Ramapo 31 Old Tappan 24
October 14, 2023
In a battle of undefeated teams, Ramapo scored 25 unanswered points in the second and third quarters before surviving an Old Tappan rally with two interceptions in the final six minutes to win, 31-24.
First Quarter: After an Old Tappan punt, Ramapo had the ball on their 15. After picking up a first down, Landon DePrima found Zach Schnorrbusch for 57 yards to the 12-yard line and DePrima scored on an ROP keeper on the following play. The extra point was blocked and Ramapo led, 6-0. After a kick return by Robert Agans to their 40, Old Tappan went ten plays and scored on a 7-yard pass from Alex Orecchio to Evan Brooks to move in front, 7-6.
Second Quarter: After a Ramapo punt, Orecchio found Evans for 25 yards to the 28 and Nico Ottomanelli kicked a 50-yard field goal to extend Old Tappan’s lead to 10-6. After Ramapo punted, Old Tappan took over on their 14 and on their first play, Schnorrbusch intercepted on OT 49. Four plays later, it was fourth-and-four when Ramapo took the lead, 13-10, on a 43-yard pass from DePrima to Schnorrbusch on a crossing pattern. Old Tappan was on its way to answering with a 47-yard pass to Nicholas Rossi down the left sideline, bringing the ball to the 25. Three plays later, Schnorrbusch stepped in for another interception on the 17 and went 65 yards to the 18 with one minute left. A first-and-goal led to a touchdown pass to Charlie WIngfield in the left corner of the end zone and the Raiders led, 20-10.
Third Quarter: Ramapo came out with the ball and went fifteen plays and Wingfield kicked a 35-yard field goal. WIngfield intercepted on the ensuing drive, setting Ramapo up on the OT 40. A 19-yard pass to Schnorrbusch brought the ball to the 21 before James Magerko scored from one yard out to extend the lead to 31-10 after the two-point conversion succeeded.
Fourth Quarter: Old Tappan’s next drive featured a 36-yard pass to Agans, leading to a 9-yard touchdown pass to Evans. The Golden Knights had a good opportunity when Michael Miceli intercepted and returned it to the Ramapo 44. Two plays later, Orecchio threw a beautiful pass to Ronan Malady, who got past two Ramapo defenders for a 39-yard touchdown pass. That made the score 31-24 with ten minutes left. But their last two drives ended with interceptions, one by Wingfield and the final one by Mason Shifar with one minute left that enabled Ramapo to run out the clock.
Comments:.Ramapo was led by two seniors: Schnorrbusch and DePrima. Schnorrbusch ended up with 11 receptions for 204 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions that changed the momentum of the game in the second quarter. DePrima completed 19 of 35 for 260 yards and two touchdowns. But it was a team effort, with Head Coach Mike DeFazio mentioning a tremendous group of players who made their mark in the game, including Magerko with the game-winning touchdown. Another who shined was Wingfield with a touchdown reception, two interceptions, and a field goal. But it was a team effort and the Raiders took a big step forward tonight.
Old Tappan’s offense worked best when Rossi carried the ball and he rushed for 93 yards on 19 carries. Orecchio had three touchdown passes, two to Evans and the other to Malady. But they were hurt by five interceptions, three leading to touchdowns and the other two ending any chance at a comeback. In addition, the Golden Knights had several penalties that were uncharacteristic of them. While they are no longer undefeated, they are still a team to be reckoned with in the upcoming playoffs.