In a rematch from last year, the Glen Rock Panthers once again took down the Waldwick/Midland Park Warriors 14-7 in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Tournament.
It’s safe to say these two teams know each other fairly well. In fact, Saturday was the fifth time the schools have played since the 2023-2024 season.
“When you play a team like that [Waldwick/Midland Park] so many times, you’re so familiar with them,” Glen Rock Senior Matt Boisits said. The running back/linebacker had 16 rushes for 112 yards and a touchdown in the game. “It becomes a chess game, we know what they’re going to do, they know what we’re going to do, now it’s just who can execute better who can be the better team.”
The first quarter was all Waldwick. Glen Rock senior quarterback Brendan Burkhardt couldn’t connect on his passes and the Panthers were unable to stay disciplined at the line of scrimmage with three false start/offside penalties.
After a fourth-down stop, Waldwick marched down the field, capped off with a 42-yard touchdown run by quarterback Dylan Ferrara. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, that touchdown run only added to his 1400+ rushing yards logged this season.
While Waldwick may have been in control of the first quarter, it seemed like Glen Rock had woken up and all the momentum shifted into their favor in the second quarter.
What started with a fourth-down stop at the Glen Rock five-yard line ended with a 95-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by Burkhardt’s 42-yard pass to Luca Cassano. Matt Boisits would seal the score with a nine-yard run into the end zone.
Glen Rock’s push to the lead didn’t stop there. On the very next drive, the Panthers blocked the fourth-down punt, and sophomore linebacker Jack Spitaleri was able to recover and take it to the end zone for the score.
“We know pre snap and post snap penalties are going to kill us,” Burkhardt said. “We keep doing what we’ve been doing all season…overall we played as a team and used our chemistry.”
The field-long drive and blocked punt TDs gave Glen Rock a 14-7 lead going into halftime.
The Panthers prevented the score from changing the rest of the game; however, they gave the Warriors plenty of chances to try and tie the game.
In the third quarter, after forcing a turnover on downs, Glen Rock faced two penalties in a row and there would have been a third but Burkhardt threw an interception, giving Waldwick/Midland Park the stop.
The Warriors would get another chance late in the fourth when Burkhardt threw another interception, this time caught by Matthew Elsasser. Waldwick/Midland Park looked to be taking advantage of the turnover with a 20-yard pass from Dylan Ferrara to senior wide receiver Mason Major, but the drive came to a halt when the Panthers’ defense made the fourth-down stop thanks to a Jack Spitaleri sack.
For the second year in a row, Glen Rock would be on its way to defeating Waldwick/Midland Park in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA tournament and add to what’s now a 7-2 season.
In the semi-finals, the Panthers are set to face the Ramsey Rams, who are also 7-2. This will be the first time in decades that the two schools will play each other in football.
Despite Ramsey technically being a new opponent, Glen Rock head coach Kyle McCourt won’t be changing how he prepares his team.
“We’re going to keep the process usual,” McCourt said. “They’re a very good team, but I think we are too. We’re having a really good year. Our guys are making plays and we’re just enjoying it week by week.”
The semi-finals of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Tournament are set to take place on Friday, November 7.
