BY CHRIS ISEMAN
STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD

Scott Mahoney stood in front of his players and emphasized the magnitude of the next game.

Undefeated Pompton Lakes will play unbeaten Harrison with not only the NJIC Liberty Division title at stake, the Cardinals’ coach told them Saturday moments after they shut out Hawthorne. They also will be playing for a trip to the conference championship semifinals.

For these two teams, the playoffs begin a week early.

“That’s why we put this format in,” Mahoney said after he addressed his players on the field. “I think it’s thrown a lot of meaning into every game.”

Meaning. Intrigue. Excitement.

The inaugural NJIC playoffs have injected all of that into each week of games. Three divisions have been decided, and the winner of the Pompton Lakes-Harrison game Saturday will determine the last team to advance to the conference final four.

Here’s a division-by-division look at the teams still in contention for the first NJIC football championship and what it took to get here:

Colonial

Rutherford, ranked No. 5 in The Record Public Top 20, has dominated this division. The Bulldogs (5-0) boast everything a championship-caliber team needs: A high-powered offense, a lock-down defense and — maybe most importantly — experience.

Rutherford lost in the North 2, Group 2 championship game last season to Madison.

Senior running back Kevin Kosakowski has rushed for 673 yards and nine touchdowns on 70 carries, while senior wide receiver Laris Mulic has caught 14 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns.

Rutherford’s defense has been exceptional. The Bulldogs have outscored opponents, 188-37, allowing an average of just 7.4 points per game.

Rutherford will face the Liberty champion – Pompton Lakes or Harrison – in the conference semifinals.

The Cardinals and Blue Tide are similar to the Bulldogs, as they all have strong defenses and well-run offenses.

Meadowlands

This division has belonged to No. 14 Hasbrouck Heights.

Senior quarterback Frank Quatrone has thrown for 445 yards and seven touchdowns, and the dual-threat talent has a team-leading 589 rushing yards with 12 scores.

The Meadowlands Division is arguably the toughest in the conference, as it’s filled with solid teams, including Saddle Brook, St. Mary and Cresskill. But every team other than Hasbrouck Heights (4-0) has at least two losses.

The Aviators will play Patriot champion Becton in the semifinals.

The Wildcats haven’t allowed more than 14 points in any of their five games, so perhaps they will become the first defense to find an answer against the Aviators.

Liberty

This is the one division that remains unsettled.

No. 13 Pompton Lakes (4-0) has rolled through its first four games, outscoring teams, 143-20. New Milford is the only team to have scored on the Cardinals, but still lost by 22 points two weeks ago.

Senior quarterback Kevin Cotter has thrown for 645 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Cardinals also have a formidable rushing attack, led by senior Chris Grecco (389 yards, three scores).

The Cardinals’ next test will come against a Harrison team that has been one of the conference’s biggest surprises.

The No. 19 Blue Tide (4-0) has outscored opponents, 120-18, and is on its way to finishing above .500 for the first time since 2003.

The showdown Saturday with Pompton Lakes will feature two stellar quarterbacks, as Harrison senior Mike O’Donnell has thrown for 594 yards and eight touchdowns.

“We’ve got to come to play,” Mahoney said.

Patriot

No. 12 Becton (5-0) reeled off five straight wins to claim this division.

Junior quarterback Michael Bolwell has thrown for 522 yards and eight touchdowns. He has some big pieces around him, including senior wide receiver Seven Strong (19 catches, 290 yards, five scores).