Ramapo 14 Northern Highlands 10    

November 11, 2023

Ramapo was down 10-0 early in the game, but scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to beat Northern Highlands and win the North Jersey Section 1 Group 4 championship. 

First Quarter: Northern Highlands opened the game with a 14-play, 69-yard drive that consumed seven minutes. They made it count when Nate Johnson found Matthew Boydell on a swing pass to the right for a 5-yard touchdown. Johnson had runs of 9 and 11 yards, along with a 17-yard pass to Shane Hanlon. Ramapo moved the ball and made it to the 27 of Highlands, but Landon DePrima was sacked on fourth down by several Highlands defenders to turn the ball over on downs. 

Second Quarter: Highlands began with the ball on the 31, the same spot they had on their first drive, late in the first quarter and ate up nearly six minutes. The Highlanders made it down the field behind passes to Danny Smiechowski for 14 and 11 yards, plus an 11-yard pass to Hanlon that gave them a first down on the 17. This led to a 29-yard field goal by Peter Vafiadis to put the Highlanders up, 10-0, with 7:43 left in the half. The teams exchanged fumbles on the next two drives and then exchanged punts before Ramapo ended up at their 46 when the clock ran out. 

Third Quarter: After a Ramapo punt, Northern Highlands drove to the 19, but their chance to add to their lead failed on a missed 36-yard field goal attempt. Ramapo started the next drive on their 20 and had a big opportunity when DePrima found Zach Schnorrbusch on a 40-yard pass to the 15 and three plays later, Charlie Wingfield caught a 12-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-7 with 42 seconds left in the quarter. 

Fourth Quarter: Ramapo had the ball at midfield, but JR Walley intercepted for Highlands, followed by a Ramapo interception by Gavin Taylor three plays later on the Ramapo 33 with 4:26 left. The Raiders went nine plays and went in front for the first time in the game when DePrima found Brandon DelValle along the left sideline for a 21-yard touchdown with two minutes left. Highlands threatened the rest of the way, getting to the 16-yard line with 14 seconds remaining; but the game ended with three incomplete passes.  

Comments:.Ramapo kept playing after they were down, 10-0, after the first two Highlands drives. The defense settled down, shutting Highlands out the rest of the way. Highlands had the ball for nearly thirteen of the first sixteen minutes; they had the ball for fifteen minutes out of a possible thirty-two. And the offense scored twice to go in front and hold on for the win. DePrima was under intense pressure from the Highlands from the Highlands defense for much of the evening, but he made the crucial passes: the two touchdowns and the 40-yard pass to Schnorrbusch. 

Highlands jumped out to the lead and missed opportunities the rest of the way. They fumbled on their third drive when many believed Johnson, the ball carrier, was down. They missed a field goal and could not close the deal on their last drive. The defense put a lot of pressure on DePrima and flushed him out of the pocket, but the Raiders made the plays in the second half. The Highlanders go home empty-handed the way Ramapo did the last two years in what is becoming a very big rivalry.