Old Tappan 38 Pascack Valley 6
September 15, 2023
After a slow start, Old Tappan came out and scored on four drives of the second half to beat Pascack Valley, 38-6.
First Quarter: Things were quiet as the teams exchanged punts.
Second Quarter: It was a little more than one minute into the quarter when Old Tappan was on the board on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Alex Orecchio to Evan Brooks. The Golden Knights moved the ball on their next possession, but a field goal attempt was blocked and it remained 7-0 with just under five minutes left. Pascack Valley moved the ball past midfield, but their drive ended when Brooks intercepted on the 11 and returned it to the 50. A 15-yard penalty moved it to the PV 35. OT extended their lead to 10-0 with two seconds left when Nico Ottomanelli booted a 48-yard field goal.
Third Quarter: Old Tappan came out with the ball and scored on a 68-yard touchdown pass to Joey Crescitelli down the right sideline. The Golden Knights drove again, capping it off on a 3-yard touchdown run by Orecchio and scored on their next drive on a 2-yard run by Nick Rossi with one minute left.
Fourth Quarter: Pascack Valley scored on a 14-yard run by quarterback Adam Shaw and he set up the score on an earlier run of 35 yards. Old Tappan closed out the scoring when Orecchio went 82 yards down the left sideline towards the school.
Comments: It was not OT’s best effort in the first half and they were much better the previous week. But they started to click late in the first half. Head Coach Brian Dunn said the Brooks interception was a turning point. They scored on their three possessions in the third quarter to pull away and on their following drive. Dunn said the first half was not what they wanted from the team, but they are young and they need to learn to play hard every week.
When asked about his 48-yard field goal, Ottomanelli said he felt confident and determined, especially after his previous attempt was blocked.
Pascack Valley battled hard and was competitive for one half. Then they could not keep up. Nonetheless, they play hard, especially on defense. Shaw is a sophomore and looked like a sophomore at times, but he came alive on their scoring drive and has a good future. The team formerly known as the Indians always give the effort and that is what I like about them.