Mountain Lakes entered Friday night’s state playoff game, missing multiple key players on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The Herd traveled to New Milford to take on the second-seeded Knights to see who would travel to Butler next weekend to play for the North Group 1 Section 1 title.
Mountain Lakes took the lead early in the 1st quarter after a short punt set the Herd up in scoring position to start their second drive of the game. Massimo Corvelli made it 1st and goal with a 10-yard run, and Jack Bronico powered his way to pay dirt, giving Mountain Lakes a 7-0 lead.
Holden Gillespie’s first interception of the year on the ensuing drive may not have led to points, but it set the tone for a Mountain Lakes defense that lasted the entire game. New Milford came close to tying the game up later in the 1st quarter when quarterback Jerzey Ryan nearly hit Luis Placido for what looked to be a big-time touchdown. But the two could not connect, and we entered the half with Mountain Lakes up. 7-0.
After forcing a quick three-and-out to open the second half, the Herd easily moved the ball up and down the field and looked to take control of the game. However, New Milford’s defense stood tall and continued to make big stops on fourth down to give the offense another shot at tying the game up.
The score remained the same until Mountain Lakes all but put the game away with a little over two minutes remaining. Corvelli plunged into the end zone to give the Herd a 14-0 lead. The running game dominated all night for Mountain Lakes and junior running back Billy Barrett shined when the lights were bright, picking up huge first downs and having his best game of the year.
The Knights made it interesting after Ryan and Placido brought New Milford down the field before Giovanni Nicodeme scored to make it a 14-7 Mountain Lakes lead. The ensuing onside kick was unsuccessful, however, and Barrett scampered for the game-clinching first down, sending the Herd back to the Section Final to face Butler next week!
Up Next for Mountain Lakes
Mountain Lakes advances to the NJSIAA, North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 Final to face the Butler Bulldogs. The Bulldogs cruised past Glen Ridge 40-20 and are the top seed in the bracket as they look to end the Herd’s postseason run.
