By Chris Iseman – Record Sports
RUTHERFORD — The Rutherford Bulldogs are the kings of the NJIC.
Kyle Russell hit Abellany Mendez with a five-yard touchdown pass in overtime, lifting Rutherford to a 14-7 win over defending champion Hasbrouck Heights in the conference championship game on Friday night at Tryon Field.
Tyler Aponte then sealed the victory.
After Rutherford’s score, Hasbrouck Heights got the ball for its chance to score. The Aviators threw into the end zone for their first play, but Aponte intercepted the pass.
The celebration ensued as the Bulldogs streamed onto the fields, their fans erupted in the stands and sirens of the firetrucks parked beyond the end zone blared.
With the win, Rutherford snapped Hasbrouck Heights’ 18-game winning streak.
The Bulldogs improved to 8-0. Not many expected them to be at this point after losing a significant amount of talent from last season’s team, including stellar running back Kevin Kosakowski.
But Rutherford has proven that plenty of talent returned this season.
“I think they’ve kind of been using that as motivation,” coach Andrew Howell said. “These guys were part of our success the last two years. They patiently waited their turns. Now they’re seniors and it’s their time to shine. Week after week, people weren’t really expecting much out of us. But these guys just keep proving that their winners.”
The Aviators took an early 7-0 lead early in the second quarter when James Klenk threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to JC Pagan.
That’s how the score stayed until early in the third quarter when Mendez went 22 yards up the middle for a touchdown to tie the game.
Getting defensive: Both defenses were strong all game. Rutherford managed to limit Hasbrouck Heights running back Jasiah Purdie, one of the most dynamic weapons in North Jersey.
“We had to stop Purdie, is what it came down to,” Howell said. “He was the best player on the field, so we had to know where he was every play. We had to stop him.”
Key plays: In overtime, Rutherford had second-and-12 at the 27. But Rich Marques ran 11 yards to get a third-and-1 at the 16.
He then fought for a six-yard gain to pick up a first down at the 10, before picking up another five yards to set up Russell’s touchdown pass.
Quotable: “It’s so exciting,” Howell said. “That’s what high school football is all about. You saw the atmosphere here, you saw our community. You couldn’t ask for a better high school football game. We beat one of the best teams around.”
Congratulations to the Rutherford HS football team and coaching staff from everyone n the NJIC
