Ramapo became the first team in New Jersey to go 13-0 after winning the North Jersey Group 3 bowl game, 42-22.
The Raiders scored on their first drive on a 6-yard AJ Wingfield pass to Ty Jaten. The big play on the drive was a 38-yard pass to Isaiah Savitt. Summit scored with one minute left in the quarter on Max Jackson’s 2-yard run. The Hilltoppers successfully went for two points to take an 8-7 lead.
Ramapo came back when Wingfield hit twin brother Matt down the left sideline and just over the defender for a 40-yard touchdown. Summit marched into Ramapo territory, but Sam Basa intercepted a screen pass and returned it 29 yards to the Summit 29. Wingfield then found Max Baker for a 20-yard touchdown to make it 20-8 with 3:39 left in the half.
Summit then went downfield behind the running of Jackson and Joe Lusardi, capping it off on a 31-yard run by Jackson to narrow the deficit to 20-16 with 2:19 left. Ramapo wasted no time going down the field with passes to Jaten for 23 yards and Baker for 16 to put the Raiders on the 22. That set up Wingfield’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Baker and a successful two-point conversion between the two to make it 28-16 with 37 seconds left in the half.
Ramapo first drive of the second half was a methodical, six-minute, 64-yard drive, with Luke Ragone scoring a 1-yard touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, Wingfield connected with Jaten for 35 yards to the 20 and found Baker for a 6-yard touchdown. Summit ended the game with a 3-yard run from Jackson Tyler.
Wingfield threw for five touchdowns and was 19-of-25 for 277 yards and Baker caught three touchdown passes. The Raiders offense was a well-oiled machine; the passing game was precision-like and the second half featured a grind-it-out running game. The wide receivers took their hits during the year: Baker losing his twin brother, Noah, for the year two minutes into the opening game, while Savitt was injured early in the game, and Jaten missed time. But that didn’t stop Wingfield from getting things done. Ragone showed tough running, along with Anthony Sargenti.
Their defense showcased an outstanding group of linebackers in Matt Wingfield, Sargenti, Mike Connor, and Anthony Valvano, while Baker had two interceptions and Basa made a very important interception in the first half that might have prevented a Summit score and extended the Ramapo lead.
Summit showed themselves to be a good team. Jackson is a very good back and Lusardi is not far behind. But Ramapo was too much for them and it showed on the scoreboard.