The road to MetLife Stadium and the NJSIAA State Tournament is officially underway for the 2026 season, and the Passaic County Tech Bulldogs made a dominant statement in their opening game of the tournament with a shutout 35-0 win against the Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers.
For Passaic Tech, the NJSIAA State Tournament has been filled with much heartbreak, and the Bulldogs hope to finally bring home the championship.
Since 2022, the Bulldogs have made it to the NJSIAA Group 5 Tournament Final on three separate occasions and have fallen to the opposing team all three times. The most recent loss came last year against Washington Township by a score of 31-12.
Coming into the postseason this year, Passaic Tech had a 6-3 record, earning them the fourth seed in the North 2, Group 5 bracket.
For Bridgewater-Raritan, the Panthers come into the postseason with a 7-2 record, earning them the fifth seed in the sectional bracket. This matchup against Passaic Tech gave the Panthers a tough rematch after losing to the Bulldogs in the NJSIAA Semifinals last year.
The first quarter saw three touchdowns from the Bulldogs, starting with a touchdown pass from Bryce Longo to wide receiver Isaiah Dial to put the first points on the board.
Longo contributed to all three touchdowns in the first quarter. The second touchdown was a pass to wide receiver Chris Davis, and then Longo scored on an 80-yard run. The Bulldogs finished the quarter with a 20-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Longo continued to run the show offensively with another touchdown pass to Davis, followed by a two-point conversion pass to Dial, giving the Bulldogs to 28-0 lead after recovering from a missed extra point in the first quarter.
Finally, the scoring was wrapped up in the third quarter with a final run into the end zone by Randy Lewis to make the final score 35-0. Although Lewis’s only touchdown of the game came in the third quarter, he led the game in rushing yards with 120 total yards on 17 carries.
Contributing to the shutout, linebacker Jay Ghazey was able to force a fumble, while defensive backs Ahmad Williams and Jordan Vasquez were both able to get interceptions.
With the first opponent down for the Bulldogs, the focus will now shift to Elizabeth, who is currently undefeated. The Bulldogs will face what could be their toughest competition in the tournament.
Passaic County Tech and Elizabeth will play on Friday, November 6.
