remaining.
W/MP started on their 25, and it didn’t look good when Dell’Aglio was sacked to the 17 by several defenders, including Devon Paisley and Isaias Pitango. After an incomplete pass made it third-and-18, Dell’Aglio rolled right and found Cozzupoli downfield for a 41-yard completion to the Garfield 42. On fourth-and-5 on the 24, Dell’Aglio completed a pass to Jake Wonsowicz for 7 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Dell’Aglio ran for 8 yards and a first down to the 8-yard line. Mayer scored with five seconds remaining three plays later from the 3, and it was 28-26. Dell’Aglio ran past the right pylon for two points, and the game was headed to overtime, 28-28.
Overtime: Waldwick/Midland Park began with a first-and-10 on the 25. Mayer ran for 5 yards, then 7 yards for a first down on the 13. He then ran left past the pylon for a touchdown. The extra point was good, and they led 35-28.
Garfield had its chance, with Rodriguez running for 19, 5, and a 1-yard touchdown to bring it to 35-34. The Boilermakers went for two and gave the ball to Rodriguez. Logan Feehan initially stopped him on the 5-yard line, but he broke free and was met by several defenders. It was a wild scrum that took a few of seconds, but Rodriguez was stopped short of the goal line. Waldwick won.
Comments: Waldwick/MP showed resiliency coming back from two touchdowns behind in the third quarter. Their last stop in overtime was a team effort, but Feehan penetrating the backfield to initially stop Rodriguez bought time for the defense to tackle Rodriguez short of the goal line. Mayer ran for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns on 22 carries, and the Warriors rushed for 261 yards. It was also the second time in three weeks that Dell’Agio scored a clutch two-point conversion: this one to send the game into overtime and the winning one against Rutherford two weeks ago. And he is only a sophomore.
Garfield played their hearts out and came up a yard short of a championship. Head Coach Farsheed Taschayyodi has done a tremendous job with this program in two years, and I look forward to more success from them. Rodriguez is a terrific runner with speed, gaining 189 yards and 3 touchdowns on 26 carries.
I was impressed by the atmosphere at Garfield. The field was remodeled in recent years, and they did a great job. The only thing missing was the wall that surrounded the Garfield side and one end zone, combined with the school surrounding the other half, making it known as the Prison Yard to many. Now, the school surrounds half the field, with the other half open. An enthusiastic crowd from both teams made it a super atmosphere.