Morris Knolls 17 Linden 7
October 28, 2023
Morris Knolls was at their methodical best and beat Linden, 17-7, in the quarterfinals of the North Jersey Section 1 Group 4 playoffs. They controlled the ball on offense and their defense was very stingy allowing yardage.
First Quarter: Linden punted after a three-and-out, giving Morris Knolls the ball 16. The Golden Eagles moved down the field for an eighteen play, nine-minute drive. They made it as far as the 12, but two penalties moved the ball to the 26 and a third-and-16 pass was incomplete – their only pass of the drive. This set up a field goal attempt by Jake Merlucci with 40 seconds left, which was no good, leaving the game scoreless. The biggest play of the drive went 9 yards, it was just methodical, few yards at a time.
Second Quarter: Knolls had their next possession start on their 35 and this drive was nowhere near as long, but it was effective. A 15-yard penalty moved the ball to the 50. A pass from Mike Knaack to Kyle Hardie went 15 yards, a keeper by Knaack picked up 24 to the 6-yard line, and he followed up with another keeper on the following play for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with eight minutes left. Knolls had an opportunity to add to the lead when they began on their 30 with just under five minutes left. The Golden Eagles picked up three first downs, but their pace was deliberate and the half ended when Kevin Taylor sacked Knaack at the Linden 43.
Third Quarter: Knolls came out with a drive of 4:25, scoring on a 30-yard run by Tyler Brookes for a 14-0 lead. They had the ball again on their 47 with four minutes left in the quarter and went eight plays before Merlucci booted a 42-yard field goal one minute into the fourth quarter, making the score, 17-0. The longest play of the drive was a 10-yard run by Brookes.
Fourth Quarter: Knolls had the ball again on their 48, picked up a first down, and turned the ball over on downs. Linden moved the ball, starting with a 19-yard pass from Tequan Thomas to Semaj Irving and scored on a 24-yard pass from Thomas to Elijah Butler with 3:26 remaining to make it 17-7. Morris Knolls recovered the kick on their 40 and proceeded to run out the clock.
Comments: Morris Knolls’ offense ran 63 plays and 61 were runs. The Golden Eagles had the ball for nearly 34 minutes and they gained 283 yards with only four of those rushes gaining 10 or more yards. In contrast, only four rushed lost yardage and one was from a sack. Brookes gained 91 yards, Knaack 77, and Jayden Koger had 72. The line of Sam Frendo, Sam Fallon, Mason Blood, Justin Desbiens, and Greg Foreman were instrumental in keeping the ball. Morris Knolls is known for their Veer offense, but the defense was outstanding, holding Linden to six first downs, with one in the first half and three on their last drive. They also limited the Tigers to 135 total yards and 61 rushing plus 65 yards on the last drive – all through the air.
Linden seemed out of whack and Morris Knolls had something to do with that. Whatever they did rarely worked on offense and the defense was on the field for a long time. Linebacker Myles Hamilton had a good game and Kevin Taylor was very active up front on defense, but it takes eleven players.